NAKASH; DIAZ AND GLAZKOV SHINE WITH VICTORIES IN PHILADELPHIA
Posted on | July 15, 2010 | No Comments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PHILADELPHIA (JULY 14, 2010)—Wednesday night saw an international fight card staged at The Arena in Philadelphia as Ran Nakash, Felix Diaz and Vyacheslav Glazkov scored impressive victories to highlight a seven bout card promoted by No Limit Promotions in association with Joey Eye Boxing.
This card was the first show of the new Comcast boxing series that will be shown all over the country via tape delay
In the main event, Nakash was methodical in pounding out a ten round unanimous decision victory over rugged Victor Barragan in a cruiserweight bout to remain undefeated at 25-0.
Nakash and Barragan worked on the inside with Nakash using both a nice right hand and dropping in some nice uppercuts along the way. Nakash bloodied the nose of Barragan as early as round three from those right hands that he followed behind a pinpoint jab.
Nakash will now look for a September showdown with former two-time world title challenger, Bobby Gunn.
Barragan, who took the fight after former Light Heavyweight champion Lou Del Valle pulled out ten days ago showed extreme toughness despite the blood dripping from his nostrils for most of the fight.
Nakash, who is ranked thirteen by the WBC won by scores of 99-91, 97-93 and 96-94 raises his unblemished mark to 25-0. Barragan is now 11-6.
The co-feature saw 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner, Felix Diaz of the Dominican Republic remain perfect with a stoppage thirty-five seconds in to the eighth and final scheduled round of his Welterweight bout with Broderick Antoine.
Diaz showed terrific technical skills as he jabbed and showed great hand speed and formed a cut over the right eye of Antoine.
Antoine showed a lot of guts, especially early in the fight as he worked hard on the inside before Diaz seized control in the middle rounds while the cut worsened over the right eye.
With the victory, Diaz is now 6-0 with four knockouts.
2008 Olympic Bronze medal winner Vyacheslav Glazkov was very impressive in stopping local favorite Mark “Oak Tree” Brown at 2:41 of round three of a scheduled six round Heavyweight bout.
After a non-descript first round, Glazkov showed good hand speed in catching Brown with some sharp right hands.
In round three, Glazkov scored with three hard right hands that wobbled Brown for which Glazkov followed up with a heavy barrage on the ropes that forced the refer to stop the bout in the final seconds of round three.
Glazkov of Lugansk, Ukraine is now 6-0 with four knockouts.
POST FIGHT QUOTES
Ran Nakash
“I prepared for a month and a half for a southpaw in Del Valle and Just a week before they cancelled Del Valle and put in Barragan. He is a fighter who goes forward all the time and I have to get used to going ten rounds.”
“He prepared for my right hand so he was moving his head to his left to get away from it
“I hope to fight Bobby Gunn in September. I saw him fight Adamek and he is a tough guy. I think he could be my toughest fight but that’s ok. I want to go all the way to the top so I need a tough opponent”
Felix Diaz
“The fight was ok. Antoine was a good fighter. Its one more win on my way to win the world championship.”
“It’s the work of the managers and promoters to move me towards a world championship. I hope it’s quick”
“I like the people here in Philadelphia. It was a good crowd of people.”
“I want to thank the promoters, commission and all the people who organized this event”
FULL RESULTS
10 Rounds—Cruiserweights—Ran Nakash (25-0) 204 ½ lbs of Haifa, Israel U DEC over Victor Barragan (11-6) 198 lbs of Oxnard, CA…Scores 99-91, 97-93 and 96-94
8 Rounds—Welterweights—Felix Diaz (6-0, 4 KO’s) 146 ½ lbs of Santo Domingo, DR TKO 8 (:35) over Broderick Antoine (10-11-1) 145 ½ lbs of Troy, NY
6 Rounds—Heavyweights—Vyacheslav Glazkov (6-0, 4 KO’s) 219 lbs of Lugansk, Ukraine TKO 3 (2:41) over Mark Brown (15-4) 223 ½ lbs of Salem, NJ
4 Rounds—Super Flyweights—Alejandro Solorio (4-2) 112 ½ lbs of Huntington Park, CA U DEC over Rutam Nabeev (5-1) 113 ½ lbs of Tobolsk, Russia..Scores 40-35, 39-36, 39-36
6 Rounds—Super Middleweights—Maks Liminov (13-0) 165 ½ lbs of Prokopyevsk, Russia SPL DEC over Julius Fogle (15-6) 169 lbs of Cary, NC..Scores 58-56 for Fogle; 59-55 & 59-55 for Liminov
4 Rounds Heavyweights—Imani Bell (1-0, 1 KO) 282 lbs of Philadelphia, PA TKO END OF 2 over Lee Thomas, 283 ½ lbs of Saginaw, MI
4 Rounds—Jr. Lightweights—Oz Goldenberg (2-0) 129 ½ lbs of Israel MAJ DEC over Marcos Garcia (0-3) 132 lbs of Camden, NJ..Scores were 39-37, 39-37 and 38-38
Tags: Auto > Bobby > Bobby Gunn > Boxing > Broderick Antoine > championship > Comcast > decision victory > draft > Felix Diaz > fight > gold medal winner > hand > hand speed > heavyweight > impressive victories > Joey Eye Boxing > light heavyweight champion > Liminov > Mark Brown > nakash > No Limit Promotions > olympic gold medal > Philadelphia > Ran Nakash > round > super > Victor Barragan > Vyacheslav Glazkov > way > winner
JUAN “BABY BULL” DIAZ & RONNIE SHEILDS MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT
Posted on | July 15, 2010 | No Comments
K. Swanson:
Thank you, everybody, for calling in. We have another exciting conference call today featuring one of our main event fighters, Juan Diaz, former Three-Time Lightweight World Champion. Also joining him is Ronnie Shields, who is his trainer, and Richard Schaefer, Chief Executive Officer of Golden Boy Promotions.
Before I turn it over to Richard, I do want to say I’ve been in boxing a long time and I’ve worked with a lot of fighters and personally, I am so impressed with Juan Diaz’s story. It’s an honor, actually, to be participating and helping to tell it. It’s a wonderful opportunity to hear a story about how a fighter is going to make it whether he’s in or out of the ring.
He, as you all know, is studying to be a lawyer. He has his own construction company and he wrote a wonderful Op-Ed piece that was featured in The Houston Chronicle for the July 4 weekend sharing his thoughts on his dreams coming true as a son of Mexican immigrants. Juan, I’m very impressed with you and I wish you all of the best. Before we introduce him, I’m going to turn it over to Richard Schaefer, Chief Executive Officer of Golden Boy Promotions, to tell us more about the fight. Richard.
R. Schaefer:
Thank you, Kelly. You stole all of the thunder. I agree. What an amazing young man. Juan is 26-years young. He has been a Three-Time World Champion already and has accomplished so much inside the ring, but at the same time; I agree with you, Kelly; an amazing story and has accomplished so much outside of the ring.
The first fight between Marquez and Diaz, as we all know, was voted by pretty much everyone from Ring Magazine to the ESPN to the Boxing Writers Association as the Fight of the Year. By the way, that fight of the year will have some replay as well. I want to announce that quickly. HBO Sports is going to replay on Friday, July 16 at 7:15 p.m., on Friday, July 23 at midnight, and Saturday, July 24 at 10:45 in the morning Eastern and Pacific times. It is available as well 24 hours a day starting Monday, July 19 on HBO On-Demand for those who want to take a look at that again and I urge you as well to check out HBO.com, which has an online link to Marquez-Diaz I fight as well and an amazing piece about Marquez’s greatest hits and Diaz’s greatest hits all in a very high quality environment, so really great coverage there from HBO. For those of you who want to see it again, there are different outlets where you can see that first fight again.
The fight will be July 31 at the Mandalay Bay, promoted by Golden Boy and Marquez Promotions, sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and AT&T and, as we all know, live from HBO Pay-Per-View at 9 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. Pacific. Tickets are on sale and for as little as $50, you can witness the rematch of this great Fight of the Year for $50, $100, $150, $250 and the top price, $350. Great room rates are available in Las Vegas as well, so I urge everyone to make it a great weekend in Vegas.
The fight will be shown in 270 select movie theaters nationwide and the entire card will be shown. We talked last week and we’ll have in the coming weeks more conference calls about the undercard, which is, as we call it, the best undercard in many years, really an amazing lineup of fighters, which will lead up to the rematch between Marquez and Diaz.
Before I turn it over to Juan Diaz, it is a pleasure for me to introduce to you Juan Diaz’s long-time trainer, who has worked with many world champions during his career. I believe he has worked with Juan Diaz for 30 fights so he knows Juan very well. He knows what kinds of adjustments need to be made to bring home the victory. It’s a pleasure for me to introduce to you one of the best trainers in the business today and that is, of course, Ronnie Shields.
Ronnie, if you want to give us some thoughts on how training camp went, please do so.
R. Shields:
Thank you, Richard. It’s a pleasure for me to be on this conference call with Juan. Juan is in great condition. Our training camp has gone really well. As you all know, Juan got knocked out in the fight with Marquez, but it was such a great fight and it is very warranted that these two guys are fighting again. Juan always trains hard, so we had to make some adjustments and that’s exactly what we’re doing right now, making plenty of adjustments.
Juan is really listening to everything we’re doing in the gym. His condition is great and we’re looking forward to the fight on July 31. We know every one of you all are looking forward to it also, because it was the Fight of the Year and trust me, the second one is probably going to be the Fight of the Year, so I think everybody should tune in and basically that’s all I have to say right now.
R. Schaefer:
As I said before, Juan Diaz is only 26-years young and has been already a Three-Time World Lightweight Champion and Lightweight is really the weight where he is at his best. After going one-on-one with Malignaggi he decided to go back to Lightweight. He defeated Australian warrior Michael Katsidis in that weight class as well and when you look at the last fight, the first fight and I asked actually for a copy of the scorecards, you see that Duane Ford had Marquez ahead, 77-75. Max DeLuca had Juan Diaz ahead after the eighth round, 75-77. Lenny Martinez had it at a draw, 76-76. So going into that ninth round it was a dead even fight.
Many ring-side observers felt that Juan Diaz was beating Marquez to the punch and made Marquez look old. Marquez made the necessary adjustments and then obviously landed the big punch, which marked the end to the first fight. So here you have a young fighter with Juan Diaz, who has learned from that fight. I think he was becoming a bit too confident in the fight and I think he knows what adjustments he needs to make. He knows as well how important a victory here is and what it could lead to.
I know he is a very smart guy outside the ring. He just graduated from the University of Houston, Texas in 2009. He’s on his way to become a lawyer, so I know he’s a very smart guy outside the ring and I know he’s a very smart guy inside the ring as well and he will make the necessary adjustments and he is coming July 31 to win, to win big against the legendary Juan Manuel Marquez.
It is a pleasure, as Kelly Swanson said before, to introduce to you a man you all know and who really is just an amazing person in and outside of the ring. That’s the Baby Bull, Juan Diaz. Juan.
J. Diaz:
Thank you, Richard, and thank you, Kelly, for those great words. I’m very excited and very grateful. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to fight once again against such a great fighter like Juan Manuel Marquez. I didn’t think this fight was going to happen after my two fights with Malignaggi, but here I am and I’m very grateful that Golden Boy and HBO have given me this opportunity to come back in such a great fight like this, especially being the showcase fight of the night for July 31. I even feel more grateful and I’m excited and I’m happy because this last year, if we can count from last February to now, has been a rollercoaster ride for me. It’s been up and down types of situations for me. I lost against Marquez. I won the first fight against Malignaggi, then lost again on the rematch. So it’s been a rollercoaster ride and I’m very fortunate to be here.
With that said, I’m taking full advantage of this situation and I’m training my butt off every day, day-in and day-out. I’ve been in training camp for eight weeks now. Saturday will be two left before the big fight, so I’m going to end up with a ten-week training camp. In the past weeks it was taking its toll, but now that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel my motivation and enthusiasm has picked up and even my sparring partners are feeling it.
Q:
Juan, could you just talk a little bit about the types of things that you need to do differently in the rematch? Because, as Richard was talking about in his introduction, it was a very close fight until, obviously, the end when you were stopped. So can you talk about what you need to do differently or how you think the fight can turn out differently?
J. Diaz:
Well, I know that the game plan that I had in the first fight was working. Obviously, it was a really close fight, but I think I had the edge over Marquez. The only things that I deviated from in the late rounds were when Ronnie was telling me to apply the same amount of pressure, but the only difference was that, yes, I was applying the pressure, but leaving myself wide open and exposed to his upper cuts.
He was hitting me. He was landing with some good upper cuts and I kept falling in and falling in with the jab and with the upper cuts. I mean he kept landing those upper cuts and Ronnie kept telling me, “Stay in your box. Stay in your box,” but I was stubborn and just kept pushing forward and squaring up and falling in, which led to me being stopped.
Q:
Ronnie, can you address that also, about what you’re, I guess, preaching the same thing to him that you were saying to him in the fight that he didn’t follow as you come into this rematch, the same things you’ve been preaching to him?
R. Shields:
Yes. Absolutely. I think our game plan is going to be similar to what we followed last time. We made some minor adjustments. I mean Juan is a valiant puncher, so we have to play off of that, but I think we have to do it in a way that benefits Juan. Definitely, I’m not going to say how we’re going to do that, but I think we definitely have to benefit and use his boxing skills also.
Juan is a really good boxer and that’s what got him to being Champion of the world from the beginning, being able to beat all of the guys he’s beaten before. But with Marquez, this guy is such a smart guy. I mean he’s not going to be a Hall of Fame guy for nothing, because he’s been in there with the best. He’s beaten the best, so we have to outsmart him and I think Juan has the capabilities to do that.
But in the first fight, yes, I told him we needed to keep the pressure on, but we needed to basically just to jab and he started falling in with it and he got caught and we paid for it. So now that’s really one thing that we’re really working on a lot is keeping him to where he doesn’t fall in the punches so he can’t get hit with those upper cuts. We know Marquez basically is probably going to fight the same kind of fight that he fought and let Juan dictate everything, but we have a few surprises for him also.
Q:
Both of you guys actually, do you think that maybe Juan, as great of a fighter as he is, he’s into his later 30s now and Juan is still a very young man; I think 26; that maybe Marquez is a little bit slowed down since that fight because the fight was so tough to begin with and on top of that, his next fight after that was against Floyd Mayweather, where he lost essentially every single round and got knocked down. I know he was fighting at a heavier weight, but all of those things combined, plus the age, that maybe he won’t be as on the way he was in that first fight?
R. Shields:
Well, I don’t know. It’s kind of hard to tell, but yes, I mean I think Juan took a lot out of him. Although we lost the fight I think Juan really helped himself by the way he pushed the first fight. Also, he looked so slow against Floyd Mayweather, but who doesn’t? Floyd is such a great fighter he just dominated the fight, but I mean time will tell. We can’t chance anything. We have to fight our fight and not fall into the hands of Marquez.
Q:
The fight was the Fight of the Year, so it was one of the memorable fights of recent years. The fans seemed to love it. The Toyota Center was packed and going crazy. Everybody seemed to really have a good time and you got the Fight of the Year Award, but on the other hand, you lost the fight. So is there a little bit of a mixed emotion in the sense that, hey, I’m glad that we put on the Fight of the Year. I got my trophy from the Boxing Writers and everybody is going to remember this fight forever; but on the other hand, I got an L on my record and a knockout?
J. Diaz:
Yes. It definitely makes emotions on one part. I’m very happy that I was able to be in one of those fights. That had always been my dream, to be in one of those all-out wars, but obviously, in my dream the outcome wasn’t the outcome that happened in 2009. I was the winner.
But all in all, I think that it was a win-win situation. It exposed me to something I had never experienced before. I had never been stopped in my career. I had never really been hurt like I was hurt in that fight, so now I’ve experienced that. I had never been in such a big fight with so many people and just the atmosphere was just amazing, which now I have that experience and now I can go into the fight relaxed, as I have done in my previous fights.
Q:
Juan, you mentioned that if we go back to last February, meaning February 2009, it’s been a rollercoaster ride, but really, if you went back to a little bit before that you were fighting Nate Campbell March of ’08. For that fight you had started, I believe, 33-0 and now you’re 35-3, so you lost 3 out of your past 5. I’m not saying that to rub it in or anything like that, but what I’m wondering is Richard also mentioned in his introduction that you know how important this fight is.
How important is this fight to your career as far as winning? When you think about it, is it a do or die fight if you want people to still consider you a world-class guy and a title contender and that whole thing, a lead fighter?
J. Diaz:
Yes. Definitely. I definitely do. I see this as a win-win situation for me, because this fight is going to prove to me whether I have it or I don’t. This fight right here is what’s going to take me to the top and make me the super star that I’ve been wanting to be in the Lightweight division, but if it doesn’t happen then that means it’s not meant to be and I’ll move on to bigger and better things, which could be start from the bottom and pick up the pieces to rebuild myself up or just completely do a 360 – I mean a 180 – and just go in the opposite direction.
This fight here, a lot of people have been mentioning to me that it’s a do or die fight. Well, I don’t think it is a do or die fight. I think it’s a win-win situation because either I become a world champion once again and become a super star or it opens up doors for me to do other things and focus on other aspects of my life.
Q:
So when you say open the door to other things, are you talking about maybe retirement and going into law practice, that kind of thing?
J. Diaz:
That’s possible. It’s very possible. I’m not going to close any doors because I’m still a young fighter. I’m 26-years-old. If my plan is to continue fighting after this fight then that’s exactly what I’m going to do. If it’s not the best decision when I sit down and talk to my family and my managers and my promoter, if that’s not the best thing to do then I’m not going to be stubborn. I’m smart enough, like Richard said, I have a college degree; I’m smart enough to know that I’m not going to be chasing a dream that’s not going to come true again. I know when it’s time to go and I know when it’s time to stop.
Q:
Juan, you fought Malignaggi at 140 and now you’re back down to 135. How significant was the difference in weight for you and how much more comfortable are you at 135?
J. Diaz:
Oh, I’m 10 times more comfortable at 135 because at 140, the last fight we fought I came in weighing 139 and then the night of the fight I stepped on the scales and that was with my shoes and my pants on and I was weighing 143. So that goes to show you that I don’t gain too much weight and now, even right now, like today, I left the gym weighing 138 pounds because it’s so hot and humid down here in Houston. I’m sweating a lot and it’s just natural.
I’m eating healthy. I’m eating the right foods. I’m eating four times a day and that’s without even dieting, without even trying to, so by the time fight night comes around this time around, the day of the win I’m going to weigh 135 and fight night I’m going to be weighing about 142, 143, which will be 7 to 8 pounds that I’m going to gain.
Now, fighting at 140, that’s only 2 or 3 pounds that I gain, so do you see the difference here? By fighting Lightweight I gain seven to eight pounds and you can tell that I’m a pretty big guy. I don’t mean height wise, but at least my body, I’m a pretty solid 135. At 140 I’m not that solid.
Q:
Ronnie, let me ask you the same question. When you were looking at Juan in the Malignaggi fight did you see a slower Juan or did you see the weight affecting him as well? Because you did take the rematch and he did look a little bit slower, so was it a conscious effort to say, “You know what? It’s a lot better for us to go back down to 135?”
R. Shields:
Yes. Absolutely. I thought I didn’t like the fight at 140. I thought Juan won the first fight. The first fight was the same thing. He was walking around at the start of training camp at 143 and that’s at the beginning. To try to make 139.25, I think was the weight difference, so we know we didn’t have no problem. I mean he was coming out at the training sessions, coming out 139, so it didn’t benefit us and it don’t benefit us to fight at 140.
It benefits us to fight at 135, but Juan is a bigger guy at 135. He’s stronger at 135 than he is at 140 because the guys are bigger. I know Malignaggi, he weighed, I think, like 152 pounds after the weigh-ins, so he gained about 13 pounds. Juan only gained three. That was a big difference. Malignaggi was used to fighting at that weight, at 140 and fighting at 150 to 152, but Juan wasn’t.
Of course, Paulie is a really good boxer. We can’t take away the victory that Paulie got because he fought well and he really boxed well, but I think Juan’s natural weight is 135 pounds and I think you’re going to see him a lot stronger in this fight than you did in his last two.
Q:
Juan, you mentioned that Marquez is a pretty intelligent fighter. What is it that he does inside the ring that makes him so different or so smart?
J. Diaz:
What makes him so different from a lot of guys is that a lot of guys when they go in there and fight they’re thinking about landing punches, just landing punches, throwing and landing the punches. What Marquez does very well is that he thinks every second of the fight. You throw a punch and you might hit them with that one punch, but the next time around you’re not going to hit them with that punch or you’re going to get hit with two or three of his punches. So that’s what makes him so great in the ring is that he’s a great counter puncher. You throw two or three punches and if you don’t throw them right he’s going to find an opening and crack you with his punches.
Q:
Did he make any adjustments with his stance or any little movements that kind of threw you off?
J. Diaz:
No, not necessarily. I think what really helped him out was the fact that I made so many mistakes in the later rounds. Like I said earlier, I was falling in. He has great tendency to throw great upper cuts and what better way to help him out than for me to be leaning over and giving him those free open shots? So I think it wasn’t so much what he did, because if you go back and see his fights, he always has the same style. He always fights the same fight. Now, the only difference is that when you make those mistakes, whenever you make mistakes that’s when he capitalizes on the mistakes you make, the fighter makes, his opponent.
Q:
Did you ever fight a fighter in that same kind of a mentality, somebody who kind of took advantage of things like that or does anybody else even compare?
J. Diaz:
Yes. There are a few fighters that I fought coming up as an undefeated guy. One of those guys that I fought early on was Ubaldo Hernandez, which was a guy from Mexico City, who didn’t have a lot of talent. He was one of those what you call, so called, journey men that go and fight one week and then the next week he’s fighting another undefeated, up and coming super star. But those journeymen are the guys that are actually the toughest ones to beat because they know that they can’t get hurt. They know that they have to do enough to make the fight interesting, but not get hurt. So those guys are real elusive and very smart when it comes to being in the ring.
Q:
Juan, going back to some comments that you said earlier, just about how this fight, if you lose, it could open some doors leading to other ventures and other aspects of life. Some people have already mentioned this; that a lot of boxers aren’t like that. It’s either boxing or nothing. So what’s kind of been different for you and why have you consciously kind of created another life for yourself? Is that a lesson that you learned from somebody else or is that something that just came to you?
J. Diaz:
Well, I think that’s a product of being surrounded by so many great people who taught me that. My parents were one of them. They’re the ones that instilled that in me; that, yes, we want you to be a professional boxer. If that’s what you like then do it, but the number one objective and why we came to the United States was for you and your brother to have a great education.
Then you have Mr. Willie Savannah, who is like a second father to me. He’s always preached to me that school, school, school; that boxing is not always what it’s made out to be. You can see a lot of stars, like, for example, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya, who make it to that great super star status, but realistically, a lot of us boxers are never going to get there. We’re never going to make it to the point that they’ve achieved and everything that they’ve done, so what I see and one of the things that has opened my mind as well has been school.
There are so many things that I’ve learned in my years in college that can make me be a successful man outside of the ring, so it makes it interesting. I think that’s what helps me to be and what made me be the champion that I am is the fact that I never relied too much on boxing to have a better future. I always knew that there are a lot of possibilities out there in the world to be a successful person.
Q:
My second question was about the venue. A lot of your fights obviously happen in Houston, Texas, your hometown. What do you think about the fight being in Vegas? Do you think it’s the right venue for this kind of a magnitude of a fight in your career or would you rather that it did happen kind of in your own backyard?
J. Diaz:
No. I actually prefer it to be and I love the fact that it’s in Vegas. One, because Vegas is the fight town of the country, everybody knows that big pay-per-view fights, big fights always happen in Las Vegas. If it was up to me I would rather not fight again in my hometown because every time I’ve fought here in Houston there’s always seemed to be speculation and arguments about the judges, the referee.
I’ll start off with Michael Katsidis. Then you have Paulie Malignaggi and Juan Manuel Marquez himself have problems with fighting here in Houston because they said that it was my hometown and they were scared that there was going to be favoritism. I don’t blame them. I’m not accusing them of anything, but if I was in a fighter’s hometown then I would have a little concern about that myself, so that’s why even though it’s great it was 15,000-plus, standing room only. Tickets sold.
I love the fact that the fans are so great here in Houston, but at the same time, I’m so happy that it’s in Vegas because I don’t have to worry about any of the distractions or controversies they may have. Come July 31 we’re going to have a winner and we’re going to have a loser and that’s going to be it.
Q:
My question is for Juan and Ronnie. It seemed to me that the first fight with Marquez turned after you got cut and that’s kind of when he started to work in the upper cuts. Can you hang your hat on that a little bit or is the upper cut probably the main punch that got you that you’re worried about going into this fight?
J. Diaz:
Well, I’m not so much worried about the upper cut. I know that that’s one of his punches, one of his favorite punches to throw and one of his punches that he’s beat a lot of guys with, so even though I’m working on the upper cuts I don’t see it as the main concern because I know that he has a whole arsenal of punches that he can land just as effectively, but I think that you do bring up a great thing here when you say about the cut. I think that if you see the fight Marquez, even though we know Marquez picks up later on, I actually think that he was slowing down. Once I got cut it’s like a lion; when a lion sees blood he just pounces on the prey. I think that’s what energized and helped Marquez out. I think that if it shouldn’t have been for that blood that he saw on me then I think it would have been a different story.
Q:
Coming into this fight, obviously, you’re a volume puncher. That’s what you do. That’s your bread and butter is overwhelming your opponent, but you also use the jab and to me you seemed like you were winning the fight. So really, this is more for Ronnie I guess; is there really that much of a change that you need to make? Is it more just about getting a little luckier in this fight?
R. Shields:
Well, like I said, I think our strategy basically is just more on the boxing and put the pressure with his jab. He did that. I mean he was doing that very well, but the thing where he messed up was he started leaning in with it. When I mean start leaning in, his distance got too far away and he wasn’t stepping in the way he was supposed to. He started landing a couple of times and then Marquez caught him with the upper cut.
But as far as our game plan, I mean if you know me, then my guys are going to jab. I mean they’re going to jab their way in and then Juan is going to do what he do and that’s be a volume puncher. So Marquez is going to have to keep up with the same things that he’s been doing. He knows that. I just feel that Juan’s jab is going to play a key role in this fight.
Q:
Finally, considering what a huge draw Juan is in Texas and Houston in particular and how big the gate was the last time, I’m just curious; why have the fight in Vegas? Is it because Marquez won and you wanted a neutral site?
R. Schaefer:
Well, both fighters sort of like wanted to see if the fight could be done outside of Houston after the last one was in Houston. Juan has now fought many of his last few fights in Houston and so we felt it was time, since the fighters encouraged us to do it somewhere else than Houston this time around, we looked around and we felt that Las Vegas was a good choice given the fact, as Juan correctly said, that when it comes to big pay-per-views Vegas certainly knows how to roll out the red carpet.
It’s a very positive environment for the pay-per-views, for the fans. There are great room rates out there. It’s great to make a weekend out of it, to be in Las Vegas and so we really felt that Vegas was the right place given the preference of the fighters as well. But I agree with you. I mean from a dollar point of view I believe at the Toyota Center the gate was over $1 million, so a huge crowd there, but we felt as well that maybe going back there too often is not the right thing to do, so we feel very confident about Vegas.
Ticket sales are going quite well. We went on sale very early on. We saw a tremendous uptick in sales once we had announced the undercard as well. We got as well confirmation that most large, national media outlets are going to be attending the fight, the card, so I think we are going to be doing very well in Las Vegas.
Q:
Juan, you just said that you feel really comfortable in the Lightweight division. Marquez’s last fight was in Welterweight. Do you believe that he will have some trouble to make that weight?
J. Diaz:
Well, I don’t think he’ll have any problems making the weight because he’s a small guy in frame, like me. I don’t see why he went up to welterweight in the first place, but I think his natural weight is at the lightweight division. I’m hoping that it does have some effects on him going back down, but I seriously doubt it. I don’t doubt that he’s going to have much problem making the weight.
Q:
Why did you decide to incorporate a dietician in your training? Do you need to be more careful with the food to make the 135?
J. Diaz:
I incorporated the dietician in my training camp because I want to do everything and anything possible for this fight to be successful, to win. I even got a swimming coach. I used to do my strength and conditioning coaches would be the one watching me swim, but I even got a swimming coach for this time around, so I’m doing everything and anything possible because I want to make sure that I’m eating the right foods to have the energy in the gym to train hard every day and I want to make sure that I’m doing everything right.
Q:
I enjoyed your Op Ed. That was well written. I wanted to ask you a question based on that. I live here in Phoenix and I know that you fought here in 2007 I think it was. Most of the fighters on the card have fought in Arizona at least once. My question is about the controversial law, SP1070. If you were asked to fight in Arizona again would you?
J. Diaz:
That is very tough, very tough, because initially I would say no. It is because of all of the controversy that is going on, but I don’t specifically or am a little upset about the immigration per se so much because you have people from all over the world that are immigrants. They could be Mexicans, Asians, what not, but the only problem that I see and foresee for the state is not so much the things they’re doing or the laws they’re incorporating against the illegal immigrants, but what they’re doing to them as humans.
Each one of us has individual human rights and we’re all born with those individual, human rights. I think that the state is infringing upon those individual human rights and not just because they’re illegal immigrants I’m upset, but because they’re human beings. Some of the things that are going on down there I don’t think are very human of the state and officials, the way they’re conducting things.
Q:
So I guess you’d have to think about that if you were offered to fight in that state?
J. Diaz:
I would definitely think about it and it would be something that I would take into consideration and really sit down and think about it and analyze the whole situation.
Q:
Right now, for instance, in Major League Baseball they have the All-Star Game going on in Anaheim and there’s a lot of discussion about next year about moving the All-Star Game from Phoenix. It’s scheduled for Phoenix. I guess this would be up to each individual boxer or could boxers get together and say we’re just not going to perform in this state anymore?
J. Diaz:
Well, I think right now it’s all about individual boxers because us, as boxers, we don’t have a specific league like a lot of the MBA players, football players or baseball players where they can go to the league and say their concerns or protest to them. Us, as individuals, as individual fighters, we really can’t do that. So it would take some type of big, big organization from promoters or even the sanctioning bodies in the sport of boxing.
Q:
Juan, there’s been a lot of discussion about the fact that you’re going to be studying to become a lawyer. You’re a college graduate. You have this business. You have all of these other opportunities that are out there. Just from this particular fight is there a down side to that also? Does any of that dampen the hunger that a fighter needs to win, especially when you’re facing somebody that doesn’t have all of those other opportunities?
J. Diaz:
Well, I think there’s actually a positive because it depends on how you look at it because, yes, you can look at it and many people may look at it and think that it’s a negative because I have so many things going on outside of boxing that I may not be as hungry to fight. But, if you look at it on the other side, which is on my side, it’s the fact that in order for me to be successful in all of those aspects of life then I have to be hungry enough because the doors that have been opened for me have been because of boxing, because I’ve been a World Champion, because I’ve been pretty well known all around the nation. So all of the doors and businesses that I have going on, all of the activities that I do outside of the boxing is because of boxing. I’m being realistic with myself. I’m being honest with myself. I will be honest with everybody here and who is going to read this.
For example, I’m hungry for this fight because I want to win it. I know that by winning this fight I’m going to become a great fighter, a World Champion once again. It opens the doors a lot easier. For example, I’m studying for law school right now, but say a hypothetical example, I score a little bit below average on my test. The school of my choice says, “You know what? You scored a little bit behind, but you’re this great super star, World Champion who’s going to bring a lot of attention to the school,” and bam, I get in.
So that’s why I’m hungry, because I want to be successful outside of boxing and in order to be successful outside of boxing I have to be successful in the ring. That’s why I train so hard, because I don’t want to let that go. I don’t want my success to stop just because I’m not a boxer any more.
Q:
You wrote in the article in the Houston Chronicle, “After my days in the ring are over I want to be a successful lawyer who champions rights for the people.” Do you see in some ways you’re representing the people whose rights are threatened by SP1070 and also to economic and political things when you’re in the ring?
J. Diaz:
Yes. I definitely do. I definitely do, because when the people see me, when they see me in the ring they see your regular, average Joe. I’m not one of those guys that has a six-pack, that has muscles all over my body, so when these people are going through these tough, economic times and have their individual rights infringed upon and they see me, a Mexican American, who came from illegal immigrants and has become a World Champion and has also achieved his college education, then for a split second or for that night at least that they see me fighting in there it’s like I’m fighting for them. They see me in there, everything that I’ve accomplished and they know that whether it is them or their children, that if they fight or work hard enough that things are going to get better and that their lives can change and they can achieve the American dream.
R. Schaefer:
Juan Diaz talking about the American dream, I think that’s a perfect way to end this conference call. He’s going to be, on July 31, in Las Vegas trying to make history come true as well, which is to win the undisputed Lightweight Championship from Juan Manuel Marquez. I know that Juan, because of his personality and what he stands for, what his values are, he will have a lot of people from around the world, particularly here in the United States, rooting for you and for him.
Having said that, I want to really thank all of you media members to be on that conference call, our conference call in a series of these calls and for making the commitment to come out to Las Vegas July 31 to see the rematch of the Fight of the Year and really see the night of the year with the tremendous undercard we have put together.
By the way, tomorrow we will have at 10 a.m. Pacific/1 p.m. Eastern, Danny Jacobs and Dmitry Pirog on. As you know, these two will be fighting for the vacant Middleweight Championship of the World. So that will be a very interesting call. Then next week we will have, on Tuesday, Juan Manuel Marquez and his trainer on as well.
So again, thank you, all, for being on the call. I look forward to talking to you tomorrow. Thank you.
END OF CALL
Marquez vs. Diaz II “Fight of the Year: The Rematch” is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Marquez Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and AT&T. The 12-round rematch of the “2009 Fight of the Year” is scheduled for Saturday, July 31 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nev. and will be for Marquez’s Ring Magazine, WBA and WBO Lightweight World titles. The championship fight will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Tickets for Marquez vs. Diaz II are priced at $350, $250, $150, $100 and $50 and are on sale now. Tickets are available for purchase at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
The Marquez vs. Diaz II pay-per-view telecast, which begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $49.95 and will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Marquez vs. Diaz II fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.
Marquez and Diaz will appear larger-than-life on the big screen presented by NCM Fathom. Marquez vs. Diaz II “Fight of the Year: The Rematch”will be broadcast in high definition LIVE to more than 270 movie theaters nationwide at 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT. Tickets to see this fight on the big screen are available at theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com.
For more information on these events, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com or www.whorupicking.com, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing.
Tags: Baby Bull > Boxing > boxing writers > conference call > exciting conference > Golden Boy Promotions > HBO Sports > interview > juan baby bull diaz > Juan Diaz > mexican immigrants > Richard Schaefer > Ronnie Shields > time world champion
TDR this wk-Privitere, M. Askren, Taylor, McFarland, Guerrero, Eiter
Posted on | July 15, 2010 | No Comments
Hello again Wrestling Fans. Steve Foster returns to the Brute Adidas studios for this weeks show brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods. I’ll be on location this week at the Adam Frey Classic at Rider University.
Join Steve, Geoff Murtha (Simpson) and Ryan Freeman (Ok State) and Randy Crimmins.
Geoff Murtha joins us courtesy of Mass Mutual Financial Services, Ryan Freeman courtesy of ATT.
Guests Include:
9:01 Joe Privitere- Most recently at Davidson in N.C., Joe assumes the mantle of Head Coach
of Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa
9:20 Max Askren- Missouri’s 2010 184 Pound NCAA Champion is set to face Hudson Taylor at the
Adam Frey Classic this Saturday afternoon at New Jersey’s Rider University.
9:40 Hudson Taylor – Hudson is a 3 X All American for the Terps, 2 X ACC Wrestler of the Year.
Hudson will wrestle Max Askren at the Adam Frey.
10:01 Joe McFarland- McFarland embarks on his 12th season as head wrestling coach at the
University of Michigan, where he has lifted the Maize and Blue to the elite of college wrestling.
10:20 Eric Guerrero- Assist Coach for the Cowboys of Oklahoma State, 3 X NCAA Champ.
2004 Olympian. Cowboys in contention for the title?
10:40 Rob Eiter- 3rd season as Head Coach of U Penn wrestling. Penn is on the verge of exploding
in to a conference power. Eiter returns from Colorado Springs and the US Camps
Wrestling fans- Episode 66 of TDR TV wrestling news is now on. Check TV Guide for listings.
How to watch and listen-
TDR and TDR TV. It’s appointment Radio and TV!
TDR on Radio: LIVE Saturday at 9:00 AM CST on 1460 KXNO in Iowa.
Delayed Saturday nights at 7:00 PM Eastern on Supertalk 1570 in Michigan,
TDR TV: Mediacom Cable Ch. 22. IA, MO, AK, NE, MN, IL Tue. 5 PM, Sat. 10 AM
Time Warner Cable Ch. 813 New York Sat. 12 Noon
Call your local cable operator and ask them to carry TDR TV
TDR on Internet: You can join us Saturday mornings at Takedownradio.com
TDR TV On Internet: 31 various web sites now carry your favorite wrestling news show
Thanks to our affiliates, our media partners and friends at Livesportsvideo.com.
Thanks for watching and listening!
Former Three-Time Lightweight World Champion Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz Makes Special Appearance at Regal Houston Marq*e Stadium 22 This Friday to Sign Autographs for Fans
Posted on | July 15, 2010 | No Comments
WHO:
Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz, Former Three-Time Lightweight World Champion
WHAT:
Houston fans will get an opportunity to meet former Three-Time Lightweight World Champion Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz this Friday before he takes on reigning and defending Unified Lightweight World Champion Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on July 31 in a rematch of their 2009 Fight of the Year. NCM Fathom will present the boxing match live in high definition in movie theaters nationwide, including Houston’s Regal Marq*e Stadium 22.
Marquez vs. Diaz II “Fight of the Year: The Rematch” will appear larger-than-life on the big screen in this highly anticipated rematch. Tickets for Marquez vs. Diaz II “Fight of the Year: The Rematch” are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com.
Diaz (35-3, 17 KOs), the fighting pride of Houston, Texas, made his professional boxing debut at the age of 16. He held the Lightweight World Title for over three years from 2004 to 2007. Known as the “Baby Bull” for his hard charging style in the ring, outside the ring he recently graduated from the University of Houston – Downtown with an eye on enrolling in law school in the near future. With a Las Vegas record of 4-0, Diaz is hopeful that he will regain the title July 31.
WHEN:
Friday, July 16 at 4:00 p.m. Central
WHERE:
Regal Houston Marq*e Stadium 22 plus IMAX Theater
7620 Katy Freeway
WHY:
Presented by NCM Fathom, in association with Golden Boy Promotions and Marquez Boxing Promotions, Marquez vs. Diaz II “Fight of the Year: The Rematch” will be broadcast in high definition LIVE from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas to more than 270 movie theaters nationwide at 9:00 p.m. Eastern / 6:00 p.m. Pacific. Marquez vs. Diaz II “Fight of the Year: The Rematch” is the latest boxing match presented in movie theaters across the country through NCM Fathom’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network – North America’s largest cinema broadcast network.
KZ Event fighter Gayrat Ahmedov to be showcased on Shumenov-Uzelkov card July 23 at Tachi Palace in Lemoore, California
Posted on | July 14, 2010 | No Comments
LAS VEGAS (July 14, 2010) – World Boxing Association No. 9 rated light heavyweight Gayrat Ahmedov, the reigning WBC Asian Boxing Council and Interim PABA champion, faces his stiffest test as a pro July 23 against Dallas “Deaf Pride” Vargas (22-4, 16 KOs) in a 10-round, non-title fight at Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California.
Ahmedov (14-0-1, 9 KOs), a four-time Uzbekistan National Amateur Champion, comes from the same city (Andijan) as former WBA Heavyweight Champion Ruslan Chagaev, Gayrat, who now lives and trains in Las Vegas, will be fighting on the July 23rd undercard of an ESPN2 Friday Night Fights show, presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions, in association with KZ Event Productions.
Promoted by KZ Event Productions, owned and operated by the Shumenov brothers, WBA and IBA light heavyweight champion Beibut and Chingis, Ahmedov takes on experienced Dallas Vargas (22-4, 16 KOs).
Shumenov, who makes his debut fighting for Goossen Tutor, headlines the July 23rd card, defending his WBA light heavyweight title for the first time against mandatory challenger Vyacheslav Uzelkov (22-0, 14 KOs) in the 12-round main event. Gayrat’s KZ Event stable-mate, unbeaten welterweight Ravshan Hudaynazarov (12-0, 10 KOs), is also scheduled to fight against an opponent to be determined in an 8-round bout.
“We brought Gayrat to Las Vegas because he has so much potential,” Chingis Shumenov said. “He’s being trained by Kevin Barry and Dewey Cooper, from Elite Boxing Gym in nearby Henderson, for this fight. Gayrat is now world rated and moving up the ratings ladder. He also gives my brother, Beibut, good sparring. We’re excited about the direction Gayrat is going.”
Since capturing his two title belts via a second-round knockout of Douglas Otieno last August in Kazakhstan, Ahmedov has registered a pair of victories in the United States against veteran Demetrius Davis and Harley Kilfian.
“It feels good to be world rated,” Ahmedov remarked. “The more a fighter moves up in the rankings, the more responsibility. It is fantastic living and training in Las Vegas. I think every fighter growing up dreams of training and fighting in the United States. Sparring here with Beibut has helped him get ready for his big fight and me for my fight.”
Vargas, the older brother of 2004 US Olympian Devan Vargas, fights out of Toledo, Ohio. Dallas has been in against world title challenger Jesse Brinkley and former French champion Jean Paul Mendy.
“I know my opponent has only lost four times in 26 fights and that he keeps coming forward,” Gayrat noted. “I never underestimate an opponent and I’ll be ready for him July 23rd. Everything has been very good at training camp. I’m grateful for this opportunity and very happy to be promoted by KZ Event Productions and the Shumenov brothers.”
Tickets for this exciting event are priced at: $20, $50, $60 and $250 and can be purchased by calling the Tachi Palace box office at: 559-924-7751 or by visiting www.tickets.com.
KZ Event Productions, Inc.
Based in Las Vegas, KZ Event Productions is owned by the Shumenov brothers, World Boxing Association light heavyweight champion, Beibut, and Chingis. KZ Event Productions is a full service, international boxing promotional company. Go to www.kzeventproductions.com for more information about the company and its fighters.
-KZ-
Finally It’s On! – Marianne Marston Set To Face Lana Cooper On September 11th
Posted on | July 14, 2010 | No Comments
London, UK – 14th July 2010
The long awaited professional debut of Marianne ‘Golden Girl’ Marston is set for the 11th September, on the undercard of Ultrachem TKO Gym mate Mark ‘The Flash’ Alexander’s Lightweight title fight, against Ryan Barrett, at the Steve Goodwin promoted ‘It’s Personal’ event at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, London.
Marston, who will be facing the highly experienced Welsh battler Lana Cooper on the 11th September, was originally due to debut in May last year, against Christina Leadbeater, on the undercard of Brian Cohen’s WBC Americas title fight in South Philadelphia.
However, instead of facing Leadbeater in Philadelphia, Marston, the protégé of legendary Heavyweight Champion of the World Smokin’ Joe Frazier, had a much bigger battle on her hands, some 3500 miles away, with the American Embassy in London who had refused to issue her with the necessary visa required to fight professionally in America.
Following a training session, under the watchful eyes of her manager Johnny Eames and her coach Derek Grainger, at the famed fight factory known as the Ultrachem TKO Gym in Canning Town, Marston spoke of her upcoming fight. “I am so pleased to finally getting to fight. It’s going to be extra special for me as the fight is actually here in England. I mean, the reason I went to America to train, in the first place, was because there didn’t seem any chance of me getting to fight here as there are so few British female pros.
OK, not just that. When you get asked by Smoke (Smokin’ Joe Frazier) to go to Philadelphia to be trained by him and Marvis (Marvis Frazier) you grab it firmly with both hands.
I was heartbroken when I was refused the visa to fight in America, especially as I had been over there training for over two years with no problem, I thought that’s it I’ll never get to fight now. How wrong could I have been?
Mind you I wouldn’t have had this opportunity if I hadn’t switched my training to the Ultrachem TKO Gym in April. Johnny and Derek have been awesome. I barely had any coaching at the other London gym I was at. Terry (former Team GB head coach Terry Edwards MBE) would come and help me when he could, as would Ben (Light Welterweight Ben ‘The Entertainer’ Day) and Karl (Welterweight Karol ‘Dr KO’ Ozimkowski).
Within a week of being here, at the Ultrachem TKO Gym, Johnny became my manager and Derek my coach. Now they’ve got me a fight right here in London!
I’ve watched Lana fight, when she fought my good friend, and sparring partner, Angel (Angel McKenzie) back last year. I seem to recall she was taller than Angel, which means she’ll be taller than me also. I would think she’ll aim to keep me on the outside, as she did with Angel. I’m quite happy to fight on the outside as Steve (IBF Cruiserweight Champion Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham) worked with me on this when I was in Philly.
I’m used to fighting heavier girls than myself, in fact everyone I sparred in Philly was bigger and heavier than me other than Christina (Leadbeater) who is the same weight as me.
I have been taught my craft by the best in the business, Smoke (Joe Frazier), Marvis (Frazier), Steve (Cunningham), Terry (Edwards) and Derek (Grainger). Now it’s down to me to prove that their time, effort and belief in me was not wasted. I have no intention of letting them, or myself, down.”
Marianne ‘Golden Girl’ Marston versus Lana Cooper will be on Saturday 11th September 2010 as part of the Steve Goodwin promoted ‘It’s Personal’ event at York Hall, Bethnal Green, London.
Headlining Goodwin Promotions ‘It’s Personal’ event will be former English Super Featherweight Champion Ryan Barrett against Mark ‘The Flash’ Alexander in a Lightweight title clash.
Co-headline will feature undefeated Light Middleweight rising star ‘Phat’ Pat McAleese in a championship fight against a yet to be named opponent.
Supporting the title double header will be no less than five undefeated stars; Cruiserweight Tony Conquest, 4 (1KO)-0, Welterweight John Wayne Hibbert, 6(4KO)-0, Lightweight Bradley Evans 5-0-1, Light Middleweight Michael Norgrove 2-0 and Lightweight Tony Owen 7(1KO)-0 all against yet to named opposition.
Goodwin promotions ‘It’s Personal’ event also features the professional debuts of Lightweight Jamie Arlain and exciting, Ultrachem TKO Trained, Light Heavyweight Joel McIntyre.
Tickets for ‘It’s Personal’ at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, London on Saturday 11th September 2010 are priced £35 (Unreserved) or £60 (Ringside).
For tickets call: 07960 850645, book on-line at www.tickets.justlisten2this.com or in person at The Ultrachem TKO Gym, Gillian House, Stephenson Street, Canning Town, London E16 4SA.
The #1 MMA Show in the Country comes to Manitoba
Posted on | July 14, 2010 | No Comments
Retribution features stacked lineup of top stars
For Immediate Release
The Maximum Fighting Championship, one of the premier mixed martial arts organizations in North America, will make its much-anticipated debut in the province of Manitoba with the announcement that MFC 26: Retribution will be held in the city of Brandon on Friday, September 10.
As Canada’s largest and most-popular brand of MMA, the Maximum Fighting Championship is excited to bring an action-packed card and live television broadcast to a new host city. The MFC is the only Canadian-based organization showcased on live TV, and in partnership with HDNet Fights, the main card of the September 10 show from the Westman Place at the Keystone Centre will be broadcast live throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico beginning at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT/7 p.m. PT.
“I am truly excited to be bringing the Maximum Fighting Championship to the city of Brandon – it will be a memorable night in the history of our organization and an incredible night of professional sports in Brandon,” said Mark Pavelich, Owner/President of the Maximum Fighting Championship.
“Brandon has hosted some big events before but nothing like a night brought to the city by the Maximum Fighting Championship.
“We are not holding back anything for this event – fans in the seats of the Westman Place and the fans watching on HDNet will see a showcase of the Maximum Fighting Championship’s most talented fighters at MFC 26. We will prove once again that the MFC is the pinnacle of mixed martial arts in Canada and a prominent stage for best fighters in the world.”
Tickets go on sale this Friday – July 16 – via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone (204) 726-3555 and www.ticketmaster.ca. The live event will begin at 7:15 p.m. CT with doors at 6:30 p.m. CT.
MFC 26: Retribution marks the first venture for the organization outside of the Alberta, and also marks the first time since 2003 that the MFC will host an event beyond the Greater Edmonton Area.
A powerful lineup is being put together for MFC 26 with an impressive card of fights to be finalized soon. Confirmed fighters for the event whose opponents will be named shortly include:
· British middleweight Tom “Kong” Watson (12-3)
· Canadian welterweight sensation Ryan “The Real Deal” Ford (12-2)
· MFC lightweight champion Antonio “Mandingo” McKee (24-3-2)
· Brazilian light heavyweight phenom Glover Teixeira (9-2)
A light heavyweight bout is set with crowd favorite Dwayne Lewis (11-5) of Fort McMurray, Alberta, taking on American Top Team’s Wilson Gouveia (12-8) of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Two Manitoba products are slated to make their MFC debuts on the evening’s undercard. In a lightweight clash, Curtis Demarce (9-7), who has won five straight fights, matches up against former reality show standout Richie “The Dirty Samurai” Hightower (8-4) of Phoenix, Arizona. And in what has become a bitter feud, Brandon native Steve Fader (2-1) will look to silence rival Nick Hrynchyshyn (2-1) of Sylvan Lake, Alberta. The undercard will also pit Thunder Bay, Ontario, native Nathan Gunn (7-2) versus Dami Egbeyemi (3-0) of Regina, Saskatchewan.
A rundown of the complete MFC 26: Retribution fight card will be forthcoming as well as details on the official press conference and weigh-in.
BUTTERBEAN WEIGHS IN ON WORLD’S STRONGEST MAN’S WEAK MMA SKILLS
Posted on | July 14, 2010 | No Comments
Butterbean’ rips Pudzianowski
SEOUL, S. Korea (July 14, 2010) – Moosin officials and the face of the MMA promotional company, Eric “Butterbean” Esch, greatly differ in their opinions of former 5-time World’s Strongest Man Mariusz “Dominator” Pudzianowski, in terms of rating the Polish strongman as a mixed-martial-arts fighter.
Moosin officials believe Pudzianowski has tremendous potential and that he should be featured on Moosin’s proposed October 9 show in Chicago. Mariusz, who has reportedly been training hard in his native Poland to develop his MMA skills, will arrive in Massachusetts by the end of July to begin training with former boxer “Irish” Micky Ward, as well as two former All-America wrestlers, in order to learn the basics of boxing and wrestling to improve his overall MMA game.
However, based on Pudzianowki’s second-round loss by submission to former 2-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia this past May in Worcester, Massachusetts, “Butterbean” doesn’t think Mariusz deserves to be showcased again on a Moosin pay-per-view event, at least not until he proves himself in the cage.
“I know he allegedly broke his foot in the fight against Sylvia,” Butterbean criticized Pudzianowski, “but he didn’t show anything before he quit. Pudzianowski has no stand-up and as strong as he is, he punches like a girl. All he does is throw arm punches. He needs a lot of help. He’s the 5-time World’s Strongest Man but hits like a 130-pounder, not a strong man who weighs 270 pounds. He doesn’t have the skill level to get to the level he wants to fight.
“Once he gets a stand-up game – you can’t have a ground game working without one – he could be a force in MMA. He still needs some work on his ground game, too. We all know he’s very strong but that’s not enough at the highest level of MMA. I don’t know who has been coaching him but that trainer should be fired. Pudzianowski needs to prove himself, showing he has a good stand-up game by beating a good MMA fighter, before he gets another big fight like a spot on the October 9th show.”
Moosin, based in South Korea-based, has promoted MMA shows in South Korea and the United States and, in conjunction with the International Taekwon-Do Federation, plans expansion into to China, Poland and Australia.
Go to www.MoosinUSA.com for more information about Moosin.
Moosin: A global event promoter based out of Seoul, South Korea, in conjunction with the International Taekwon-Do Federation, Moosin is known for bringing fans the finest in mixed martial arts competition. Moosin is revolutionizing the MMA industry by merging an international roster of talented fighters with recognizable stars from the world or music, sports and popular culture. Moosin pits warrior against warrior, featuring a hybrid of MMA and hard-hitting Moosin-style kickboxing, in hand-to-hand battles of skill, honor and art.
BONUS: PUDZIANOWSKI VS. SYLVIA VIDEO:
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