BOBBY GUNN FIGHT STOPPED PREMATURELY
Posted on | April 23, 2007 | No Comments
Bobby Gunn is a fearless Canadian warrior who always goes to his opponent’s back yard to fight. He is prepared to take a bull by the horns, but he never realized the hardest fight would be against the referee. Bobby believes that a referee shouldn’t be allowed to officiate a world championship fight if the slightest sight of blood upsets him and makes him nervous. There were no knockdowns and just a small cut on the bridge of Bobby’s nose. The nose was not broken at the British press reported. Members of Bobby’s team that were in England with him have spoken about the controversial stoppage.
TEAM GUNN QUOTES
Bobby’s personal trainer Kyle White: “Bobby only suffered a small cut which already healed. It looked messy but if you watch the tape, very few hard punches were landed and Bobby still had his defense up. They didn’t allow Bobby to fight. I’ve seen fights where guys are cut up and bleeding until the end (such as Arturo Gatti), and they are allowed to fight. But, for some odd reason, they stopped this fight at the first sign of a cut. The stoppage seemed premature, especially with only 25 seconds left in the round.
Bobby’s cut man Mike Hopper: “The fight was stopped prematurely. That seemed like how it was going to be before we even got there. We knew we were up against the odds coming into the ring, and that’s what happened. Bobby could have continued. He stopped the fight because of blood from the cut. I had the bleeding stopped before they announced Maccarinelli the winner. I brought it up in the rules meeting, and they said it was the fight doctor’s choice, and if everything is OK we would be able to continue. That obviously didn’t happen. Bobby was hit in the nose, got the standing 8 count, and was stopped right after that very prematurely. Stoppages like this are bad for boxing.
Note: Earlier in the night, Welterweight Mehrdud Takaloo was badly cut and was allowed to go the distance in his loss to Michael Jennings. Takaloo is a warrior and has much respect as well as friendship from Team Gunn, but was he allowed to go the distance because he is managed by Frank Warren? Warren is the same man who not only promoted the show but manages Enzo Maccarinelli.
PHILLY BOXING RESULTS
Posted on | April 23, 2007 | 1 Comment
Philadelphia Boxing Results – National Guard Armory – 4/21/07
Ennis Returns to Form with TKO over Reyes
By Tony Penecale
The action was hot and heavy on Saturday Night at North East Philadelphia’s National Guard Armory and local favorite Derek “Pooh” Ennis brought the heat, hammering Edgar Reyes to defeat in the main event.
Ennis was returning to the ring after a disappointing outing Showbox when he was TKO’d in the 2nd round by Allen Conyers. It was reported that going in, Ennis had dropped 25 lbs in the weeks leading up the televised contest. Determined not to make that mistake again, Ennis showed up in tremendous shape, fresh from working in the Oscar De la Hoya camp.
Ennis, 152, Philadelphia, immediately pressed the action, as he backed up Reyes, 152, Orlando Fl, using a piston-like jab, which opened the door for a punishing body attack. Reyes tried to press the action in the 2nd and 3rd stanzas but found himself unable to cope with the speed and class of Ennis.
Ennis was fighting well off of the ropes when he caught Reyes with a crisp combination midway through the 4th round. Sensing blood, Ennis came in for the kill as he battered Reyes around the ring, nearly flooring him on several occasions. Although Reyes was able to survive the round, his corner had seen enough, and kept him on the stool, signaling surrender.
Ennis improves his record to 11-1-1 (8) while Reyes falls to 10-7 (3).
The co-feature saw a battle of the southpaws as Patrick Lopez, and impressive prospect, systematically broke down veteran Sebastian Hamel Jr, stopping him at the end of the 2nd round.
The 1st round was uneventful as Lopez, 141, Londonberry NH, stalked Hamel Jr, 140, Quebec Canada, keeping him on the defense. With little fear of the light-punching Hamel Jr, Lopez began to sit down on his punches early in the 2nd, scoring a knockdown with a missile of a left hand. Hamel Jr. went down hard on his back but was able to beat the count. Hamel Jr found himself on the canvas shortly before the round ended which was ruled a slip, but appeared to be a legitimate knockdown. It was enough to convince his corner to stop the bout.
Lopez now sits at 11-0 (9) while Hamel Jr sees his record slip to 6-9-1 (3).
In other bouts:
In a cruiserweight slugfest, it was Kevin Boswell, 194, Hempstead NY, over Tim Johnson, 197, Philadelphia, via unanimous decision. Boswell scored knockdowns in the 2nd and 4th rounds, and landed the cleaner punches throughout the contest which had its fair share of rough-house tactics, winning by scores of 39-35 and 40-34 (twice). Both boxers entered the bout with identical records of 1-0 (1). Boswell is now 2-0 (1) and Johnson is now 1-1 (1).
Teon Kennedy, 127, Philadelphia neutralized the height and reach advantages of Jose Guzman, 132, Bronx, knocking him down once en route to a unanimous decision victory. Kennedy immediately took the fight to Guzman, backing him to the ropes early, and knocking him to the canvas with a solid left hook to the body in the 2nd round. Guzman was able to regain his feet and survive Kennedy’s follow up onslaught. Guzman tried to press the action in the 3rd and 4th rounds, even switching southpaw, but it was Kennedy who was more effective on the inside and landed the crisper and more effective punches. Kennedy won by scores of 40-35 and 39-36 (twice) improving his record to 3-0 (2) while Guzman drops to 0-2-1.
For his pro debut, Archil Lapachishvili, 140, Philadelphia, seemed to have a safe opponent in Darrell Crenshaw, 140, PA, who had won only one of his 9 professional bouts. Almost immediately, it seemed that Crenshaw was the prospect and Lapachishvili was the “opponent”. Crenshaw came out early, boxing well, and tattooing Lapachishvili with a stiff jab. Lapachishvili continually backed up on his heels to avoid Crenshaw’s offense. When it became apparent that Lapachishvili could not counter his rushes, Crenshaw became more aggressive in the 2nd round, landing solid uppercuts on the inside, before driving the air from Lapachishvili with a devastating hook to the liver. Lapachishvili fell to the canvas in obvious pain, where he stayed for several minutes as he gasped for air. Crenshaw got his 2nd victory and his record is now 2-7-1 (1) while Lapachishvili loses his pro debut and is now 0-1.
Fans were treated to an exciting exhibition between local Philadelphia prospects, Moses Calderon and Danny Garcia, who is still an amateur prodigy. The first round seemed more like Hagler-Hearns than an exhibition as both boxers tore into each other and traded knockdowns. The action settled down in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, giving the fans a good show.
The next scheduled boxing card in the Philadelphia area will be Friday, May 4 when local light heavyweight Charles “Chucky” Cavallo headlines at the Fraternal Order of Eagle in Fairless Hills PA.
THE NEW CRAZE IN ENERGY PRODUCTS: NRAGE
Posted on | April 23, 2007 | 2 Comments
ALL THE RAGE: A NEW ENERGY PRODUCT PROFILE
By: Rich Bergeron
NRAGE Energy Strips are fast becoming the new best friend of every fighter who uses them. These ultra-thin caffeine strips are convenient, practical, and effective, especially for fighters out there trying to shed pounds and get a jolt at the same time.
Fight News Unlimited recently caught up with Paul Giordano, the Chief “Energy” Officer behind this revolutionary product.
“I’ve been at it now for four years,” said Giordano. “Since then the product’s constantly evolved. Now we’re really bringing it out into the marketplace.” Inspired by Listerine’s Pocket Packs, Giordano envisioned something with a little more pop to it and made caffeine the active ingredient while also keeping the breath freshening capability intact.
“I knew that the future of delivery for active ingredients was going to be in edible film technology,” he explained. “There’s so many energy drinks in that category, and consumers really needed to have something new, convenient, and something that didn’t have the side effects of other products, which could be anything from consuming too much sugar to having gastro-intestinal problems like acid reflux you can get from taking pills. If you’re taking pills with caffeine, it’s not healthy. Consumers really haven’t had many choices for an effective caffeine-based energy product, other than pills and drinks, so that’s what really inspired the strips. They’re more effective, convenient, and more health conscious, and we create them without having to have all these other ingredients.”
Giordano went on to explain that the best quality of the product is the way it is absorbed. “It’s the fastest delivery of caffeine possible,” he said. “It’s a sublingual delivery system, and the menthol in it makes the nasal passages open up, so the caffeine is delivered immediately through the tongue and gums. You don’t have to deal with getting bloated from liquids or the harshness of pills, and it’s convenient. You carry around a little cassette you can put right in your pocket, and you have a bunch of them in there. With energy drinks and pills, you get one use and you’re done. NRAGE gives you several uses. The caffeine they give you is equivalent to what’s in 6 Red Bulls. So it provides convenience, fast delivery, and there’s no carbs, no calories, and no sugar. If you need to make weight, you don’t have to worry about it.”
One strip weighs a mere 58 milligrams, a tiny fraction of what’s found inside a typical can of liquid energy. Right now the company employs Neotame, which is 13,000 times sweeter than sugar, as a sweetener. In the future they will employ Sucralose, which Giordano noted is “approved worldwide” while “Neotame is relatively new.” He also pointed out that the amount of Sucralose in a sugar-free cake is astronomical compared to the trace amounts found in his strips.
The company is quickly making inroads in the fight game, with connections being made in MMA and boxing circles.
“We have actually done stuff with Gleason’s Gym which is the most famous gym in the world out of Brooklyn, New York,” said Giordano. “We’ve got Vivian Harris and Zab Judah using the strips. We can break in, but with MMA there is such explosive growth. It’s hard to make a comparison with boxing, because it’s so established now. Boxing has matured, as far as growth in boxing, and I really don’t know how much more it’ll grow, but MMA is gonna continue to grow, and it hasn’t even matured yet.”
NRAGE started introducing their strips into the MMA circles in November of 2006. “Their training regimen is more grueling than any other athlete’s. They have to have most grueling regimen there is in any sport,” said Giordano. “A lot of fighters take different kinds of products to give them energy, and some of them may not be good for them. NRAGE offers a caffeine boost with menthol in it to clear the nasal passages without filling the fighter up on liquids, without the harshness of pills, and providing pretty much instant energy and fresh breath… for close grappling.”
Giordano recognizes that the sport of MMA is an ideal breeding ground for marketing his product to the masses as the sport expands and grows exponentially. “What’s great about it is MMA is a very viral community. Every fighter is looking not only to make it and to get a break in MMA, but also at the same time every fighter is promoting the sport,” he said. “As a community it’s just tremendous how viral it is and how fast the sport is spreading. Just by word of mouth, NRAGE is starting to spread from fighter to fighter.”
Just a few fighters who rave about NRAGE are: Mikey Burnett of “The Ultimate Fighter” fame, Chris “The Grinch” Reedy, Alan “Stryker” Stamp, Alfie Buck, Jason “Live Wire” Von Flue, Adam “Mayhem” McEndree, Greg “Country Boy” McDowell, Shannon “Sinister” Elliot, Nate White, and Brian Baker.
“Honestly, there has not been one fighter we’ve sent product to who hasn’t loved the product,” said Giordano. “We’ve got all of team Norsemen taking product, Dead End MMA taking, THUG Fight Wear, and other whole teams. Brian Baker we just signed a sponsorship with. Jason Von Flue is someone we’re working with, and he trains out of the same gym as Chuck Liddell. He’ll be fighting in Strike Force in June. His big sponsor is TapOut, but we’re also a sponsor for him as well. Then there’s Ring of Combat. We’ve got a lot of fighters that are affiliated with Ring of Combat using NRAGE.”
McDowell offered the following ringing endorsement in the comment section of NRAGE’s MySpace profile: “NRAGE Energy Strips have to be the best thing out on the market. I have never had a product that has given such a clean energy burst without the jitters. NRAGE Energy Strips give me what I need to complete a full work out. Thank You, NRAGE, for being true to your word.”
Giordano is excited about where the MMA movement might take his product. “A year from now we could end up being one of the biggest sponsors out there,” he said. “The good thing about it is the buzz is just starting a little bit now. So many people in the MMA community don’t even know about it yet. MMA is just a great way for our product to get our street cred. If it’s good enough for an MMA athlete, it’s good enough for any athlete. It works.”
It’s all about building up the product name and getting the strips into stores down the line for Giordano. “We want to build the brand nationwide and worldwide. The ultimate goal is to build a whole culture around it in all sports,” he said. “Major league baseball is a big area we’d like to get into. A lot of baseball players drink energy drinks, or they take caffeine pills. Even though in baseball the game may not be nearly as physically challenging as MMA, they’re playing every day and they’re on the road a lot. It’s more of a mental fatigue, but it’s physical fatigue as well, and this is really a perfect product for baseball players to use. Right before they run onto the field, they can pop a few strips, or even right before an at bat, it works that quickly, and it wakes you up that quickly. It’s something that’s not filling you up or slowing you down and making you feel lethargic. We’re also gonna look to break into the NFL.”
NRAGE is also appealing to women. Right on the company’s home page, and on their MySpace page, there is a Channel 11 news clip featuring the strips. The product featured prominently on a show called “Daily Candy” in a segment promoting new products. “The show represents a woman’s point of view. So, the product is now accepted in the women’s community,” said Giordano.
What makes the product so unique and marketable, however, is not that it’s so useful for just athletes or just women. NRAGE can be equally effective for everybody who takes it. “Our goal is to really create a product not only for all athletes, but also just for every day people. Anybody in the gym, college students, office workers, truck drivers and other people who need to stay up at night, and just anybody who could use a little more energy to get something done,” explained Giordano. “We’re working so that everybody can go into a 24-hour convenient store and buy a pack of NRAGE at the counter.”
To learn more about NRAGE go to their Main Web-site at: NRAGEUSA.COM
or their MySpace page at: MYSPACE.COM/NRAGEUSA
WEEKEND MMA REPORT
Posted on | April 22, 2007 | 44 Comments
WEEKEND MMA WRAPUP
BY: RICH BERGERON
It was a wild weekend in Mixed Martial Arts with three huge events on the same Saturday giving every MMA fan a free glimpse of some of the best fighters in the world.
The action started with Cage Rage 21 and featured some awesome matches, including a spinning backfist knockout won by Abdul Mohammed against Ross Pointon. Mohammed landed the shot with his forearm connecting flush with Pointon’s face, landing square on Pointon’s nose and dropping him instantly to the canvas. It was one of the event’s most fantastic finishes.
The last two fights were probably the most anticipated of the night with both Vitor Belfort and Tank Abbott taking on relative unknowns.
Belfort was masterful throughout and made his opponent look silly trying to hang with the seasoned pro. Belfort faced Ivan Serati, who simply did not have the well-rounded skills to challenge him in any manner. Belfort grappled his way onto the back of Serati quickly after the fight went to the ground. He hooked his legs in securely and hung on tightly like a Praying Mantis latched on to a strand of field grass swaying in the wind. Although he looked as if he might get bucked off the horse a few times for riding too high in the saddle, he managed to keep his balance and stay focused. Eventually he secured the perfect position to rain enough successive punches down on Serati’s head to win by TKO at 3:47 of Round 1.
In the main event of the evening Tank Abbott faced off against Gary Turner. Tank received word about the availability of Saturday’s fight while drinking down a beer in a bar somewhere. He proclaimed his eagerness to get the job done in a pre-fight interview, but his impatience may have cost him a win. Though his lack of a phenomenal physique has never seemed to slow down the pit fighter in past bouts, Saturday he steamrolled himself into trouble early and gassed out after a raging start.
Abbott came out fighting like a madman, unleashing a tornado of heavy-handed rights and lefts and punching the face and head of Turner with blazing speed and awesome power. Even the announcers voiced their disbelief that Turner could still be standing after taking all that punishment. Though it looked like Turner was always a hair from having the fight stopped in the early stages, he managed to fend off just enough punches to make the ref realize he was still in it.
Abbott finally grew weary and went in for the takedown, falling on top of Turner and then failing to get anything done on the ground. The fight went back up to the feet eventually and Turner took complete advantage of his second wind, tapping into all the energy he still had left after spending the first half of the round on defense. He shocked the arena and everyone watching by scoring a vicious TKO, staying true to his name. Turner’s TKO came at 2:27 of Round one and was a brutal upset that had the crowd going absolutely wild.
The free Spike TV broadcast of UFC 70 provided plenty of thrills, but none was better than the upset of Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, who fell the floor like a sack of potatoes after Gabriel Gonzaga clocked him with a head kick in the first round. The blow clipped Cro Cop on the side of his head. The strike was like an iron bar of human bone swinging right into the temple of the favored Filipovic.
There will be a replay of the action Monday night for all who missed it. Check your local listings for more details.
HERE ARE THE RESULTS OF THIS WEEKEND’S ACTION:
UFC 70:
Gabriel Gonzaga defeats Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic via knockout (head kick) in round one
Andrei Arlovski defeats Fabricio Werdum via unanimous decision
Michael Bisping defeats Elvis Sinosic via technical knockout (strikes) in round two
Ryoto Machida defeats David Heath via unanimous decision
Cheick Kongo defeats Assuerio Silva via majority decision
Terry Etim defeats Matt Grice via submission (guillotine choke) in round one
Junior Assuncao defeats David Lee via submission (rear naked choke) in round two
Alessio Sakara defeats Victor Valimaki via technical knockout (strikes) in round one
Jess Liaudin defeats Dennis Siver via armbar in round one
Paul Taylor defeats Ediberto Crocota via technical knockout (strikes) in round three
CAGE RAGE 21:
James E Nicholl def. Sunit Ilyasov by Majority Decision, 3 Rounds
Xavier Foupa-Pokam def. Tom Watson by Triangle Choke at 2:27, Round 2
Alex Owen def. Brad Pickett by Unanimous Decision, 3 Rounds
Cyrille Diabate def. Ryan Robinson by Armbar at 1:16, Round 1
Abdul Mohammed def. Ross Pointon by KO (Spinning Backfist) at 3:20, Round 1
CAGE RAGE WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Paul Daley def. Paul Jenkins by KO at 0:41, Round 2
Mark Epstein def. Roman Webber by KO at 4:27, Round 2
Mark Weir def. Daijiro Matsui by Unanimous Decision, 3 Rounds
Murilo “Ninja” Rua def. Alex Reid by TKO (doctor stoppage due to cut on shin) 0:28, Round 1
K1 KICKBOXING RULES
James McSweeney def. Michael McDonald by Unanimous Decision, 3 Rounds
WORLD LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
James Zikic def. Cyborg Evangelista by Unanimous Decision, 3 Rounds
Vitor Belfort def. Ivan Serati by TKO at 3:47, Round 1
Gary Turner def. Tank Abbott by TKO at 2:27, Round 1
NO LIMITS PROVING GROUND:
1. Pete Sabala vs. Tyler Weathers Submission (Guillotine Choke) 2 1:15
2. Shane Delrosario vs. Gilbert Carreto TKO 1 1:19
3. Albert Rios Randy Bowers Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 2 2:42
4. Tim Persey vs. Brandon Quigley KO 1 0:24
5. Takumi Nakayama vs. Anthony McDavitt No Contest 1
6. Bao Quach vs. Rex Payne KO 1 1:34
7. Jorge Ortiz John Cronk TKO 1 1:43
8. Ray Lazama vs. Fabricio Nascimento KO 1 4:19
FRANK SHAMROCK: THE MMA PIONEER SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON THE STATE OF THE SPORT
Posted on | April 22, 2007 | No Comments
FRANK SHAMROCK: THE MMA PIONEER SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON THE STATE OF THE SPORT
By: Rich Bergeron
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Frank Shamrock laments that he’s “old and tired,” but he’s still keyed up to put a hurt on Phil Baroni in June in the next EliteXC card that will be televised on Showtime in June. “I’m getting ready to beat up Phil,” he said in a recent interview. “I’m just training right here at my martial arts school, and I’m having a good time.”
Looking back to his last appearance on Showtime in the cable debut of Mixed Martial Arts, he’s not optimistic about a rematch with Renzo Gracie to clear up all the controversy behind the disqualification loss he suffered. “Oh of course, but I don’t think he’ll rematch me, but I would love to do it,” he said about fighting Gracie again. “If I got knocked out during a fight, I most certainly wouldn’t be rematching the guy.”
Shamrock has enjoyed being part of the burgeoning ProElite league. “I got four more fights with them, and I’m gonna fight with them in September,” he said. “I’ve just been telling my coaches I want to fight every four months.”
As one of the early pioneers of mixed martial arts, Shamrock is excited about the recent growth the sport is experiencing. “I think it’s fantastic. I always thought what we’re doing is the most challenging and inspirational sport in the world,” he said. “It’s nice to see the community and the masses support it.”
Looking ahead, he is most intrigued about molding the next great champions from the raw talent that he trains every day. “My biggest goal is to teach mixed martial arts to as many people as possible and expose them to the positive lifestyle that it brings,” he said. “I teach classes every day, and I train all the instructors. I teach about two to three classes a week. I work with the kids class, the womens class, and the mens class.”
The sport has transformed Shamrock over the years, and he’s come a long way since he first took it up. “Mixed martial arts really changed my life and made me who I am: a professional martial artist and a happy and successful person,” he said. “My goal in teaching is to give as many people as I can the same opportunity.”
Even in the face of PRIDE Fighting Championships merging with the UFC’s parent company, Shamrock is hopeful some of the smaller leagues can join together and mount a challenge against the big dogs of the sport. “I mean it’s gonna be tough, they got a monopoly on the market, and they got more money than God, but good business is good business,” he said. “And the product is very popular, so anybody doing good business and providing a good product can be successful.”
Looking back at his own experiences in the UFC, Shamrock noticed that the company succeeded more out of luck than it did out of any miraculous transformation inspired by Dana White. White, looked upon much of the MMA scene as “the man” and something of a cult hero, has had a rough relationship with Frank Shamrock over the years. The two have such animosity for each other that White has actually offered to double Phil Baroni’s purse and pay all his training expenses if he beats Shamrock on June 22. Baroni has also expressed an interest to enter the UFC. Check out this video for more: PHIL BARONI INTERVIEW
Shamrock even offered to come back to the UFC once in October of 2006 if Dana White would take on his partner and promoter Scott Coker (FRANK SHAMROCK VIDEO) in a match-up not unlike the one proposed between White and Tito Ortiz. In an interview posted on www.Ironlife.com (IRONLIFE.COM INTERVIEW WITH FRANK SHAMROCK) Shamrock went into detail about what he really thinks of White. “Well, basically Dana White tries to belittle people. I do know that Dana has lost $20 million dollars of Lorenzo’s (owner of the UFC) money and that he is frustrated,” Shamrock said in that interview. “I know what goes on with him and his business deals but he doesn’t know what goes on with me. That makes him angry.” He later called White an “uneducated businessman” in the same piece.
Shamrock retired from the UFC in 1999 having defended his title five times at Middleweight. He spent some time in retirement before re-emerging in the sport, but he never retired his ill feelings for White.
Shamrock elaborated on what he meant in the Ironlife.com piece by explaining how White lost so much money. “I’m assuming when they bought it in the early days of the UFC, he just had a lack of understanding of the brand and the product right out of the gate,” he said about White. “Everything was ill-planned and unfocused in the spending. I really think they were successful by accident, and it was never really anything they had a solid plan for.”
Both Shamrock brothers have departed the UFC, with Ken coaching an IFL team now after a few tough defeats he suffered against Tito Ortiz. “I’m sure it was just him getting beaten up, and he didn’t have such a good run at the end,” said Frank Shamrock about Ken’s departure.
The new league has had a positive impact on the older Shamrock so far. “He loves it, he absolutely loves it. I’ve really been taken by surprise with the professionalism of the IFL, and the team aspect is a very unique one,” said Frank Shamrock. “He’s a coach there, and he absolutely loves it.”
Frank is sure his brother’s fighting days are not over, and he’d even consider getting a sibling rivalry fight off the ground between the two. “Ken will always get in there, he’s a fighter,” said Shamrock. “We haven’t talked about it personally, but we do have a general feeling and understanding that we would fight if it makes good money for the families, and who cares if we take a few lumps doing it.”
Shamrock is happy to see the IFL and other small leagues gaining attention and popularity. “The IFL is a very professionally run and well-orchestrated business,” he said. “The UFC is questionable.” As far as the way these smaller outfits are starting to make bigger moves, Shamrock is all for a level playing field where one powerhouse can’t take charge of the whole sport. “I love it. I think it’s important. For every Pepsi there’s a Coke,” he said. “That’s essential, because the worst thing that could ever happen is the UFC could have a monopoly and completely standardize the whole market. Every time there’s a monopoly, somebody suffers. I’m just so excited to see the sport growing, and it will continue if there’s enough money for everybody, and if there’s enough TV for everybody.”
He is really amazed by how the Internet has improved the sport. “That’s what saved and kept this sport alive when no one else could do or see it,” he said. “Many people forget that. At one point it was only on cable, and at one point it was only on satellite TV, and at that time satellite TV was only in a small amount of homes. Fans on the Internet kept the entire sport alive.”
Shamrock feels a certain duty to the next generation. “Fighting is a very small part of being a professional martial artist,” he said. “If you’re a good person, you’re willing to give back to your community, and I’m committed to that and to learning to be a complete martial artist. That’s what makes you a star.”
He only hopes to be able to bring a little more respect to the game that he sees others out there soiling. “When this sport got money, a lot of the wrong people were in position to take advantage of it,” he said, “ And that’s been unfortunate.”
Asked if he had anything else to say, Frank gave a shout out to his supporters. “I just wanted to thank my fans for supporting me. Don’t believe everything you read. The truth is far down the line, especially in this business.”
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Tags: appearance > Bergeron > controversy > debut > disqualification loss > early pioneers > EliteXC > four months > Frank Shamrock > gonna fight > having a good time > Lifestyle > martial arts school > Mixed Martial Arts > Phil Baroni > pioneer > raw talent > Renzo Gracie > SHOWTIME > sport frank
NOTES FROM SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION
Posted on | April 21, 2007 | 1 Comment
NOTES FROM SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION
~ APRIL 20, 2007 ~
(Final Results Release To Follow)
“MAGIC MAN” ANTONIO TARVER RETURNS TO THE RING
Former Light Heavyweight Champion Will Face Elvir Muriqi on Showtime Championship Boxing, June 9, live at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast)
Poof! The “Magic Man” is back – and fighting on America’s No. 1 Boxing Network.
One of boxing’s most recognizable and talented pound-for-pound fighters, the legendary Antonio “Magic Man” Tarver will make his highly anticipated return to the ring on Saturday, June 9, 2007, in the main event on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING.
A former World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) light heavyweight champion, Tarver (24-4, 18 KOs) will fight for the first time in one year when he battles Elvir Muriqi (34-3, 21 KOs) for the vacant International Boxing Organization (IBO) 175-pound title on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
Tarver vs. Muriqi is being promoted by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing and will take place at a site to be announced.
“The Magic Man is back,” Tarver said, “On June 9, I am going to make Muriqi disappear.”
Tarver will forever be remembered for his trilogy with Roy Jones Jr. He defeated the then-invincible Jones two out of three times, including a devastating second-round knockout in the second fight.
The popular, brash southpaw also made movie magic in Hollywood. He had a starring role as Mason “The Line” Dixon in the sixth installment of the popular movie series Rocky.
But now it is time for Tarver, who fought Rocky Balboa in reel life, to fight for real. For the last few months, he has been training with Buddy McGirt in Vero Beach, Fla.
“I want to fight and let people know I am back,” said Tarver, who dropped a decision to Bernard Hopkins in his last start on June 10, 2006. “I’m staying in shape. That’s going to be the difference.”
Tarver is among today’s brightest stars in the sport. He has fought some of the most memorable bouts in recent history against some of the best fighters of his generation.
In the opening bout of Tarver’s scintillating series against Jones (Nov. 8, 2003) he lost a disputed 12-round majority decision. Tarver avenged the loss and cemented his legacy, when he brutally flattened Jones in the rematch (May 15, 2004). Tarver won a 12-round decision in their third encounter on Dec. 1, 2005.
“I am looking forward to fighting on SHOWTIME,” the six-foot-two-inch Tarver, 38, said. “I appreciate the opportunity to come back on the sport’s highest stage.”
CSTV TO BROADCAST 2007 COLLEGIATE NATIONALS BOXING CHAMPIONSHIP
NABO middleweight champion Joey Gilbert was in Atlantic City for tonight’s fight card at Bally’s. The WBO No. 6-ranked 160-pounder from Reno, Nev., recently provided color commentary for the 2007 Powerade Collegiate Nationals Boxing Championships, which was part of CSTV’s second annual Collegiate Nationals event. The event, which is a great showcase for amateur boxing, will be broadcast nationally on CSTV premiering on Saturday, May 12 for three consecutive nights.
“It was an exciting event,” said Gilbert. “Without giving away any results, I must say from Penn State and the Military Academies as well as UNLV and my alma-mater the University of Nevada there are some excellent college boxing programs across the country and some very talented collegiate athletes. The Collegiate Nationals was a great showcase for amateur boxing and anyone who watches the broadcast on CSTV will be impressed with the skill and heart that the fighters displayed.”
PROELITE PRESIDENT KELLY PERDEW MAKING BIG MOVES
Posted on | April 20, 2007 | No Comments
PROELITE.COM’S KELLY PERDEW COMMENTS ON THE ROLE HIS SITE IS PLAYING IN THE PROMOTION OF THE SPORT OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS.
By: Rich Bergeron
Kelly Perdew, the President of ProElite.com, has had a busy week. Getting the word out about the first MMA doubleheader in IPPV history has been taking up a great deal of his focus, but this week he also managed to work out a deal to partner with www.mmamix.com, one of the most premiere communities for MMA fighters, fans, and organizations. The MyMMASpace concept will now be absorbed into the ProElite.com interface over the next few weeks. While you wait and watch the site grow you can watch two stellar fight cards for free this Saturday in a monumental broadcast.
“We are definitely staying busy,” said Perdew in a recent interview. “It’s exciting. We’re trying to provide the sport as much support as we can.”
He announced that it will be the first time ever that two shows including 21 free fights will be available in a live broadcast in one day, from two continents. “Not a lot of people have a lot of money to go fly to London,” he said. “Bob Sapp ended up backing out, but we got Tank Abbot in his stead. We’ll have Vitor Belfort, Paul Daley, and a bunch of really exciting fighters. It’s all starting at 10 AM on the West Coast, and you can see it all on proelite.com and watch all thirteen of those fights from London in the Cage Rage event. Then at 7pm on the West Coast in Orange County, there’s a No Limits MMA show with 8 fights on that one.”
Perdew remains committed to the fans of the sport. He said he is just fulfilling the company’s mission to help provide the growth the sport needs. “We want to give the fighters as much exposure as possible, and a lot of times people never get to see live fights. They have to pay $39.99 typically on Pay Per View, and we’re bringing it to people live for free. It’s excellent from a sponsorship and advertising model,” said Perdew. “They just have to be logged on to ProElite.com a half hour before the fight to watch the stream. While the fight is going on they can interact with other members and vote on what’s going on. We’re even doing a ring girl contest. Registration goes on through the end of April. Users on Pro Elite can pick a girl to be on the next Showtime Event.”
The ProElite.com focus is on a fully connected community involving multiple different facets of the sport. “We’re very focused on doing a full community for MMA,” said Perdew. “We want to attract fans, fighters, promoters, everything from the gyms and the clubs, and we also want to be a tool for those different people to interact. Whatever they need proelite.com should be able to provide it. We want to be the MySpace or YouTube of MMA, and that’s the kind of stuff that we’re providing.”
As a result of their push for MMA community supremacy, they recently picked up MMAMIX.COM, which is also known as MYMMASpace. “They have a great team, and they’re run by some really bright people who have been in the sport for a long time,” Perdew said. “The fans have been on there, and we are thinking about how we can combine everything into one community and make sure we can get the best from each of the different groups. Over the coming weeks, we’ll merge them together at the same time, and then we’ll have all the new features together at each spot. Real excited to have Jeremy Gocke and the other founders brought into the fold of Pro Elite, and it will be a great value for both of us.”
As far as anything down the pipeline, that information is strictly classified for the moment. Perdew pointed out that ProElite is a publicly traded company, he “can’t comment on future deals” until they’re made. He did promise some big developments, though.
“I do believe that anytime you want to grow a new business, you need to be able to provide the best quality content, the best quality tools. Fighters need sponsors, and they need to get into fights, and we allow them to find sponsors, show off what they can do, provide examples of their fights, interviews, records, and other material that goes into that,” Perdew explained. “In the days before the internet was so accessible, for a fighter to try to get a promoter or a manager, he has to Fed-Ex a DVD and then hope the person watches it and remembers to call back. Now a fighter can come on ProElite.com, build a site, upload videos: all for free, and they can show their track records, tell their stories, and get promoters and managers.”
Pro Elite is designed to help fighters further their careers with a simple interface. “If you are an up and coming fighter, and you don’t have the resources to build your own Web-site, we provide that for you,” Perdew said. “That increases your likelihood of finding a manager, and maybe you’ll get into Showtime and Elite XC through us, or you could make it to the UFC. We’re really all about providing these resources and tools for people in the sport.”
Perdew knows about communities, having once led the way at ETeamz, the largest amateur sports portal online with over 3.1 million teams registered. He learned from that position that part of the process involves always trying to build new tools and finding out the things that work, and the things that don’t work. “In two weeks time at ProElite.com we’ll have a whole bunch of new features,” he promised. “It’s all gonna become a lot easier to use. We haven’t been at it that long, yet, but in 80 days we’ve streamed four live events, and we had a great show with ICON, we had Frank Triggg and Robbie Lawler, and every day things get better.”
Getting exposure on ProElite.com literally depends on how much time you spend trying to get it. There is a ranking system driven by an algorithm, so it depends on how many people look at your site and put you on their “hitlist,” how many messages you send, and other factors. “It will become much more transparent over time, but it’s really based on how much you use the site and look at your page, and the more photos you have the more page views you’ll get,” he said. “You also get credit if you send out private messages. We’re going to be trying more things to let users know how they can move up in rank.”
Right now Gina Carrano and Julie Kedzie remain in prime slots in the top ten for female fighters on the site. The buzz generated after their fight can still be heard in MMA circles as many viewers agree it was by far the best match on the card. “They had a great fight on Showtime,” said Perdew. “They had standing ovations.”
Tickets go on sale April 21 for the next show that will be televised on Showtime on June 22. Frank Shamrock will be making another appearance against “New York Badass” Phil Baroni. “It’s something Elite Extreme Combat is doing with Strikeforce, and it’s a very exciting event,” promised Perdew. “The full card will be announced tomorrow, and there’s stuff on there already on eleitexc.com, and we’ll be doing commercials and promoting that as well.”
ProElite.com intends to continue to offer useful marketing tools to the MMA community, empower the fighters and the fan base, and keep everything in a cycle of constant improvement. In order to do all that, Perdew knows he has to depend on user feedback. “We want to hear from all your readers. Just go to http://kellyperdew.proelite.com/ to send me a comment. Tell us the things you want to see, what you think about the different tools, and the stuff you like. We will be responsive. This web-site is for the community,” Perdew said.
The future brings good tidings according to the president, and he said he will have some important announcements to make on Monday and Tuesday.
As far as the current trend in MMA and the natural growth going on in the sport, Perdew is ecstatic to see it. “I’m super excited about it and my hat’s off to Dana White and the UFC for really bringing it more mainstream,” he said. “The Ultimate Fighter was really a tipping point to getting it into the mainstream. All this stuff, it puts the focus on the fighter, and these men and women are true warriors, and they’re putting together exciting fights. It’s like watching a chess match with your body. Each side is strategically thinking what to do against their opponent. It’s just so visceral to watch people go into the ring or the cage or the arena, like it has been since the beginning of time, it’s so exciting. People watching automatically start thinking ‘what would I do, how would I hold up?’ There’s been a significant amount of draws, and you really find out what people are made of. I’m just excited, and I think we’re still on the front edge of this wave. Over the next two years we’ll see the full explosion of MMA happen.”
Perdew has always been a fan of all things fighting. As an Airborne Ranger and military intelligence officer, he’s well-schooled himself in hand to hand combat. He also took Judo as a youngster and had to learn how to both wrestle and box at West Point. Though he never practiced MMA in particular, he does appreciate the “discipline and self confidence” fighters exude. “It definitely keeps you in great shape,” he said. “I just admire the guys still fighting who have been there since the beginning. Guys like Dan Severn. I’ve watched from the beginning, and I hooked on then as a fan. I didn’t watch it for a while, but the Ultimate Fighter got me kind of looking at again.”
Perdew has high hopes for the future and maintains he has a great model for the business. “We’ve got a great business team and so many entrepreneurs here, and we’re just trying to find out how do we help the sport and grow it. We just want to figure out a way to make a social network that helps all the people in the community,” he said. “We appreciate you putting the word out. We invite everybody to register Saturday, and we want to remind everyone to make sure you register at least 30 minutes before the fight, and we hope everyone enjoys the shows and everyone tells their friends about it. Again, just let me know if there’s something you wanna see, read, or hear about, or any new function you think might be good for the site, whether you’re a fan, fighter, or promoter.”
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN REMOVED
Posted on | April 19, 2007 | 2 Comments
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