A Good Cause For Wrestling Fans: LIVING THE DREAM MEDAL FUND
Posted on | September 15, 2009 | No Comments
Dear wrestling fans,
Recently I made a donation to the Living the Dream Medal Fund. The amount wasn’t important…but what was important was that now my name is “On The List!”
I strongly urge you to support the effort as I have and so many of your fellow fans have.
There are several people (Stewards) who are deeply involved in the Beat the Streets Wrestling Program in New York City that has already secured the Fund and are willing to help wrestling in the future.
It will mean a lot to our fund-raising effort if your name appeared on the “list”. The amount you give is not as important as your name, stature and credibility of being involved in wrestling for many years will provide to the Medal Fund.
We should be “all in” together in order for others to follow. Leadership by example!
If you trust my judgment, I believe there is a “bigger” major effort down the road for wrestling, if the Medal Fund is successful.
The number of contributors we can get on “THE LIST” will measure our success.
The Medal Fund is already secured for the next 4 years.
The ‘test’ is for us who are involved in wrestling to see if we can ‘rally’ our membership and fans to participate in a national fund-raising effort.
If we pass the test, we get promoted to the next level.
Please let me know if you elect to get “On The List!” or if you have questions. Most of your questions can be answered by going to www.livingthedreammedalfund.com
Every dollar counts!
Send a check made payable to: USA Wrestling
On the memo line add: Living the Dream Medal Fund
USA Wrestling
6155 Lehman Dr.
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
Or, Go online: www.livingthedreammedalfund.com
Tags: Living the Dream Medal Fund > USA Wrestling > wrestling
Tachi Palace presser to announce new MMA promotion
Posted on | September 15, 2009 | No Comments
Lemoore, Calif. – The Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino has long been recognized as one of the premier locations for Mixed Martial Arts and on Wednesday, September 16 the Lemoore, Calif. casino will announce which direction it will go in with its MMA future.
The Palace will make this benchmark announcement at a press conference at the Den Sports Bar on the third floor of the Palace. At this time the Palace will also release when its next event will take place, as well as a preliminary schedule for 2010.
Doors will open at 3:30 and the press conference will begin at 4p.m.
The press conference is open to all media and the public. Several fighters are also expected to be in attendance to sign contracts, Palace staff will be available for comments as well as leadership from the new promotion.
And to show their appreciation for MMA fans, the Palace will give away one general admission ticket to the first 25 fans that attend the press conference.
Tags: California > Lemoore > Mixed Martial Arts > MMA > Tachi Palace
Is It Time to Take TUF in a New Direction?
Posted on | September 15, 2009 | No Comments
by E. Spencer Kyte of Keyboard Kimura and MMAFightCouncil.com Writers Guild
There is no question that The Ultimate Fighter changed the mixed martial arts landscape when the first episode aired on January 18, 2005.
With that debut episode, mixed martial arts went from a pay-per-view interest of a small and dedicated fan base to something much larger. The show allowed the sport to enter the homes of people who would otherwise never have sought out the sport, introducing them to what has now become the fasting growing sport in the world.
Additionally, it stripped away the walls and gave viewers access to more than just the fights. The lives of the participants, their emotions, frustrations and personalities were put on screen, as was the rigorous training they undertake to prepare for combat.
By the time Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar went toe-to-toe for 15 minutes in the finale of that first season, a whole new collection of fans and fanatics was hooked and the UFC had a bona fide hit on their hands.
As the seasons progressed, the number of viewers followed suit; more and more people were tuning in to see the fighters that could become the next household name and UFC champion. But somewhere between the wildly successful first season and Wednesday’s debuting Season 10, something changed.
While early seasons introduced future champions, Top 10 competitors and tough-as-nails contenders across every division, subsequent seasons have seen a drop off in talent and performance once the fighters leave the Ultimate Fighter house and step into the bright lights and big-time pressure of the UFC.
What has changed in the four-plus years since the show debuted to contribute to this decline in dependable talent and what does the future hold for The Ultimate Fighter?
It’s time to try to answer those questions.
When the men who would become members of Team Liddell and Team Couture first entered the Ultimate Fighter Training Center, they were a collection of unknowns to all but the hardest of hardcore fans.
Now, the roster from Season 1 yields a collection of the some of the sport’s most well-known fighters. Forrest Griffin, Stephan Bonnar, Kenny Florian, Josh Koscheck, and Chris Leben all came from that initial class, as did Diego Sanchez, Nate Quarry and Mike Swick.
Griffin went on to win the Light Heavyweight title, while Florian fought for the Lightweight title that Diego Sanchez will attempt to win later this year. American Kickboxing Academy teammates Koscheck and Swick reside in the welterweight Top 10, while Quarry was the first of the group to receive a title shot, losing to Rich Franklin at UFC 56.
Since that time, only one other champion has emerged and fewer contenders emerge from each passing season of the show. In fact, while the first two seasons produced two champions (Griffin and Rashad Evans) and four fighters who have fought for a title at one point or another, subsequent seasons have yielded very little.
Of the champions and challengers who have emerged since that second season, all three came from Season 4: The Comeback, a season dedicated to fighters searching for a return to form where the winner of each weight class was awarded a title shot.
Matt Serra made the most of his chance, defeating Georges St-Pierre, while Travis Lutter tested Anderson Silva before falling to the middleweight champ. Only Patrick Cote fought his way into a title shot outside of the stipulations of the show.
So what has happened over the time since Season 2 concluded to contribute to this dearth of title contenders?
For starters, MMA has exploded globally, giving fighters more opportunities to compete than they have ever had before. While that is definitely a good thing from the standpoint of fighters and fans alike, it leaves the talent pool to choose from when casting The Ultimate Fighter relatively shallow.
Although some of the fighters from those opening seasons came in with relatively little experience, others had been plying their trade inside the cage for some time, with guys like Joe Stevenson, Stephan Bonnar, Melvin Guillard and Diego Sanchez all having numerous fights under their belts.
Season 1 winner Forrest Griffin had a 9-2 record before securing his tenth victory in the historic finale against Bonnar. Conversely, when Griffin was a coach on Season 7, the eventual winner Amir Sadollah earned his first professional win when he upset C.B. Dollaway in their battle for the six-figure contract.
How did Sadollah follow-up his life-changing win?
After missing over a year due to various injuries, he lasted just 29 seconds before the referee called his long-awaited debut at UFC 101.
The likable Virginia native isn’t the only former cast member to struggle since leaving the Ultimate Fighter house. In fact, a number of fighters who have been given an opportunity to compete inside the Octagon following their time on the show have come away on the wrong side of the results.
Just four fighters remain under contract from the cast of Season 4, the same number that have survived from Season 6, with winner Mac Danzig’s future uncertain following three straight losses.
While the stars of the earliest seasons strung together wins and fought their way into contention, or at least a reasonable level of success inside the cage, the past few seasons have yet to yield a single fighter close to contender status.
Krzysztof Soszynski has had the most success following his time on Season 8, reeling off three straight wins before losing to Brandon Vera by Unanimous Decision at UFC 102. But his success only goes to validate the importance of experience once the show ends, as the Winnipeg native had 24 fights to his name prior to joining the UFC.
As diligently as the UFC works to hype and promote the stars who emerge from the show, it’s become clear that experience and dedication once the cameras are off is far more important to future success than any compliments Dana White bestows on cast members or the title of The Ultimate Fighter.
In an interesting twist on the experience angle, the upcoming season offers an intriguing mix of unproven newcomers and seasoned veterans alike.
Three cast members (Matt Mitrione, Demico Rogers and Wes Shivers) have yet to make their professional debuts, while early favourite “Big Country” Roy Nelson is a former IFL Heavyweight champion and Wes Sims has more than 30 fights to his credit.
Whether any of the 16 cast members of the upcoming season will emerge as true title contenders is yet to be determined. The same can be said about the direction of the show moving forward.
Make no mistake about it: The Ultimate Fighter is still an exceptionally valuable tool for fighters to gain recognition and opportunities to fight at the highest level.
But while the show clearly still serves a tremendous purpose, perhaps a shift in philosophy in coming seasons – provided there are more seasons on the horizon – is warranted.
Becoming a household name through a three-month stint on Spike TV and being able to compete on the highest level are two very different things.
As much as the UFC would like to capitalize on the recognition and interest these fighters garner from their time on television, a better course of action for the long-term success of both the fighters and the company would be to bring them along slowly.
The proof can be seen in the comparison of fighters who have won various seasons to those who had some success and were given an opportunity despite not emerging as The Ultimate Fighter.
Taking five eliminated fighters(George Sotiropoulos, Ben Saunders, Tim Creduer, Matt Brown and Soszynski) and matching them up with the five winners to emerge from Seasons 5 through 8 (Nathan Diaz, Mac Danzig, Sadollah, Ryan Bader and Efrain Escudero), the eliminated fighters come away 15-3, while the champions have 12 wins and 6 defeats.
Granted, the champions have faced stiffer competition than the other group for the most part, but what is better: having your household names losing to tougher competition or allowing them to build on their success and hold the public’s interest?
While the UFC certainly doesn’t want to serve their Reality TV champions a series of tomato cans who the public sees right through, putting them in a position to be beaten right away is arguably worse.
Just as Amir Sadollah’s loss at UFC 101 immediately diminished his stock, recent winners Efrain Escudero, Ross Pearson and James Wilks could all face the same fate should they fall in their first foray into the cage since being crowned The Ultimate Fighter.
Losses for all three are not unimaginable; Escudero faces Cole Miller this coming Saturday, while Pearson will have to deal with veteran Aaron Riley and Wilks will take on Season 7 alum Matt Brown when the UFC returns to England for UFC 105.
Such risks do not need to be taken.
Forrest Griffin and Diego Sanchez were given very favourable matchups coming out of Season 1 and each emerged victorious, as did Rashad Evans following his victory over Brad Imes on Season 2.
Why potentially sacrifice a recognizable product and potential rising star when you certainly don’t have to?
Although putting together the best fights possible is very important to the UFC, it’s hard to build future stars out of the Ultimate Fighters when they cannot come away with a win.
Instead of throwing these young and relatively inexperienced fighters into the deep end of the talent pool, would it not be more prudent and productive from a business standpoint to let them learn to swim in the shallow end first? Water wings are optional.
The Ultimate Fighter has come a long way since the UFC rolled the dice with the debut season, but as the season numbers have increased, the number of quality competitors the show has produced has dropped.
Experienced fighters are finding other avenues into the UFC or receiving opportunities in different organizations, while the newest batch of stars being produced seem to be struggling once they leave Las Vegas.
Starting Wednesday (9/16/09), Season 10 will serve as an interesting illustration of the questions that surround The Ultimate Fighter.
Maybe it will also serve as the end of the line for the pioneering program that brought mixed martial arts to the masses.
Like everything in life, only time will tell.
Tags: Dana White > fighting > MMA > Season 10 > Spike TV > The Ultimate Fighter > TUF10 > UFC > Ultimate Fighting Championship
HARRISON: I CAN STILL BE WORLD CHAMPION AFTER WINNING PRIZEFIGHTER
Posted on | September 13, 2009 | No Comments
TYSON DRAW GIVES AMBITIOUS HARRISON CHANCE FOR REVENGE AUDLEY Harrison today insisted he can still become World Heavyweight Champion.
Harrison, 37, admits he has failed to fulfill his potential after winning Olympic gold in 2000 but believes victory at next month’s Prizefighter Heavyweights III will catapult him back to title level.
“I had plans to be the Heavyweight Champion of the World in four or five years and it has not gone the way I wanted but ultimately I still believe I’m going to achieve that goal,” said Harrison.
“When I turned professional I said I would win a world title and provided I do that then I will be happy with my career.
“I was one or two fights away from a world title but my career started to implode out of the ring, not in it. I was ready for the next step but sometimes shit happens. I still have time to achieve my goals and will do so.
“I believe I will get that world title and the British public will understand my path, my battles and I will get that credit.
“I’m probably the greatest amateur boxer ever from Britain and won two National Championships, a Commonwealth Championship and am an Olympic Champion. I achieved most of the titles that are out there as an amateur but as a professional I haven’t achieved yet.
“I’ve had ups and downs but I still have the desire, passion and skill and also, now, a clear head.
“I went through a period of time where I couldn’t focus but now I’m in a good place physically and mentally and looking forward to winning this tournament.”
Prizefighter Heavyweights III takes place at the ExCel in London on October 2 and the draw, which was made by former undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson, has given Harrison a perfect opportunity for revenge.
If he defeats Northern Ireland’s Scott Belshaw, Harrison could have a semi-final clash against Michael Sprott, who he lost to in 2007. Harrison could then have a final showdown with arch rival Danny Williams, the current British Champion, who he has beaten once and lost to once.
“With the draw now in, I can now focus on the potential opponents I will face in Prizefighter,” added Harrison. “Scott Belshaw will have a point to prove after getting stopped in his last bout, so I am taking him 100 per cent seriously.
“The chance to rectify my loss to Michael Sprott in the semi-finals is extra motivation for me to push myself in training.
“If Danny is opposing me in the final, I am confident and sure that, despite his relentless urge to crush me, I will come through a tough battle to take the Prizefighter crown.”
PartyCasino.com Prizefighter Heavyweights III draw.
Quarter-finals: QF 1. Scott Gammer v Coleman Barrett, QF 2. Danny Williams v Carl Baker, QF 3. Audley Harrison v Scott Belshaw, QF 4. Michael Sprott v Danny Hughes.
Semi-finals: SF1: Gammer or Barrett v Williams or Baker, SF 2: Harrison or Belshaw v Sprott or Hughes.
Tickets cost £40 and £80 and are available from See Tickets on 0871 220 0260, www.seetickets.com or from Matchroom Sport on 01277 359900.
NOTES ABOUT PRIZEFIGHTER
– Eight competitors in the same weight fight in four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and the final with all the action happening in one exciting night of boxing.
– Each contest lasts a maximum of three rounds with standard boxing rules applied.
– If there has not been a knockout or stoppage then the winner will be decided by three scoring judges at ringside.
– The winner of Prizefighter – Heavyweights III will receive £32,000, the runner-up gets £16,000, losing semi-finalists receive £8,000 and beaten quarter-finalists collect £4,000. The total prize fund is £80,000 – £11,000 more than for previous Prizefighter tournaments.
– A draw will be held before the event to find out which boxers will fight each other in the four quarter-finals.
– This will be the eighth Prizefighter competition. The first – Heavyweights I – was held in April 2008. The others staged were Heavyweights II (September), Welterweights (October), Middleweights (November), Light-heavyweights (February), Lightweights (March) and Cruiserweights (May)
– The full list of competitors is Carl Baker (Sheffield), Coleman Barrett (Galway, Ireland), Scott Belshaw (Lisburn, Northern Ireland), Scott Gammer (Pembroke Dock, Wales), Audley Harrison (London / California), Danny Hughes (Sunderland), Michael Sprott (Reading) and Danny Williams (Brixton).
The event website is www.theprizefighterseries.com
A Night To Remember: Throwback Videos & Ringside Report
Posted on | September 13, 2009 | No Comments
By: Rich Bergeron
[mpinpage]
It was certainly an event that lived up to its billing as a bunch of local fighters dominated the action at Plymouth Memorial Hall this past Saturday night and provided fans with plenty to remember. Cheering sections belted out instructions, encouragement, and catch phrases from the stadium seating in support of their favorite fighters. Right off the bat the crowd saw Lawrence Cruiserweight Alexis Santos (2-0) demolish Dino Weingarten (2-5) with a smashing right hook that put Weingarten on the canvas for the third time in the round. The official time of the win was 1:19 of the first. Santos is clearly ready for some stiffer competition. His crisp punches and great timing made Weingarten wither quickly under the pressure.
Pembroke’s own Paul Gonzalves (2-0, 2KOs) took only 20 seconds longer than Santos to get his knockout over Robert Graves (0-2). Both fighters traded sloppy blows at the outset, but Gonzalves had the better movement. He winged a few of his best shots early, but he later regrouped with a snapping jab and a wicked right hook that floored Graves for a good count. Graves gamely rose to his feet and went as long as he could before another flurry from Gonzalves dropped him once again, forcing the referee to call a stop to the fight. The official time was 1:39 of the first.
The undercard fights really stole the show in this one considering the main event contained a bit more holding than hitting for much of the first half of the fight. The camera angle we had for these videos made them almost impossible to salvage unless we gave them an old-school black and white look. We apologize for the low quality. So, here is round one of one of the best fights of the night as Lynn, Massachusetts Bantamweight Isander Beauchamp (6-0-1, 2 KOs) squeaked out a win over a hard-charging Elton Dharry (2-5-1) of Brooklyn, New York:
Round three began with a cut visible under Beauchamp’s eye, giving the undefeated local fighter an excuse to dance out of range a while. Dharry spent the better part of the round chasing the running Beauchamp, landing just a few shots at a time. Beauchamp fought smart. He dominated the round from long distance. Trying to emulate Roy Jones Jr., he swayed his hips and danced all over the ring with a stiff or quick jab always in Dharry’s face. He mixed in a few nice left hooks and hard rights as well. Beachamp fought flashy and with just enough fire to take the round easily and really frustrate Dharry.
The final round saw both fighters start slow, Beachamp landing a few sloppy shots early. Again he kept out of range, though Dharry landed some good body shots and another stellar uppercut. Beauchamp found his range again, landing a beautiful left uppercut and a right hook. Dharry continued to stalk his opponent, but all his earlier energy seemed to be sapped. Beauchamp was able to cruise through the round by barely engaging and fighting a better defensive fight. He threw in more Roy Jones Jr. outbursts and landed a few good shots to boot in order to put an exclamation point on his unanimous decision. Dharry landed a left hook late in the round, and both fighters really slugged it out in the final seconds, right to the bell.
Frankie Reed (0-3) came all the way from Williston, South Carolina to battle Stoughton, Massachusetts Boxer Mical Weisberg. This Super Middleweight contest was really the best slugfest of the night. The entire fight is below, and we apologize in advance for the grainy quality. Weisberg wades in with heavy handed blows early and often to get the victory after a hard fought battle:
Cook kept up the clinching in the second round, and Lopes started off a bit sloppy again. He threw whatever he could, but nothing seemed to land crisply. Finally he started landing some left hooks to the body and a booming left hook to the head of Cook. Cook only managed a few nice right hooks in the clinch.
Cook’s energy and stamina seemed shot by the start of the third, and Lopes knew it. He went on a relentless campaign of lead left hooks, sending Cook to the canvas early for a long count. Cook went back to work only to get clobbered with more left hooks and then a vicious uppercut to the stomach that left him unable to continue.
The Main Event featured Castulo Gonzalez (9-9, 3 KOs) and Mike Oliver (22-2, 7 KOs) in a fight that featured too much holding and not enough engaging in the early rounds. Gonzalez had a tough time adjusting to Oliver’s hand speed, but while able to get away with cupping the back of Oliver’s head early on, Gonzalez looked fairly decent. At other times both fighters took advantage of various holding techniques. For a while in the first few rounds the fight resembled more of a grappling match than a boxing bout. Gonzalez stalked Oliver through the first, picking his shots and landing his right consistently. He also landed a really nice left hook to the body and the head. Oliver landed some sparing flurries and a few uppercuts to the body. His jab began working early and landed often.
Oliver’s inside game passed the test in round two as Gonzalez had some of his best moments in a corner slugfest weathered by Oliver with some artful holding and clinching and tremendous in tight contact. Oliver landed a crunching right hook to the body at one point that backed Gonzalez up for a moment. Gonzalez had the left hook working, pushing Oliver up against the ropes whenever he could, but Oliver’s movement and use of the whole ring would begin to tire Gonzalez out in the later rounds.
Oliver had one of his worst rounds in the third as he had to slug out of the corner and had the ref take points from him and Gonzalez for excessive holding. Gonzalez got himself up on his toes and waited for his openings. He began fighting in close and landing some great inside shots that seemed to make Oliver struggle.
Gonzalez continued to go ballistic in the fourth, though Oliver managed to land a few nice combos and a nice right hook and straight left. Gonalez looked a bit ugly at times slugging wildly as Oliver bounced off the ropes. He backed Oliver into a corner again and went off in the last seconds of the round.
Castulo couldn’t win a round by the time the fifth ended, burning himself out in the opening seconds with another corner attack that Oliver took the best of and kept right on ticking. Oliver fought his way out, re-established his jab, and went to work. He suddenly seemed to have a huge advantage as his superior hand-speed, ring generalship, and a consistent straight left and right hook turned the tide.
Though it seemed Oliver couldn’t hear him, another fighter’s trainer was grumbling instructions in a Jamaican drawl from the back of the arena through most of the fight, begging Oliver to establish that straight left and start using the right hook. Finally Oliver seemed to pick up on the instructions, and the Jamaican seemed to take credit for it, saying, “Yessss, that’s it, Oliver!” Oliver finally looked in control in the fifth, landing left hooks as well as some fancy combos that made Gonzalez look spent.
Oliver left no doubt in the remaining rounds. He overwhelmed Gonzalez with his hand speed and relentless attack. Gonzalez developed a bad cut over his right eye, and it was all downhill from there. He began a slow and deliberate plodding attack that Oliver picked apart. He kept Gonzalez at bay with a steady diet of jabs and blinding combos. Gonzalez stepped it up a bit in the seventh, but so did Oliver. Gonzalez slugged it out in the corner, landing some bombs here and there, but Oliver landed his 1-2 flawlessly and seemed to be making more of a dent with his punches than Gonzalez could. Oliver had all his combos working wonderfully toward the round’s end with a nice right hook to the head and uppercuts and hooks to the body landing at will.
The final round featured more of the same with Gonzalez content hanging all over Oliver in close quarters. Oliver’s hand speed won the day as his flurries skipped all over Castulo’s face in the final frame. He had his right hook working and his body shots were smacking home hard throughout the last round. Oliver adapted well and took the Unanimous Decision by scores of 77-74 and 77-73.
A couple local South Shore Massachusetts fighters closed the show with Barnstable’s Jesse Barboza (2-0, 2 KOs) providing the most crowd-pleasing performance in his heavyweight showdown with Lewis Cotuna (0-2). Cotuna, from Winston Salem, North Carolina, looked a bit out of shape and out of place in the first round as Barboza schooled him all over the ring as his cheering session accented each attack with the chant of “Baaad Neewws!” Barboza’s nickname seemed all the more appropriate as he took Cotuna to Hell and back with one bomb after another to the chin. Here’s almost the entire fight in two videos:
Quincy’s Ryan Kielczewski (5-0, 2 KOs) made quick work of Norman Allen (0-4-1) in the super featherweight finisher. Allen seemed to be holding on for dear life from the beginning. Kielczewski used a quick and power jab and a nice right hand to take control in the first round. Fighting furiously for the hometown crowd, the Quincy favorite landed some really amazing combos. The second round didn’t last very long as Kielczewski came out with some vicious hooks and uppercuts against Allen, who backed into a corner and fought off the ropes briefly. Finally, Kielczewski connected with a brutal left hook to the head that dropped llen to a knee where the ref called the fight.
The night was a testament to the ability of the local talent coming through the pipeline and a tribute to some great fighters of old in attendance. Peter Marciano, younger brother of Rocky Marciano, sat ringside and presented Mike Oliver with his title belts after the featherweight main event. It was a perfect night of pure boxing, and fittingly the videos came out in black and white to emphasize that boxing is just as healthy as it was in those days with some great young prospects ready for the limelight.
Like the days when Rocky attracted a mod of Brockton residents yelling “Timber” when his opponents fell, the locals came out in fierce support of the hometown kids. Their encouraging and motivational outbursts seemed to fuel the men inside the ropes fighting to get the win and the crowd’s approval as well. At one point a Mical Weisberg supporter bellowed, “He’s scared of you, Mike.” It really seemed to help as Weisberg punched with pure abandon and wild fury, forcing his opponent to fold under the pressure. The fans who braved the driving rain saw a fantastic line up of great bouts. The right hand knockouts were in full effect as well, hearkening back to that great “Suzy Q” right that Rocky took many of his KO victims out with.
Boxing is alive and well in Massachusetts and New England, and Jimmy Burchfield’s show had an air of professionalism second to none. Burchfield made his way into the ring before and after every bout, buzzing about with a quaint smile and a fast handshake for each fighter along with some words of encouragement. The crowd saw all the local folks make good with career-advancing wins, though the out of towners left with no shame after some hard-fought battles.
We’ll have some photos a bit later in the week. I’m pretty sure those will be in color.
[/mpinpage]
Tags: Alex Santos > Artie Lopes > Bantamweight > Beauchamp > body > Bout > brooklyn new york > camera angle > Castulo Gonzalez > Classic Entertainment and Sports > cruise > cruiserweight > Dharry > Elton Dharry > exclamation > fight > Frankie Reed > gamely > grandfather > great heart > head > holding > hook > Inc. > Isander Beachamp > jab > Jimmy Burchfield > knockout > lover > low quality > lynn massachusetts > main event > Mical > Mical Weisberg > middleweight > Mike Oliver > NE Golden Gloves > official time > outset > Paul Gonsalves > Plymouth Memorial Hall > RIGHT > right hook > ring > ringside > Robert Graves > round > Ryan Kielczewski > stadium seating > time > time was 1 > victory > weingarten
RODRIGUEZ TAKES OUT VETERAN DAVIS IN THIRD ROUND
Posted on | September 12, 2009 | No Comments
El Paso heavyweight contender David “Nino” Rodriguez took another step toward the heavyweight title Saturday with a third-round knockout of veteran Robert Davis at Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
Rodriguez, improved his record to 32-0 with 30 knockouts, and stays on course to shake up the heavyweight rankings in 2010. Rodriguez is one of the most exciting young heavyweights in boxing today. With power in both fists and hand speed that belies his considerable size, Rodriguez is ready to make a move in a wide-open heavyweight division.
Kattar wins NABC MMA East Coast Lightweight title
Posted on | September 12, 2009 | No Comments
SALEM, New Hampshire (September 12, 2009) – Red-hot lightweight prospect Calvin “The Boston Finisher” Kattar may not have lived up to his nickname last night, but he captured the NABC MMA East Coast lightweight title by going the distance for the first time in his young pro career, winning a 5-round decision against Andrew “New York State of Mind” Montanez in the American Steel Cagefighting (ASC) main event at the Icenter in Salem, New Hampshire.
ASC 2 was presented in association with the Icenter and Bellabance Beverage of Nashua (NH), at the Icenter in Salem, New Hampshire.
Kattar (8-1-0), fighting out of Methuen (MA), came out strong, as expected, but Montanez withstood the storm, even winning the opening round on the judges’ scorecards, and ended-up living up to his reputation as a survivor.
Kattar, who had won by knockout or submission in the opening round of each of his previous seven pro wins, won a unanimous 5-round decision for the title.
“It was a great show and a great main event,” promoter Sal LoNano said. “Calvin had a tough fight. I knew it was going to be an exciting fight. I had spent a lot of time with Calvin and knew he was in great shape and I’d heard that Montanez was in top condition, too. Calvin had the advantage after the first round but Montanez came to fight. I’m very, very proud of what ASC has done. We put on great shows and showcased a lot of local talent. Calvin Kattar is one of the best young fighters on the East Coast. I believe he’s going places in this business.”
Underground fighter Tyson “Psycho” Akl’s pro debut didn’t have a storybook ending. Fighting out of Salem, the local favorite tapped out from a solid Colin Schrader (2-0-0) arm bar at the end of the first round.
Also on the card, Eric Henry (9-6-0) upset veteran Doug Gordon (10-8-0) via a technical knockout late in the third and final round, Kenny Foster (3-1-0) submitted Travis Lercehen (4-6-0) early in in the second round.
In a pair of amateur matches, Neil Woodworth (2-0-0) defeated Eric Sunday (1-1-0) by third-round submission, while Jason Earl (1-1-0) stopped John Fiore(0-1-0) in the first round.
American Steel Cagefighting
ASC is owned and operated by Sal LoNano, former professional boxing promoter and manager whose S & L Boxing guided the careers of world-class professional boxers “Irish” Micky Ward and Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi, former world light welterweight champion. Gary Marino is the ASC matchmaker, while Bob Moglia serves as its Director of Business Development.
Tags: Adam McQuaid > American Steel Cagefighting > Andover > Andrew Montanez > Boston > Calvin Kattar > Collin Schrader > Dave George > Doug Gordon > Evan Parker > Icenter > James Quinlin > Kevin Jordan > Lorenzo Hood > Merrimack Valley > Methuen > Methuen High > Mike Geurin > Mixed Martial Arts > MMA > NABC > New England > New Hampshire > New York > Pat Audinwood > Premier Martial Arts > Ralph Johnson > Sal LoNano > Salem > Strikeforce > Tewksbury > Tyson Akl > UFC
SHUMENOV FILES WBA CHALLENGE AND SUES CAMPILLO FOR DRUG VIOLATIONS
Posted on | September 11, 2009 | No Comments
CLAIMS CONDUCT OF WBA SUPERVISOR AND JUDGE “SMELLS LIKE FIVE-WEEK-OLD, UNREFRIGERATED DEAD FISH”
Las Vegas, Nevada (September 10, 2009) – Beibut Shumenov and his promoter, KZ Event Productions, Inc., have filed a lawsuit in Kazakhstan against Gabriel Campillo, Sampson Boxing, LLC and Sampson Lewkowicz seeking a judicial declaration that, as a result of Campillo’s blatant violation of the drug testing rules of the Kazakhstan Federation of Professional Boxing and the WBA, Campillo, Sampson and Lewkowicz have, under their contracts with KZ, forfeited any monies otherwise due to them from the August 15, 2009 Campillo-Shumenov fight.
No less than eleven witnesses — including Kazakhstan Government officials and entirely unaffiliated individuals, such as DeMarcus Corley’s legendary trainer, Don Turner — have provided written statements collectively establishing that, immediately after the fight, Campillo breached his contract with KZ by not going to the drug testing room as required by both Kazakhstan Federation’s rules and the WBA Rules, and instead, absconded to a locked shower room with one of his trainers for approximately ten minutes. In fact, Altynbek Nurdauletov, the General Secretary of the Kazakhstan Federation, has already declared that Campillo’s conduct was a violation of the Federation’s rules.
In addition to commencing suit in Kazakhstan (as mandated by the parties’ contract), Shumenov, through his American lawyer, Judd Burstein, has filed a formal challenge to the bout results with the WBA. Mr. Burstein stated:
The WBA rules could not be more clear, and indeed, were explicitly explained to Mr. Campillo at the pre-fight rules meeting: he was to go to the drug testing room immediately after the fight. Incredibly, Campillo does not dispute he violated the rule. Rather, he, together with Guy Jutras, the WBA Supervisor, and Pasquale
Procopio, a WBA judge, claim that Campillo was at all times accompanied by Jutras and Procopio after the fight and that he violated the rule only by leaving their sight for ten seconds when he went to his shower room before going to the drug testing room. The problem is that eleven witnesses have contradicted this story, making clear (a) that neither Jutras nor Procopio accompanied Campillo back to his locker room, (b) that Campillo and his trainer were alone in the locker room for at least five minutes, and (c) that once in the locker room, Campillo and his trainer then locked themselves in a shower room.
I think the WBA must take immediate action to ensure that its rules are enforced. There is no way to harmonize the accounts of our eleven witnesses and the “ten second” claim of Campillo, Jutras and Procopio. One side has to be lying. Since some of our witnesses, like Mr. Turner, are wholly independent with no reason to do anything but tell the truth, the reasonable inference is that Campillo is lying, because he knows that he violated the rules, and that Jutras and Procopio are lying, because they don’t want to admit to their gross incompetence. Indeed, their whole story makes no sense. If Jutras and Procopio had been with Campillo the whole time, why would they have allowed Campillo to go to his dressing room after stating in the rules meeting that all fighters had to go directly to the drug testing room before returning to their dressing rooms?
Mr. Burstein also stated: “We are also actively considering commencing actions against Jutras and Procopio. Their conduct smells like a five-week-old, unrefrigerated dead fish.”
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