STATEMENT:

Jonathan will be back soon regardless of the decision! Jonathan still has a lot of fight left in him! Don’t judge him off his recent losses! Jesse Brinkley and Miguel Espino are Super Middleweights. The Espino fight had a controversial stoppage as well! The Mohammad Said fight was very close and could have gone either way. Said is a tough customer and aside from Jonathan, he has been in the ring with top fighters like Anthony Thompson, Antwun Echols, Jerson Ravelo, and Danilo Haussler. Ossie Duran is one of the most avoided fighters at 154! Many top fighters refused to fight him we were the only ones willing to fight him and that fight was also closer then the scoring indicated! You know what, if you saw the fight on CN8 or have the tape you would have taken notice that Ossie pushed Jonathan down after landing a punch and the referee ruled it a knockdown!

With all that said, expect Reid Dawg back in the ring shortly! The guy is the ultimate professional. After losing an 8 round decision to Ossie Duran, Jonathan was back in the gym TWO DAYS AFTER THE FIGHT. With that said, I think that will tell you what kind of determination Jonathan has!

BLUE HORIZON PREVIEW

By: Matt Yanofsky 

This Friday, The Legendary Blue Horizon features a terrific night of fights! The card is being billed as the night of the undefeated. All four unbeaten fighters who come out of the Philadelphia area hope to be major players in their respective divisions.

The main event features heavyweights Chazz Witherspoon (16-0, 12 KO’s) and Charles Davis (17-12-1, 4 KO’s) in an 8 round contest. Witherspoon who is a top heavyweight prospect is the cousin of former heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon. Davis has been in the ring with the likes of Julio Gonzalez, Kevin Johnson, and Aaron Williams. In July 2004, Davis scored the biggest victory of his career by shocking former world champion Arthur Williams.

Light Heavyweight Max Alexander (13-0-1, 2 KO’s) will be taking on Demetrius Jenkins (21-14-1, 16 KO’s) in a contest slated to go 6 rounds. In a rematch, Alexander dominated Marty Lindquist in his last fight. Their previous bout ended in a no contest after Lindquist tested positive for an illegal substance. Jenkins has fought top notch fighters such as Steve Cunningham, Clinton Woods, Eric Harding, and Omar Sheika.

Light Heavyweight Charles “Chucky” Cavallo 13-0, 4 KO’s) will challenge Mike Word (4-7-3, 4 KO’s) in a scheduled six rounder. Cavallo will be in his first bout since his entertaining contest, where he came off the canvas to stop the very tough Andre Hemphill on December 29th. Word scored a shocking second round knockout over Marty Lindquist on March 17th.

The card also features Popular Israeli Junior Welterweight Elad Shmouel (16-1, 8 KO’s) against Jason Jordan (3-6-2) in a 6 round contest. Middleweight Simon O’Donnell (3-0, 2 KO’s) will battle Joe Christy (7-10-1, 2 KO’s) over 4 rounds. In the heavyweight Battle of the Browns, Mark Brown (8-1, 3 KO’s) will defend his namesake against Samuel Brown (3-1).

The card will be at the aforementioned Blue Horizon and will be promoted by Vernoca L. Michael and Blue Horizon Boxing Promotions for Friday April 6, 2007

Aurora CO – When the Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Denver CO
in the early 1990’s, no one knew at that time how defining a moment it
would be in MMA history. After all Dana White was not running the show.
Art Davey the Commissioner, and Rorion Gracie the Maestro, were in
charge of the all-men’s-event. Fast forward 15 years later, and it’s
Lawrence Gaytan, the state’s premiere promoter doing his best to capture the
glory of mixed martial arts action; and he’s doing it with the ladies.

Now try-outs for a new and exciting all female fight card to take place
in June of this year. That event kicks off the start of a 5 team league
being developed, and branded by MissMMA, who is working along side of
Gaytan, Zodiac Films, and several noteworthy female fighters.

Ultimately, ladies will advance after trying their luck at securing a
seat on one of the teams, to debut in the MissMMA USA league being
showcased in 2007. Colorado, Hawaii, Arizona and New Jersey are at center
stage for amassing the teams of professional mixed martial artists. New
states are being added and requests are being accepted for nomination.
Coaches are also needed so it’s an excellent time to help spread the
gospel of martial arts to the benefit of women around the globe.

“It’s not just how good you are, it’s how evenly you are matched
against an opponent that makes for an interesting fight” said promoter
Lawrence Gaytan. To that point, try-outs are being conducted April 21st in
Aurora Colorado. This is an open try-out in which women will be put
through a battery of 3 events to see their capabilities. “There will not be
any physical combat, only sparring, so come give it a try and see your
level of fitness.” said Gaytan.

Athletic try-outs will take place at High Altitude Martial Arts 2832,
ZZ South Havana Street, Aurora CO, 80014. Cooperative sponsorship
opportunities are available for the event, website, and the documentary that
will follow. Visit www.missmma.com for more details or call
1-877-Miss-MMA. Workout wear required consisting of matching rash guard, fight
short, and mouthpiece.

Subsequently, the 60 Minutes page on Yahoo.com received more votes and
message posts for the MMA piece than any other sports story previously
listed, including pieces on Dale Earnhardt, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan
and the New York Yankees.

The Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Association is a grassroots organization
focused on creating opportunities in mixed martial arts for those who
train in the sport. The association’s belief is that we can show
fighters and fans a way to earn a living in which they love so much.

Megan Beaza (2-0) vs. Erin Toughill (7-2-1) Main Event title fight

The main event is one of the most dominant female MMA fighter Erin Toughill taking on Megan Baeza. Not only is Erin a top rated female MMA fighter but also an accomplished boxer. Erin fought Mohammed Ali’s daughter Laila on a Mike Tyson PPV event. Erin has graced several magazine covers and was featured with her husband Clark Bevans on the 3rd installment of a series called, “Warrior Nation” broadcast on MSNBC.

Jesse Forbes (2-1) vs. Clark Bevans (4-0)

Erin’s husband, Clark Bevens is undefeated with a record of 4-0. When Clark isn’t fighting he’s busy operating his Golds gyms in Huntington Beach Ca. He will be fighting Jesse Forbes from the hit television TUF show on Spike. They have agreed to fight at 187lb.

Ginele Marquez (4-5-1) vs. Tonya Evinger (2-1)

Local, Ginele Marquez has more MMA fights than most men. She has been training under Muay Thai Champion Kit Cope and has won four of her last five fights. Ginele also and holds a draw against #1 rated fighter Kelly Kobald (14-0-1) Tonya Evinger is a national wrestling champion and has been featured in Sports illustrated. Tonya fought in February winning with a 16 second KO. Ginele and Tonya competed the same day in a national wrestling tournament 4 years ago but never had a chance to meet. Now they look forward to do battle in MMA with the winner clearly earning a spot on top 10 female MMA 135lbs fighters in the world.

Chris Kennedy (2-2) vs. Charles Diaz (15-4)

Chris graduated from UNLV in 2001 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education, while attending UNLV Chris joined the Boxing Team where he became an All-American Collegiate Boxer. After graduating UNLV, Chris continued his boxing career turning amateur and winning a state Golden Gloves Title. Chris has since turned his focus from boxing to training in MMA, jiu jitsu, wrestling, muay thai, and boxing. In 2006 Chris started fighting professionally in MMA and currently has a 3 and 2 record with 3 wins via submission and 2 losses via decision. Chris is also a Police Officer for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and has been with the department since 2004. . Charles Diaz began competing in MMA in 1999. He has fought some of the best in the business including Rumino Sato and UFC champion Sean Sherk. After a four year Hiatus, Diaz is back looking to get to the top. He will have a chance to beat up a police officer and not worry about getting arrested. Chris Kennedy will show why the Las Vegas P.D. has the toughest cops in the world

Sean Yarbrough (1-0) vs. Maurice Doucette (1-0) K-1 rules Kickboxing match

Sean Yarbrough is an instructor at the LA Boxing club in Las Vegas and has competed in several Muay Thai Fights as an amateur and recently won his first Pro fight in New York. Doucette trains at the Shark Tank gym with Eddie Millis. Both fighters will be looking to remain undefeated in a Kickboxing bout.

Carlos Fletes vs. Donald Vickers Pro Debuts

Carlos Fletes 36 will have many years on his competitor but don’t let that fool you. Carlos has won his first MMA fight last December under 30 seconds. Carlos is a schoolteacher that organized the Rising Sun Judo club as an after-school activity, in June of 1998, at John S. Park Elementary School. His motivation was to provide an after-school program where economically disadvantaged children & teens, which live in poverty, were able to cultivate their minds and bodies to the fullest, so they may serve the preservation and general welfare of all mankind.

Today, JUDO FOR KIDS: The Rising Sun Judo of Las Vegas has developed into the #1 Judo Team in the State of Nevada. He will be taking on Donald Vicker Donald at just 19 is an 8 time NBO Karate world champion. He has trained in boxing and kickboxing since he was 4 years old and trained with Eddie “Flash” Newman and Marvin Eastman. He is a professional MMA fighter in the World Combat League created by legendary Martial-artist Chuck Norris.

This is a classic age vs. youth and grappler vs. Striker

4-man 155 lbs. MMA tournament

Lee Gibson Kansas (7-1) vs. TJ Brown (2-0)

Go to MMA FIGHT GUIDE for complete listings.

After the Beck fight, the WBA Champion defended his title while making his first US appearance. Valuev once again had a questionable choice of opponent by selecting Monte Barrett on October 7 2006. Leading up to the fight, Barrett had not fought since his August 2005 loss to Hasim Rahman. After getting rocked in the first round by Barrett, Valuev took the fight over and stopped Barrett in the eleventh round. Then Valuev stopped Jameel Mccline, who aside from being 0-2 in prior title fights was dominated by journeyman Zuri Lawrence.

In Chagaev’s last fight on November 18, he soundly defeated John Ruiz in the WBA eliminator bout. In addition to defeating Ruiz, Chagaev’s most impressive wins have come against Vladimir Virchis, Rob Calloway, and Michael Sprott.

In the tale of the tape, Chagaev will have at least a 90 pound and 11 inch height deficit, which is similar to many of Valuev’s opponents. This will arguably be the first time Valuev is facing an undefeated opponent in his prime. In addition, Chagaev is a southpaw which could create a stylistic struggle for Valuev. Both men also fight out of Germany which should eliminate the chance of Valuev escaping with a questionable victory such as the ones over John Ruiz, Larry Donald, and Gerald Nobles.

Valuev has indicated if he is victorious, he plans to face Wladimir Klitschko in his next fight. However, before Valuev looks to tie Marciano’s record, he will have hands full seeking victory number 48.

Yorgey, 154, came out firing up the opening bell landing a right hand that clearly staggered Wayka, 152 ½. Things only got worse for the Native American fighter as he was driven to the canvas with a hard body shot moments later. Once the action resumed, Yorgey jumped on his prey, using his superior speed to blister Wayka with combinations.

Wayka’s only respite from the assault came when one of his bodyshots strayed low, causing a 20-second delay as Yorgey recovered. A fired-up Yorgey picked up right where he left off with another series of combinations that dropped Wayka against the ropes. Wayka rose on unsteady legs and was quickly met with a lightning-fast (pun intended) combination that left him face down in the neutral corner where referee Gary Rosato halted the contest without issuing a count.

Yorgey’s raises his record to 18-0-1 (9) while Wayka falls to 14-6 (8).

After the bout, Yorgey proclaimed that this year is “his coming out party” and called out former USBA junior welterweight champion and Contender Season 2 participant, Mike “No Joke” Stewart, who was seated at ringside.

Matchmaker Don Elbaum has high hopes for this matchup saying it would be “the biggest fight around locally.”

While the night may have belonged to Yorgey, the fight of the night belonged to two female gladiators making their professional debuts, as Philadelphia’s Olivia “The Great” Fonseca and New York’s Melissa St. Val engaged in a thrilling slugfest.

St. Val, 139, neutralized the six-inch height advantage of Fonseca, 145, attacking her early and forcing the fight to be waged in close quarters. St. Val scored cleanly in the 1^st round, coming over the top of Fonseca’s low guard with hooks and overhand rights.

Fonseca was finally able to establish her offense in the 2^nd round, timing St. Val’s rushes with uppercuts. The torrid place was clearly draining both combatants going into the 3^rd stanza, where Fonseca was able to flurry and score the cleaner punches.

Going into the 4^th and final stanza, with the outcome hanging in the balance, both women took turns firing their best punches. The result was a draw as all three judges scored the bout 38-38. This reporter had Fonseca winning the narrowest of decisions by the score of 39-38 (2 rounds Fonseca, 1 round St. Val, 1 round – the 4^th– even).

In other results:

Heavyweight Travis Kauffman, 232, Reading, scored and impressive 2^nd round TKO over Kevin Hood, 217, Coatesville. Kauffman started fast, attacking Hood early, and forcing him into a defensive role.

After landing some impressive body shots in the 1^st round, Kauffman started to muscle the fatigued Hood on the inside, dropping him early in the 2^nd round, with a hard right hand to the ribcage. Kauffman kept the pressure on Hood, again dropping him two more times before referee Hurley McCall stopped the bout.

Kauffman’s record improves to 9-0 (7) while Hood now stands at 4-6.

In their first encounter, it took Joey DeMalavez two rounds to dispatch Phil Hinklin. When they met this time, DeMalavez, 162, Manayunk, seemed determined not to let it last as long, charging Hinklin, 166, Philadelphia at the opening bell. With about one minute remaining in the round, the strategy paid off as DeMalavez landing a combination on the ropes, dropping Hinklin to his knees where he remained for the entire count.

DeMalavez ups his record to 6-2 (3) and Hinklin falls to 1-6-1.

Young and up-and-coming Latif Mundy, 155, Philadelphia kept his perfect record intact with a workman-like decision over Manuel Guzman, 155, Lancaster. Mundy’s superior technique and speed enabled him to win all four rounds over Guzman. All three judges had it a shutout for Mundy, who is now 4-0 (1). Guzman sees his record fall to 2-3 (1).

Baltimore’s Tim Coleman, 147, also kept his perfect record safe with a decision win over John Lipscomb, 145, Akron OH. Coleman was in control, as he kept Lipscomb on the end of his punches and landed right hands. Lipscomb offered little offense in return and was not quick enough to land his counter punches. At the end of four rounds, Coleman was declared the winner by scores of 39-37 and 40-36 (twice). Coleman who is a relative light puncher improves to 9-0 (2) and Lipscomb is now 3-10-1.

Two highly anticipated bouts were scratched from the card for medical reasons. Phoenixville’s Jules Blackwell, was hoping to showcase his skills in the very gym where he played high school basketball in the late 90s. Unfortunately, when his bout fell through, he was forced to box and exhibition with Philadelphia’s Bryheim Douglas, whose bout had also fallen through.

In attendance was Mike Stewart, there to scout Yorgey. Other notables included former IBF featherweight champion, Calvin “Silky Smooth” Grove, Earl “The Pearl” Hargrove, and up-and-coming prospects Chazz Witherspoon and Max Alexander.

Joey Gilbert Promotions Brings Championship Boxing to Reno, NV

Reno After Dark Championship Boxing to come to the Reno Events Center

(Reno, Nevada – March 31, 2007) – After a successful first boxing production in Lake Tahoe, Joey Gilbert Promotions will be bringing its second professional boxing event to Joey Gilbert’s hometown of Reno, NV. The Reno After Dark Championship Boxing event will be held at the newly built Reno Events Center on Saturday, May 12th, with doors
opening at 6 PM and the first bout starting at 7 PM.