UNDEFEATED HEAVYWEIGHT SHANE DEL ROSARIO TO FACE HARD-HITTING HAWAIIAN LOLOHEA MAHE IN STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS MAIN EVENT AT COMCAST ARENA AT EVERETT, WA., JULY 23
Posted on | June 10, 2010 | No Comments
UNBEATEN WOMEN’S CHAMP SARAH KAUFMAN TO DEFEND STRIKEFORCE WELTERWEIGHT BELT AGAINST ROXANNE MODAFFERI
Tickets for STRIKEFORCE Challengers Event
Go On Sale Monday, June 14; Pre-Sale Begins
Tomorrow/Friday, June 11, via “STRIKEFORCE Insider”
EVERETT, Wash. (June 10, 2010) –Undefeated heavyweight prospect Shane Del Rosario (9-0) will attempt to extend his unblemished streak when he faces fellow heavy hitter Lolohea Mahe (4-1-1) in the main event of a STRIKEFORCE Challengers Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card at Comcast Arena at Everett, live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast), on Friday, July 23.
Unbeaten STRIKEFORCE Women’s World Welterweight (135 pounds) Champion and former ballet dancer Sarah Kaufman (11-0) will put her perfect record as well as her crown on the line against international star Roxanne Modafferi (15-5).
In other featured action, Abongo Humphrey (7-1) will take on Mike “Mak” Kyle (16-7-1) at light heavyweight (205 pounds).
A special pre-sale ticket purchase opportunity for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event will take place for “STRIKEFORCE Insider” e-newsletter subscribers (http://STRIKEFORCE.com/insider.html), beginning at 10 a.m. PT Tomorrow/Friday, June 11, until 10 p.m. PT on Sunday, June 13. STRIKEFORCE Insiders will receive a special e-newsletter with the pre-sale code.
Tickets for the event go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. PT on Monday, June 14 and can be purchased at the Comcast Arena box office (866-332-8499) as well as online at ComcastArenaEverett.com and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).
Del Rosario, of Irvine, Calif., hasn’t come close to losing since turning pro in August 2006. He has yet to go the distance; in fact, only one of his fights has gone past the first round.
In his last start, Del Rosario, who’ll be making his fifth appearance on SHOWTIME, submitted (omoplata) Brandon Cash at 2:57 of the first round on a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event on Nov. 6, 2009. Seven of his previous eight victories came via knockout.
Besides power, the 6-foot-4, 27-year-old Del Rosario possesses excellent movement and quickness. A graduate of UC Irvine with a degree in Psychology, Del Rosario played basketball in high school. He also is an active professional Muay Thai fighter and is 6-1 (six knockouts).
Mahe will be trying to regain his winning ways after suffering the first defeat of his career in his last start to Lavar Johnson during a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event last March 26.
An American Samoan who resides and fights out of Kahului Maui, Hawaii, the heavy-handed 6-foot-4, 28-year-old Mahe had his fair share of pavement punchouts before turning to MAA in November 2007,
Outside the cage, the married father of three children is very active in the Church. Every Saturday he and his family clean the local church (Ala Lani United Methodist Church).
Kaufman, of Victoria, British Canada, captured the first-ever STRIKEFORCE Women’s 135-pound Championship in her last start with a unanimous five-round decision over Takayo Hashi in the main event of a STRIKEFORCE Challengers card last Feb. 26.
In her outing before last on June 19, 2009, on SHOWTIME, the 5-feet-5, 24-year-old Kaufman outpointed Shayna Baszler in the historic first five-minute, three-round women’s fight.
Regarded as perhaps the most powerful, pure puncher in women’s MMA, Kaufman is an avid ballet, jazz and hip hop dancer who only discovered the sport after a martial arts gym opened underneath her dance studio when she was 17. She attended the University of Victoria for two years with the goal of becoming a cardiovascular surgeon before focusing her efforts on MMA.
A pro since 2006, Kaufman knocked out her first eight opponents before earning a hard-fought decision over Miesha Tate during the first-ever STRIKEFORCE Challengers event on May 15, 2009, on SHOWTIME..
Modafferi, of Wilmington, Del., is coming off the biggest victory of her career, a three-round decision over highly regarded Tara LaRosa last May 21. The 5-foot-7, 27-year-old Modafferi has won eight of her last nine starts. The loss came in her STRIKEFORCE debut against Marloes Coenen on the undercard of “Fedor vs. Rogers’’ on Nov. 7, 2009.
One of the most unique and eclectic fighters in MMA, Modafferi cannot only be defined by fighting alone. A long-time admirer of Japanese culture, she graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 2005 with a major in Japanese Language and Literature and a minor in Linguistics. Her pro debut on Nov. 10, 2003, came in Japan during her junior year of college.
Soon after graduating college, Modafferi moved to Japan on a permanent basis after securing a full-time teaching position in which she taught English. Her earliest MMA victories came in Japan. But the lack of comparable competition made it virtually impossible for the terrific grappler to get fights, so she moved back to the United States.
Regarding her style, Modafferi says, “I put a lot of value in perfection, which is why I generally like grappling more than striking. I think it takes the perfect pressure, the perfect control, to pull off a beautiful submission hold. You take an armbar to the point of breaking, until the opponent gives up, and you let them go, unharmed. I think it’s smooth, beautiful and masterful. I don’t really want to break somebody’s face and make them bleed — just make them give up.”
Humphrey, a military son who was born on a base in Vacaville, Calif., and resides in Atlanta, Ga., scored a submission over George Bush (guillotine choke) at 1:44 of the first-round of a STRIKEFORCE: Challengers event last March 26.
The birth name of the 5-foot-11, 33-year-old is “Ronald,” but he prefers to be addressed as “Abongo,” the name of an African warrior spirit believed to protect a village located in The Republic of Ghana. The moniker was bestowed upon him a few years ago after he endured a series of mentally and physically grueling tasks during a rites of passage trip to Africa.
Humphrey’s experience there inspired him to establish a non-profit organization that allows him to introduce other African-Americans to their heritage by bringing them to Africa.
“There are certain things that are lacking in the black community here and one of them has to do with cultural identity,” said Humphrey, whose only loss came to Brett “The Grim” Rogers. “Fighting and doing the community work in Africa is something that really drives me and motivates me in life.”
Humphrey was introduced to a national audience as a contestant on BET’s MMA reality series “Iron Ring” where he was a member of a fight team coached by MMA star, “Mr. International” Shonie Carter, and managed by hip-hop artist and producer Lil’ Jon.
“Some people are under the impression that most of the fighters on the show were push overs, but I fought and defeated some pretty well-known contenders,” Humphrey said. Among those he defeated during his stint on “Iron Ring” were former K-1 USA contender, Jeff “Big Diesel” Ford, and Carlos Moreno, who Humphrey knocked out with a head kick.
“I move more like a 205-pounder than I do a 245. I bring a lot of athleticism and skill into the cage,” Humphrey said.
Kyle has won four in a row and eight out of nine and is the last fighter to defeat highly touted Rafael “Feijao’’ Cavalcante. His only setback since April 2008 came against world-class Fabricio Werdum, who is fighting Fedor Emelianenko, the world’s No. 1 fighter, on June 26.
Comcast Arena at Everett doors will open for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event at 5:15 p.m. The first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m. PT. The first main card bout will start at 8 p.m.
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.
Tags: cagefighting > Lolohea Mahe > MMA > Roxanne Modafferi > Shane Del Rosario > Strikeforce > Tara LaRosa
JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ AND JUAN DIAZ WORLD CUP PREDICTIONS
Posted on | June 10, 2010 | No Comments
FIGHTERS HAVE THEIR EYES ON CUP AS THEY PREPARE FOR THEIR JULY 31 PAY-PER-VIEW BOUT
Mexico City, MEX/Houston, TX (June 10)…With the first game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup kicking-off Friday, the entire world seems to have soccer fever including current WBA, WBO and Ring Magazine World Lightweight Champion Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez and former three-time Lightweight World Champion Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz. Marquez and Diazwill meet in “Fight of the Year: The Rematch” for Marquez’s Ring Magazine, WBA and WBO Lightweight World titles, Saturday, July 31 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and live on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Although they will both be deep in training for their rematch of the 2009 “Fight of the Year” during the month of World Cup play, both fighters will be keeping a close eye on this year’s Cup. Below please find predictions and comments from both fighters as we head into this weekend’s World Cup kick-off.
JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ:
“I am not only rooting for Mexico, but I believe if they bring their character to the field and are strong physically and mentally throughout the competition, they have a chance to win the World Cup. It will be difficult, but definitely not impossible. They need go the whole tournament without injury and play like they have never played before.
“Their Group is very difficult. South Africa is going to bring everything that they have onto the field, but I think Mexico can beat them. The first game is definitely key.
“Cuauhtémoc Blanco is the heart and soul of Team Mexico. I look forward to seeing him play along with Guillermo Ochoa and Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez. I believe they can lead the team all the way to the finals.”
JUAN DIAZ:
“My loyal fans are Mexican-American or American fans in general, so I am going to root for Team USA.
“I think we have a great chance of making out of the Group Stage. I know most people aren’t giving Team USA much of a chance to win, but soccer is like boxing, scoring one or two goals quickly is possible and a lot of the time enough to win the game, so anything can happen.
“After training each day in camp, I’m going to have a lot of spare time, so I’m going to be watching a lot of soccer. It’s going to be my new hobby.”
# # #
Marquez vs. Diaz II “Fight of the Year: The Rematch” is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Marquez Promotions, and sponsored by Tecate and AT&T. The 12-round rematch of the “2009 Fight of the Year” is scheduled for Saturday, July 31, and will be for Marquez’s Ring Magazine, WBA and WBO Lightweight World titles, and will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The 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.
Tags: Boxing > Houston > Juan Diaz > Juan Manuel Marquez > Mexico > soccer > South Africa > Texas > World Cup
Official U.S.A. Team in Grappling To Be Crowned June 12 in New Jersey
Posted on | June 10, 2010 | No Comments
MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY – Grapplers Quest, The World’s Largest Grappling Tournament, is hosting the 2010 U.S. National Championships of Submission Wrestling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu this Saturday (June 12) at the Mennen Sports Arena in Morristown, New Jersey.
Go to http://www.grapplersquest.com/events/2010-us-national-championships for more information.
Submission Grappling is the ground fighting art of Mixed Martial Arts, combining the throws of Olympic Judo, takedowns of Greco-Roman and/or Freestyle Wrestling, leg locks from Sambo, and other submissions like arm-bars and chokes from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Grapplers Quest organizes the official National, Regional, North American and World competitions for Submission Grappling, the submission style ground-fighting sport.
Grapplers Quest will crown 250 2010 U.S. National champions from all types of grappling styles, ages, skill and belt levels. Each Men’s and Women’s Advanced Division weight class offers a cash prize ranging from $250 to $1,000 cash, a custom leather championship belt plus an official spot as the Team U.S.A. Representative to face Team Canada in December in New Jersey at The World Series of Grappling in the first true Country vs. Country team battle in the history of the sport.
Competitors may register and weigh-in Friday (June 11) from 5:00-8:00 PM/ET and doors open at 7:00 AM/ET Saturday (June 12). Please check schedule and weigh-in cut off times at http://www.grapplersquest.com/events/2010-us-national-championships.
Tickets will be available at the door: children 6 and under free, $10 for kids 7-17, $20 for adults for the full day plus the $7,500 cash Team U.S.A. Trials. Tournament starts at 10:00 AM with Youth National Championships (children and teens), followed by the Men’s and Women’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and then the No-Gi Submission Grappling divisions. The finals of the Men’s and Women’s Advanced Divisions will be featured in the Center rings. Get more information at: http://GrapplersQuest.com.
About Grapplers Quest: Grapplers Quest is the world’s largest submission grappling organization with 300,000+ competitors worldwide since 1998 and owned by The Grapplers Company, Inc. and founded by Brian Cimins as his senior project in college. Grappling Events feature divisions for men, women, and children of all ages and skill levels with events in major metropolitan cities throughout North America and Europe. For more information on upcoming events and to join the grappling community online, go to www.GrapplersQuest.com and for sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities, visit http://SponsorGrappling.com
Tags: Grappler's Quest > grappling > MMA > New Jersey > submission fighting > Team USA > Xyience supplements
America’s Top Featherweight Matt “Sharp Shooter” Remillard
Posted on | June 10, 2010 | No Comments
MANCHESTER, Conn. (June 10, 2010) – Undefeated, 23-year-old NABF and NABO champion Matt “Sharp Shooter” Remillard arguably rates as America’s leading contemporary featherweight and the old-school fighter can’t wait to prove his worth to the boxing world.
Remillard, now rated No. 7 by the World Boxing Council, may not have a true signature fight, yet, but he improved his pro record to 23-0 (17 KOs) last month with a fourth-round TKO of Carlos Rivera (16-4-2), retaining his NABF belt and capturing the vacant NABO strap. The Manchester, Connecticut fighter had to overcome his first taste of adversity in the ring, a cut over his eye that required eight stitches.
“It was the first time I was ever cut in a fight,” Remillard said. “I didn’t paw at it but realized that I could lose on a cut, so I picked-up the pace. It was a wake-up call for me. The cut was clean and there’s no scar tissue.
“With each fight I’m getting more confident, utilizing my boxing skills more but, at first, it was a little more difficult against a southpaw like Rivera. The first round was like a chess match. I may have lost the round but, I had to establish my left foot outside of his left, and I did.”
Remillard has shown some signs being like a young Micky Ward, another New Englander known for his vicious body attacks. Lately, “Sharp Shooter” has been zeroing in on his opponents’ livers with tremendous results, including a few breath-taking shots unloaded on Rivera.
“I was known for throwing good body shots in the amateurs and I brought it to the pros,” Matt explained. “Today, not a lot of fighters do that well. Some guys are so tough, especially Mexicans, that they can take good head shots and walk through them. Good liver punches effect a fighter later on, slowly suffocating ‘em, and that’s something I’ve been working hard on in the gym. I’m trying to use pin-point accuracy, not rush, to find the right spots. Years ago, maybe in my third or fourth fight, Micky Ward told me to tap upstairs and then bring that left hook to the body. We still talk about that whenever we meet at fights. A good head-shot immediately affects a fighter. They may not give-up from one good body shot, so I remain patient, knowing it may take two or three rounds to take its toll.”
The top two American featherweight prospects are Remillard and unbeaten, 22-year-old USBA champion Mikey Garcia (22-0, 18 KOs), while two others in the best American featherweight debate are veterans Steven Luevano (37-2-1, 15 KOs), former WBO titlist, and Cornelius Lock (19-5-3, 12 KOs).
Already savvy enough to realize that, in the business of boxing, Remillard knows all of the stars need to be aligned properly, in terms of risk and reward, for two undefeated prospects to face-off in a showdown. “I understand it takes money and television to make something like that happen,” Matt spoke about rumors of a fight against Garcia. “I’m willing to fight anybody but I leave that to my promoter (TKO Boxing) and manager (Bret Hallenbeck). Garcia stopped Rivera in the seventh round (Aug. 29, 2009) in his 18th fight, I stopped him in the fourth of my 22nd fight. Hey, nobody is calling me out, and I’m not the type to call-out fighters. So, I’ll continue working in the gym and wait for my big opportunity.
“There’s so much talent in our division, just like in the welterweight and super middleweight divisions. Maybe somebody will start a tournament like the Super Six (super middleweights) that will guarantee money, television and exposure. And the double-elimination is cool, too.”
For now, though, Remillard will bide his time. Time, of course, is on the side of the tattooed-fighter called “Sharp Shooter.” The throwback, fan-friendly prize fighter from Connecticut is made for television. A self-proclaimed gym rat, Matt continues to sharpen his skills, preparing for a future fight against a top 10-ranked foe, in order to prove to all that he belongs among the 126-pound elite.
RING OR CAGE FOR MMA?
Posted on | June 10, 2010 | 3 Comments
by Jeff Chan MFC Staff
“Ring or cage?” is MMA’s biggest debate. Fans of the ring often say that it promotes better fighting technique, while defenders of the cage like that enclosure’s dramatic “no escape” appeal. The Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) has always taken place in a ring, and it always will. Why? Because the ring provides more exciting fights and a better overall experience for the fans.
MOST OF MMA’S HISTORY IS IN THE RING
Long before MMA arrived in North America, the pre-MMA pioneers in Brazil and Japan fought in a ring. In December 1963, “Judo” Gene Lebell and boxer Milo Savage stepped into a ring in Salt Lake City, Utah to square off in North America’s first televised MMA match. Cage fighting wasn’t presented to North American TV audiences until 1993, when the aim was to promote MMA as a “deathmatch”-style spectacle.
MMA IN THE RING = CLEANER FIGHTING TECHNIQUE
Very few MMA fans have seen more fights than Eddie Goldman, who has been covering our sport for over 15 years through his legendary show, No Holds Barred (http://eddiegoldman.com). Widely viewed as “the godfather of MMA media”, Goldman has been an outspoken proponent of the ring, citing clean techniques as the reason for his preference:
“Over the years, cage fighters have learned how to use the cage enclosure as part of their strategy. Many fighters push their opponents up against the cage, or even move them to it after taking them down. This aids brawling, but not the use of submissions or clean striking. Just look at the decline of the number of submissions in so many of the top fights in most of the companies which use a cage, then compare that to the flow of action and the aesthetics of the fights in companies like the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC), who use the ring.” – Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred (http://eddiegoldman.com)
MMA IN A RING IS BETTER FOR SPECTATORS
It’s no secret that watching MMA in a cage isn’t great for spectators. Many MMA fans have paid hundreds of dollars for a cageside seat only to discover that they get a better view by watching the fight on the TV screens. But sight lines aren’t the only issue – the action is different too. When not inside the unforgiving walls of a cage, fighters are forced to move and press the action. There’s none of the wedged-into-the-cage ground-and-pound or wall wrestling, there’s more stand-up fighting, more movement, and more overall excitement.
CORPORATE SPONSORS PREFER TO SEE MMA IN A RING
According to MFC CEO Mark Pavelich, most of the reservations about MMA he consistently hears from potential corporate sponsors have to do with the cage. As he stated in his interview on No Holds Barred:
“I hate the cage. I’ve never liked it. It’s completely non-sport-oriented. Why do you think that big companies like Nike aren’t involved in mixed martial arts? Because the second they hear the word ‘cage’, the executives ask, ‘why are these people fighting in a cage?’“
“I run the Maximum Fighting Championship like a professional sports organization. People can debate this night and day, back and forth, for the next hundred years, but it doesn’t matter what apparatus is better to fight in. It matters what’s more acceptable to the corporate sponsors that are going to generate money for your organization to keep it alive and keep it rolling.”
THE MAXIMUM FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP WILL ALWAYS BE IN A RING
So cage or ring? The choice of fighting enclosure is going to play a big role in our sport’s future. If MMA is to continue to grow and be embraced by TV networks and combat sports fans worldwide, the ring is probably the path to follow. The Maximum Fighting Championship will always take place in a ring and for anyone who doesn’t believe that the ring promotes exciting fights, we formally invite you to come to MFC 26: Retribution. You WILL be proven wrong. Again.
June 26th “Pride & Power” pro boxing show at Mohegan Sun Arena
Posted on | June 10, 2010 | No Comments
McCLOSKEY HOPING WIN ON FRIDAY LEADS TO SHOT AT AMIR KHAN
Posted on | June 10, 2010 | No Comments
PAUL McCloskey hopes a win on Friday takes him closer to an all-British world title fight with Amir Khan.
McCloskey, 30, makes the first defence of his European Light-Welterweight Championship when he takes on Italian Giuseppe Lauri at the King’s Hall in Belfast.
Northern Irishman McCloskey, who will be fighting in front of his home crowd, believes a good performance could lead to a shot at WBA title holder Khan.
“I’m very confident of winning the fight and I’m in great shape,” said McCloskey, winner of all 20 of his professional contests.
“I’ve seen him on a DVD and he’s very experienced, he’s been around the block and is very clever.
“But some good boxers have beaten him and I’ve seen some of his defeats. He likes to control the fight and fight at his pace but I’m going to do something he doesn’t like and take the fight from him.
“It’s been a roller-coaster ride so far but I’m getting better and I’m hoping to climb the ladder as quickly as possible.
“I think I can go on and fight for World Championships and someone like Amir Khan I know I could beat him.
“Amir Khan is now in America and all I can do is keep moving up the ladder. I think I’m the WBC number eight so I’m getting close to being number one.
“To be fair to Amir Khan he has improved but he’s still vulnerable and not a superstar just yet. He’s getting better but he’s not unbeatable and he’s had a few fights where he’s looked vulnerable.
“He’s a very good boxer but people are talking about him in the same breath as Manny Pacquiao which is ridiculous.
“It’s nice to know that if I keep winning I’m there or thereabouts to fight him.”
Ex-Italian champion Lauri is four years older than McCloskey and has twice fought for the European belt before but lost on each occasion to Brixton’s Ted Bami.
Despite the potential showdown with Khan in the future for McCloskey, he insists he will not be complacent and under-estimate a fighter who has won 50 of 56 bouts.
“I never take my mind off the next job and that job is on Friday,” added McCloskey.
“Every fight I’ve had, I’ve won comfortably but you always have to be ready for whatever comes your way.
“To headline at the King’s Hall will be fantastic and you look at the past names that have fought there.
“If I beat Lauri, the mandatory challenger, then it will be a massive boost for my career.”
Tickets are priced £30, £60 and £90 are available from Ticketmaster and all usual outlets. Contact Ticketmaster 0844 8472455, (0818 719300 from ROI), Julie 07745698372, Francie 07803 282224. Tickets will also be available at the venue on the night.
The show will be broadcast live on Sky Sports 2 from 10.30pm on Friday.
Kings Hall, Belfast
Friday 11 June 2010
12 x 3 mins European Light-Welterweight Championship @10st
PAUL McCLOSKEY (Dungiven) v GIUSEPPE LAURI (Italy)
10 x 3 mins Vacant Celtic Welterweight Championship @ 10st 7lbs
STEPHEN HAUGHIAN (Lurgan) v KEVIN McINTYRE (Paisley)
6 x 3 mins Lightweight Contest @ 9st 12lbs
GAVIN REES (Newbridge) v SAMUEL AMOAKO (Ghana)
6 x 3 mins Lightweight Contest @ 9st 12lbs
ANDY MURRAY (Dublin) v JOHN BAGULEY (Rotherham)
6 x 3 mins Lightweight Contest @ 9st 12lbs
GARY McARTHUR (Clydebank) v GRAHAM FEARN (York)
6 x 3 mins Super-Bantamweight Contest @ 8st 12lbs
CARL FRAMPTON (Belfast) v IAN BAILEY (Slough)
6 x 3 mins Middleweight Contest @ 11st 9llbs
HARRY MATTHEWS (York) v CIARAN HEALY (Belfast)
6 x 3 mins Light-Middleweight Contest @ 11st 2lbs
KRIS CARSLAW (Paisley) v TBA
4 x 3 mins Flyweight Contest @ 8st 3lbs
JAMIE CONLON (Belfast) v DELROY SPENCER (Walsall)
6 x 3 mins Light-Heavyweight Contest @ 12st 8lbs
LUIS GARCIA (Cuba/Ireland) v NATHAN KING (Mountain Ash)
Event Preview: Goodwin Promotions “Summer Fight Night Explosion” York Hall, Saturday 19th June
Posted on | June 10, 2010 | No Comments
Following the huge success of his ‘A Night Of The Rising Stars’ event at York Hall back in April promoter Steve Goodwin recently announced that his “Summer Fight Night Explosion” at York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, on Saturday 19th June, will be bigger, better and even more explosive!
A tall order, as “A Night Of The Rising Stars” received justifiable rave reviews, but true to his word Goodwin has pulled out all the stops to bring a top notch TWELVE bout event to the Capital’s world famous boxing venue.
OK, so we’ve got the bigger, and it seems that Goodwin’s got the better and more explosive covered as well with the return of two of the most exciting and heavy hitting war lords on the domestic scene today, Yassine El Maachi, who on the 19th June will battle with Dee Mitchell, and Mark ‘The Flash’ Alexander, who will lock horns with Sid Razak.
Back in April El Maachi declared war on French hard man Bertrand Aloa for the vacant International Masters Light Middleweight title. The cheering legion of fans at York Hall that evening were treated to nine scintillating, action packed, yet very close, rounds before a clear and indisputable winner could be called. When that moment came, just seconds from the bell to end round nine, El Maachi clinically let rip with a magnificent hook to the head that sent Aloa crashing to the canvas. Aloa quickly got to his feet to survive the last few seconds of the round.
The final round was all El Maachi, his movement was fluid and his punches telling. Mid way through the final round the Frenchman was sent sprawling face down on to the deck, although not by a clean shot but due to his unsteadiness and a little helping push by El Maachi. Aloa again jumped up quickly and as if the second trip to the canvas acted as a wake up call, came back at the London based Iranian, albeit too late to win the final round and close the deficit. When the scorecards were read out they declared, by a 96-93 margin,Yassine El Maachi the new International Masters Light Middleweight Champion.
Alexander’s Lightweight contest against Michael Devine was equally, if not more, sensational. Devine was the clear favourite, being unbeaten and having stopped all his previous opponents, but like all good thrillers there would be a twist in the tale.
Within a minute of the start of the first round Devine found himself crashing to the canvas following a beautiful one two combination to the head and body by the ever so slick Alexander. As soon as the referee finished the standing count Alexander was all over the clearly shaken Devine like a rash. It seemed that Alexander could land clean punches and move out of harms way in a flash, each time leaving Devine punching at fresh air.
Alexander’s movement and power was telling on Devine, who seemed to throw his fight plan out of the window as he tried to pursue the phantom that was his opponent. Within a minute of his first trip to the canvas he was back there again courtesy of a vicious left to the body followed by a lightning quick hook. Again, after the standing count, Alexander went on the attack and rocked Devine on numerous occasions before the end of the round.
Devine didn’t fare much better in the second round as the elusive Alexander came on the inside, playing Devine’s ribs like a xylophone before ducking and swaying out of harm’s way. Around the middle of the round Devine rushed at Alexander and managed to bundle him onto the ropes, but before he could land a decent shot ‘The Flash’ had already moved causing Devine to turn into a looping right which sent him crashing to the canvas for the third time.
Alexander stepped it up another level and just plain out boxed, and out moved, the hapless Devine, who could see his perfect record disappearing like a rat up the drainpipe. Everyone, but everyone, was on their feet as it seemed the fight would surely be over before the end of the round. Devine is made of sterner stuff and, although he was being given a boxing master class by Alexander, managed to make it to the bell.
Devine’s corner must have really fired him up for the third round as he came out with both barrels blazing. Again he managed to rush and bundle Alexander into a corner, this time even managing to land a punch or two, albeit on the gloves of ‘The Flash’.
Alexander seemed content to just play with his opponent like a cat plays with a mouse, at times his magnificent movement sending Devine off balance as he let rip with yet another huge air shot. It was inevitable that ‘The Flash’ would stop playing with his prey but no one, not Devine or any one at ringside, saw the lightning quick punch that sent Devine to the deck for the fourth, and final, time. Devine did make it to his feet but the referee decided enough was enough stopping the fight at two minutes and eleven seconds of the third round.
El Maachi and Alexander are not the only exciting crowd pleasers on the show. Alexander’s Ultrachem TKO Gym mate, Light Welterweight sensation Daryl Setterfield, who will be facing Ricky Boulter on the 19th June, will be looking to build on his stunning knockout victory over the highly rated Darren Hamilton back in March this year.
Coming into that fight Setterfield was undoubtedly the underdog as Hamilton had been rightly touted as a future star of the division. However, no one took into account that Setterfield, anything but an easy opponent at the best of times, always comes to win.
Hamilton was intent on imposing himself with heavy handed attacks. Setterfield wasn’t content to just roll over and take it, responding with vicious salvos of his own. The climax to the exciting battle was nothing short of spectacular. Setterfield let rip with the most vicious overhand right to the head, which literally stopped the previously unbeaten fighter in his tracks, then followed up with a lightning fast combination that sent Hamilton crashing to the canvas so hard the paramedics were immediately called for.
The stars keep on coming. Also on the card are Olympic Bronze Medallist Boris Georgiev (Bobby George), who will be looking to build on his excellent pro-debut win, and former English Super Featherweight Champion Ryan Barrett.
Barrett, an exciting, classy southpaw, has been in with the best of the best – Amir Khan, John Simpson, Willie Lamond etc. – secured the English Super Featherweight title with a third round knockout of Femi Fehintola in October 2008. The Thamesmead based fighter also held the British Masters Featherweight title, and challenged, unsuccessfully, for both the British Featherweight Crown and the WBU World Lightweight Title.
That’s not all, rising stars Tony Owen, Joe St John, Bradley Evans and Michael Norgrove will all be looking to increase their unbeaten records. Whilst Welterweights John Brennan (opponent TBA) and Adam Battle, who will face Danny Dontchev, will be looking to impress on their pro-debuts.
Last but not least, Ultrachem TKO Gym trained, World Fireman’s Games Champion and former Royal Marine, Matt Jack will battle it out with Marco Stevenson in what promises to be an exciting all action Light Heavyweight contest.
Steve Goodwin is clearly a man of his word and “Summer Fight Night Explosion” has the potential to be the York Hall’s greatest show this year and is without doubt a don’t miss event, so don’t miss it!
Oh and as there are so many fights on the card the action starts at 5.30pm so get there early.
Tickets for the Goodwin Promotion’s “Summer Fight Night Explosion” at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, on Saturday 19th June 2010 are £35 (Unreserved) & £60 (VIP).
For tickets call 07960 850645 or buy on-line at www.tickets.justlisten2this.com
Tags: Bethnal Green > Boxing > Dee Mitchell > London > Mark Alexander > Sid Razak > Steve Goodwin > Summer Fight Night Explosion > Yassine El Maachi
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