Couture, Ortiz, Penn Among Six in Second Round 5 UFC Series
Posted on | January 26, 2010 | No Comments
Kimbo, Griffin, Bisping also Featured in Series Due Out in Second Quarter ’10
MARKHAM, Ontario, Canada, January 26, 2010 – With its first series of collectible UFC-branded figurines due to hit shelves throughout North America by next month, Round 5 today unveiled the members of its UFC Series 2, as announced by Barron Lau, Round 5 CEO and co-founder and Damon Lau, president and co-founder. Figurines for UFC stars Randy “The Natural” Couture, Tito “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Ortiz, B.J. “The Prodigy” Penn, Forrest Griffin, Michael “The Count” Bisping and Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson are scheduled to be available at retail in the second quarter of 2010.
As with UFC Series 1, the six Series 2 collectibles will be presented in a UFC-themed packaging that includes action photos of each respective fighter’s memorable moments as well as a short biography.
Round 5 collectible figures may be purchased at leading North American retailers; a list can be found at www.Round5MMA.com.
“We wanted to follow up our initial UFC Series with another set of names that spread across the spectrum of the sport,” said Damon Lau. “We’re excited to include some of the most popular fighters ever in guys like Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz and B.J. Penn, as well as Kimbo, who has attracted a whole new set of fans to the sport.”
“We have taken great care in selecting this important UFC Series 2,” said Barron Lau. “In addition to the standard figurines, we are planning some Limited Editions and other versions of these athletes that we think collectors will really enjoy.”
Couture is one of the sport’s most enduring and popular figures, having begun his career more than a decade ago. His imprint on the UFC is indelible, not just through his multiple Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Championships but the many fighters who he has influenced and the legions of fans who continue to follow him. He is scheduled to face another MMA pioneer, Mark Coleman, on Feb. 6 at UFC 109.
Penn has won titles at both lightweight and welterweight and has headlined some of the most-anticipated cards ever. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion is the current UFC lightweight beltholder, and has victories over some of the biggest names in the sport’s history. Hugely popular, Penn was a quick study in Jiu Jitsu, earning his black belt in just three years, and rose through the UFC ranks quickly, earning a title shot in his fourth pro fight and winning the belt in his ninth.
Known for his exciting, explosive fighting style and high-profile lifestyle, Ortiz held the UFC light heavyweight championship for more than three years, successfully defending it five times. He continues to compete, and it was recently confirmed that he will be a coach in The Ultimate Fighter 11 and will fight Chuck Liddell at the end of the season.
The MMA world was first introduced to the personality and punching power of Griffin in the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, beginning a road that led to a light heavyweight championship at UFC 86 and appearances at the top of cards. He has forged a 17-6 MMA record, and his patented “sprawl and brawl” style has led to numerous UFC “Fight of the Night” honors.
Once the “hope of British MMA,” Bisping dominated the competition on the way to The Ultimate Fighter 3 light heavyweight championship, then showed he’ll be a force in the UFC middleweight division for years to come. Sometimes controversial, often polarizing but always exciting, the brawler has an 18-2 record, solidifying his stature as a notable fighter in the States as well.
Slice burst on the fight scene in 2007, bringing the reputation he gained from millions of Internet viewings of his backyard brawls into the cage. He hit the big stage with nationally televised, prime-time broadcasts, then earned a UFC bout by competing in the latest edition of The Ultimate Fighter, winning his debut in the promotion last month.
UFC Series 1, which includes figures of Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, George “Rush” St. Pierre, “Suga” Rashad Evans, Kenny “KenFlo” Florian, Clay “The Carpenter” Guida and Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida, will be available in stores across North America by February.
About Round 5
Round 5 (www.Round5MMA.com), headquartered in Markham, Ontario, Canada, is the MMA industry’s fastest growing worldwide collectible figure company. Committed to developing intricately detailed figures, Round 5 strives to remain true to the sport of MMA and its personalities.
Tags: figurines > Mixed Martial Arts > MMA > Ontario > Round 5 > UFC
TAPOUT, FULL TILT POKER and BLEACHERBROTHERS.com present Ring of Fire 37: WARLORDS.
Posted on | January 26, 2010 | No Comments
Get ready Omaha!
The Midwest’s Ultimate Mixed Martial Arts event is coming to the Omaha Civic Auditorium, Friday March 5th!
The March 5th Ring of Fire: WARLORDS event features 14 premium bouts and will be headlined by Omaha’s most exciting lightweight Alonzo ‘Zo Diddy” Martinez as he faces off against the Des Moines destroyer Demi Deeds!
Deeds is a powerhouse striker on a three win streak, coming off his most recent championship victory over UFC veteran Jason Gilliam. With dynamite hands and a win over Martinez at his amateur debut, Deeds looks to solidify his presence in the MMA world.
Martinez is the top lightweight fighter in the Metro area, coming off an explosive submission victory over Ultimate Fighter veteran Paul Bird, and holding an undefeated record in his home city, “Zo Diddy” looks to vindicate his amateur loss and settle the score once and for all!
Ring of Fire 37 also features MMA’s ultimate bad boy Junie Browning, who made his fame on the
hugely successful Ultimate Fighter reality television series. Browning will be fighting in the Midwest
for the first time ever against undefeated rising star Donavon Winters.
UFC and TUF veteran Justin Wren will also appear on the card. Wren recently signed a multiple fight
deal with the promotion, and the TUF Season 10 Heavy weight is anxious to make a statement in Omaha.
The remainder of the card features one of the best lineups in Omaha history. It is stacked with
UFC, Strikeforce, and M-1 Veterans and highlighted by professional stand outs Chad Reiner,
Luke Caudillo, and Alvin ‘KID’ Robinson.
The metro will go to war, LIVE at Ring of Fire 37: WARLORDS, March 5th at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
Tickets will go on sale to the public Friday, January 29th at 10:00 am and can be purchased at the Arena Box Office or online at www.ticketmaster.com. You can also charge by phone at 1-800- 745-3000.
Tickets are priced at $25.00, $35.00, and $45.00*. Also if you want to see the fights in style, 8 seat VIP Cageside tables are available for purchase.
(*a $2.00 state tax will be added to each ticket purchased)
Tags: Mixed Martial Arts > MMA > Nebraska > Omaha > Ring of Fire
EA SPORTS TO OFFER FREE, LIVE ONLINE STREAM OF RIGGS VS. HIERON FROM STRIKEFORCE: MIAMI THIS SATURDAY
Posted on | January 26, 2010 | No Comments
NEW YORK (January 26, 2009)– For the first time in history, Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) will offer live mixed martial arts (MMA) fight action online with a free of charge stream of the highly anticipated STRIKEFORCE welterweight (170 pounds) matchup between wrestling powerhouses Joe “Diesel” Riggs (32-10) and Jay “The Thoroughbred” Hieron (18-4) from BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida this Saturday, January 30.
The live stream of the STRIKEFORCE: Miami preliminary bout will begin at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on the official EA SPORTS™ MMA website (www.easportsmma.com), the online platform for EA SPORTS forthcoming MMA video game title in which STRIKEFORCE will be featured as a premiere league. The stream will precede the live SHOWTIME® telecast of the event’s main fight card, which begins at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).
Riggs, a 27 year old native of Phoenix, Arizona, will attempt to extend a four fight win streak that began with his second round (2:05) TKO of Luke Stewart in a STRIKEFORCE: Destruction bout at HP Pavilion in San Jose, California on November 21, 2008.
In his last effort under the STRIKEFORCE banner, Riggs dominated hard-hitting “The New York Badass” Phil Baroni for three consecutive rounds of action before walking away with a unanimous judges’ decision victory at St. Louis’ Scottrade Center on June 6, 2009.
Hieron, a former nationally ranked NCAA wrestler for Hofstra University, has been victorious in each of his last six starts. The Long Island, New York native made his STRIKEFORCE debut in his last effort, earning a unanimous decision win over Jesse “J.T. Money” Taylor at HP Pavilion on August 15, 2009.
A former troubled teen, Hieron has since become an inspiration, winning a world title with the now defunct International Fight League (IFL) and relocating to Las Vegas in order to train with the fight squad headed by MMA legend Randy “The Natural” Couture.
Slated for release later this year, EA SPORTS MMA will feature the most authentic, intense and broad mixed martial arts experience to date – complete with a vast array of top fighters and fighting styles from around the world. EA SPORTS MMA will be available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system in 2010.
The game will feature a host of STRIKEFORCE fighters, the six-sided STRIKEFORCE cage, the commentary team of Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo, and ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. Legendary mixed martial arts referee “Big John” McCarthy will preside over the in-ring action and bring his in-depth knowledge of the sport to help deliver a truly authentic MMA experience. [confirm we have signed agreements and marketing rights to mention these people]
EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football and NCAA Basketball, Fight Night boxing and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, while EA SPORTS Active Personal Trainer for the Wii is the most critically acclaimed product available for interactive fitness.
For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums, fantasy leagues and game communities, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.
Tickets for STRIKEFORCE: Miami are on sale at the BankAtlantic Center ticket office and Ticketmaster (800) 745-3000 as well as online at www.Ticketmaster.com and www.Strikeforce.com.
In the live, SHOWTIME televised main event, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Nick Diaz (20-7) of Stockton, California will square off with fellow MMA superstar and DREAM champion Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromskis (13-3) of Siaulial, Lithuania for the STRIKEFORCE World Welterweight Championship.
STRIKEFORCE Women’s World Lightweight (145 pounds) Champion Cris Cyborg (8-1) of Curitiba, Brazil will put her title on the line against top ranked Marloes Coenen (17-3) of Deventer, Holland.
Football legend Herschel Walker (0-0) will make his highly-anticipated MMA debut against 26-year-old Greg Nagy (1-1) of Phoenix, Arizona.
Knockout artists “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (16-5) and Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef (24-6-1) will face off with each other in a middleweight (185 pounds) contest.
Undefeated heavyweight and former WWE champion Bobby Lashley (4-0) will make his STRIKEFORCE debut against Wes Sims (22-12-1).
Doors at BankAtlantic Center will open for the event at 6:30 p.m. The first non-televised, preliminary bout will begin at 7:30 p.m.
STRIKEFORCE in March 2009 signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA events on the
premium cable television network. The promotion made its live, primetime debut on CBS with the “Fedor vs. Rogers” mega-fight that it co-promoted with M-1 Global on Saturday, November 7
and generated 5.46 million viewers for the main event between the world’s number one heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, and superstar Brett “The Grim” Rogers.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes
interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA Mobile™
and POGOTM. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.
EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. John Madden, NFL, NBA, FIFA, NHL, NCAA, NASCAR, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. Xbox and the Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. PlayStation is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
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.
Tags: Jay Hieron > Joe Riggs > MMA > New York > Strikeforce
JUDGE FOR YOURSELF: CONTROVERSIAL LUNDY VS. ABRIL FIGHT NOW AT GOFIGHTLIVE.TV
Posted on | January 25, 2010 | No Comments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK (JANUARY 25, 2010)– Hot lightweight prospect “Hammerin” Hank Lundy brought a touch of his Philadelphia fighting to Boston last night, defeating former Cuban amateur standout Richard “El Tigre” Abril by a 10-round split decision, in the “Boston Pop” main event at The Roxy.
Lundy (17-0-1, 10 KOs) remained unbeaten, even though he suffered a knockdown in the midway through the fight, that appeared to be more of a slip causing his glove to briefly hit the canvas. The judges scored 98-91 and 96-94 in favor of Lundy, 95-94 for Abril (12-2-1, 6 KOs).
FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD CAN WATCH THIS GREAT FIGHT FOR $4.99 BY CLICKING:
http://www.gofightlive.tv/showEvent.do?event=592
“He didn’t frustrate me but he kept moving around,” Lundy said after the fight. “Once he felt my power he ran. I clearly beat him. He didn’t do nothing but hold. That was a slip, not a knockdown. He can’t punch.”
Fans can always witness the co-feature, as power-punching Eddie “Thunder” Caminero lived up to his nickname, stopping Chris Traietti in the second round, after flooring him in the first and later hurting him with a right hand before referee Bob Benoit halted the action.
For More information on www.gofightlive.tv
Ringside MMA: Triple Threat
Posted on | January 25, 2010 | No Comments
Montreal, January 22nd 2010 – Ringside MMA has made some major changes to the fightcard on the upcoming event ‘’Triple Threat’’ which is sceduled to take place on January 30th at the Claude Robillard Sports Complex in Montreal.
Guillaume DeLorenzi was forced to pull out due to an injury sustained in training camp. His fight with Joe Cronin will therefore be canceled. The Lee Villeneuve vs. Robert Cuman fight will also be canceled due to injuries sustained in training. Due to administrative reasons, Mike Ricci will not be able to face his opponent Kurt Southern. He will be replaced by Martin ‘’The Hammer’’ Grandmont (9-4-0). Grandmont, who fights out of Drummondville, Quebec is on a 4-fight winning streak and holds a championship title in another professional organization. He accepted this bout last minute without hesitation. This 160 lb match will be one to remember!
In the 145 lb division, Guillaume ‘’The Showman’’ Lamarche (5-2-0) FROM Team Bergeron will face Randy Steinke (5-3-0). Lamarche, who is known for his kickboxing skills, is a very versatile fighter winning 4 out of his 5 fights by submission. This fight could put Lamarche in title contention!
Well known fighter Yan ‘’Wild Thing’’ Pellerin (9-12-0) will also be on the upcoming card. Coming off a loss to Ringside champion Steve Bossé, he is determined to come back strong and make his presence known. He has been in the cage with some of the best such as Krysztof Soszynski, Marvin Eastmen, Icho Larenas, Bill Mahood, Patrick Côté, Jason MacDonald, Jonathan Goulet and former UFC Champion, Rich Franklin. Pellerin will make a great addition to the January 30th card and his opponent will be announced shortly.
RINGSIDE: TRIPLE THREAT – Revised Fight Card
Date: January 30th 2010
Location: CENTRE CLAUDE-ROBILLARD, MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC
Tyler Jackson (Revolution MMA, Vancouver) vs Derek Gauthier (Zahabi MMA, Montréal)
Guillaume Lamarche (Team Bergeron, Drummondville) vs Randy Steinke (Southwest MMA, Arizona)
Kurt Southern (Alliance, Saskatoon) vs Martin Grandmont (Zahabi MMA/Team Bergeron, Montréal)
Chris “The Tank” Boisvert (Team Bergeron, Drummondville) vs Kevin Morin (Team Légion, Victoriaville)
Rory McDonell (Team Joslin, Hamilton) vs Yves Lemelin (Team Bergeron, Drummondville)
Yan Pellerin (Force-Xtreme, Sherbrooke) vs TBA
Stéphane Pelletier (Juvaldo MMA, Val d’Or) vs François Haché-Lacombe (BTT Canada, Montréal)
Matt Northcott (Bruckmann’s MMA, Oshawa) vs Alex Garcia (Zahabi MMA, Montréal)
Jeff Doyle (Sudbury) vs Misha Cirkunov (Xtreme Couture, Toronto)
9 fights in all with some of the top MMA fighters in the country make Ringside Triple Threat an event not to be missed! Tickets can be purchased on www.admission.com or by phone at (514) 790-1245.
RingSide is proud to work with sponsors such as Bud Light (http://www.budlight.ca), Rage Liquid Energy (http://www.rageliquidenergy.com), KÄRV Clothing (http://www.karv.tv), MMA Fight Shop (http://www.mmafightshop.ca), Production Équinoxe (http://www.production-equinoxe.com) and Litho Milles Iles (http://www.lithomille-iles.com). For more information visit the following website http://www.magazineringside.com or contact Éric Champoux by e-mail at eric@production-equinoxe.com .
Tags: Bill Mahood > former UFC Champion > Guillaume Lamarche > Icho Larenas > Jason MacDonald > Jonathan Goulet > Krysztof Soszynski > Kurt Southern > Martin Grandmont > Marvin Eastmen > Montreal > Patrick Cote > Randy Steinke > Rich Franklin > Ringside MMA > Steve Bosse > Team Bergeron > Yan Pellerin
Unbeaten Uzbekistan prospects on Jan. 29 Campillo-Shumenov II card in Las Vegas
Posted on | January 25, 2010 | No Comments
UNBEATEN UZBEKISTAN PROSPECTS MAKE UNITED STATES PROFESSIONAL DEBUTS JANUARY 29 ON UNDERCARD OF CAMPILLO VS. SHUMENOV REMATCH FOR LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD TITLES ON FOX SPORTS NET FROM HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO IN LAS VEGAS
LOS ANGELES, January 25 – A pair of unbeaten prospects from Uzbekistan, light heavyweight Gayrat Ahmedov and junior middleweight Ravshan Hudaynazarov, are set to make their United States debuts in separate bouts on January 29 on the Gabriel Campillo vs. Beibut Shumenov II card at The Joint at Hark Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ahmedov (12-0-1, 8 KOs), a four-time Uzbekistan National Amateur Champion, and Hudaynazarov (9-0, 6 KOs) a 2007 World Military Games Gold Medalist, have been training in North Carolina with veteran trainer Don Turner in preparation for their January 29 bouts. Both fighters are promoted by Las Vegas-based KZ Event Productions, owned and operated by the Shumenov brothers, January 29 main event challenger Beibut and Chingis.
In his last fight, Ahmedov knocked out Douglas Otieno (19-2, 9 KO’s) in the opening round on the Campillo-Shumenov I card, capturing the PABA light heavyweight belts that Shumenov relinquished prior to challenging Campillo in their WBA Light Heavyweight Championship match last August in Kazakhstan.
“I’m excited for this fight because one of my goals has always been to fight in Las Vegas,” the personable Ahmedov explained. “I have trained in Las Vegas, but this will be my first time fighting there. The Shumenov brothers are the reason I am fighting in the United States and I’m thankful to them. Beibut is a fighter himself, so he knows what it takes to be a champion and understands what a fighter goes through so he treats us like people.”
Ahmedov continued, “If everything goes as planned and I win this fight, Beibut has talked about getting me a shot at a world title in 2010. Because Beibut and I are like brothers, so even though we are in the same weight class, we will never fight each other. We want to both be world champions together, just for different organizations.”
Ravshan also fought on the Campillo-Shumenov I event, stopping veteran Joseph Miyumo (30-7-5, 17 KO’s) in the sixth round to keep his perfect pro record intact. “I’m very happy to be fighting January 29 in Las Vegas,” Ravshan said. “It’s been one of my dreams to fight there. I want to thank my promoter, KZ Event Productions, for giving me the opportunity to fight in the United States. I want to wish Beibut luck in his bout and that I hope that he wins the world title. This is a very important fight for him and all of us with KZ Event Productions and I’m very happy to be promoted by KZ and grateful for what they’ve given me. I will not let them or the fans down on January 29 as I’m going to give everybody a good fight to watch, so don’t miss it.”
Ahmedov and Hudaynazarov are scheduled to be in 6-round bouts versus opponents to be determined.
“Campillo vs. Shumenov II” features the 12-round WBA Light Heavyweight Championship rematch between the defending champion, Spain’s Gabriel Campillo (19-2, 6 KOs), and IBA World title-holder, Beibut Shumenov (8-1, 6 KOs). The evening of boxing will be presented by KZ Event Productions and Golden Boy Promotions with Campillo vs. Shumenov presented in association with Sampson Boxing LLC. The bout will be televised live on Fox Sports Net (FSN) and its regional sports network affiliates beginning at 11 pm ET / 8 pm PT (check local listings). Doors will open at 6 pm and the first bell rings at 7 pm.
In the event’s opening televised fight, former Cuban amateur star Erislandy Lara (9-0, 5 KO’s) takes on veteran junior middleweight Grady Brewer (26-11, 15 KO’s), winner of hit reality television show The Contender II, in a 10-round bout.
Tickets for this action-packed night of boxing are priced at $150, $125, $100, $50 and $40 (general admission standing room tickets). Tickets may be purchased at the Hard Rock Hotel Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000.
For more information, visit www.kzeventproductions.com or www.goldenboypromotions.com or follow Golden Boy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing.
Tags: Beibut Shumenov > Boxing > Gabriel Campillo > Gayrat Ahmedov > Hard Rock Hotel & Casino > junior middleweight > Las Vegas > Light heavyweight > Nevada > Ravshan Hudaynazarov > Uzbekistan
Jason “Big Six” Estrada Feels disrespected by Team Adamek
Posted on | January 25, 2010 | No Comments
Feb. 6 in Newark
PROVIDENCE (Jan. 25, 2010) – As he prepares for his February 6 showdown in Newark against former world light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek, 2004 U.S. Olympian Jason “Big Six” Estrada’s nose is out of place and it doesn’t have anything to do with sparring sessions gone wrong.
Estrada (15-2, 3 KOs) feels disrespected by Team Adamek but not, surprisingly, for Adamek looking past him to a reported April 24 fight against Chris Arreola, rather their apparent belief that Adamek (39-1, 27 KOs) has faster hands than Estrada, whose lightning-like hand speed for a 240-pound heavyweight has been his calling card.
“Looking past me towards Arreola doesn’t really bother me,” Estrada said. “I think it’s silly and they’ll hear about it after the fight. I never talk too much but I’m going to talk like never before after this fight. I hope they keep thinking about fighting somebody else. I’m keeping track of everything and got names of people to talk about after I beat Adamek. I’m going to shutdown his plans.
“I’m in the gym with sparring partners that are similar to him – tough, stand-up with decent hand speed. They made a big mistake offering me this fight and an even bigger mistake thinking he has faster hands than me. I’ve heard that they’ve brought in guys to work with who are big but don’t have fast hands. That makes me laugh. How, all of a sudden is he going to have faster hands than me? I am bigger, stronger, faster, quicker and younger than him. I’m just a better all-around fighter.”
Estrada also notes that he’s never been down and Adamek was floored twice as a light heavyweight. “I know he likes to pressure his opponents but how is he going to do that against a bigger guy like me,” Estrada rhetorically asked. “I’m a heavyweight, not a light heavyweight. I’ve never taken big hits like he has. They say he has a great chin, but so do I, and we know he has been hurt at least twice….by light heavyweights! They weren’t flash knockdowns, either. I’ve never been hurt in my whole career. I don’t see him changing his come forward, tough guy style at this stage. He was a good light heavyweight, good cruiserweight, but I’m a real heavyweight.”
Providence-native Estrada was one of the most highly decorated American amateur boxers ever, compiling an amazing 261-14 record in U.S. competition. He was the first boxer to win both the U.S. Nationals and U.S. Challenge three years (2001-2003) in a row.
During his 5-year pro career, the 29-year-old Estrada has beaten solid heavyweights such as Lance Whitaker, Zuri Lawrence, Derek Bryant, Charles Sufford and Robert Hawkins. Adamek’s lone win as a heavyweight, Estrada noted, was against an over-the-hill Andrew Golota.
“Jason has had his best training camp,” his promoter Jimmy Burchfield (Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc.) remarked. “He’s never been in better shape, mentally or physically. He’s going to surprise a lot of people February 6th. Not me, though; I’ve always believed in him and I know what he’s capable of doing.”
By fight night, Estrada will have trained a full eight weeks for “Heavy Artillery,” much longer than ever before, and “Big Six” doesn’t mind fighting in Adamek’s backyard. “Training camp has been smooth,” Jason explained. “I’ve never had this much time to prepare for a fight, maybe five weeks and a couple of days, at best. There’s been plenty of time to get over little physical problems suffered in camp, not like in the past when I’d go straight from doing very little to hard training. I’m much more comfortable than I’ve ever been because of this extended time in camp. Mentally, it really helps.
“This is a big fight for me. Beating Adamek should take me to where I thought I’d be by now in the heavyweight division. Fighting in front of all his Polish fans doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve never had a problem being the villain. His fans will have nothing to do with the fight. It’s just going to be me and him in the ring. I’m half Puerto Rican with a lot of family, friends and fans coming to the fight, especially from New Jersey and New York. I know there will be a lot more Polish fans there for him, but my Hispanic fans will be loud, too.”
-JE-
Tags: Boxing > heavyweights > Jason Estrada > Providence > Rhode Island > Tomasz Adamek
FIGHT NIGHT AT THE ROXY: BOSTON POP POST-FIGHT REPORT
Posted on | January 25, 2010 | No Comments
By: Rich Bergeron
The star-studded crowd at The Roxy in Boston’s Theater District turned out in force Friday to cheer on some local and out of town prospects, each fighting for their personal piece of boxing glory.Tensions ran high after a split decision decided the close main event. The nod went to “Hammerin'” Hank Lundy (17-0-1, 10 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania over a game and crafty Richard Abril (12-2-1, 6 KOs) of Miami, Florida by way of a defection from Cuba. Lundy’s glove touched the canvas after being wobbled by Abril at one point in the 6th, but he recovered quickly. Lundy actually smiled and chuckled at Abril during some of the tougher exchanges of the fight, possibly to try to get into his opponent’s head, and maybe just because he just loves to hit and be hit. Round one is shown below:
Lundy started out the second round feinting, ducking, and trying to work his way inside with looping right hooks to the head. Abril tried to worth the jab and keep a good distance between himself and Lundy. He fought a very defensive fight out of the gates, getting sloppy and allowing Lundy to land some hard jabs and right hooks to the head and body. Lundy maintained a low left hand stance and baited Abril effectively to come within range for strategically planned scoring blows. Abril mixed in a few rights after his jabs in the third, landing really accurate 1-2s throughout the round. He also landed a nice right hook to the head late. Lundy seemed to be getting flustered, but he landed a thudding right counter and a huge combo to the body and head, coming at Abril from all angles. His hands down attack had Lundy slipping punches and scoring when he needed to in response to nearly every punch Abril landed.
Abril tried to keep his distance in the fourth, landing his jab and a nice straight right. Lundy used his jab well and landed a few left hooks to the head. Both fighters went toe to toe a few times with no clear winner of the exchanges. The fifth round descended into a brawl as both men forgot their boxing basics. Abril landed some of his best punches in this round, including a straight right and a stinging uppercut. Lundy took over the center of the ring on the inside, going to the body and scoring double left hooks to the head. He also scored some damaging right hooks and a left and right hook combo. Abril continued to push Lundy in the sixth. Lundy started getting flustered and anxious, falling into Abril’s game of outside fighting. Abril took the opportunity to wobble Lundy just a bit and force his glove to graze the canvas, prompting the ref to call for a standing 8 count. Lundy would later say the punch never hurt him and he just slipped.
Lundy picked the pace back up again in the seventh. Abril retreated back to a defensive posture and his 1-2 counters. Lundy caught him inside at one point and landed some well-placed power hooks. The 8th round had Lundy landing more jabs and trying to box more. He also landed some nice left and right hooks as Abril began backing up and getting sloppy. At one point Abril started talking to Lundy, and Lundy laughed and said something back.
Lundy took over in the 9th round, landing his left and right hooks almost at will. He also scored a right hook to the body that landed with a vicious thud. Abril couldn’t answer the crafty attack. He tried with every tool in his arsenal, but he couldn’t hurt Lundy. Both boxers were content to box early in the final round, but then the brawl broke out again after Abril slipped in a corner. He unleashed a furious combo that Lundy responded to by asking for more. Both traded huge shots after that, Lundy landing the more potent blows. A left hook and a jab connected late as Lundy ended as the aggressor.
The scores of 95-94 for Abril and 96-94 for Lundy made sense, but one judge gave Lundy a few more of the closest rounds. That 98-91 margin was likely what set off one of Abril’s team members who harangued and baited Lundy on his way out of the ring after the fight was over.
The Abril supporter confronted Lundy just a few yards outside the ring, yelling repeatedly, “YOU DIDN’T WIN THAT FIGHT!” Lundy exuded all the confidence in the world, touting that he was from Philly and ready to trade blows yet again if need be. He insisted he would fight the man right there on the Roxy Dance floor. Security and staff intervened to prevent the incident from getting violent. If a fight did break out, it would have been legendary considering the amount of fighting talent still in the house after the final bout’s last bell.
Boxers John Ruiz, Micky Ward, and Vinny Paz were just a few of boxing’s best in the audience to see a fantastic fight card. The action kicked off with Maceo Crowder notching another win to move to 2-0, with 1 KO. The Boston native impressed the judges with a hard-fought decision against New Haven, Connecticut’s Greg McCoy (0-1). Judges scored the bout 39-35, 39-35, and 39-36 for Crowder.
Simeon Dunwell (11-1, 3 KOs) and Josh Beeman (4-6-3, 2 KOs) also fought to a decision in their six-round bout. Dunwell exploded early with point scoring blows landing from all angles. Beeman remained in a defensive shell for most of the first round. Dunwell used slick movement to land digging hooks to the body and head, weaving inside and taking only sporadic counter hooks. He unleashed a series of combos late in the round that put Beeman on the defensive again right up to the bell. Beeman fought through the second round facing the same barrage and managed to connect with his own hard uppercut and left hook to the body. Both punches hurt Dunwell but didn’t stop his relentless attack. Dunwell again ended the round by getting very busy with powerful flurries.
Beeman came back with his own flurries in the third, but there was not enough power behind any of his punches to do any serious damage. Dunwell landed two left hooks to the head early in the round and followed up later with a few impressive right hooks that got the crowd back into the fight. Both men traded some good shots in the fourth after Dunwell slipped early in the round. Both men also took some down time to hold for a bit of extra rest. Dunwell provided yet another signature burst of punches at the end of the round. Beeman seemed to be unable to find the slick Dunwell with any power shots.
Dunwell began the 5th round with a smothering attack, but the tables were turned on him by round’s end. He landed some crashing right hooks early with Beeman picking his spots to counter. Beeman found his best moment when he landed a looping, wild right hand and a late flurry to close out the round. The 6th round featured some of the best toe to toe action of the night. Both fighters wanted the knockout. Dunwell’s aggressiveness almost lost him the fight when Beeman unleashed his best power punches and had Dunwell momentarily stunned. Beeman kept launching uppercuts from a distance that were landing every now and then and catching Dunwell on the advance. Dunwell remained persistent and yet again ended the round with furious speed and power. One judge gave Dunwell every round with a score of 60-54 while the other two saw it 58-56 for Dunwell.
Quincy, MA native Ryan “The Polish Prince” Kielczewski (7-0, 2 KOs) faced a short, crafty, gritty, and relentless Francisco “La Bomba” Palacios (4-10-5, 1 KO) from Connecticut in the next bout that went the distance. Kielczewski used a quick jab early, snapping punches to the head of Palacios to keep the shorter and stockier man from getting into his best range. Palacios used a tight style to defend himself well and wade in close for body shots and looping shots to the head. Whenever he managed to get in close he tried to make “The Polish Prince” pay. Kielczewski landed his own hooks to the body and a nice left hook to the head in the closing seconds of the first round. Palacios came on strong in the second round, proving Kielczewski needs some work on his inside game. At proper distance, Kielczewski’s steady jab worked its magic, but he had no answer for Palacios pounding him with hooks and combos, pushing him back into a corner and moving well to avoid counters.
Both men put forth a rousing performance in the third round. Palacios came out bombing with a hard right hand landing flush. Kielczewski came back with a lead right hand and a jab. He began to wing a few uppercuts at Palacios to keep him back, but Palacios kept on coming. Both fighters traded a barrage of shots in the center of the ring at one point. Palacios landed a nice left hook late and a hard right to the head before Kielczewski turned on the heat again with uppercuts at the end of the round.
Both fighters continued the torrid pace through the fourth round with each tasting the canvas. The Polish Prince unleashed some speedy flurried followed by a power 1-2 that dropped Palacios to one knee and forced a standing 8 count early. Palacios responded by brawling his way to his own knockdown of Kielczewski. Kielczewski quickly recovered after being planted on his rear against the ropes briefly. He landed a right and left uppercut later in the round.
Kielczewski fought a more conservative fight in the fifth, connecting with a 1-2 combo to start the round and going back to the jab by the final bell. He landed a few uppercuts as well. Palacios kept going back to the right hook and kept stalking Kielczewski. He landed a right uppercut and a left hook at one point and seemed to be finding his range, but Kielczewski was able to return to the jab to keep the fight at a distance.
The final round was even more action packed with Palacios almost getting himself in trouble early, attacking up to the final bell. The Polish Prince starched Palacios with the steady jab and stunned Palacios at one point with a right uppercut. More impressively, Kielczewski walked through the worst of what Palacios had to offer. Kielczewski showed a kind of ring generalship that belies his work ethic and intense strategic approach to the sport. He knew he needed to box with Palacios going in and paid for it when he tried to brawl. The judges gave Kielczewski the well-earned unanimous decision with scores of 58-52, 58-55, and 57-55.
Another Quincy, MA boxer did not fare so well. Chris Traetti (8-2, 5 KOs) battled valiantly but crumbled under the pressure of Lawrence, MA Boxer Eddie Caminero (6-3, 6 KOs) in their Super Middleweight bout. Caminero displayed early fury, which was wild at first but effective. Traetti did his best to fight back, but Caminero used odd angles and a non-stop attack to drop Traetti for an 8-count late in the round. From that point on Traietti simply didn;t have enough time to regain his senses and couldn’t mount an effective counter attack. Traitti’s eye was cut open by the second round as Caminero came after him with hooks and uppercut and didn’t stop. A few flurried caused Traietti to start stumbling a bit as he plodded after Caminero. The referee looked into Traietti’s eyes at one point, halted the action, and called the fight at 1:15 of Round two to give the TKO to Caminero.
The Roxy crowd answered the challenge laid down by Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. Promoter Jimmy Burchfield to show him that Boston wants to see boxing. He promised at the press conference on this card last week that if the people showed up for boxing in Boston, he would return with more. It’s a pretty safe bet he’ll be back. The place seemed to be filled wall to wall with people at the height of the action, and many stayed as close to the ring as they could up to the very end of the card. Overall is was a finely matched lineup of fights.
Tags: Boston > Boxing > Chris Traietti > CT > Cuba > Eddie Caminero > Florida > Francisco Palacios > Greg McCoy > Hank Lundy > Josh Beeman > Lawrence > light welterweight > MA > Mace Crowder > Miami > New Haven > PA > Peabody > Philadelphia > Providence > Quincy > RI > Richard Abril > Ryan Kielczewski > Simeon Dunwell > Stamford > Super Middleweight > The Roxy > welterweight
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