FLOYD MAYWEATHER CELEBRATES AMERICA’S HOLIDAYS WITH FLAG WRAPPING OF GYM AND JULY 4 PICNIC FOR LAS VEGAS YOUTH DURING OPEN MEDIA DAY JULY 1

Posted on | June 12, 2009 | No Comments

Boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather stands with members from the Nellis Air Force Honor Guard. Mayweather showed his patriotism on June 11, by wrapping his boxing gym in the American Flag in recognition of Flag Day which takes place this Sunday. The 16′ 2″ wide by 8′ 2″ tall flag, an inspiration for the American fighter as he prepares for his July 18 welterweight showdown against Mexico’s top fighter Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday, July 18 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The bout will broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9pm ET/6pm PT. The flag will be kept up through the night of the fight.

SIX TIME WORLD CHAMPION ALSO INVITED POLITICAL DIGNATARIES-

PRESIDENT OBAMA AND SENATOR HARRY REID-

TO JULY 18 BOUT AGAINST JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ
AT THE MGM GRAND IN LAS VEGAS
LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW

LAS VEGAS (June 12, 2009) – Floyd Mayweather, a six-time world champion and a proud member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team, is back, and hopes to breathe new life into the long-standing tradition of American dominance in the sport of boxing. In recognition of his heritage and in celebration of two of America’s upcoming holidays-the nation’s Flag Day, June 14, and Independence Day, July 4th-Mayweather has wrapped his Las Vegas-based boxing gym with an American flag (see photos below) and will host an early July 4 barbecue for Las Vegas youth on Wednesday, July 1 when he opens training camp to the media covering his upcoming bout with Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday, July 18, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas live on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

“I embrace my patriotism and feel boxing has lost a bit of its ‘American’ luster, which I intend to change immediately,” said Mayweather. “We have dominated the sport which, like the United States, has always stood for hard work and dedication, and I intend to use my comeback as a way to bring it back around and remind everyone that the best fighters are American and it will always stay that way.”

Each June 14, the President of the United States makes a proclamation to the citizens of the United States asking them to fly the flag and support what it means to be an American. To this day, the flag preserves the deep dedication to independence, equality and opportunity made by the founding fathers of the United States. The stars and stripes’ red, white and blue design is known around the world as a beacon of freedom and hope.

“The American flag is a symbol of everything my family and I stand for,” said Mayweather, “I live in the best country in the world, and on Flag Day and the Fourth of July I’m going to show off my American pride.”

Mayweather will also host an early July 4 barbecue for local Las Vegas youth on Wednesday, July 1, when he also opens his training camp to media members covering the fight.

“We will be cooking up a storm-both in and out of the gym,” said Mayweather. “I have been known to charbroil a perfect hot dog, as well as several of my opponents throughout my career.”

Mayweather, who also invited President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to his first fight back after an 18-month sabbatical that started after his last fight against Ricky Hatton in December 2007, is looking forward to celebrating both holidays with his family and friends, all the while keeping his intensive training schedule on track.

“Obama once said, ‘Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek,’ and I could not agree more,” said Mayweather. “On July 18, I will show the world of boxing what it has been missing and bring back the American flare that the sport is crying out for.”

Mayweather vs. Marquez – “Number One/Numero Uno,” is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Marquez Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and Southwest Airlines. The 12-round welterweight bout will take place Saturday, July 18, at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Tickets priced at $1,000, $750, $600 and $300, not including applicable service charges, are on sale now. Ticket sales at $1,000, $750, $600 and $300 are limited to a total ticket limit of 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800)745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

The Mayweather vs. Marquez pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $49.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Mayweather vs. Marquez fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.

HBO’s Emmy®-Award-winning all-access reality series “24/7” returns to HBO® with an all new edition as “Mayweather/Marquez 24/7” premieres Saturday, June 27 at 9:30 p.m. The four-episode series will chronicle the preparations and back stories of both fighters as they train for their July 18 pay-per-view showdown.

BOXING’S BIGGEST NIGHT COMES TO WWW.GOFIGHTLIVE.TV TONIGHT!!!!

Posted on | June 12, 2009 | No Comments

WATCH THE BOXING WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA AWARDS DINNER TONIGHT!!!!!!!

NEW YORK (June 9, 2009)—TONIGHT!!!! history will be made as for the first time in its 84 year existence the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) will be broadcasting their awards dinner and it will be LIVE & FREE on www.gofightlive.tv

Fans will get to witness Pound for Pound King Manny Pacquiao receives his much deserved Fighter of the Year award. Joe Calzaghe will be making his first American appearance since announcing his retirement as he picks up the 2008 Manager of the Year.

Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez will be honored for their classic third bout and will be awarded for the Fight of The Year.

Freddie Roach will receive Trainer of the Year honors for the third time.

ShoBox commentator Steve Farhood won the prestigious Walker Award for “Long and Meritorious Service.” It’s Farhood’s second major award. In 2002 he was voted winner of the Sam Taub Award for “Excellence in Broadcast Journalism.” This year’s Taub recipient is HBO’s Harold Lederman. Lederman, known as boxing’s unofficial judge, was a 2005 award winner in the “Good Guy” category. The “Good Guy”Award, named after Marvin Kohn, will be bestowed upon Alan Hopper of Don King Productions. The closest vote was for the Crawford Award, awarded for “perseverance in overcoming adversity.” It was a tie between renowned journalist George Kimball and former world champion Genaro Hernandez. Both will be honored.

Earlier, the BWAA announced that Norm Frauenheim of Arizona has won the 2008 Nat Fleischer award for “Excellence in Boxing Journalism,” and Leonard Gardner, Larry Merchant, and the late John Lardner have been named as winners of A.J. Liebling Awards.

All those fine gentleman plus other big name boxers such as Bernard Hopkins will be present

The 84th Boxing Writers Association of America’s annual awards dinner will be held Friday night, June 12, 2009, at the Capitale, 130 Bowery in New York City.

“This is a cant miss event for all the boxing fans around the world and we are honored to be making history for this once in a lifetime event where the biggest names in boxing will be under one roof at the same time”, said David Klarman of www.gofightlive.tv

“I hope everybody tunes in because they will get to see their favorite fighters in a unique setting”

Series 3 of Round 5 Figurines Hit Shelves this Week Across North America; Arlovski, McCarthy, Mir, Nogueira Figurines Now Available

Posted on | June 11, 2009 | No Comments

Four Champions’ Collectibles Join Series 1 and 2 in Stores; Series 4 Will Feature Five Athletes as Fedor Figurine Gets Redesign
MARKHAM, Ontario, Canada, June 11, 2009 – Round 5 figurines for Andrei “The Pit Bull” Arlovski, “Big John” McCarthy, Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira, comprising Series 3 of the popular mixed martial arts collectibles, are now available at retail, it was announced today by Round 5 C.E.O. Barron Lau and President Damon Lau. They join the first two Round 5 Series which can be purchased in outlets throughout North America and online at www.Round5MMA.com.

“We are extremely pleased with the final products for Series 3,” said Damon Lau. “Each of the athletes had extensive input into their development, and I know that fans will enjoy the ‘small touches’ that make Round 5 figurines unique.”

Round 5 also confirmed today that Series 4, scheduled for late July/Early August release, will now feature five athletes, Gina Carano, Dan Henderson, Cung Le, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Matt Serra. The Fedor Emelianenko figurine, originally intended to be issued as part of Series 4, is going through an additional redesign and will instead appear as part of a future Series.

“We continue to work closely with Fedor and his team on making his figurine as accurate and true to his persona as possible,” added Lau. “Consumers appreciate Round 5’s commitment to producing collectibles that capture each athlete’s individual style, and we look forward to completing the Fedor figurine with that goal in mind.”

Round 5 is also preparing for its large presence at the UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas in July, where near-complete prototypes of Series 4 will be on display.

In addition to this week’s release of Series 3, Round 5 has issued two Series of four athletes each: Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Tito Ortiz comprised Series 1 while Rich Franklin, Sean Sherk, Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva were released in Series 2.

Round 5 plans to release collectibles of two additional series of athletes later in 2009, one during each quarter. Athletes to be represented in those series are yet to be announced.

Round 5 collectible figures may be purchased at leading retailers such as Walmart (Canada), Toys ‘R’ Us, FYE, Century Martial Arts, Sunrise Records, The Treadmill Factory and Hatashita International. Other retailers can be found at www.round5mma.com/wheretobuy.php.

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.

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TONY PENECALE’S ROCKY MARCIANO TRIBUTE ARTICLE AND POEM

Posted on | June 11, 2009 | No Comments

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO TONY AND RICH TALK WITH A COUPLE BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS FOLKS WHO KNEW ROCKY MARCIANO PERSONALLY

 

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ROCKY MARCIANO

By: Tony Penecale

Rocky Marciano
An Italian Boxing Sensation
His Hard-core Fighting Style
Captured the Heart of the Entire Nation

The Greatest Heavyweight Champ
Had the Nickname of “The Rock”
He Could Take a Solid Punch,
for his Chin was an Iron Block

His Forte was his Toughness,
Often Fighting through the Blood
And when his Punches Landed
They did so with a Thud

He Rose to Title Contention
Beating Joe Louis on the Way
To Get a Shot at Walcott
In ’52 Came his Day

It was September Twenty-third
In the City of Brotherly Love
Though Walcott gave a Fight
Rock finally rose above

Knocked to the Seat of his Pants
And Cut Around the Eyes
He Waded through the Punches
As if They Were from Flies

As the 13th Round Began
The Rock’s Chances were Running Low
He needed a KO to win
Which He got with Single Blow

He Threw a Short Right Hand
That Walcott Never Saw
The Lights Had Been Turned Off
The Moment it Struck his Jaw

The Rock Made Six Defenses
Before Hanging Up the Gloves
He was a Quiet, Prideful Champion
That Every Fan Still Loves

He Retired Undefeated
Going 49 and 0
With 43 of his Wins
Coming by KO

The Only Time He Lost
And it Proved to be the First
When his Airplane Struck a Tree
And Into Flames it Burst

It’s Been Thirty Years
Since We Laid the Rock to Rest
Champs Have Come and Gone
But he’ll Always be the Best

Tony Penecale – 1999

Rocky Marciano
Published from the South Philadelphia Italian Newsletter – 2004

It’s been 35 years since a tragic plane crash took the life of heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano. 48 years have tolled by since he retired undefeated, the only champion to finish his career with a perfect record in over 100 years of gloved boxing. His record of 49-0 still stands today. His is consistently placed in all reputable Top Ten lists of the great heavyweight champions, including those composed by Ali, Foreman, and Frazier. And yet his legacy and spirit continue to battle for the recognition he deserves.

There is a trend usually among those who equate greatness with color film, whether it be old movies or old fighters, to dismiss Marciano’s claim to glory as a fabrication of his fans. Ignorant of history, and lacking the motivation to reverse their ignorance, they happily conclude the Rock is overrated. To bolster their contention, they claim he was too small, too awkward, too anything their favorite fighter is not. They fail to se that overcoming such obvious short-comings is a mark of greatness.

Among modern critics, there is a fallacy to shunt Marciano aside as if her were an obscure fighter turned into a legend by fans years after the fact. They distrust the journalist and critics of an earlier day, those who sat at ringside and saw Marciano take a terrible beating from Walcott, only to come back and knock the champion off his throne with one of the most devastating punches to ever encounter a human jaw. Lesser scribes of a disillusioned era discount the words of masters of sports writing such as A.J. Liebling, who saw the man fight, not on faded black and white films but in the flesh, under the harsh lights, in bouts that were not lines in a record book but were the stuff of high drama, without foregone conclusions.

To fairly assess Marciano, we must rely on his standing in the era. Did he become great only in retrospect? Did his tragic death at an early age lift him above the stature he had achieved with deeds? The answer to both questions is “no” and the proof was established while the man still lived.

One need only to go through the writings of the time, the old newspaper and magazines, the words set to paper hours after the event, to get a feel of his impact on the boxing world. Were Rocky so overrated, how did he burn so brightly among the other bright stars of his time? Sugar Ray Robinson was there; Willie Pep, Sandy Saddler, Archie Moore were active. It was not a time of bogus titles and “champions” standing in the ring with a half dozen belts draped over their shoulders like confetti, and worth about as much. The champions had to fight the contenders, and there weren’t a baker’s dozen Top Ten lists from which to pick and chose the least dangerous opponent. It was a time of better math, when there could only be one number one contender, one number two contender, and so-forth and so-on in a logic so simple and pure it boggles the mind we don’t accept it today.

In such an era, and among such competition, Marciano was named Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year threw times; in 1952, 1954, and 1955. Only Joe Louis (4 times) and Muhammad Ali (5 times) earned Fighter of the Year more often than Marciano.

Rocky was a humble man who seldom banged his own drum and hoped his deeds in the ring would speak for him. And were his deeds not enough, other fighters have spoken.
George Foreman said, “Just look at Rocky’s record. Nobody beat him. You can’t take that away from him.” Archie Moore recalled,” He had more stamina than anyone. He was like a bull with boxing gloves. He was the strongest man, bar none, I ever met in the ring, and I fought some strong men.” Jack Dempsey asserted, “Rocky Marciano is the hardest-hitting heavyweight champion I have seen.” Joe Frazier said, “He was a great fighter and a great man.” And Ali said, “He could take a punch and would just keep coming. He was rugged, a great fighter.”

I am reminded of something Marciano said after speaking at a school. The kids asked how he would do against then current champion, Floyd Patterson. Picture Rocky, somewhat reserved, unwilling to boast or put down another fighter, as he replied, “If I said I could beat him, I’d be bragging. If I said I couldn’t, I’d be lying.”

And if we say Rocky was one of the greatest fighters of all time, it might be bragging, but to say otherwise is surely a lie.

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WEIGHTS AND FINAL QUOTES FOR PLYMOUTH, MA BRAWL AT THE HALL BOXING SHOW

Posted on | June 11, 2009 | No Comments

WEIGHTS FROM PLYMOUTH

Chris Traietti 174 ½ LBS.

Shawn Kirk 175 LBS.

Benny Lescarbeau 170 ½ LBS.

Norman Johnson 168 LBS.

Jesse Barboza 223 ½ LBS.

Orion Sistrunk 258 LBS.

Alexsandra Magdziak Lopes 153 ½ LBS.

Bessie Rowell 160 LBS.

Paul Gonsalves 174 LBS.

Huston Crayton 181 LBS.

AMATEUR BOUTS

ADAM MEDEIROS 154 LBS. KEENAN MOSES

New Bedford, MA Providence, RI

TNT Kickboxing Big Six Academy

ANTHONY MARCELLE 125 LBS. CHRIS WRIGLEY

Providence, RI Middleboro, MA

Team Tillinghast Boxing Club Gomes Boxing Club

KATE NICKLES 135 LBS. STEPHANE STEEVE

Middleboro, MA Winsor, VT

Gomes Boxing Club Winsor Boxing Club

DAVON SHELTON 125 LBS. MICHAEL BRIGGS

Providence, RI Worcester, MA

Big Six Boxing Academy Worcester Boys Club

RASHANE DOYLE 160 LBS. NEIL SULLIVAN

South Boston, MA Worcester, MA

South Boston Boxing Club Worcester Boys Club

PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

Shawn Kirk: “CES puts on great shows and I’m pleased to be here.”

Benny Lescarbeau: “I’d like to thank Norman for coming up here. I’m excited about this. I’d also like to thank Mark (trainer Vaz) for getting me ready.”

Norman Johnson: “I’ve heard nothing but good things about Benny. I’m excited about tomorrow night.”

Alexsandra Magziak Lopes: “I’m happy to be fighting here again. I had my first fight here and it was a lot of fun. We’ve had a great training camp. I’d like to thank my opponent for taking this fight. I’m ready and can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Bessie Rowell: “I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Paul Gonsalves: “I want to thank CES for putting me on this show. I’m looking forward to putting on a good show tomorrow night.”

Huston Crayton: “I’ve been thinking about this fight long and hard. I’m going to try to hit him as much as possible without him hitting me. That’s my game plan.”

Jessie Barboza: “I know my opponent has come to fight, hot lay down for anybody. When he started boxing I was still playing with Ninja Turtles. I know he means business. I’m going to put on a good show.”

Orion Sistrunk: “This is a wonderful opportunity. I wish my opponent well. I’m going to put on a good show.”

“BRAWL AT THE HALL” FACT SHEET

Name: “Brawl At The Hall” Pro-Am Card

Date: Friday night, June 12, 2009

Venue: Memorial Hall, Plymouth, Massachusetts

Promoter: Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc.

Tickets: (includes $3.00 surcharge per ticket) $38.00 (Bronze), $48.00 (Silver), and $78.00 (Jimmy’s Platinum Club). To purchase call CES (401.724.2253/2254) or on sale at the Memorial Hall box office.

Information: Contact CES (401.724.2253/2254/www.cesboxing.com) for more information. Doors open at 6:00 PM/ET, first bout at 7:00 PM/ET.

MAYWEATHER AND MARQUEZ INVITE RESPECTIVE PRESIDENTS TO THEIR JULY 18 NUMBER ONE/NUMERO UNO BOUT AT THE MGM GRAND IN LAS VEGAS

Posted on | June 11, 2009 | No Comments

LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW

LAS VEGAS (June 11, 2009) – Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez hope to unite the stately leaders the United States of America and Mexico by inviting their respective Presidents Barack Obama and Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa to their Saturday, July 18 Mayweather vs. Marquez: “Number One/Numero Uno,” mega-fight at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. The bout will be broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

“It would be amazing to have President Obama ringside for my fight,” said Mayweather. “With all of these patriotic holidays coming up, and the fact that I met him when he was campaigning to become President, I wanted to extend an invitation to the fight as my congratulations for his knock-out victory.”

“President Calderon is a true statesman for our country and it would be an honor for me to have him come to the fight,” said Marquez. “Mayweather is the biggest challenge of my career and having my president there to witness my victory that night would be bigger than the victory itself.”

In addition to the Presidents, Mayweather has also invited Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the Senate Majority Leader and a long-standing supporter and fan of the sweet science, to the fight. Reid also hosted Mayweather on Capitol Hill after the fighter’s triumph over Oscar de la Hoya in May 2007.

Mayweather vs. Marquez -“Number One/Numero Uno,” is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Marquez Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and Southwest Airlines. The 12-round welterweight bout will take place July 18th at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Mayweather vs. Marquez pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $49.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Mayweather vs. Marquez fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.

Tickets priced at $1,000, $750, $600 and $300, not including applicable service charges, are on sale now. Ticket sales at $1,000, $750, $600 and $300 are limited to a total ticket limit of 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800)745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

HBO’s Emmy®-Award-winning all-access reality series “24/7” returns to HBO® with an all new edition as “Mayweather/Marquez 24/7” premieres Saturday, June 27 at 9:30 p.m. The four-episode series will chronicle the preparations and back stories of both fighters as they train for their July 18 pay-per-view showdown.

ARMY RANGER AND GREEN BERET TIM KENNEDY RETURNS TO MMA TO FACE NICK “THE GOAT’’ THOMPSON

Posted on | June 11, 2009 | No Comments

At ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash., Friday, June 19,

First Non-Televised Bout Is 6 P.M. PT; Live on SHOWTIME® At 11 p.m. ET/PT

NEW YORK (June 11, 2009) — You’ve heard of Army Tough? Well, meet Tim Kennedy, a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter-turned-college graduate-turned-Green Beret-turned-MMA fighter who is about to embark on another mission – winning a championship.

“That’s the goal,’’ he said. “I want one of those shiny MMA belts.’’

A fighter fans will want to watch closely, Kennedy is the second of three children who grew up in San Luis Obispo, Calif. He attended Eagle Academy, a private high school in nearby Atascadero, where he participated in numerous club sports and, for fun, took a class in Jiu-Jitsu and kick-boxing.

After high school, Kennedy attended Columbia College in Missouri where he majored in criminal justice. He graduated in 2002.

During his final years in college, Kennedy, a “tough guy but not a troublemaker’’ turned his attention to MMA. But after winning five of six starts between 2001-03, including a victory over highly regarded Jason “Mayhem’’ Miller, Kennedy left behind a promising career to fight a much different kind of fight. Kennedy enlisted in the Army.

At the time he was ranked in the top 10 at middleweight. “The events of 9/11 had a huge impact on me,’’ said Kennedy, who joined the Army in 2003 — after graduating college. He went to Iraq, became an Army Ranger and went on to become one of the most elite soldiers in the world when he moved to the Special Forces.

“I believed someone should do something to benefit our country,’’ he said. “It wasn’t like I was living the best life anyway so I thought ‘let’s do something constructive and challenge myself.’ ’’

Kennedy had one goal when he enlisted. “I wanted to become a Special Forces Green Beret,’’ he said. “My combat deployment included trips to Iraq, Afghanistan and other places I can’t talk about. The army was very tough. I’m not bragging or trying to be cool but I got a Bronze Star for action in combat (a sign of meritorious service) in Afghanistan and Iraq, but I can’t say much about it or exactly why.

“I did some things, volunteered for some assignments, that only a few in the population would ever even consider, much less finish. I went the places no one wanted to go.

“I can say that very, very few did what I did; maybe about 0.1 percent of the entire military. I knew personally almost all of them. It’s a very small community. When one dies, we all die.’’

In 2006-07, Kennedy was allowed to do double-duty. A staff sergeant who trained future Special Forces soldiers at Fort Bragg, his military home since he enlisted, Kennedy got permission to continue to pursue an MMA career. He went 5-1 during that span, losing only to Miller on points in a rematch.

Now, however, Kennedy (9-2) is preparing to go at MMA on a full-time basis. On Friday, June 19, he will make his first start in more than two and half years when he faces Nick “The Goat’’ Thompson in what could be the toughest MMA fight of his career in one of the featured attractions on Strikeforce Challengers at the ShoWare Center at Kent, Wash., live on SHOWTIME® (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast). The first non-televised, preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m. PT.

“I only have a certain amount of years to pursue my athletic endeavors and I feel I have what it takes to make it in MMA,’’ said the 29-year-old Kennedy who has fought just 11 times since losing his pro debut to Scott “Hands Of Steel’’ Smith on Aug. 31, 2001.

“Because of my military commitments, I couldn’t fight full-time. But it is time to take a break and move into another era of life. The military is trying to come up with a way for me stay in the Army and fight full-time. But there’s always a strong chance I’ll go back. I miss doing my job.’’

Kennedy, who recently concluded his latest tour of duty overseas, says there are discussions taking place in Washington, D.C., that would permit him to fight MMA and remain in the military.

“I’d be the first pro fighter to represent or by employed by any armed forces as an MMA fighter,’’ he said. “We’ll have to see how that goes, but I would sure love to still be able to fight MMA and stay in uniform representing the armed forces.’’

As one might imagine, Kennedy is an aggressive, determined, durable, well-conditioned fighter. Kennedy’s most recent fights were in the defunct International Fighting League (IFL).

His IFL debut came against Dante Rivera. “I won (by submission) in the second round,’’ he said, “but I’d only had 48 hours notice and was just a week out of Ranger school, which was one of the most physically damaging camps one could imagine. Some weren’t even able to walk when it was over.

“So winning that IFL fight was a great thing.”

After his last outing, a two-minute, first-round knockout over Elias Rivera on Dec. 29, 2007, Kennedy volunteered to go to Afghanistan. “They asked me to do a mission. I qualified for it, so I went,’’ he said.

Kennedy has scars on his upper shoulders and back from shell casings that he says literally melted while the Afghanies were shooting at him. “The last time I was really scared came in October 2008 while I was in Afghanistan,’’ he said. “I lost 30 pounds in two weeks.’’

The 5-foot-11 Kennedy, who is married with two daughters, knows it is unrealistic to try and compare life in the surreal conditions that is a war zone to a fight in a cage.

“Neither job is easy, obviously. But for totally different reasons,’’ said Kennedy, who has trained with, among others, Chuck Liddell. “We’ll see how it goes the next two years in MMA. This isn’t something I’m going to rush into. I’ve fought heavyweight, light heavyweight and now middleweight. If I get knocked down, I’ll get right up. But I am super excited and plan to commit myself totally to MMA and see where it takes me.

“I feel a true sense of accomplishment for everything I did in the service, becoming a Green Beret, graduating from Special Forces. I’m proud of what I did. But my focus now is on MMA.’’

Some would regard Kennedy as a war hero, but when asked if he considered himself one, Kennedy paused a few seconds before saying, “I don’t consider myself a hero; in fact, I don’t know what that is. But I think everyone can be one and that there are heroes in every walk of life.

“I’m asked to do a lot of public speaking, but I’ve been shying away from that recently, mostly because I know there is a lot more for me to do. I’ve had as many opportunities as any and came out well. There are some things that happened to me in combat and in life that I’m not real proud of, but it’s how you respond that really matters.

“If there are some who feel I’m a role model, then that’s something I’ll take very seriously. I know I have been an influence on some, but I usually tell them all the same thing, ‘Every day you are faced with decisions to make when no one is looking. You need to weigh the options and avoid the little mistakes.’

“I do not want to embarrass or let anybody down, in or out of the cage, especially my family and friends. I have very strong morals. I’m a born-again believer and I take responsibility in the way I live.

“Obviously, discipline is a major factor and now that I am going full-time in MMA, I need to execute it like I did in the military. I really want to see how far I can go with this. There may be some setbacks and I may not win them all, but the end result will be that I am setting myself up for success.’’

Kennedy’s opponent on Friday, June 19, fights for justice on a daily basis. Thompson, who is making his Strikeforce debut, is a lawyer. He took his bar exam two days after a fight in July 2008 and got word he had passed approximately three months later.

A talented fighter with a ton of experience, Thompson has fought the likes of Jake Shields, Paul “Semtex’’ Daley, Eddie Alvarez and Karo Parisyan. Thompson has won two straight, including a victory over “Semtex’’ in his last start on Feb. 20, 2009.

In the June main event, “Smokin” Joe Villasenor of Albuquerque, N.M., faces Evangelista “Cyborg” of Rondonopolis Mato Grosso, Brazil, in a clash of top-notch middleweights.

Other bouts on SHOWTIME: Cory “The One” Devela of Bonney Lake, Wash., faces Luke Rockhold of Santa Cruz, Calif. (middleweights), Sarah Kaufman of Victoria, Canada, takes on Shayna “The Queen Of Spades” Baszler of Sioux Falls, S.D., in a 135-pound women’s fight and Jorge Gurgel of Cincinnati, Ohio, will collide with Conor “Hurricane” Heun of Boulder, Colo., in a 155-pound scrap.

ShoWare Center doors will open for the Strikeforce Challengers event at 5:30 p.m. PT on June 19.

In non-televised fights: Lyle “Fancy Pants’’ Beerbohm of Yelm, Wash., meets Duane “Bang” Ludwig of Denver, Colo. (lightweights), Dennis “Superman’’ Hallman of Yelm, Wash., faces Cedric “Spider Man’’ Marks (welterweights), Brian Caraway of Seattle throws down with Alex Zuniga, Landon Showalter takes on Travis “The Praying Mantis’’ Doerge (middleweights), Len Bentley of Irvine, Wash., confronts Marques Daniels and Steve Hadsel collides with Taylor Roberts.

Tickets for the Strikeforce Challengers event, priced from $32, are on sale at the ShoWare Center Box Office (253-856-6999 or 877-840-0457), online at ShoWareCenter.com, and at www.strikeforce.com.

Strikeforce’s MMA fight card at the Tacoma Dome on Feb. 28, 2008, produced the largest live gate in the history of any boxing, MMA, or kickboxing event in Washington State.

For information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive video, photos and news links on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and Strikeforce mixed martial arts telecasts, along with access to the SHOWTIME Sports Facebook® and Twitter® pages, please go to http://Sports.Sho.com.

About Strikeforce 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 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 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.

FERRANTE-BAILEY HEADLINES SHALYTE INAUGURAL CARD ON JULY 10TH AT THE ARENA IN PHILADELPHIA

Posted on | June 11, 2009 | No Comments

Philadelphia (June 10, 2009)—On Friday night July 10th the action will be as hot inside the ring as it will be outside as Tony Ferrante of Northeast Philadelphia risks his undefeated record when he takes on the tough Billy Bailey for the WBF United States Light Heavyweight championship that will take place at The Arena in South Philadelphia on July 10th.

This show is promoter by former pro fighter Blaine Garner and Shalyte Entertainmnet.

Ferrante of Northeast Philadelphia has a perfect record of 7-0 with four knockouts and has quickly developed into one of the most popular fighters in Philadelphia.

Ferrante is on a three fight knockout streak which includes his last outing when he stopped Anthony Pietantonio (6-1) in five rounds on May 1st at The Legendary Blue Horizon.

Bailey is no stranger to pulling off upsets in Philadelphia. He has a record of 8-3 with three knockouts which includes his last outing where he stopped Philly’s own Brian Cohen (9-1) in Cohen’s backyard of South Philadelphia.

The native of Bakersfield, California has been in with prospects Roger Cantrell (12-1) and Brandon Gonzalez (4-0) so many in the Philadelphia fight scene believe this is a pick’em fight.

The co-feature will be a six round Super Featherweight affair between Coy Evans of Philadelphia and the durable Darrell Martin of Baltimore.

Evans has a record of 4-0-1 with his last outing being a four round unanimous decision over Jose Espinal (5-3-1) in Brooklyn, New York on February 2nd.

Although he is from Baltimore, Martin is more or less a Philadelphia fighter as six of his thirteen (4-9, 1 KO) fights have come inside the Philadelphia city limits.

Martin scored his career best win when he stopped Jules Blackwell (8-1-2) in three rounds last December at The Legendary Blue Horizon.

The ladies will be front and center on July 10 as two big bouts featuring females will take place.

Jackie Davis, 1-0 with one knockout will look to build on her pro debut knockout on March 13th when she battles Rachel Clark (2-1, 2 KO’s) of Colombia, South Carolina in a four round Welterweight bout.

The very Popular Olivia Fonseca (2-2-2, 1 KO) of Philadelphia returns after a ten month hiatus when she takes on the capable Lisa Bolin (2-2, 2 KO’s) of South Carolina in a four round Welterweight bout.

Fresh off his exciting pro debut on May 8th, Derrick Webster (1-0) of Glassboro, New Jersey will take on Roger Locklear (1-2) of South Carolina in a four round Middleweight bout.

In a battle of pro debuting Heavyweight, Kareem Harrison of Philadelphia battles Winston Thorpe of North Carolina.

Also making his pro debut will be Angel Ocassio in a four round Lightweight bout.

THE ARENA IS LOCATED ON THE CORNER OF SWANSON AND RITNER STREETS IN SOUTH PHILADELPHIA

Tickets for this exciting night of boxing cost $45 for advanced; $60 for Ringside; $65 for VIP and can be purchased by Calling The Arena at 267-687-7560; Shalyte Promotions at 215-287-7949 or Le Crown Barbershop at 215-927-5027

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