STRIKEFORCE MMA STARS MIESHA TATE & FRANK SHAMROCK TO FILM RAPE PREVENTION VIDEO THIS FRIDAY IN LOS ANGELES
Posted on | May 25, 2010 | No Comments
Friday, May 28 at 10 a.m. PT in Los Angeles
WHO: Female MMA Star Miesha “Takedown” Tate
Four-Time World Champion and MMA Pioneer Frank Shamrock
WHAT: Production of a rape prevention DVD
STRIKEFORCE women’s 135-pound sensation Miesha “Takedown” Tate and four-time world champion and MMA pioneer Frank Shamrock will begin production on a DVD project that seeks to educate women on rape prevention techniques this Friday in Los Angeles. Media are invited to attend the event and one-on-one interviews will be available.
The DVD will feature defensive instructions from the MMA stars as well as feature interviews with three high-profile rape victims, who will recount their horrific experiences in order to educate potential victims.
In the instructional component of the video, Shamrock will act as an attacker while Tate demonstrates self defense techniques for a variety of scenarios.
The production is part of Tate’s Take Down Enterprises, which endeavors to educate society on the history of MMA and why it’s the fastest growing sport in the world.
Tate (9-2), of Tacoma, Wash., is coming off a second round submission of previously unbeaten Zoila Frausto at a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event live on SHOWTIME® from Fresno, Calif. on March 26.
Shamrock, the first STRIKEFORCE middleweight champion in history as well as the first-ever UFC middleweight champion, has been educating fans on a regular basis as an announcer for live CBS and SHOWTIME televised STRIKEFORCE MMA events.
WHEN: Friday, May 28 at 10 a.m. PT
WHERE: Alizeus Studios (AZ Studios)
154 West 23rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90007-2737
Phone: 310-779-9603
Tags: Frank Shamrock > Miesha Tate > Mixed Martial Arts > MMA > rape prevention
Wale’s bare ambition for Prizefighter glory
Posted on | May 25, 2010 | No Comments
Barnsley fighter has the family recipe for success at York Hall
Josh Wale believes he has the perfect make-up to win Prizefighter Super Bantamweights on Saturday May 29 – drawing on his grandad’s experience as a bare knuckle fighter.
The Barnsley fighter takes on former Commonwealth, European and British title holder Esham Pickering in the second quarter-final of Barry Hearn’s latest eight-man, one night tournament at York Hall in Bethnal Green, east London.
Pickering is the most experienced fighter on the bill, with 43 fights to Wale’s 11, but the 22 year-old says his background will hold him in good stead for the title and £32,000 winner’s cheque.
“My dad Mick is my trainer, my brother Gwyn was a professional who made his debut at York Hall and my grandad was a bare knuckle fighter, so it’s fair to say the sport is in my blood,” said Wale. “This is really big for me – the prestige of winning Prizefighter is massive and if I take the crown I’m in the picture for title shots.”
Wale was 21 years-old on his last outing at York Hall in September, which ended in a points loss to Matthew Marsh for the vacant English Super-Bantamweight title. Marsh’s failure to make the weight meant the title remains vacant, and now 22, Wale believes he gained the maximum from the defeat.
“I came unstuck in the last couple of rounds against Marsh but it was a great experience for my age,” said Wale. “I learnt so much that I came out of it a better fighter and now Prizefighter is even more exposure for me.
“To box at York Hall is always massive – it’s the Mecca of boxing, all the great British fighters have fought there.”
Wale or Pickering will face the winner of the opening bout of the night, between Liverpool’s Mark Moran and unbeaten Irishman Willie “Big Bang” Casey in the first semi-final. The second semi-final will match either Commonwealth gold medallist Jamie Arthur or Welshman Robbie Turley against unbeaten Ricky Owen facing Yorkshireman Gavin Reid.
“I’ve watched every Prizefighter and I love it,” said Wale. “It’s just great for boxing – you can’t save anything on the night you have to go for it from the first round. All my training has been specific to the format, fighting in bursts with short breaks in between but I’m an action packed fighter anyway. I had a good amateur career which wasn’t that long ago as I’m still so young so I can draw on that too.”
Prizefighter has transformed the careers of a number of young fighters and should Wale win, the Brampton-based fighter has big plans for his day job as a window cleaner.
“The prize money along with the title would just be massive for me, and if I win, the window cleaning could go international!”
Tickets for Prizefighter Super-Bantamweights are available now at £35 (unreserved), £60 (ringside) and £100 (VIP) – call Matchroom Sport on 01277 359900.
THE DRAW
Quarter-finals
Mark Moran v Willie Casey
Esham Pickering v Josh Wale
Robbie Turley v Jamie Arthur
Gavin Reid v Ricky Owen
Semi-finals
Moran/Casey v Pickering/Wale
Turley/Arthur v Reid/Owen
TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION ROBERT “THE GHOST” GUERRERO TO ATTEND 2010 BOXING HALL OF FAME WEEKEND
Posted on | May 25, 2010 | No Comments
Hall of Fame Weekend June 10-13th
ghost long joshCANASTOTA, NY – MAY 25, 2010 – The International Boxing Hall of Fame announced today former IBF featherweight and super featherweight champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero will attend festivities planned for the 21st Annual Hall of Fame Induction Weekend set for June 10-13th.
“Robert Guerrero is a talented young fighter,” said Hall of Fame director Edward Brophy. “We are very excited about welcoming him to Canastota for the first time.”
Fighting out of Gilroy, CA, “The Ghost” turned pro in 2001 and won the NABF featherweight title in 2004. He reigned twice as IBF featherweight champion (2006, 2006-2008) before vacating the title to campaign as a super featherweight. On August 22, 2009 he won the IBF super featherweight crown with 12 round win over Malcolm Klassen. He relinquished the title to care for his wife as she battles leukemia. Guerrero returned to the ring on April 30th in his lightweight debut and scored an 8th round TKO over Robert Arrieta. As a pro he has registered a 26-1-1 (18 KOs) record that includes wins over Eric Aiken, Martin Honorio and Jason Litzau.
The June 10-13th Hall of Fame Induction Weekend will feature over 20 exciting events including a banquet, Madison Square Garden night, parade, golf tournament, cocktail party and the official induction ceremony honoring the Class of 2010. Living inductees to be honored at the Official Induction Ceremony on Sunday, June 13th are light flyweight champion Jung-Koo Chang (South Korea), featherweight champion Danny “Little Red” Lopez (USA), manager Shelly Finkel (USA), referee / commissioner Larry Hazzard (USA), promoter Wilfried Sauerland (Germany), matchmaker Bruce Trampler (USA) and journalist Ed Schuyler (USA). Posthumous inductees will also be honored.
Over 40 boxing stars are scheduled to participate in weekend festivities. In addition to Guerrero, other stars slated to appear include Nino Benvenuti, Carmen Basilio, Tony DeMarco, Ken Norton, Aaron “The Hawk” Pryor, Angelo Dundee, Leon Spinks, Gerry Cooney, Lou Duva, Sergio Martinez and many others.
For more information on the Hall of Fame’s 21st Annual Induction Weekend please call (315) 697-7095 or visit www.ibhof.com.
Tags: Aaron "The Hawk" Pryor > Angelo Dundee > Boxing > Carmen Basilio > Gerry Cooney > Hall of Fame > Ken Norton > Leon Spinks > Lou Duva > Nino Benvenuti > Robert Guerrero > Sergio Martinez > Tony Demarco
Moran eager to make up for lost time at Prizefighter
Posted on | May 24, 2010 | No Comments
Merseyside fighter back in the ring in east London after 13 month absence
Mark Moran returns to the ring at Prizefighter Super Bantamweights on Saturday May 29, 13 months after a vital operation saved his career.
The Liverpudlian faces unbeaten Willie “Big Bang” Casey in the opening fight of Barry Hearn’s latest eight-man, one night tournament and he is targeting title shot should he cap a remarkable run of events in his life.
“This is a big chance for me,” said Moran. “I’ve always fancied Prizefighter and a few good performances here will make up for the 13 months out. That would push me up the ratings towards a British title which is where I want to be again.”
In his last outing in April 2009, Jason Booth inflicted the first defeat of his career with a sixth round stoppage in their British title bout, but Moran faced a greater fight immediately after a needing an emergency operation to save his career.
“I underperformed against Booth but I couldn’t train up to the fight the way that I wanted to,” said the 28 year-old. “I couldn’t do any running because I was suffering with pains in my legs and a sore back, but I didn’t want to pull out so I still boxed. After the fight I went to the doctors because my balance was off and I couldn’t do any training. I went for an MRI scan and they found a tumour on my spinal cord which was causing the mobility problems and hindering my training. That had to be removed a week later it was that urgent and the doctor said that if they didn’t act that I would be paralysed when I’m older regardless of the boxing. The operation wasn’t plain sailing but since the operation my training has got better, my legs have got stronger and my running has picked up too.
“My last performance was way under par but now I’ve had the operation I am desperate to show people what I am capable of.”
Prior to the defeat against Booth, Moran had won 11 of his 12 fights with one draw, and as he prepares to fight outside of the north-west of England for the first time he is in no doubt that he has the right tactics for what promises to be an explosive night in east London.
“This Prizefighter is going to be the best yet – we’re lighter so we’re more active and throw more punches. I think the standard of the boxers is very high but also close so it will be the most competitive.
“I think there’s a way of going about it where you can pick your shots and move rather than getting into a nine-minute fight if you like. I’ve been practicing on being more technical and that’s what my training has been based on, using my head rather than getting into a fight a slugging it out.
“I’ve been to shows at York Hall before and I like the atmosphere so I’m looking forward to getting out there on the night.”
While he is focused on getting past the dangerous Casey in the opening fight, the Liverpool FC supporter did allow himself to dream as to what might happen if he managed to get another shot at the title.
“To win the British title and take it out at Anfield, shake the player’s hands and get cheered by the crowd, that’d be amazing,” said Moran. “I played there for St Patrick’s Junior School years ago before they played Coventry and I got man of the match. It was half full but the crowd was amazing, people say you can feel the atmosphere and the roar and they are right because I can still hear the roar now.”
Tickets for Prizefighter Super-Bantamweights are available now at £35 (unreserved), £60 (ringside) and £100 (VIP) – call Matchroom Sport on 01277 359900.
THE DRAW
Quarter-finals
Mark Moran v Willie Casey
Esham Pickering v Josh Wale
Robbie Turley v Jamie Arthur
Gavin Reid v Ricky Owen
Semi-finals
Moran/Casey v Pickering/Wale
Turley/Arthur v Reid/Owen
AARON PRYOR JR. HEADLINES A SPECIAL SUNDAY MATINEE BOXING CARD AT THE HYATT REGENCY ON JUNE 13TH IN PHILADELPHIA
Posted on | May 24, 2010 | 1 Comment
Aaron Pryor Jr., Ossie Duran, Julio Cesar Matthews, Jason Escalera, Elad Shmouel, Patrick Farrell and Elizabeth Sherman lead an all-star lineup on June 13th in Philadelphia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PHILADELPHIA (May 24, 2010)—On Sunday afternoon, June 13th A big day of boxing is planned for the beautiful Hyatt Regency along the Philadelphia waterfront that will be headlined by the son of the legend, Aaron Pryor Jr.
The card is promoted by Joey Eye Boxing.
Pryor of Cincinnati, Ohio has an impressive mark of 13-2 with ten knockouts will face an opponent to be named later in a scheduled eight round main event.
Pryor has followed in the footsteps of his father and hall of famer, Aaron “The Hawk” Pryor and is looking for a major fight.
Pryor, thirty-one years old, won his first eleven fights, eight by knockout until he dropped an eight round split decision to Joshua Snyder (7-3-1). Pryor holds a third round knockout over former U.S. Olympian, Dante Craig (17-7-1) as well as a unanimous decision over tough veteran Alphonso Williams (10-3).
In his last bout, Pryor scored an eighth round stoppage over Kendall Gould (12-14-1) on April 9th in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
In a co-feature bout, veteran Jr. Middleweight Ossie Duran will see action in an eight round bout against battle tested Jerome Ellis.
Duran of Paterson, NJ by way of Accra, Ghana is a very rugged customer who has fought top opposition to say the least.
In 2004, he scored an impressive stoppage over highly regarded Jamie Moore (20-1) in Moor’s home area in the United Kingdom.
In his next bout, Duran won the British Commonwealth title with a twelve round unanimous decision over than undefeated Colin McNeil (8-0). He lost that belt in his next bout to British favorite Bradley Pryce.
He then went on to win three straight including an eight round unanimous decision over former Contender Season one contestant Jonathan Reid.
Duran then stepped up the competition even further as he took knockout artist James Kirkland (18-0) the distance before dropping a unanimous decision. After a draw with capable Eromesele Albert (21-2), Duran went the distance with world ranked Middleweight David Lopez (37-12) and losing a close majority decision to hot prospect Fernando Guerrero (15-0).
In his last bout, Duran scored a four round unanimous decision over Jamaal Davis (11-5) on February 27th in Atlantic City.
Ellis of Coconut Creek, Florida by way of Nassau, Bahamas has a very deceiving record of 12-11-1 with ten knockouts as he has faced very tough competition.
Ellis won his first five bout before dropping two in a row with the latter being to currant world ranked Welterweight Said Ouali. In Ellis’ next nine bouts he went 7-1-1 with his only defeat to than 17-1 Anthony Thompson.
The last bout in that nine fight run was a upset knockout over than 28-4 Neil Sinclair that was televised on ESPN 2.
To say the sledding got rough for Ellis would be an understatement as he went 0-5-1 in his next six bouts.
That unfortunate run consisted of losses to world title challengers Billy Lyell (13-3) and Miguel Rodriguez (28-2) and undefeated prospects in Henry Crawford (18-0-1).
Ellis was able to salvage a draw against than 24-2 Richard Gutierrez.
The tough matchups have continued for Ellis as he has lost three of his last four against type-flight competition that includes a majority decision loss to hot welterweight prospect Antwone Smith, undefeated prospect Shawn Porter and in his last bout to former star of the Contender Ahmed Kaddour (21-2-1).
Undefeated cruiserweight Julio Cesar Matthews (9-0, 5 KO’s) of Reading, PA will take on Philadelphia banger, Garrett Wilson (7-4, 2 KO’s) in a six round bout.
Popular Jr. Welterweight, Elad Shmouel (22-2, 11 KO’s) of Tel Aviv, Israel will fight in a scheduled six round bout.
Undefeated Light Heavyweight, Jason Escalera (8-0, 7 KO’s) will be involved in a bout scheduled for four rounds.
Undefeated Cruiserweight, Patrick Farrell (5-0, 3 KO’s) will take on opponent to be named later in a four round bout.
In a four round Super Featherweight bout, Ryan Carson (2-0, 1 KO) will take part in a four round fight.
In a four round Heavyweight bout, Andres Gustaffson (4-0, 2 KO’s) of Norrkoping, Sweden will take on an opponent to be named in a four round bout.
Rounding out the card will be the immensely popular Elizabeth Sherman (2-0, 1KO) of Raritan, NJ taking part in a ladies four round bout.
Tickets for this great day of Boxing are priced at $45, $75 and $100 and can be purchased by calling Joey Eye Boxing at 267-304-9399 or Center Stage Tickets at 1 800 – 677-8499
1st bell is at 2pm eastern
The Hyatt Regency is located at 201 South Columbus Blvd
Tags: Aaron Pryor Jr. > Boxing > Elad Shmouel > Elizabeth Sherman > Hyatt Regency > Jason Escalera > Julio Cesar Matthews > Ossie Duran > Patrick Farrell > Philadelphia
FightZone TV Continues Supporter Status With UFC Fan Expo Boston
Posted on | May 24, 2010 | No Comments
For Immediate release Tampa, FL
With less than a week to the highly anticipated return of UFC Fan Expo taking place in conjunction with UFC 114 Rampage vs. Rashad this Memorial Day weekend in Las Vegas, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, in partnership with Reed Exhibitions, has announces its third UFC Fan Expo set to take place at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts on Friday, August 27 and Saturday, August 28, 2010 and FightZone TV has already committed to continue their participation as a UFC Fan Expo Supporter.
FightZone TV has been running over 100 national TV commercials for the Vegas event.
“I think everyone knows how much it means to me to bring the UFC to Boston and to give fans this two-day event packed with amazing UFC experiences,” said UFC President Dana White.
This past December, Massachusetts became the 42nd state to sanction the sport of mixed martial arts. With this long awaited legislation, White has promised to bring an incredible UFC event to Boston along with The Ultimate Fan Experience – a chance for all fans on the east coast and beyond to attend the first-ever UFC Fan Expo in Boston and celebrate their passion for MMA.
As the world’s premier MMA event, the UFC Fan Expo provides millions of fans the opportunity to experience, celebrate, learn and rub shoulders with some of the most exciting athletes in sports today. Fans will take advantage of all the UFC has to offer through a jam-packed weekend of events including exhibitions, training & development sessions with elite fighters and iconic MMA coaches, fan-inspired special events and competitions, meet & greets with top fighters and demos of various fighting techniques.
Exhibitors at the event will now reach a new demographic of fans living on the East Coast. The third UFC Fan Expo is expected to attract over 150 leading vendors covering roughly 200,000 gross square feet of space. The packed exhibit floor will feature apparel, electronic gaming, food & beverages, fight gear, fitness equipment and supplies, nutritional supplements, lifestyle products and much more.
Building off the successes of the first two Las Vegas UFC Fan Expos and paired with a highly anticipated fight card scheduled to take place this August, the UFC Fan Expo Boston 2010 will bring an exciting and unique opportunity to the region.
For more information on UFC Fan Expo and to purchase tickets, visit www.ufcfanexpo.com. To subscribe to the official UFC Fan Expo newsletter visit www.ufcfanexpo.com/newsletter. For companies interested in reserving space at this premier event, contact Ed Gallo, Event Director at 1-203-840-5546 or email egallo@ufcfanexpo.com. Don’t wait, space is limited and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
About The Ultimate Fighting Championship
UFC is the largest live pay-per-view provider in the world and the fastest growing main stream sports organization in history. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC produces over twelve live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed residentially through North American cable and satellite providers including iNDEMAND Networks, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN Entertainment, BellTV, SaskTel Max, Shaw Pay-Per-View, and Viewers Choice. International distributors include WOWOW in Japan, Premiere Combate and SporTV in Brazil, with worldwide distribution via the Internet on UFC.com and Yahoo! Sports. UFC content is distributed commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada. UFC programming is distributed in 132 countries, territories and jurisdictions, reaching 415 million homes worldwide.
About Reed Exhibitions
The UFC Fan Expo is operated by Reed Exhibitions, the world’s leading events organizer, with over 470 events in 37 countries. In 2008, Reed brought together over seven million industry professionals from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today, Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, and organized by 38 fully staffed offices.
Reed organizes a wide range of events, including exhibitions, conferences, congresses and meetings. Its portfolio of over 470 events serves 44 industry sectors, including: Aerospace & aviation, automobiles, broadcasting, building & construction, electronics, energy, oil & gas, engineering, manufacturing, environment, food service & hospitality, gifts, healthcare, interior design, IT & telecoms, jewelry, life science & pharmaceuticals, machinery, medical education, printing & graphics, property & real estate, security & safety, sports & recreation, and travel. Working closely with professional bodies, trade associations and government departments Reed ensures that each and every event is targeted and relevant to industry needs. As a result, many Reed events are market leaders in their field.
About FightZone TV
FightZone.TV produces and airs over 10 hrs of MMA content monthly with FightZone Presents MMA, Jay Adams’ Brawl Call and MMA 30 with host Dave Farra from Las Vegas. These programs air to 25 million+ homes and over 225 cities on Fox Sports Affiliates, SunSports, Sport South and nationally on the FSN Sports Package carried by DIRECTV and The Dish Network (2,000,000+ subscribers) and ATT U-verse.
Tags: Boston > fan expo > Fightzone TV > Mixed Martial Arts > MMA > UFC
MOOSIN MMA SHOW DRAWS THOUSANDS TO DCU CENTER IN WORCESTER, MA
Posted on | May 23, 2010 | 2 Comments
By: Rich Bergeron
Rich (L) and Bas Rutten Backstage After the Fights
It felt more like Warsaw than Worcester at the DCU Center Friday night as red and white jerseys, flags, and screaming Polish fans flooded the arena for Mariusz Pudzianowski’s appearance in the main event and to see another Polish fighter named Lukasz “Juras” Jurkowski (15-9-0), who is a native of Chorzow, Poland. The sea of supportive Poles in the stands made the event seem as if MMA in Massachusetts had suddenly become just as popular as soccer in Europe. Whether it was just genius promoting or a complete coincidence, it actually turns out that Worcester County is highly populated by people of Polish descent, and even Orlando Magic Center Marcin Gortat made an appearance to watch his countrymen fight.
The main event made Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia feel like he was the one in the foreign country, and he commented in the post-fight presser about how odd it was to be booed in the Northeast and so close to home. While to some he made it look easy by dismantling his opponent and denying the World’s Strongest Man a pseudo-hometown victory, Sylvia seemed like he still had a tough time getting it all done. He wore an ice pack on one of his knees after the fight and looked completely spent. Pudzianowski was a little worse for the wear, though. He had to limp to the post-fight press conference with small baby steps, his calves still red and bulging.
Coming in at a whopping 305 pounds, Sylvia was not in the best shape of his life, but the experience factor won the day for him. He shook off the worst Pudzianowski could manage to inflict on him early in the fight, spent only a few seconds in actual danger, and responded by reminding the musclebound MMA upstart that fighting is a game of reach and tactics. Pinpoint knees landed flush to Pudzianowski’s ribs and face in both rounds, and the ground and pound that finally ended the fight forced the strongman competitor to tap Sylvia’s face to avoid any further damage. Sylvia also used long range, accurately placed and timed punches to frustrate the Pole between denying him countless takedown attempts.
Pudzianowski’s loss is being talked about as proof that he does not belong in MMA, but this is yet to be determined. Certainly, not unlike Kimbo Slice, Pudzianowski is coming off like a pure gimmick, getting into the game a bit late, but there is nothing written in stone to say a guy with his work ethic and physique cannot compete in a sport like MMA. Wholly unlike Kimbo, as far as we know Pudzianowski has no huge, lingering knee injury to worry about. Both have some impressive muscles and seem to work hard to keep them that way, but lactic acid builds up faster in those type of muscles than leaner and longer muscles built by constant repetitions and lighter weights… if any. Many boxing trainers like Angelo Dundee didn’t believe in weight training, since it tends to shorten reach. Simple push ups and sit ups will do. Although, I bet Mariusz would be great at the old tire-flipping drill, which also couldn’t hurt his training regimen.
Kimbo might actually be a great next fight for Pudzianowski. I think I’d rather see them arm-wrestle, but it could really be an interesting MMA match, too. Both proved in their last fights that cardio is a huge issue and after a certain point of exertion their muscles literally begin working against them and shutting down. Both faced guys that didn’t look like they were in stellar shape and got schooled anyway by the experience factor. Both have limited experience and high expectations, and it’s unfair to sell them short and count them out until they get a dozen or so fights at the professional level under their belts. In essence, they need some time to grow to see if they can change into better fighters over time. Either way, if either one of these guys can still put rear ends in the seats, they should be allowed to keep taking their lumps in peace and keep trying to get better for a few years before everyone calls for them to quit the fight game.
Speaking of Kimbo, his former trainer was in the house to do the play by play announcing, and he was very gracious with the fans after the fight who lined up for pictures. Bas Rutten was happy to pose for snapshot after snapshot with the faithful. People kept yelling “You’re a legend” at him as he mugged for the cameras all the way to the backstage area where we caught him. Other legends in the house included Vinny Paz, Micky Ward, and Eric “Butterbean” Esch (The Promoter). You might even call Travis “Diesel” Wiuff (61-14-0) a legend since he notched his 61st MMA win Friday with a first round KO of Josh Barnes (7-4-0) at heavyweight with his devastating punching power in both hands.
Fight of the night was a toss-up between Yves Edwards (37-16-1) vs. Mike Campbell (9-2-0) and Roxanne Modafferi (15-5-0) vs. Tara LaRosa (18-2). Both fights went to close decisions after three hard-fought rounds and could have gone either way on the scorecards. LaRosa’s heavy handed bombs and Edwards’ huge body slams were not enough in the end as their opponents impressed the judges with their tactics and overall cage generalship.
UFC Veteran Travis “The Serial Killer” Lutter (10-6-0) looked very unimpressive against Rafael “Sapo” Natal, a Brazilian native. Natal’s technical stand up and stalking attack led to a left-right combo that dropped Lutter and left him subject to a quick ground and pound finish in the opening round.
Poland’s own Lukasz “Juras” Jurkowski got a rousing reception from the crowd for his fight against Ho Jin Kim (7-7-0), and he rewarded the fans with a stellar performance, completely outclassing Kim after standing up from an early takedown. A few well placed knees and elbows followed by a ground and pound finale ended the match.
Forrest “The Meat Cleaver” Petz (18-7-0) faced hometown hero Ralph Johnson (4-1) at 170 pounds in a long slugfest that left Johnson looking like he might secure the win at home in Worcester. Instead, Petz’s relentless attack and looping right and left hooks won the day. He did remind me a bit of Rocky Marciano in there the way his boxing style was working for him. As the shorter, stockier man fighting a tall, lanky Johnson, Petz looked like he had a lot of trouble landing his best shots. Still, those shots that did land kept Johnson fighting from as far away as possible.
In the preliminary fights:
Paul Barry (4-0-0), Rockland, MA WTKO2 (Punches – 1:32) Stipe Miocic (1-1-0), Cleveland, OH
Matt Lee (12-9-1), Worcester, MA WTKO2 (Punches – 1:46) Brett Oteri (5-1-0), Bridgewater, MA
Anthony Lapsley (18-4-0), Fort Wayne, IN WSUB1 (Knee Lock – 0:59) Fred Belleton (6-3-0), Rockland, MA
Here’s a short highlight reel of the cage side action:
Overall, this was a really great show, and my only question for the promoter at the final presser was “When are you going to do this again in the local area?” Butterbean told me he and the other promoters were thinking they could live in Massachusetts and definitely want to do something in the state again as soon as possible. Unfortunately the match between himself and Lyndon Byers was scratched due to Byers not being approved to fight by the state commission. Butterbean had bigger fish to fry as he was busy building bridges for the Moosin circuit from Korea to the United States, and the massive crowd and PPV audience the event drew is clear proof that the sport of Mixed Martial Arts has truly become a global phenomenon. Congrats to everyone involved for putting on such a spectacular show. Special thanks to Prime Athletics and Sean Rockwell for getting me to and from the show. Here’s a shot of Sean with Trainer Mark Dellagrotte of the storied Sityodtong gym in Boston:
Tags: Anthony Lapsley > appearance > Brett Oteri > Butterbean > chorzow poland > dcu center in worcester ma > experience factor > face > fight > Forrest Petz > Fred Belleton > Ho Jin Kim > house > Josh Barnes > jurkowski > Lukasz Jurkowski > Marcin Gortat > Mariusz > Mariusz Pudzianowski > Matt Lee > Micky Ward > Mike Campbell > Mixed Martial Arts > MMA > orlando magic > Paul Barry > polish descent > polish fans > Prime Athletics > Rafael Natal > Ralph Johnson > Rich Bergeron > Roxy Modafferi > Rutten > Sean Rockwell > soccer in europe > Stipe Miocic > Tara LaRosa > Tim Sylvia > time > training > Travis Lutter > Travis Wiuff > Vinny Paz > way > Yves Edwards
Marianne “Golden Girl” Marston On Steve Bunce’s Boxing Show Thursday 27th May
Posted on | May 23, 2010 | No Comments
Marianne ‘Golden Girl’ Marston, the British born protégé of legendary Heavyweight Champion of the World Smokin’ Joe Frazier, is to be a guest on Steve Bunce’s BBC London Radio show (94.9 & DAB) this coming Thursday evening.
The appearance on The BBC London Boxing Show presented by Steve Bunce culminates an exciting couple of months for Marianne. Following a change of British training base to The Ultrachem TKO Gym in Canning Town, she has been signed to a management contract by gym owner, and two time world champion coach, Johnny Eames; has a new full time trainer in the highly experienced Derek Grainger; she has launched a new series of boxing classes for Women and promoter Steve Goodwin has signed her to professionally debut at his September 11th show at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, London.
A clearly pleased Marianne said of her upcoming appearance on the Steve Bunce Show “I’m really looking forward to Thursday. It’s a true honour to be asked to be on his show as Steve is one of boxing’s most influential broadcasters.
I doubt Steve will remember this, but we met at Joe Frazier’s Gym in Philadelphia. It was about a week after I started training full time there, Steve and his TV crew were in Philly, for a press conference for the Calzaghe-Hopkins fight, and they popped in to the gym unannounced to see if he could get an interview with Joe.
Says it all really, I mean, there are not many people who can just turn up and get an interview with Joe, but he did!
Afterwards we were introduced and Steve kindly said that he wished me luck and looked forward to having me on his show one day, and now I am.”
Marianne spent eighteen months training in Philadelphia, PA, USA, firstly with Joe and Marvis Frazier, until their gym closed in March ‘08, and then with Cruiserweight King Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham at the James Shuler Memorial Gym. She was then signed by Ivan Cohen’s Bionic Bull Promotions to debut on the undercard of Brian Cohen’s WBC Americas title fight in Philadelphia in May ‘09.
However things didn’t go quite according to plan. Marianne returned home to London in March ‘09 to secure the appropriate Professional Athletes visa, only for it to be refused by the US Embassy due to her having insufficient ties to the UK and the fact that she had yet to fight professionally.
Not being one to give up on her dreams Marianne successfully applied for a British Professional license and following signing with Ultrachem TKO’s Johnny Eames and Derek Grainger is due to debut against Lana Cooper at the Steve Goodwin promoted event at York Hall, Bethnal Green on the 11th September 2010.
The BBC London Boxing Hour presented by Steve Bunce, and featuring Marianne “Golden Girl” Marston, is on BBC London 94.9 & DAB on Thursday 27th May at 8pm.
www.mariannemarston.com
Tags: Boxing > Derek Grainger > Derek Granger > Joe Frazier > Johnny Eames > Marianne Marston > Steve Bunce > women's boxing
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