LOCAL FAVORITE JOSH THORNBURG REPLACES INJURED CONOR HEUN AGAINST JAMES TERRY ON STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS EVENT FRIDAY, APRIL 1, LIVE ON SHOWTIME® AT STOCKTON ARENA IN STOCKTON, CALIF.

Posted on | March 21, 2011 | No Comments

Justin Wilcox Faces Rodrigo Damm in Main Event; Tickets on Sale

 

NEW YORK (March 21, 2011) – Josh Thornburg (6-2), of Stockton, Calif., a member of the Cesar Gracie Fight Team who’s coached and cornered by STRIKEFORCE World Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz, will replace an injured Conor Heun and face James Terry (9-2), of Livermore, Calif., in a televised 165-pound catch weight fight of a STRIKEFORCE Challengers Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) card presented by Rockstar Energy Drink at Stockton Arena in Stockton, Calif.,on Friday, April 1, live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

 

Heun, of Los Angeles, tore ligaments in a knee during training and had to withdraw.

 

The up-and-coming, ultra-tough Thornburg had won two in a row and six of seven until losing his last start to local favorite and more-experienced Roger Bowling in a non-televised fight of STRIKEFORCE: Feijao vs. Hendo last March 5 in Columbus, Ohio.

 

Thornburg dropped a unanimous decision to Bowling, who had much to prove after being defeated by Bobby Voelker in his previous start, but the 6-foot, 26-year-old was competitive, rallied to have a good second round and nearly locked up a guillotine in the closing seconds.

 

“There’s no such thing as a moral victory and I was very disappointed I couldn’t get it done (against Bowling),’’ Thornburg said. “Going in, I was super confident. But I appreciate that I’m getting a chance to come right back and fight in my hometown on SHOWTIME.’’

 

Tickets, starting at $20, are on sale for STRIKEFORCE’s first fight in Stockton at the Stockton Arena ticket office, online atwww.StocktonTickets.com, by phone at (209) 373-1700 or (866) 373-7088 and STRIKEFORCE’s official website(www.strikeforce.com).

 

The first non-televised, undercard fight will begin at 5:30 p.m. PT. Doors will open at 4:45 p.m.

 

In the main event, former NCAA wrestling stud Justin “The Silverback’’ Wilcox (10-3), of San Jose, Calif., will faceRodrigo Damm (9-4) of Brazil in a lightweight bout. Other fights on SHOWTIME: 2008 Judo Olympic Games Gold MedalistSatoshi Ishii (4-1), of Japan, makes his STRIKEFORCE debut against kickboxing specialist Scott Lighty (6-1), of San Luis Obispo, Calif., in a light heavyweight (205 pounds) bout, David “Tarzan” Douglas (6-2), of Antioch, Calif.,  will take onCaros “The Future” Fodor (7-2), of Kirkland, Wash., at 155 pounds, and Tarzan’s unidentical twin, Damian (3-1), of Antioch, will meet Wayne Phillips (5-3), of San Jose, at 170 pounds.

 

About  STRIKEFORCE
STRIKEFORCE (www.STRIKEFORCE.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE, sanctioned by ISKA, has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts (MMA) series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.  In March 2009, STRIKEFORCE signed a multi-year agreement with SHOWTIME® to stage live events on the premium cable television network.  The promotion has since also produced two live, primetime events on the CBS Television Network.

 

 

Ring 8 membership growing

Posted on | March 21, 2011 | No Comments

NEW YORK, NY (March 21, 2011) – Monthly meetings featuring high-profile speakers has spiked RING 8’s membership count as the New York-based group gathers at the historic Waterfront Crabhouse in Long Island City on the third Tuesday of each month, excluding July and August.

 

The three featured speakers this year have been boxing authority Bert Sugar, ESPN Friday Night Fights announcer and trainer, Teddy Atlas, and noted boxing author Thomas Hauser.

 

“We had 118 members are our last meeting and we’ve grown by 15-20 members each meeting this year,” spokesperson Tony Mazzarella said. “Our next meeting will be April 19 and all of the New York Golden Gloves finalists will be our guests for the evening. The guest speaker will soon be announced. We’re really excited about the growing interest in RING8.”

 

RING 8 has also announced a series of scheduled events in 2011 starting with the New York Police Department vs. Los Angeles Police Department on June 9 at the Plattduetsche Park Restaurant in Long Island. This special event is sponsored by RING 8 and the NYPD.

 

The inaugural RING 8 family picnic will be held July 31 at Brady Park in Massapequa, while the 25^th annual RING 8 Holiday Party and awards dinner is on tap December 11 at the famed Russo’s On The Bay in Howard Beach.

Formed in 1954 by an ex-prizefighter, Jack Grebelsky, RING 8 became the eighth subsidiary of what was then known as the National Veteran Boxers Association — hence, RING “8” — and today the organization’s motto still remains: Boxers Helping Boxers.

RING 8 is dedicated to lending a helping hand to those in the boxing community who are less fortunate and may require assistance in terms of paying their rent, medical expenses, or whatever justifiable need.

 

Go on line to www.Ring8ny.com for more information about RING 8, the largest group of its kind in the United States with more than 350 members. Annual membership dues is only $25.00 and each member is entitled to a buffet dinner at RING 8 monthly meetings, the third Tuesday of every month, excluding July and August.

Wrestling Links (3-21-11)

Posted on | March 21, 2011 | No Comments

Sumo Wrestler Breaks Marathon Record Cleveland Leader Published on 03/21/2011 – 8:48am Kelly Gneiting, a 400-lb. former sumo wrestlingchamp from Arizona, now holds the Guinness World Record for “Heaviest Person to Complete a Marathon”. He finished the Los Angeles Marathon over the weekend in 9 hours 48 … See all stories on this topic » Cleveland Leader

OSU’s Jordan Oliver wins NCAA wrestling title Tulsa World OSU’s Jordan Oliver (top) defeated Boise State’s Andrew Hochstrasser to win the 133-pound national title at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia. MATT SLOCUM/Associated Press By J. CARL GUYMON World Correspondent PHILADELPHIA – Attacking … See all stories on this topic »

Sanderson resurrecting wrestling program The Daily Collegian Online By Brandt Gelman The four-time national champion and only undefeated collegiate wrestler in Division I history has seen it all in the sport of wrestling. But on Saturday night, he achieved a first in his career. In just his second year as head coach at … See all stories on this topic »

McDonough falls in title match, Iowa wrestling finishes third at NCAAs UI The Daily Iowan But his story of incredible early career success was overshadowed by the one wrestler who used crutches to get to the mat — Arizona State’s Anthony Robles. Robles was born without a right leg and didn’t take up wrestling until his freshman year in … See all stories on this topic »

Philadelphia plans to bid on hosting the 2015 NCAA wrestling championships … Philadelphia Inquirer By Frank Fitzpatrick By Frank Fitzpatrick The 2011 NCAA Wrestling Championships that concluded Saturday night turned out to be a tale of one city and two perceptions. Philadelphia, by practically any standard, hosted the most successful wrestling … See all stories on this topic »

We’re not a wrestling firm The Sun By JEFF ROWE WWE have insisted they are NOT a wrestling company and tried to stop the media from using the term in association with them. According to leaked emails, Vince McMahon views the WWE as a “global media company” employing “superstars” rather … See all stories on this topic »

Man born without right leg wins NCAA wrestling championship msnbc.com Arizona State’s Anthony Robles took the Division I wrestling crown for his weight class Saturday night with a 7-1 decision over Matt McDonough of Iowa, capping a perfect 36-0 season. The caveat? Robles was born without a right leg, making any excuse … See all stories on this topic »

Former Kenyon wrestlers in vehicle crash; 1 is killed, other badly hurt Minneapolis Star Tribune By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune One of two former wrestlers from southeastern Minnesota injured in a single-vehicle crash has died, officials said. Jake Baalson, 19, of Kenyon, Minn., was killed in the wreck on County Road 30 in Holden Township, … See all stories on this topic »

Pro wrestling world loses Humperdink Charleston Post Courier He worked as a wrestler and a referee, but was best known as a colorful and eccentric manager whose “House of Humperdink” stable included some of the most notorious heels in the business. Among those he managed included The Hollywood Blonds (Jerry … See all stories on this topic »

Taylor, Molinaro lose in championship bouts The Daily Collegian Online “Wrestling’s kind of a strange sport in that way just because, yeah, we’re a team, but we compete as individuals; and it’s that collection of those individual performances,” he said. “So when those individuals don’t have the success, and then we can … See all stories on this topic »

 

Blogs

NCAA 2011 Wrestling Champion Anthony Robles Takes the Path of … By KJ Gould A look at Arizona State’s Anthony Robles and his road to a national championship . Bloody Elbow – http://www.bloodyelbow.com/

The Wonderful World Of Penpals: Wrestling Fans: Pics, Videos … The Wonderful World Of Penpals: Wrestling Fans: For wrestling fans from 6 to 60! Just ask Patrick…Via Vintage Ads. BuzzFeed – Latest – http://www.buzzfeed.com/kruger/libyan-air-force-2c6p

 

Web

WWE: TV Shows > Raw > Videos > 03/14/2011 Wrestling News, Results, Photos, Videos. … All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, … www.wwe.com/shows/raw/videos/17193220/

Snooki Wrestling-Snooki Guest Stars On WWE RAW Snooki guest starred on WWE RAW and naturally ended up in the ring, wrestling. www.refinery29.com/snooki-wrestler

 

Unfinished Business for Heavyweight Sergei “The White Wolf” Liakhovich

Posted on | March 21, 2011 | No Comments

LOS ANGELES (March 21, 2011) – Former world heavyweight champion and 1996 Bellarusian Olympian, Sergei“The White Wolf” Liakhovich, has some unfinished boxing business to take care of starting April 9, when the consummate boxer-puncher returns to the ring for the first time in nearly a year.

 

The 34-year-old Liakhovich (25-3, 16 KOs), rated No. 13 by the WBC, takes on Johnnie White (22-4, 18 KOs) in the 10 round co-feature on Main Events’ pay-per-view-card, headlined by Tomas Adamek versus Kevin McBride, at Prudential Center in Neward, New Jersey. Integrated Sports Media will distribute the fight action in North America on both cable and satellite PPV via iN Demand, DIRECTV, DISH Network, and Avail-TVN in the United States, as well as Bell TV and Viewers Choice in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.

 

Liakhovich had been on his former promoter’s shelf for the past 3 ½ years, fighting only three times during that period, including the last on May 22, 2010. “It was very frustrating,” Sergei explained his inactivity. “I tried everything but my promoter didn’t get me fights. My new advisor, Tony Cardinale, did an awesome job getting me out of that contract. I then signed a promotional contract with Main Events because I saw what they’ve done with Adamek and other fighters.”

 

Back in 2006, Liahkovich was on top of the boxing world having won a unanimous decision (117-110, 115-113, 115-112) against Lamont Brewster for the WBO crown and sporting a 23-1(13 KOs) pro record, including notable wins against world title contender Dominick Guinn and previously undefeated Friday Ahunanya.

 

In his first world title defense, however, Liakhvich lost his belt to Shannon Briggs by way of a 12^th round technical knockout with only one second remaining in the fight, in which Sergei led in scoring 106-103, 106-103 and 105-104.

 

“After that fight he was put on a deep freeze shelf by his promoter,” noted Cardinale, a Boston-based attorney who guided 2-time WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz to 12 world title fights. “He may as well have been sent to Siberia because he’s had only three fights since his Briggs defense in 2006. One was a tough fight against former world champion Nicolai Valuev (in a WBA title eliminator), in which Sergei fought hurt, but he’s had two stunning knockouts since that bout (Evans Quinn and Jeremy Bates). Main Events has a current specialty in resurrecting careers of former champions. We saw what Kathy (Duva) did with Adamek and Zab (Judah).I believe that they’re about to have another champion in Sergei. What I like most about Main Events is how fair and capable they are. I can truly say that they under-sell and over-produce, something extremely rare in this business.”

 

“We need to keep Sergei active. He’ll fight April 9^th and again in July and September, after which we hope to get him in a world title shot. Sergei is 6-4, 240 pounds and he can box and bang, too. He has great boxing skills he learned from his Russian background when they started teaching fundamentals to kids. He’s tall, smart and has fast hands. His fight against Brewster was incredible. He had to get up off the mat to win and he was doing that to Briggs when he got caught at the end. Sergei Liakhovich has everything it takes to challenge and beat the Klitschkos.”

 

The new and improved Liakhovich has top-notch training under the combined auspices of Tommy Brooks and Kenny Weldon, who have handled countless world champions between them. “I’m very comfortable with my new team, especially Main Events for what it does with its fighters,” Sergei commented. “Tony’s already proven to be a great advisor and he’s a great man, too. Tommy and Kenny are two of the best trainers in the world and they’re both working together with me. I’ve been with Tommy and Kenny worked with me five years, including when I won the world title.

 

“I took my next fight against White because everybody knows I don’t want easy fights. He has good power. He’s a tough guy who is capable of taking you out in a second. This is the opponent I want in the ring to prove to myself and everybody else that Sergei is here and will win the world title again. That’s what this is all about – fighting again for the world title!”

 

Two other important reasons Sergei has a new attitude in the ring is his wife, Irina, and their first child, 3-month old son Nazar. “I’m the happiest dad in the world,” Liakhovich concluded. “Right now, I have so much to fight for.

 

“I will show people by best. I don’t want them to judge me on my fights against Briggs and Valuev. I’m happy to know that fight fans in North America will finally get an opportunity to watch me fight again. My last two fights were great wins by stoppage, but both were overseas and nobody saw it. People haven’t seen the best of me but they’ll see the best and what I’m capable to do when I return April 9th. I’ve very excited about getting back in the ring. I’ve been in Los Angeles at training camp with Tommy and Kenny. Everything has gone very well and I’ve had some good sparring. I’m very happy.”

 

Sergei Liakhovich is ready to take care of his unfinished business in the ring.

 

“THE INTERNATIONAL BOXING CHALLENGE” FACT SHEET

Posted on | March 21, 2011 | No Comments

NAME: “International Boxing Challenge” Pro-Am Boxing

DATE: Friday, March 25, 2011

WHO:

MAIN EVENT – 10 ROUNDS – INTERIM WBC LATINO SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

MICHAEL “The Brazilian Rocky” OLIVEIRA ABEL NICOLAS “El Principito” ADRIEL

UNBC Latin Middleweight Champion/USBA #10 Undefeated Prospect

Miami, Florida, USA by way of Sao Paulo, Brazil Pigue, Buenos Aires, Argentina

13-0 (11 KOs) 10-0 (2 KOs)

 

MIDDLEWEIGHTS – 4 ROUNDS

DOUGLAS ATAIBE VALDEVAN “Baiano” PEREIRA

Sao Paulo, Brazil Sao Paulo, Brazil

Pro Debut 5-4 (4 KOs)

 

AMATEUR 119 POUNDS – 3 ROUNDS

ADAUTO SILVA JACKSON JUNIOR

Brazilian National Boxing Team Brazilian National Boxing Team

AMATEUR 119 POUNDS – 3 ROUNDS

GILSON BARROS JEFFERSON SILVA

Brazilian National Boxing Team Brazilian National Boxing Team

 

(All Fights and Fighters subject to change)

 

VENUE: Mauro Pinheiro Gymnasium, Sao Paulo, Brazil

PROMOTER: MO Productions

TICKETS: FREE GENERAL ADMISSION

TELEVISION: Live on TV Globo Network, SporTV cable, GloboEsporte and TV Globo International.

INFORMATION: Doors open at 6:30 PM/GMT (3:30 PM/ET), first bout at 7:30 PM/GMT (4:30 PM/ET)…go on line towww.MichaelOliveira.com for additional information

 

Hungry Ivan Calderon seeking revenge vs. Segura

Posted on | March 21, 2011 | No Comments

‘La Revancha’ PPV Apr. 2

HOBOKEN, N.J. (March 21, 2011) – Former WBO and The Ring light flyweight champion Ivan “Iron Boy” Calderon will be seeking revenge April 2 against the only man to defeat him, current 108-pound king Giovani “El Guerrero Azteca” Segura, in their highly-anticipated rematch headlining the “La Revancha” Pay-Per-View event, live from Auditorio del Estado in Mexicali, Mexico.

“La Revancha: Segura-Calderon 2,” presented by Zanfer Promotions and PR Best Boxing, will be distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 9 PM/ET – 6 PM/PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, DISH Network and Avail-TVN, for a suggested retail price of only $39.95.

Prior to fighting Segura, Calderon appeared to be invincible having ruled the 108-pound division as WBO light flyweight champion for more than three years (six successful title defences), as well as the 105-pound WBO minimum-weight division (11 successful title defences) from 2003 until he moved up in weight in 2007. Ivan is currently rated No. 1 by The Ring and No. 3 by the WBO.

He had taken on and defeated the best light flyweight and minimum-weight world champions and challengers, including Rodel Mayol, Reyes, Higo Fidel Cazares (twice), Nelson Dieppa, Issac Bustos, Roberto Carlos Leyva, Ednar Cardenas, Alex Sanchez and Eduardo Ray Marquez.

“Everything has been real good and I’m already at 110 pounds,” Calderon said from his Puerto Rico-based training camp. “I’m working hard in training to make sure that I do better than I did in the first fight against Segura. My fans will be in Mexico with me in spirit. I know a lot of people will be booing me there, but I know how to control that and remain focused in the ring.

“My first loss has me hungrier and I’m training differently. For the first time in 10 years I’m not living at home with my family. I stay at camp and live in my trainer’s house; it’s just me and him, none of my family around. I’ve also been doing more work with weights to strengthen my arms and legs.”

The 28-year-old Segura (26-1-1, 22 KOs), fighting out of Bell, California by way of Mexico, captured the WBO, The Ring and WBA Super light flyweight titles last October, when he knocked-out the previously unbeaten champion Calderon (34-1-1, 6 KOs) in the eighth round in Puerto Rico. Segura was leading (69-64, 68-65, 67-66) on all three judges’ scorecards at the time of the stoppage.

“I didn’t train right for our first fight,” Calderon added. “My leg muscles were injured. I couldn’t run and training days were suspended in the gym. I usually spar 100 rounds but all I had was 45 for the last fight. No excuses, he did the job, but that wasn’t the Ivan everybody knows. I need to be able to move my legs to control the fight. I couldn’t move because of my legs and he worked my body good. I had to go toe-to-toe with him. He controlled the fight.

“He’s not a good technical fighter, but he’s strong and keeps pressure on his opponent. He did hurt me with body shots. He’s not a real 105-pound fighter; he’s a natural 112-115 pounder. He was real hungry to knock me out and he did the job.

“I believe this fight will be different because I will box more. I will leave Mexico with my belt. Mexicans don’t like to watch my style of boxing but I don’t care if they yell or boo. I will fight my fight and make the judges love my style, so I get the decision.”

The co-feature matches Mexican featherweight champion and three-time world title challenger, Ricardo “Piola” Castillo (39-9-2, 26 KOs), against former WBC Continental Americas super featherweight titlist Joksan “El Torito” Hernandez (21-3, 14 KOs) in a 10-round bout.  Castillo is the younger brother of 2-time world lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

For more information about the Segura-Calderon 2 PPV event go to www.integratedsportsnet.com. Follow Integrated Sports Media on Twitter @IntegratedPPV.

Integrated Sports Media (ISM): North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sporting events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Vitali Klitschko, David Haye, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Amir Khan,Tomasz Adamek, Ricky Hatton, Giovani Segura, Cristian Mijares, Zab Judah, Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Arthur Abraham, John Ruiz, Nicolai Valuev, Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr. and Ruslan Chagaev. In addition, ISM distributed numerous International soccer matches showcasing teams like Real Madrid, Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA, as well as World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson, and Roy Nelson. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports Media events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com.

 

IBF Ring Wars Redemption 03-26-2011

Posted on | March 21, 2011 | No Comments

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR 5/14 CARD ALL SEATS $25 IN ADVANCE $30 AT THE DOOR Bout Card and Bout Order CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS   Jon Forace (Valaro MT) 145lbs Exhibition Bout (Thai Rules) Vs Rich Legg (MVJ) 150lbs Exhibition Bout   Brima Kamara(DD) 171lbs Exhibition Bout (Int Rules) VS Greg Cephas (MVJ) 179lbs Exhibition Bout   Dennis Liu (M9S) 0-0 150lbs Thai Vs Steve Kraus (Valaro MT) 0-0 152lbs Thai   Brandon Krick (DragoMMA, MMAXout) 155lbs BJJ Vs Michael Grzybek (triple threat/10th planet De)155lbs BJJ         Hector Reyes (Valaro MT) 0-0 155lbs Muay Thai Vs Anthony Santiago (W9S) 0-0 155lbs Muay Thai       Zach Woytovich (HASS) 1-1 135lbs Int Vs Wesley Growitz (Upper Darby) 1-0 135lbs   Jonathan Pavlik (Valero MT) 0-0 116lbs Int Vs CJ Faustino (Upper Darby) 1-2 110lbs Int   Zack Beam(HASS) 3-0 145lbs Int Vs Anthony Aj Boyd (MVJ PROSPECT) 3-1 147 Int   James Hill (Team Viper) 0-0 147lbs Thai VS Zak Viscardi (Valaro MT) 0-0 147lbs Thai   Jon Andrus (HASS) 0-1 147lbs Int Vs Steve Lebeschak (CMAC) 0-1 147lbs Int Piankhi Zimmerman 5-0 165lbs sanshou Vs Tuarian Mcleod (MVJ) 165lbs sanshou   Tom Bailey (HASS) 1-2 215lbs Int Vs Paris Robinson 1-1 200lbs Int Jay Colemen (Valero MT) 0-0 165lbs Thai Vs LJ Moses (Blackfeather MT) 0-1 170 Thai Bouts listed in yellow have not been officially confirmed Title Bout CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS MAIN EVENT- Konal Sayal (DD) 7-3 155lbs Int Vs David Bonilla (MVJ) 5-0 155lbs Int   Still looking to fill more bouts on this card. Below are registered fighters that need to be matched: Kelli Scroger  -135lbs International Kickboxing (Intermediate) Nick Perez – 135lbs International, Sanshou (open) Mike Taylor  2-0 – 224lbs BJJ (Novice) Enrique Hernandez  0-0 – 159lbs International Kickboxing (Novice) Nelson Vasquez 2-0 – 160lbs BJJ (Novice) Ralph Harmon   10-1 – 190lbs  BJJ CALL  302-999-9720 OR GO TO WWW.IBF-RINGWARS.COM CLICK ON”FIGHTER REGISTRATION” Featured Article on Abe Kamara “The 1st IBF Ring Wars Middleweight Champion”

IBF PROMOTIONS 3301 Lancaster Ave. Wilmington, DE 19805 302-999-9720 www.ibf-ringwars.com

 

Graham Earl On His Upcoming Belfast Show – ‘Fists Of Fury’ 2nd April

Posted on | March 21, 2011 | No Comments

Following the recent announcement that Willie Limond is to headline his upcoming ‘Fists of Fury’ event, at King’s Hall in Belfast on Saturday 2nd April 2011, former WBU Lightweight World Champion, turned promoter, Graham Earl today took the time to give a rundown on the fighters and fights that will be showcased at his Irish debut event.

“I’ve got Mark Morris, he’s a lightweight that’ll be making his debut. Big things planned for him. You can see he’s a bit of a heavy hitter and I’m sure he’ll make the change from the amateurs to the pros easily. He’s already shown progress already, I’m happy with what I’ve seen and look forward to an explosive fight, maybe an early night.

Next up we’ve got Mark Ginley, again a Lightweight making his debut on April 2nd. He and Mark Morris both trained together as amateurs at the same club. Mark Ginley’s a nice little mover, nice little boxer, again a good talent, all these guys have a lot of talent. Me going over there and making it happen for them is good for them.

Usually the talent over there will just be left and then they go in to work, drinking I suppose, and this way they can showcase their talent and especially on the big scene. You know King’s Hall is like our York Hall here, so they’ll get to fight in front of a big crowd there. It’ll be good to see young Mark get his first win in the paid ranks.

We’re bringing Terry Holmes with us, as people see at York Hall in January Terry’s explosive, he’s exciting. Everyone gets their moneys worth watching Terry box.

We’re working on him to improve him as a fighter. Hopefully on April 2nd we’ll see an improvement. Me and Terry work closely together and I’ve seen some changes and I’m expecting some different things from Terry on the night. He’ll be an even more explosive fighter.

We’ve got our Middleweight Joe Hillerby. Joe’s had two fights over here already, two wins. Last time was against Ryan Clark. Everyone knows who Ryan Clark is, he’s a dangerous opponent. For Joe to beat him on only his second fight says a lot. He did a very good job with him and I was very pleased with it so I’m putting Joe on this one and start building him for the future. Each fight he has we see an improvement and it’s just a matter of time before we’ll have him fighting for titles.

Next we’ve got Padraig McCrory, Padraig is making his debut, he’s a Light Middle. He’s a hard worker, he trains hard, he listens, takes on board well and all these lads train together, bar Joe, so all these lads are in the same gym together and there’s a good buzz and they bring each other on. I’m looking forward to seeing Padraig make a good transition to the paid ranks, get a good win and improve fight by fight. I’ve seen him sparring and what I’ve seen in sparring I think he’s a classy kid so really looking forward to his first fight.

We’ve got Ian Boyd, he’s from the same gym as Joe, Ian Boyd last time out, he come over here to fight. He actually lost it, I actually feel he nicked it but he needed some work so he’s been working on that and you can see the improvement. I’m looking forward to him getting back out and turning things around and getting his first win. It’ll be good to see Ian Boyd turn it round, I think he’s got a good future.

next one we’ve got Sean Montgomery, he’s going to be doing Light Welterweight. Again when I first saw Sean I felt he was quite limited, past him a few tips and next time I went back and see him he must have taken onboard and I see a big improvement. He’s now a good attacking fighter, constant pressure. again a good work horse so I’m really looking forward to seeing him go out there showcasing his skills and building for the future.

Also on the bill is Tommy Tolan against Phil Townley. These two are local lads, I wouldn’t say so much as local rivalry but a fight’s been building between them two for quite a while, so it’s going to be an explosive fight. They’re both pushing their tickets and both need support as I think they are out there to prove themselves and show the people who’s the best fighter at that weight division locally. It’ll be a cracking fight and I’m really looking forward to that one.

Next we’ve got Michael McLaughlin, he had his first pro fight against a Bulgarian and it ended up a draw. But as we know when you get fighters from abroad quite often they’ve had a lot of experience. I think Michael did very well to get a draw that night, he may have possibly got a win. I’m looking forward to watching Michael as he’s improved a lot and will be going all out for his first win for sure.

Damian Taggert will be against Paddy McGarrity, another local lad, again this fight this fight has been building for a bit and is looking to be an explosive fight and I’m really looking forward to that.

For the final we’ve got Willie Limond, I’m not sure who he’ll be fighting just yet. Having Willie topping the bill in Belfast is something else. Wilie can top the bill anywhere, he’s got great support. He’s a good technical fighter. He’s coming of a loss to Eric Morales. They were fighting at seven and half thousand feet so I think he had that against him. Up until then he was doing really well. He must have been doing good as he’s back in Mexico sparring Morales for two weeks.

I’m really looking forward to Willie being on the show. It’s going to be an entertaining night and everyone’s going to get value for their money.”

Tickets for the Graham Earl Promoted ‘FISTS OF FURY’ event at the Nugent Hall, King’s Hall, Belfast on Saturday 2nd April 2011 are now on sale and priced £35 (Unreserved), £40 (Outer Ringside) or £50 (Ringside).

For tickets book on-line at www.tkoboxoffice.com or contact local fighters. For further information call TKO Box Office on 07960 850645

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