STARS COME OUT TO SEE PETERSONS
Posted on | May 30, 2007 | 1 Comment
Brothers Make Successful Hometown Debut in Front of Star-Studded, Near-Capacity Crowd at D.C. Armory May 25th
Washington, D.C. (May 30, 2007) – They say stars bring out stars. Anthony and Lamont Peterson, fast-tracking their way to boxing stardom, did just that Friday night when they both made their successful hometown debuts in front of more than 3,500 fans and a host of celebrities including boxing’s biggest star Floyd Mayweather, and NBA Star and PMG Boxing President Steve Francis, the promoter of the event. They joined ringside by District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty, CNN anchorman Wolf Blitzer, D. C. Council members Vincent Gray, Kwame Brown and Harry Thomas Jr., NFL All-Pro running back Brian Westbrook, NBA All-Star Caron Butler, former world champions Mark Johnson, Keith Holmes and Sharmba Mitchell and well-known District columnist Harry Jaffe. The highlight of the evening was the presence of more than 100 military men and women—along with their family members—from Walter Reed Hospital in Northwest, Washington, who were guests of the promoter.
In addition, more than 40 media members graced press row with a strong presence from national and local media outlets including USA Today, espn.com, The Washington Post, The Washington Times and a host of local television, radio and web-based boxing outlets.
Mayweather, in DC for a host of Memorial Day weekend events, received a proclamation from the Mayor during an in-ring ceremony, and watched closely as the brothers performed in co-main events for the ESPN2 Friday Night broadcast. “I have heard a lot about them and wanted to see for myself what all the hype was about,” said Mayweather. “I was extremely impressed by their true boxing skills. I see them having very successful future careers in the sport.”
Francis, who is an integral part of bringing boxing back to the District of Columbia, and hopes to return with an even bigger boxing event in the fall, was reflective on the overall turnout for the event. “I am extremely pleased with the attendance and support the celebrity community gave to this event,” said Francis. “It a good indication that boxing is alive and well in the area and more events are possible. It also helps to have future stars driving the local interest for a sport that has such a rich history in D.C.”
The Petersons plan is to step up their competition and compete at championship levels. Anthony, ranked #1 in the WBO, is seeking his mandatory championship challenge bout and with Lamont also seeking a top contender challenge. “Our goal is to be great champions and we are now almost there,” said Anthony. “Anything less would be unacceptable.”
Salita, Foreman join Shamsky, Heyman at Jewish National fund benefit June 4
Posted on | May 30, 2007 | No Comments
New York, May 29—Undefeated Jewish fighters Dmitriy Salita and Yuri Foreman will be among the celebrities at Jewish Stars: A Celebration of Jewish Heritage to benefit the Jewish National Fund on Monday night, June 4, at La Carne Grill kosher restaurant. The fighters will be joined from 6:30 to 8:30 PM for wine tasting and hors d’oevres event by Jewish rap star Remedy, and celebrity appearances by 1969 Mets world champion Art Shamsky, former Knicks and Duke standout Art Heyman, sportscasters Len Berman, Warner Wolf, and Kenny Albert, Daily News columnist Vic Ziegel, and author Evan Weiner. The benefit is priced at $75, and for reservations call 212 490-7172. Delmonico steak tips and barbecue short ribs spring rolls will be among the kosher items on the menu.
JEWISH STARS: A CELEBRATION OF JEWISH HERITAGE TO BENEFIT JEWISH NATIONAL FUND MONDAY, JUNE 4, AT LA CARNE GRILL
***Celebrity guests include Art Shamsky, Len Berman, Vic Ziegel, Kenny Albert, Warner Wolf, Dmitriy Salita, Yuri Foreman, Art Heyman, Dr. Ron Jacobson, Evan Weiner, Remedy***
What: Jewish Stars: A Celebration of Jewish Heritage to benefit the Jewish
National Fund. Wine tasting, hors d’eovres and special guest speakers
Price: $75
When: Monday night, June 4, 2007
Time: 6:30 to 8:30 PM
Where: La Carne Grill kosher restaurant
Address: 340 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY
Reservations: 212-490-7172
Spoken word performance: Remedy, America ’s leading Jewish rap star,
Who/celebrity guests: New York Mets 1969 world champion outfielder Art Shamsky; former Knicks and Duke basketball standout Art Heyman; Len Berman, NBC Sports; Warner Wolf, WABC/ESPN 1050 Radio; Kenny Albert, voice of the Rangers; Vic Ziegel, NY Daily News sports columnist; undefeated boxers Dmitriy Salita and Yuri Foreman; Fordham University dean Dr. Ron Jacobson; Evan Weiner, author of The Business and Politics of Sports; and leading Jewish rap star Remedy will perform a spoken word piece chronicling 5,000 years of Jewish history.
Subways: 4, 5, 6 and Shuttle to Grand Central Station
La Carne Grill kosher restaurant at 340 Lexington Avenue will host Jewish Stars: A celebration of Jewish Heritage to benefit the Jewish National Fund on Monday night, June 4, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. The wine tasting and hors d’oevres event is priced at $75 and will feature a benefit performance by Jewish rap star Remedy, and celebrity appearances by Art Shamsky, Len Berman, Warner Wolf, Vic Ziegel, Dr. Ron Jacobson, and Evan Weiner. For reservations call 212 490-7172. Delmonico steak tips and barbecue short ribs spring rolls will be among the kosher items on the menu.
KEISHA MORRISSEY: AN INTERVIEW WITH BOXING ROYALTY
Posted on | May 29, 2007 | 1 Comment
KEISHA MORRISEY: AN INTERVIEW WITH BOXING ROYALTY
By: Rich Bergeron
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Utilizing her savvy business sense and vast resources culled from her career in politics and the music and entertainment industry, Keisha Morrisey aspires to be the next Don King of the boxing world. She is already more than halfway there. She can make any rock look like a diamond, and she can move mountains with a simple phone call. It is no wonder she calls herself a boxing empress.
“I’m trying and I will succeed,” she said about her foray into the boxing world where she is drawn from an old family connection to the sport. “My background is in the arts entertainment and sports industry overall, doing management, marketing, production and publicity. That’s what I decided I want to do. Entertainment and Music is a part of all of our lives, and that’s where all my background lies. As far as the boxing game, my grandfather was a fighter, and I attended fights and since I was a little girl, so it’s in my blood. Baseball player, Dave Parker, formerly of the Pittsburgh Pirates is also a distant relative, so my siblings and I also went to those games often. I am a hip- hop pioneer as well. I booked acts for dj’s, emcees, and other talent, and I promoted shows at a local nightclub here in Harlem as a teenager. I am hip- hop. I did a lot in the music business, left that alone, then I got into the film industry, and I left that alone and then went into politics, and I did that for five years. I pretty much finished this year, and now I’m back into the entertainment field, not necessarily in music. I’ve been moving into the boxing game and going to Golden Gloves fights. The bottom line is I know I should have been doing it all along. It’s like my grandfather’s guiding me spiritually toward it, like he’s telling me, ‘Hello, boxing is in your blood, this is where you should be.”
For a few years she was even a personal assistant to “Iron” Mike Tyson, after she met him at a Run DMC concert when he was still just a prospect and had not yet made his incredible leap to stardom. Their friendship and business relationship blossomed, and she was at his side during some of his best and worst moments in the sport. She still considers him a dear friend and still the heavyweight champ. Her background helps her see the big picture of the boxing world and how much it needs her help and experience. “I began learning this game in ’89,” she said. ” I foresaw that there was something missing in the boxing game, and I was involved in entertainment at the time, and in the music business.”
It’s all about making connections for Morrisey. “I always had a good relationship with people,” she said. “All industries are missing that right now.” She works with a handful of clients who are authors, playwrights, comedians, models, politicians, singers, and businesses. “I do business management, event planning, promotions, and strategizing business plans,” she said. “I decided that I probably wanna do that in the boxing business, too. My family has an event planning company and they do weddings, parties, and sporting events. We book different clients or acts to come in and sing anthems, wedding songs, whatever a client wants. The company is based out of Virginia, and I’m here in New York by myself. I do some event planning through a family run restaurant here, in Harlem. I also manage my niece and nephews in their modeling work.”
Outside of her job she said she is primarily a mother who always puts family first. “Yes, that’s it,” she explained. “My son comes first, and everything else comes second.” She also pointed out that her niece and nephews are also training in swimming. “I see them going to the Olympics, they were born in the water,” she said.
Despite her many accomplishments, she’s surprisingly humble about her talents. “It’s second nature for me, and it’s not really a lot to me,” she said. “Publicity is easy for me. Sports writing would be a lot for me right now, and that I’ve realized. I can write movie scripts, books, and for my autobiography I have a lot to go. I am working on a book about my political experience here in Harlem. My campaign manager and publicist will be releasing a book in 2007. The last chapter is about my candidacy work. It’s just about my personal experiences in running for local offices. As a strategic move, I’ll allow his book to come out first, and that will be the perfect segue into my book. I haven’t had a long political career, but I just hope somehow to inspire other young people and tell them, ‘You can run.'”
How she first got into politics is an interesting story about identity and wanting to set herself apart from the rusted wheels of the political machine in her neighborhood that always seemed stuck in park. Nothing ever seemed to go forward, and if anything, the wheels sometimes moved in reverse. “I was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness and as a Muslim. Politics wasn’t necessarily discussed at our dinner table,” she said. “I chose the Republican Party, because there was a Democratic club across the street from our housing development. I asked my grandma what that club was, trying to figure out what club I’m gonna go to someday. I said, ‘Grandma, what is that?’ She told me, ‘That’s the politic of the community.’ When I turned 18, the voter registration age, I decided that if to be a Democrat is to be of this community, then I don’t want to be associated with that party. In my 18 years on this earth, the community has gone backwards. I want to be a part of the other team and help bring it back up, because this team right now, that ain’t workin’.”
She maintains that her alignment with the Grand Old Party has nothing to do with George W. Bush or Condoleeza Rice. “It’s first and foremost grassroots,” she said. “There should always be a balance in the community where both parties should be heard on any level. Under Republican leadership, there has been more economic development here in the community, so that’s what I identify with more so. Plus, Madame C.J. Walker and other black entrepreneurs in the 1900s were all Republican, independent, and wealthy. That’s the part of the game I identify with.”
As for the boxing world, Morrisey works primarily with Light Welterweight Francisco “El Gato” Figueroa (14-2, 10 KO’s), a rising star in the division who is coming off an impressive victory against Joey Rios (14-1, 6 KO’s). The bout decided the New York State Light Welterweight Title, and the next step for Figueroa is a bout on the undercard of James Toney and Samuel Peter’s rematch on January 6th. “I’m just an advisor and publicist. We’re still in the process of doing a lot of strategizing, and I don’t want to take him too far away from training,” she said. “I pretty much talk to him, not wanting to take focus away from his training, but after Jan 6th it will be full speed ahead. As far as the marketing media and public relations aspect, we want to work along with his promoter and strategize a game plan as to how I would like to bring him to more of a professional level.”
Morrisey sees three levels of promotion and marketing. They are elite, middle, and grassroots. “We just wanna come up with a great marketing strategy and get him involved with product placement and sponsorships,” she said. “Frankie is an exciting fighter, and he wants to see nothing less than excitement at his fights, win or lose. He’s a great guy. He’s very focused, very involved with his career. He was managing himself for a while, and he had a promoter who believed in him as well. He’s working with a group who can see his vision and together we will take him to another level. He knows he can’t be a professional fighter forever.”
As far as expanding her empire, she is still taking baby steps in the boxing world. “I just have Frankie for right now,” she said. “Nothing is set in stone. Frankie’s the first. I kinda wanna work with him first. I don’t want too many boxers anyway. I’m a close adviser and publicist to Ijeoma “The Praise” Egbunine (12-1, 8 KO’s), and I am actively beginning to learn more about female boxers such as female boxing prospect Demi Nguyen (2-1).” She plans to eventually add more boxers to her small stable. She also works with Undefeated Female Light Welterweight Chika Nakamura (4-0, 1 KO) by managing her site on MySpace. “I see women in boxing getting really big in the next five years,” she said. DiBella Entertainment’s MySpace site is also the result of her handiwork.
“I’m also learning a little about Mixed Martial Arts, and I have a background in karate. Moses Powell and Fred Hamilton trained me, and I made it all the way up to a brown belt, but I didn’t like the competitive fighting aspect, so I didn’t pursue it. But, the discipline was great for me. As far as MMA catching up with boxing, one of my mentors and colleagues Eddie Goldman, is teaching me more about it. I’ll see. I have some Japanese friends who introduced myself and my son to the Pride Fighting Championships, and I have a couple tapes around. I was kinda amazed, but at the same time I liked it. It’s definitely different. They kick and hit and punch people till they start bleeding. I’m not sure I prefer it over boxing. Boxing is my favorite sport. If it is becoming pretty much equal, now I know I need to get into the boxing game to bring it out more. Particularly on a grassroots level as well.”
She made particular mention of boxing’s lack of marketing to the African American and Latin communities. “Somewhere along the way, we’re not being included in marketing strategies and the African American and Latin communities have to know more, and it’s important that we know who the fighters are first,” she said. “That’s why I say Don King is the master at promoting, and right now probably what the African American community relates to is Don King. Unless you’re a Don King fighter, I guess we’re just missing the message. What Don King brings to the table is excitement. He is boxing; I don’t think anyone will ever be able to take his place, except me. I respect Bob Arum and Cedric Kushner, and I like what De La Hoya’s doing, but nobody can do it like Don King. He’s the master.”
The best part of her work is the freedom she enjoys. “That I can have fun and I make my own rules,” she noted about what she loves most about working as her own boss with important people. “More importantly, it’s not stressful. It’s very time consuming, and I have to sacrifice a lot, but it keeps me young.”
The Fresh Air Fund is something she and Figueroa both have in common. “Unlike a lot of kids from the inner city, we both identify with a lot of travel, and we were both very blessed to be out of New York City,” she said. “I understand this may be our home, but you have to travel to promote yourself.”
She is excited to work with Figueroa to help him promote the program that provides city kids host families to allow them to spend time in the country and get off the busy, and sometimes dangerous urban streets.
“He has a big vision for such a little person,” she said about Figueroa. “He’s gonna stop at nothing short of fulfilling it. He’s very humbled. He wants to give back, and he reached out to The Fresh Air Fund to ask what he can do. We’re coming up with something to do for them. I just want to make sure we package it the right way.”
She credits the program for helping her understand a different culture. “For me, The Fresh Air Fund introduced me to a lot of things I wouldn’t be able to do in the city,” she said. “My grandmother was teaching me a little about the old-fashioned perspective. I hardly ever played outside. I cooked, I sewed, and I read everything. There was no real hardcore domestic work, but I was always very intelligent for my age, and even traveled at an early age to school by myself. With my host family I learned how to build a barn, garden and pick fresh fruit, drive a tractor trailer, feed the animals, groom horses and milk cows. I even met Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette.” She explained that a member of her host family handled all of the entertainment security that came to the Cheshire Fair, and she was ecstatic to get that first early brush with a couple stars of the music industry.
“Even that experience was great for me, and in one of our first conversations we were talking about our experiences in The Fresh Air Fund,” she said about that connection she shares with her fighter. “We keep it real with each other, and we encourage open communication. It lets me know what’s on his mind, and I listen very well. It helps me to package him to make him a greater fighter than what he already is. That comes along with a great training team and good people around you.”
“My ultimate goal is probably to become a promoter and real estate tycoon. I either want to become the first female congresswoman in Harlem or a promoter in boxing entertainment and a business woman,” she said. “However, as long as our current Congressman Charlie Rangel is alive, and as long as Don King is alive, I will continue to learn from them, and hopefully get their blessings, and then they can pass the torch to me and I will keep that torch lit.”
Though she is somewhat uncertain of exactly where the future will lead her, she does have definitive plans. “I do have that mapped out, in the long-term as well as for right now. I just want to be an event planner and publicist to the stars,” she said for now. “Then eventually, I’ll either parlay that back into a political career, or maybe as a promoter. Politics being the last option. I made a great mark, and my name is already out there. No matter how much I manage to stray from it, I always end up right back there. I’ve been working with the luminaries, too. It’s all the same thing. It’s big business.”
Though she has dreams of influencing the boxing world in a big way, she has already made quite a difference in the music business. “That’s where people would really recognize me from,” she reported. “I am the founder of Mobb Deep, that’s my pet project. That’s my baby. They have yet to reach their potential as rap artists. They are still babies in the game.” She’s also worked with Melba Moore, a Tony Award winning singer and actress, just to name a few. She runs her own company, Harlem Entertainment, too. There isn’t much Keisha Morrisey hasn’t done in her business life.
A couple hours after the questions were done, I figured out why she is so good with people. She is a natural born talker with countless tales about her colorful life, and it’s easy to get locked into a long conversation with her. What makes it even easier is realizing that she truly does have the characteristics of an empress, but in her case her power lies in the sheer volume of her class and confidence. She doesn’t need any army to give her clout. All she needs to do is pick up the phone and make a call, and she can sweet-talk anyone into working with her. That soft, understanding voice has unlimited potential to reshape the boxing world as we know it.
Watch out, Don King, for this empress may soon claim your throne.
(Keisha (left), Roberto Duran, and Ijeoma “The Praise” Egbunine)
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT KEISHA MORRISEY VISIT:
http://www.KeishaMorrisey.com
http://www.myspace.com/keishad
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Tags: age > American > baseball player > Bergeron > boxing game > boxing world > dave parker > Don King > emcees > empress > entertainment field > film industry > foray > Golden Gloves > Gonna > grandma > housing > keisha > level > LIGHT > management marketing > Morrisey > morrissey > music business > Muslim > nbsp > neighborhood > Nothing > Old > party > pittsburgh pirates > Republican > savvy business sense > sports industry > Street > Table > time > vast resources > wanna > work
EXTREME CONTACT FIGHTING PROFILE
Posted on | May 29, 2007 | 4 Comments
EXTREME CONTACT FIGHTING: THE NEW REVOLUTION IN CAGE COMBAT
By: Rich Bergeron
Owner Troy Waller has brought Extreme Contact Fighting into the forefront of the Mixed Martial Arts scene by making a unique commitment to his fighters and catering to the fans with exciting events and promotions.
Waller, an auto body shop operator by day, literally built the organization from the ground up, even constructing his own rugged, hand-built combat cage. The impressive rig even features an observation chair for a cameraman to get a unique angle of the action.
“Basically, it looks the same as everyone else’s. It’s a 20 by 20 octagon cage. It’s the first one I ever did, and probably the last one, but it’s built very, very strong,” said Waller about his creation. “We overbuilt it like crazy, and it’s way better than the other ones you see on-line. I’ve seen those things tore down, but ours is unbelievable. It was really interesting going through the whole process of putting it together, and it was fun to do. It goes together good, and four people can put it up in about an hour and take it down in and hour or less. A couple guys could do it in a few hours with relative ease.”
Waller’s interest in MMA led him to pursue his own cage fighting operation with “O’Goodie’s Irish Pub” Owner Justin Goodno once the fellow fight fans saw a few shows in their area that simply didn’t live up to their expectations. Wanting to provide more opportunities for the massive surplus of wrestlers coming out of their home state of Iowa, they went to work.
“I’ve always been a big fight fan, and I’ve watched UFC ever since the very first one. Basically, I just saw the other smaller promoters here in the Fort Dodge area, and I’d go to their shows all the time, and I wasn’t impressed with the quality of the shows or how they treated their fighters and stuff,” said Waller. “I went from the ground up starting the business and trying to build it, and I’m just out to do better than the competition. I wanna do it the best I can as far as treating the fighters the right way. The fun part about it’s really the journey of getting there. It’s nice to see lot of the wrestlers that now have something to do after high school and college. A lot of those guys focus so hard in the wrestling room, and they train so hard, and once they’re out, boom, they have no way to make money in the sport anymore. It’s nice to give them an avenue for extra income, something to work for. Iowa has the strongest wrestling background here in the mid-west.”
Watching other events he noticed too many fighters getting “used up and thrown away.” He set out to run Extreme Contact Fighting with a mindset that put the fighter at the top of the pyramid and still provided the fans with amazing, highly-charged events. “We offer the whole production, and we try to do a very professional job,” he said. “We always have a DJ and camera men, and we make DVDs out of every show we do. Tim Scott, our ring announcer, is always entertaining, and we have about 20 items in our apparel line, and a kick ass Web-site. Our goal is just to do a professional job, be consistent every single time, and give our venues what they expect, and treat them with the same level of respect we give to the fighters. We’d love to see some of our younger guys make it to the big show. That’d be awesome, and we’re glad to give some younger talent a place to go to get to the next level.”
Though he’s content keeping his organization relatively humble and understated, he’s not ruling out bringing it to a higher level someday. He recently made a partnership with Pat Miletich, and as a result XCF opened up a Militech Fighting Systems training center in the area to help fighters develop a more complete game. “I don’t know, if I can get to the point where it’s like the UFC, there’s obviously huge rewards financially speaking,” said Waller, “But, it’s real important to me, and when we teamed up with Miletich, we sat down and talked to Pat, and we made sure to mention that we never wanna lose sight of the grass roots aspect.”
Waller once picked up six new fighters at a local amateur show, and he knows that in time he will be able to provide those fighters an incredible shot to get into KOTC, PRIDE, or UFC. He was impressed that he found such talent in a little town of about 6,000 people, and it reminded him that the best course of action for him would to be stay dedicated to elevating fighters on a local level to greater opportunities. “It’s kind of weird, because I didn’t look at it this way when I started out. I didn’t look at the aspect that, for a lot of these guys, this is the only way of making a living,” said Waller. “Unfortunately, some of them, if they don’t have structure in their lives, they’ll end up moving in the wrong direction. We opened up the school in Fort Dodge now, so we have the Miletich training, and we’re doing some after school programs to help take kids off the street and give ’em something to focus on. It’s really turned into that more than anything, but we’re always working on getting shows in bigger venues.”
Waller’s fallen behind on his own training regimen, but he always finds time to watch MMA when he can. “I’ve always been a big wrestling fan and stuff, and the first time the UFC came on, I really fell in love with it,” he said. “I loved seeing Royce Gracie taking on all those big guys, and the whole Jiu Jitsu aspect of it. I’ve been to a couple K-1 fights in Vegas, and that was incredible. I just enjoy all the different styles of MMA, and martial arts, and I like watching Pride, too. As far as me competing, not yet. I need to get going again in the gym. Right now I’m working about 80-90 hours a week.”
Tim “Hollywood” Scott: XCF Announcer
T. Scott is the colorful character who gets in front of the crowd at Extreme Contact Fighting events and gets everyone riled up before each battle. He also doubles as a PR person and puts the word on the street about all the major XCF events.
“It’s funny, I actually used to be in the bar business as a DJ and MC. I knew the owner Troy, and one thing led to another, and now I host his shows,” said T. Scott about how he became involved. “I’ve been there since the first cage match, and I haven’t left the scene since. I’ve done the pro and amateur shows. It’s amazing how it just keeps growing.”
T. Scott’s role is key in the hierarchy of the organization, and he uses his personality and marketing talent to keep everyone informed. “I write the newsletter for our Web-site. Every show that we have, I’m the ring announcer and host for the show,” said T. Scott. “I’m also involved in the everyday process. If something’s happening, I pretty much know what’s going on. I’ve been in the business of Extreme Contact Fighting for about a year, and we’re based out of Fort Dodge, Iowa. Troy Waller’s the owner. Justin Goodno’s in charge of promotions and matching up fighters. We have a new show coming up, the biggest show so far on June 30th. Title Fight Championship is promoting it, and it’s hosted by XCF.”
T. Scott understands that “the UFC is the crème de la crème out there, and the smaller groups and the other minor promoters with shows don’t get quite the UFC draw,” but he also maintains that XCF can still play a major role in the MMA scene. “We’re sort of like a farm league for mid-west fighters,” he said. “We want to be able to get them to the next level, to the IFL, UFC, KOTC, or any of those big events. We’ve been networking with other big promoters and associations to try to get new talent into their organizations. At the same time we’re definitely on the level of moving up ourselves. In June we have an event scheduled at the Wells Fargo Arena which seats 17,000 people, and we’re planning on packing the house there.”
The last XCF production at the Hilton Coiseum in Ames, Iowa featured some amazing fights wth some of the local heroes looking stellar against UFC veterans. Jens Pulver and Corey Hill from this season’s Ultimate Fighter were also in attendance while Pat Miletich did color commentary for the event. The show was also broadcast on www.fightsportglobal.com, which is a new internet pay-per-view service planning to help the smaller MMA leagues out there build partnerships and branch out across the world to generate more income for all involved.
“The sport is continually growing, and we want to be the best promotional company out there,” said T. Scott. “We wanna make sure we treat our fighters right, because without them we couldn’t have what we have, and we take care of them first. We have someone that actually went to Miletich Fighting Systems in Iowa, went through the training program, and became a certified trainer for the system. It’s part of the programming Pat is trying to set up throughout the US, and there’s over 50 active schools or affiliates. We’re part of that now, and we opened a center for that. It’s just another place for our fighters and other local fighters to learn what it takes to be mixed martial arts specialists. They can learn boxing, the ground game, jiu jitsu, wrestling, and everything else it takes to be a true athlete of the sport. We’re just trying to be another outlet for all those people who wanna take it to the next level.”
T. Scott’s constantly seeing great wrestlers out of Iowa go through high school, college, and the Olympics, only to have nowhere else to take it. He realizes now with the popularity of MMA on the rise, it is the perfect place for an organization like XCF to blossom. He and Waller also know their first duty is to make sure the fighters are happy. “We truly take care of our athletes, and without them we wouldn’t be here,” he said. “We help them promote themselves, get in touch with sponsors, handle their travel plans, gas and expenses, get them in touch with the right people, and we go beyond just getting them in the ring to fight.”
T. Scott and the XCF staff work to make each fighter marketable in addition to providing them opportunities to be well-trained and ready to fight. “We just show them what it takes, help them eventually get farther than what we can do for them,” he said. “So all they have to worry about is being dedicated to training, and we help them out with that by letting them use the facility and the opportunity we’ve given them to learn the Miletich Fighting Systems setup.”
He sees the sport’s growing fan base as a sign of great things to come. “The overall popularity of MMA, I think, has exploded, and it’s the next sport that’s just gonna be huge. It’ll surpass boxing in my opinion. Whether or not the fighters get to the same level of pay, that’s gonna take some time,” he said. “Promoters and bigger companies sometimes abuse the fighters. They take advantage of their talent, and some fighters aren’t able to use their talents as an opportunity to better themselves or to make a living. Yeah, a lot of these guys are fighting for three or four thousand a fight, and that’s a lot of money up front, but they’re coming home with a concussion and paying doctor bills. I think when you sign with the UFC they pay for bills, but some of the smaller organizations don’t have the capital to offer that. If you don’t take care of your athletes, how can you expect them to go out in the ring and get beat up? The athlete’s the one we truly care about.”
T. Scott knows that the perceived brutality of the sport will also improve as long as quality referees get the proper training and understand when to stop a fight. “Nobody wants to see that,” he said about those fights that end up with the loser beaten bloody and clearly unable to defend himself. “As long as there’s good referees and judges, the sport will continue to prosper.”
T. Scott’s happy to have a boss like Waller calling the shots. “He’s got a big vision for the sport,” said T. Scott. “He got his own material and built his own cage, and he used all his experience as an auto body mechanic to make it solid. I’d like to see any man try to destroy this cage. The way it’s constructed and hand-built, it wasn’t purchased from any site. He covered it in rubber with thick inch and a half foam underneath. Even our video setup, with the chair above the ring, it provides a great overall view of the fight, and it’s much better than peering through the chain link fence.”
In addition to catering to the needs of the fighters, Extreme Contact Fighting also puts the fan first. “We wanna make it affordable for everyone who still loves the sport and wants to come see it. We’re not here to become millionaires right now,” he said. “The ultimate goal is just to make some great working capital so we can take care of everyone without having to hesitate. We really do take care of them as far as the overall cost, keeping the fights evenly matched, finding reasonable venues, the overall seating arrangement with tables, ringside seating, chairs, and bleachers, and giving everyone a good view of the cage.”
T. Scott, like his boss, is not yet ready to take anyone on in the cage himself, but he does train as much as he can. “I like being in front of the crowd, and I love the entertainment aspect of the sport,” he said. “I’m also very interested in learning martial arts. I’m taking jiu jitsu, and I’m in my first year right now, and I got my first stripe. I love the sport now, even though I don’t plan on stepping in the octagon. I do train with Team Rage, and I’m the co-founder of a team of 16 fighters underneath Jason Steget, the other founding father, mentor, and trainer of the team. Without guys like our team owner, Jeff Kern, and those who teach or take care of us, the sport is not going to keep growing. Then there’s Miletich and the Gracie clan, and all the people who made the sport grow exponentially.”
Looking at the whole vast array of great fighters in the sport, T. Scott finds it tough to choose just one as the absolute best. “My favorite right now is George St. Pierre, and next is Diego Sanchez,” he said. “I love to see more people from other organizations get into the UFC. Cro Cop is coming in, and he’ll be a very dominant force in the UFC. Chuck Liddell’s on the top of his game now, too. Tito Ortiz I know is one of those guys you love to hate or hate to love, but the bottom line is he made himself marketable, and that’s why he’s still a big draw. You can’t just be an athlete in my opionion. You have to be an athlete, your own promoter, and your own agent in regards to getting yourself out there so people can see your talent.”
To see T. Scott’s talent, you can go to his MySpace profile at: http://www.myspace.com/thenextbarber
For more information on the fights or to purchase tickets contact Troy Waller at 515-570-4334 or visit XCF on-line at
http://www.Extremecontactfighting.com.CYCOXTREME.COM MAKING MMA INROADS
Posted on | May 29, 2007 | 1 Comment
CYCOXTREME.COM PROFILE A CLOTHING COMPANY SUPPORTING THE SPORT OF MMA By: Rich Bergeron
Nicholas Remington is the ambitious owner of CYCOXTREME.COM, an emerging clothing company with a mindset to support the MMA scene by sponsoring up and coming fighters.
“We haven’t really been online very long,” he explained in a recent interview. “Basically we’re just a screen-printing company, and I’ve been selling my own clothes out of a shop for a while. Last year I got online to start expanding things.”
Remington does screen-printing and embroidery, and he said he’s always been a fan of boxing and fighting. He did a little boxing himself when he was younger.
“Most of what I do for my business is in the area of clothes for school sports and stuff,” he said. “I also do clothing for racecars, and I do some drag racing myself. I’ve always kind of been fan of cars, and a few years back I bought myself an old Duster, and I somehow turned it into a drag car.”
Remington’s company is set apart from others out there by the way he gives financial support to the fighters working to make it. “Mostly, I hope to use my business to help out athletes,” he said. “The screen-printing is the way I make money, and selling my own clothes, but the main purpose is basically for giving back to the sport.”
As for where he got the unique name, he said “Cyco” has just been his image throughout his younger years. He added extreme sports to it, and that’s how he ended up with his name.
“What I do in my services is what changes it,” he said about how he goes above and beyond some of the other clothing lines out there. “I give back to the sport through helping out athletes through the selling of the clothes, and that’s more or less what the difference is. There’s hundreds of clothing lines out there as far as sportswear. A shirt’s a shirt, but when you sell the shirt, where the money goes to after that is what makes us different.”
Remington explains that his main motivation is the dismal financial climate fighters face. “Fighters don’t really get paid. I got into sponsoring to be able to more or less have a partnership with athletes, and to do some profit sharing with them,” he said. “They can get reimbursed for what they do. Promoters don’t pay, and if they’re not on the main ticket they might only get a couple hundred bucks. When they take a fight, it can cost more to train for a fight than they get for the actual fight.”
He is trying to develop a way to directly contribute a percentage of profits to each fighter based on the sales they generate. At the moment he provides money up front for some select fighters. He’s sponsoring a few fighters and working with some events for promotional purposes.
“I was always into boxing, and in high school I did some boxing, and when MMA came around, I just watched it a lot,” he explained. “I wasn’t into it huge, just watching it here and there, and it kind of progressed from there.”
Though he’s started out with just regular workout clothes, he’s planning on expanding what he offers. “I’m working on finding a good manufacturer for fight shorts right now, but it’s kind of hard to get the right materials, and I haven’t found anything I really like yet, so that’s a work in progress,” he said. “Hopefully it won’t be too much longer. I’m looking at new stuff almost every day.”
To find out more, go to http://WWW.CYCOXTREME.COM
FEEL THE PAIN FIGHT GEAR PROFILE
Posted on | May 29, 2007 | 2 Comments
By: Rich Bergeron
Greg and Kim Peverill took their love of the fight game to the next level when they recently started Feel The Pain Fight Gear. While they are still in the process of setting up an on-line store, right now they already have T-shirts, hoodies, fitted baseball caps, and some other apparel for the serious fans out there.
“Later on we’ll have gear for fighters, shorts, rash guards, gloves, and whatever else fighters need,” said Greg Peverill about the business he and his wife co-own. They recently signed their first fighter sponsorship with “Country Boy” Greg McDowell. McDowell is a proven warrior, having recovered from a serious car accident to be able to train full force for a career in MMA.
“We’re big MMA fans, whether it’s UFC, Pride, all that good fun stuff,” said Greg. “We never miss a Pay-Per-View, and we get all the DVDs at Best Buy, and just about everything everybody has to offer. It was actually my wife’s idea to start the company. I’m just the brains and the money behind it. I figure there’s a first time for everything.”
Greg explained that he and his wife started the company simply to do “something different” and added that it “beats the jobs we have right now.”
The couple keeps it simple with their design schemes. “It’s completely original gear, and it’s not gonna be that fancy,” said Greg. “It’s something we think the fighters will enjoy wearing. The logo’s plain and simple, just the initials FTP inside a Chinese throwing star. We’ll also have a lot of gear up more along the lines with what a lot of the female fight fans are looking for. Hopefully one day we’re gonna be a powerhouse and give all the other companies out there a run for their money.”
Peverill maintains the products now are geared more towards the fan. The whole complete line will target both fans and fighters and the male and female side. “We want to treat everybody equally,” said Greg.
McDowell has had a few difficulties with some previous sponsors, and he is thrilled to be the first fighter to sign with Feel The Pain Fight Gear. “They found me through the Cage Brawl profile. Greg asked me to call him and give him some advice on sponsorships,” explained McDowell. “He was interested in going into MMA clothing. It was a nice conversation, and that eventually led to a working relationship.”
McDowell kept in contact with the Peverills as the whole Cage Brawl event began to fizzle out due to a bit of controversy and matchmaking disasters. McDowell wound up pulling out and then ran into difficulties with Thug Fight Wear, which had promised to sponsor him but never sent him any kind of contract. “I got back to Greg and we ended up working out a year’s sponsorship,” said McDowell. “I’m a fighter wherever I go. I was shadowboxing out of a wheelchair, and I’m a survivor wherever I go.”
McDowell is more than happy to have the backing of such serious fight fans and a great business team to boot. “They offered me a golden opportunity to lay my head with a good team,” he said. “They’re looking at some options for other fighters with some serious wins. Guys who are up and coming in their MMA careers. As far as being different from other sponsors I’ve talked to, I have a contract with them, and I signed for a year, so that made me feel real good. Other companies won’t do that. It’s something to lean on, and it’s something to help me out as a fighter. They’re not there to just give me clothes. They’ll provide me supplies and everything. Plus. I’ll get a little something every month to help me continue to train. With other companies I’ve had no response. Thug fight Wear just put me through a roller coaster ride.”
He enjoys the fact that with the Peverills there is “no B/S involved. Feel The Pain just offers support.”
Greg Peverill promises the full-scale www.feelthepainfightgear.com site will be up and running within two to three weeks. The site is under construction at the moment, but anyone interested in purchasing gear can email info@feelthepainfightgear.com to inquire about what’s available for sale now.
“We’ve got t-shirts, hoodies, fight shorts, and fitted and embroidered baseball caps right now,” said Peverill. “People can order right now through the Web page itself.”
Greg and Kim Peverill both have MySpace Sites where some of the actual clothing can be viewed. Check them out at:
Midwest Grappling Open Returns this June
Posted on | May 29, 2007 | 2 Comments
Midwest Grappling Open Returns this June
On Line Pre-registration now Available
5/29/07 – Independence, OH: The regions fastest growing grappling tournament returns this June 16th to Independence, Ohio for the summer edition of the Midwest Grappling Open. This highly anticipated submission grappling tournament is scheduled for Saturday, June 16th, 2007 and will be held at the Strong Style Martial Arts training facility located in Independence, Ohio just 15 minutes south of Cleveland. The Midwest Grappling Open will be open to competitors of all age groups and skill levels.
The 2007 Midwest Grappling Open will include both Gi and No-Gi divisions for men, women, teens, executives and position grappling for children eight years old and under. “Position grappling” is a new concept aimed towards the youth of the sport and developed for the Midwest Grappling Open. In positing grappling there will be no tap outs or submissions and competitors will be judged on their aggressiveness, technique, effort and sportsmanship to determine the winners. All competitors in the “position grappling” divisions will receive awards for their efforts.
The Midwest Grappling Open will also feature the ultra competitive “absolute division” with a cash prize to the top two finishers along with the prestigious MGO champions’ cup.
On-line pre-registration is now available for this tournament by visiting www.Prokarateweekly.com. Competitors can pre-register for $50 which will include all divisions and a free Midwest Grappling Open t-shirt. Pre-registration deadline for all competitors is June 11th, 2007. Day of registration will begin at 8 am at the Strong Style Martial Arts center and will cost $60 for entry to one or all divisions. Competition will begin at 10 AM sharp.
The 2007 Midwest Grappling Open will once again join forces with “The Online Voice of the Fight Fan”, PKW Live which will offer full coverage of this anticipated grappling tournament. Divisions, scoring, rules and directions to the tournament are currently available on www.Prokarateweekly.com. For additional information contact Marcus Marinelli at 216-520-0271 or PKW Promotions at 330-280-8442.
This event is proudly sponsored by East Coast Martial Arts, Strong Style Martial Arts, the NAAFS, BetonFighting.com and the On-line Voice of the Fight Fan, PKW Live!
Upcoming Events:
June 9th, 2007: Betonfighting.com presents NAAFS “Fight Nite in the Flats 3”
The Plain Dealer Pavilion – Cleveland, OH
Tickets: Now On sale
330-280-8442
www.PKWlive.com
www.NAAFS.tv
June 16th, 2007: Midwest Grappling Open (grappling tournament)
Strong Style Training Center – Independence, OH
Registration: Now Open at www.PKWlive.com. Call 330-280.8442 or PKWLive.com for more info.
July 7th, 2007: NAAFS Brawl at the Hall
Packard Music Hall – Warren, OH
Tickets: On sale June 1st at www.PKWlive.com, the Packard Music hall Box Office or by calling 330-280-8442
August 4th, 2007: NAAFS War on the Shore
The Cove – Geneva, OH
Tickets: On Sale July 1st, 2007
More info Coming Soon
330-280-8442
www.PKWlive.com
www.NAAFS.tv
August 18th, 2007: NAAFS Kickboxing
Chapparells Community Center – Akron, OH
Please note this rescheduled date for the return of NAAFS Kickboxing!
Tickets: On sale July 15th at www.PKWlive.com or by calling 330-280-8442
September 15th, 2007: NAAFS vs Next Level
St. John Arena – Steubenville, OH
Tickets: TBA
More info Coming Soon
330-280-8442
www.PKWlive.com
www.NAAFS.tv
CODY BOLLINGER INTERVIEW
Posted on | May 28, 2007 | 1 Comment
CODY BOLLINGER: GETTING AN EARLY START IN MMA
By: Rich Bergeron
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CODY IS ALREADY WORKING WITH SOME OF THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS: HERE HE GETS HELP FROM THE NEW UFC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION QUINTON “RAMPAGE” JACKSON
With fighting in his blood and a former champion as a father, Cody Bollinger is getting an incredible head start in his MMA career. Just 16 years old and making the best of his already extensive martial arts and wrestling background, Bollinger has compiled a perfect 4-0 record in competition so far against professional MMA fighters.
“First I just started off with karate for a couple years, and then I got into wrestling, and I just went from there,” Cody explained. “The place I was wrestling at had MMA, jiu jitsu, and muay thai training, so I started there, and I picked it up and wanted to fight after a couple years of it. It all came from just starting strong in practice. I met Tedd Williams, the co-promoter of KOTC with Terry Trebilcock, and he saw that I just started beating people in the adults class, and I just went from there, and I finally got the chance to fight.”
Bollinger was just 14 when he got into a tournament in Costa Rica called Titans of the Pentagon. Training with some fighters at Body Shots gym, the California native decided to take the long trip to enter a show the gym put on in the central American country. In addition to fights in Costa Rica and his home state of California, Bollinger’s also competed at the Azi Casino in Laughlin, Arizona.
Asked what he enjoys most about the sport, Bollinger answered, “Just competition of it and the dedication it takes.”
He considers his ground and pound game his greatest strength and likes to employ a choke called a “darce.” Despite knowing what he does best, he also realizes he must have an all-around, well-rounded set of skills to fight his way out of any situation. “It doesn’t really matter to me. I’ll just take whatever opens up,” he said. “I can stand up or ground and pound, and if a submission comes, I’ll take that.”
Bollinger is certainly getting into the sport at an opportune time and appreciates that. “Just the last two months it’s been gaining a lot of popularity, and there’s so many people who know about it now and never did,” he explained. “More people understand the sport now, and they understand that it takes skill, and it’s not as dangerous as boxing. More people are getting into it and not thinking it’s so barbaric anymore. They’re appreciating it and starting to watch, and it’s going worldwide.”
Bollinger trains with veterans of the sport like Javier Vasquez, Joe Stevenson, Josh Burkman, Craig Buchanan, Romie Aram, and his father Frankie Bollinger: the former 145-pound World Champ in KOTC. He also gets lots of guidance from his high school wrestling coach.
“I work on my wrestling above all, because you can do all the jiu jitsu in the world, but if you can’t take ‘em down it’s useless,” he said, “So I’m just keeping up on that wrestling position.”
Religion also plays a major role in his life, and he pointed to Christ as a major influence. Beyond the Heavenly Father, his main mortal role model is his cage fighting veteran father.
Frankie explained that his son started out with the wrestling club at a gym owned by Tedd Williams. Frankie bought in with Williams and soon saw his son training with Joe Stephenson, rolling with adults and tapping them out. He decided to try to find a more competitive fight for Cody, but since the teenager’s jiu jitsu technique isn’t perfected yet, they started slow.
“Costa Rica came up, and he trained a lot in Jiu Jitsu, and there was no wrestling at the time going on, so we slowly started taking him up. He fought a tougher opponent each time,” Frankie said. “Just about every time he fought so far, it was against a man who was 25 or older.”
The father hails his son’s strong knowledge of the position of wrestling as his greatest strength, and the fact that the youngster trains with guys like Stephenson, Burkman, and Aram puts him in line to have a fantastic future in the sport.
Frankie does admit his son did have a chance to lose a fight once. “He fought an 18 year old, up at the Azi Casino, and he lost the first round. It was the fight of the night, because he came back and won,” recalled the proud father. “We’re not giving him tomato cans. We’re trying to make sure the skill levels are equal. He’s getting so much stronger. He’s ripped now and only has about six percent body fat.”
It’s not always easy for Frankie to convince others that he has his son’s best interests in mind, as some look at what he’s doing and admonish him as a bad father. “It only takes one bad loss for a kid to put a black eye on the sport,” he said, “But he’s not just a kid. You have to realize he’s wrestled all over world. He’s wrestled in the Ukraine, China, Japan, all over the place with USA Wrestling. He’s not your usual wrestler, and he’s not your usual kid. Sometimes there’s a lot of backlash against what I’m doing, and some people think I’m a terrible father, but I take it with a grain of salt. I match him with people who have the appropriate skill for him to compete against. He’s wrestled since he was five, and he’s got four state championships. He’s competed in Freestlye and Greco, USA Youth Wrestling, and this year he made it to state tournament, won four matches and lost two. One was against my nephew who took third in the state, and the other guy he lost to took first, and Cody was beating him with 30 seconds left. He lost six to five against the state champ. Since then he beat both of them in Freestyle and Greco, and his junior year should be a real stellar year for wrestling.”
The elder Bollinger can also shrug off criticism because he can draw on his own fight career to teach his son everything he needs to know about how to avoid the pitfalls of the business. “I fought for five years, and I was the King Of The Cage 145-pound champ, but when I turned 39 I got two ACL surgeries,” he explained. “I decided to just train and not fight anymore. There’s only one Randy Couture in this world.”
Though Bollinger knows his son is already pretty well-rounded, he’s also aware of the constant evolution a fighter needs to maintain in order to stay on point. He’s working with Golden Gloves boxing instructors and cross-training in other disciplines to get a leg up as early as he can.
“It used to be Gracie could submit everyone, but that ain’t the case anymore,” said Frankie. “The top level wrestlers come in and keep you from submitting, and it’s all about constant learning. There’s Liddell, and all those other guys out there who are better wrestlers than him, as good as he is.”
The UFC is ultimately where he’d like his son to go, but the short term goal for Cody is to get into a solid college wrestling program. “The best fighters come from there and the Olympics in Pankration or Grappling,” said Frankie. “I’d like to see him in college, getting a degree ultimately. Fighting keeps him in shape for the wrestling season, which runs from November to March in high school. After that he’s pretty burned out, and to keep him at his level, he needs to be doing something. A wrestling match is six minutes of every muscle working and only short periods of rest, so it’s kind of a break for him when he’s fighting.”
As far as where Cody attends classes, it all depends on the coach and what kind of environment surrounds the school’s team. He’s looking for the proper mentor for Cody and a climate where church attendance is encouraged more than binge drinking. “I want to keep him going to church and out of bars, and I hope to find a coach who can be a good mentor for him,” said Frankie. “I think about 80 percent of kids go to school and learn things they shouldn’t be learning. We’re looking at UC Davis, because Mark Munoz is there. He’s an Olympic wrestler, and he knows Cody from youth wrestling. We’ll see what opens up next year when they start recruiting.”
Cody will have his next fight on June 8 at the Soboba Casino in Hemet, California. He’ll face Chad Walteres, who is also undefeated. “He’s a pretty good wrestler,” said Cody. “He’s got some nice throws, and he knows how to strike, but I’m gonna outstrike him.”
An amateur PRIDE fight is also possible, and if it happens he’ll be pitted against Japan’s “toughest 16 year old they can find.” His father and a few promoters are trying to hash out the details. His next definite match will be on July 19th back in Costa Rica with Titans of the Pentagon again.
“I’d just like to thank my sponsors Sick Submissions, Sprawl, and Unbreakable Mouthpieces, and above all Jesus Christ, because he gives me all my opportunities in the sport.”
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Tags: Bergeron > best in the business > body shots > business > california native > Champ > chance > cody bollinger > darce > EARLY > fight > GYM > head > head start > heavyweight > help > Jitsu > Jiu > karate > kid > KOTC > Laughlin > light heavyweight champion > long trip > martial arts > MMA > muay > NEW > place > Promoter > Rampage Jackson > role > state of california > Tedd > tedd williams > terry trebilcock > Thai > time > ufc light heavyweight champion > Williams
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