Open Letter from Irish Ropes Promotions

Posted on | March 30, 2009 | No Comments

After reading some derogatory stories unfairly criticizing Irish Ropes Promotions for canceling its March 16th scheduled “Erin Go Brawl II” pro boxing show at WaMu Theater in Madison Square Garden, I am compelled to set the record straight about why we pulled the plug 10 days out and to explain what really happened leading up to the final decision.

First, though, I’d like to offer my condolences to Liam Neeson, and his family, for the loss of his wife. He attended several of the shows we promoted and I met him at many Irish benefits. Liam is a great man.

I’d also like to congratulate Bernard Dunne on his great world-title winning performance last weekend and also to his promoter, Brian Peters, and trainer, Harry Hawkins – you reap what you sow! I’d also like to congratulate Mathew Macklin for winning the British middleweight championship, Paul McClosky for successfully defending his British title, and Andy Lee for his good performance.

I am, however, disappointed by what Lee said in newspapers back home about our show being canceled. I had a choice of losing $50,000 by canceling when we did, or to potentially lose $250,000 to go ahead. I was not under any contractual obligation to any of the fighters and chose to take the lesser hit.

The poor economy in New York and back in Ireland played a part in poor advance ticket sales, but the real reason for it was Team Lee. Let’s review the situation leading up to the cancellation. My first call to Manny Steward was for Lee to fight Walid Smichet. He agreed and it was even listed on Boxrec.com. Damien McCann, who is in charge of making deals for Lee, said they would take the fight but not for $30,000. Negotiations went back and forth for a few weeks and we finally agreed on $50,000, $4000 in comps (tickets), plus another $10,000 if the gross gate receipts were more than $425,000.

But then Lee said he wouldn’t fight Smichet because he knew about the animosity between Irish Ropes and John Duddy and he didn’t want to embarrass Duddy by fighting Smichet. Well, as it turned out, fans weren’t interested in buying tickets to watch Lee fight somebody that hadn’t won any of his last eight fights, Antwun Echols, who hasn’t won since 2004 and was knocked out the same night Andy fought in Ireland. Lee ridiculed us for the way we promoted the show and he even trashed the traditional Irish pub we had the press conference at, Jack Dempsey’s, where Gerry Cooney had his press conferences in the old days, as well as John Duddy and James Moore, and even a press conference for a documentary about Billy Collins was held there.

We promoted “Erin Go Brawl II” the same way we promoted any of our shows at Madison Square Garden. People simply weren’t buying tickets to see Lee fight a non-competitive fight against Echols. When I decided to pull the plug on the show, 10 days before the scheduled event, we had sold only 1500 tickets, approximately $130,000 worth, compared to $400,000 at the same time for our previous show (“Erin Go Brawl”) there. Bars that normally sell 300-400 tickets had sold only 20-30 for this one and nobody was going in or calling for tickets. It was inevitable and although I was terribly disappointed, I really didn’t have much of a choice about canceling the show.

Lee goes and talks to papers back home ridiculing me, saying he had to find-out from a third party that the show had been canceled. Within 10 minutes of deciding to cancel the show, I called, in order, the commission (New York State Athletic Commission), Madison Square Garden, (Irish-based boxing promoter) Brian Peters to ask if he could put Andy on his card, and then to Emanuel Steward. I told him the bad news was our show was canceled, but the good news was Andy would be fighting on Peters’ show in Ireland a week later than our show was scheduled. Andy Lee was with Emanuel.

Looking back at what happened, there was also a lot of bitterness about boxing in the Irish community (in New York City) resulting from a very negative article written by Thomas Hauser, of Team Duddy. My hands are tied on the advice of my attorney, but when everything is settled in court, I guarantee you the truth will come out on that subject.

We took the high road and didn’t blast anybody in the media for what’s happened to Irish Ropes Promotions. Too many lies and mistruths have been told, so I felt there was a need to explain everything from our side.

Regards,

Eddie McLoughlin,

Irish Ropes Promotions, President

-IRP-

CARLOS HERNANDEZ, VICENTE ESCOBEDO, JESSE JAMES LEIJA, AND IGNACIO BERISTAIN CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT

Posted on | March 27, 2009 | 1 Comment

March 25, 2009

Richard Schaefer: Good morning, good afternoon, everyone. We have only a little more than a week to go to truly an exciting lightweight showdown featuring some of the most recognized names in the lightweight division. We have with Jesus Chavez, Carlos Hernandez, and Julio Diaz three stars of the sport fighting against opponents, who want to make names for themselves, who want to really move up in the rankings and stake a claim eventually for a world title fight. And then, of course, in the main event with Edwin Valero and Antonio Pitalua. We have a great showdown with a very, very tough Mexican fighter, Antonio Pitalua, and Edwin Valero, sort of like a cult fighter who has a tremendous following within the boxing community. And I think it’s going to be a great night of boxing with these four lightweight battles. It’s going to be April 4 at the Frank Erwin Center in at the University of Texas in Austin, a great campus, a great town for those people who are going to go there, to see the fights live. It’s going to be the first time for me, but I hear it’s a tremendous atmosphere there, a great, great – a beautiful town, Austin. The fight is going to be shown live on pay-per-view beginning at 9:00 pm ET and 6:00 pm PT. It is going to be distributed by HBO. Tickets to the event are still available. Ticket demand has been brisk. We are expecting a great and large turnout in Austin. The Texas fans loves boxing, embrace boxing, and create a great atmosphere, live atmosphere in the venue.

Tickets are priced between $25, $35, $50, $70, $100, $150, and $200, so really for any and all budgets, there are seats available. And to be able to see this kind of card with those four great events, including the WBC World Lightweight title for $25 is almost like going to a movie, a great price for a great, great sporting event sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and Southwest Airlines.

I would like to welcome now the people we have on the phone – we have Carlos Famoso Hernandez and his trainer, Jesse James Leija, and Vicente Escobedo and his trainer, Nacho Beristain. I’m going to turn it first to Vicente to make some opening comments and then to Carlos and then we are going to open it up to the media who have any questions to the fighters or their trainers. I just want to quickly make a note as well, we are looking forward to see Jesse James Leija again. He is – he was a tremendous fighter, tremendous champion. He’s just a really great guy and I’m very pleased to see that he is training Famoso Hernandez.

And, of course, my good friend, Nacho Beristain, a legendary trainer who recently guided Juan Manuel Marquez to a great victory over Juan Diaz and so it’s great to have Nacho on the phone as well. But now let’s move to Vicente Escobedo. He’s a rising lightweight star from Woodland, California, with a record of 19 and 1, 2004 US Olympian, and he’s coming off the most impressive win of his professional career, a six-round stoppage of the unbeaten Dominic Salcido, which was last September 26.

So please, Vicente, if you want to say a few words, how your camp has been going and any other comments you have, please go ahead. So it is a pleasure for me now to turn it over to a former world champion, the greatest fighter ever to come out of El Salvador who lives now in San Antonio, Texas. And he is training with Jesse James Leija, as I mentioned to you already. He has – after a two-year layoff, he came back with a win and he really has started his campaign, which hopefully will bring him to another world championship.

He is determined. He’s hungry, as he was in the beginning of his career because he wants to show everyone out there that he still has it to become world champion again in a division where there is a lot of great, great fights out there. So please, Carlos Famoso Hernandez, why don’t you make some opening statements and talk a bit about your training.

Carlos Hernandez: Thank you very much for having me here. Thank you, Mr. Schaefer, and all of the media here and for Golden Boy Promotions for believing in me and giving me this opportunity with a young rising star like Vicente Escobedo, who we know – we all know is the future of boxing. But we have to work to win. This guy is a good, hungry young fighter, but what I have in my corner is experience. And that’s what we’re going to bring to the table.

Richard Schaefer: Great. Thank you. Jesse, do you want to say a few words, please?

Jesse James Leija: First of all, I would like to say hello to Richard Schaefer and hello to the great promoters at Golden Boy. I’m excited about this. I’m so excited for Carlos Hernandez getting a second opportunity to get back to the world title. And I know Vicente Escobedo, who’s a young, young, energized fighter. But, I see it that he’s going to be heavily tested in this fight. I almost see it as when I fought Juan Lazcano, when I fought Hector Camacho, Jr., when I fought Francisco Bojado where I think these guys are coming in too quick, too soon, to fight a veteran fighter as in Carlos. And, I know he has a great trainer and I just think that right now it’s going to be experience that’s going to prevail over Vicente Escobedo. And we’re training hard. We’re not taking shortcuts. Carlos is in here, he’s been training for the last six months I think. And he’s ready to go. And we’re anxious and we’re excited about fighting on this great card.

Vicente Escobedo: Well, I would like to thank Golden Boy, thank you guys for this opportunity to be on this card, it’s a dream. I’ve been dreaming about this for – since I started boxing. And now the time has come. Things have been going good. I just – training has been going really, really good up here in Mexico City. I want to thank Nacho Beristain, for the preparation and the hard work that I’ve been working. And it’s an important fight for me because Carlos Hernandez is a former world champion, a great fighter. I mean, starting as a professional, I remember watching him fight and to me, to have this opportunity, it’s huge, and, we definitely have a tough fight in front of us and we’re training hard and we’re ready, we’re prepared I’m just – I’m so excited and I’d just like to thank everyone for this opportunity.

Q: Okay, the first question is directed to Richard. Originally the card was announced with four fights. Two of those fights have changed. What is that what were the changes due to?

Richard Schaefer: Well, I mean, there still are going to be four fights. You have the Valero vs. Pitalua main event. Carlos Famoso Hernandez, who was supposed to fight Barrios, has been replaced by Vicente Escobedo. And in many ways, this is really an opportunity for a young and rising star to take on one of the true stars of the sport with Famoso Hernandez. And for Famoso Hernandez, it obviously is an opportunity as well to turn back the tide as we have seen recently, with Shane Mosley and you saw it with Bernard Hopkins where the veterans shows the younger fighters, who is the man. And Carlos Hernandez wants to basically show the same and make a strong case that he is willing to take on any and everyone. So, I mean, I really have to thank our matchmaker, Eric Gomez and Roberto Diaz who have come up with such a great fight. And then, of course, we have Joel Casamayor, who was supposed to fight Julio Diaz. He got injured. And, again with Rolando Reyes, our matchmakers found somebody who deserves the opportunity to be in the ring with Julio Diaz. And we anticipate that that will be a great showdown as well. So it still is four fights. It still is great action. It still is some of the biggest and best names in the lightweight division today.

Q: Now the second question is to Carlos Hernandez. Carlos, 39-years-old, you’re facing a much younger opponent in Vicente Escobedo. You mentioned something about the car accident. Do you think that’s going to affect you or bother you? Or how is that going to play into this fight?

Carlos Hernandez: I am fighting a much tougher opponent in Vicente Escobedo because now I’m fighting a young, hungry fighter, a younger fighter who has a tremendous corner and all due respect to the corner and to Escobedo and his team, but that makes me train harder and to know that I have a younger, stronger, faster, opponent, but to show who I am, I’ll go in there and be ready for this fight.

Q: Vicente, do you think that the audience being predominately Mexican, Mexican American, will have more support for you in Austin, Texas over Carlos Hernandez, who hails from El Salvador.

Vicente Escobedo: Look, the fans are going to go out there, enjoy great fights and good fights that night and we’re both going to have our supporters. It’s going to be divided. And, it’s not going to make a difference or affect either/or to who the fans go for or have Mexican Americans in my favor.

.

Q: I had a point of clarification before I had a question. Actually I don’t think Carlos was born in El Salvador. I think he’s of Salvadoran descent. Isn’t that right, Carlos?

Carlos Hernandez: That’s correct.

Q: Yeah. I just wanted to point that out, Richard. I know your media information when you had the press conference here had him from El Salvador, but he’s actually born in California I think. Anyway, be that as it may, Carlos, I know you’ve lived in San Antonio for a while. And I think I asked you this before, but what happened in the couple of fights you fought in San Antonio a couple years ago? Probably not your best efforts, and I think you took some time- you kind of retired after the Kevin Kelley fight, correct?

Carlos Hernandez: Yeah, that’s correct. What I needed was a fresh start. I needed a change. And that’s why we’re here. I came to Jesse James Leija’s gym and found inspiration. I found that I was rejuvenated and I feel great.

It’s a beautiful town, like San Antonio is. Jesse James and I hope San Antonio’s going to do the same to me, they could open their arms to me, after fighting and beating Escobedo.

Q: Were you just feeling like- you fought this guy at the Charro Ranch here, it was like in a bull ring I think. Isn’t that right?

Carlos Hernandez: Yes.

Q: And then Kevin Kelley, were you just, rusty, you just hadn’t fought much? What was going on in those fights?

Carlos Hernandez: It was more like just going through the motions of boxing, just because I have to do it. It wasn’t something that I wanted to do. It was just something that at the end I said well, let’s do it. It’s not like I really mentally prepared for a fight.And – but I didn’t want to back down or back out of a fight. It was that I just said, let’s do it, let’s take it. I am confident in getting a win. And what happened. But our mindset is different for this fight. Of course, with the guy having Nacho Beristain in his corner is something else, Vicente Escobedo alone is – he’s a good, tremendous fighter. But now with Nacho in his corner, it’s a big thing. And we’re expecting the best from Escobedo. He’s not just going for a gold medal or a world title. He’s going for it all April 4.

Q: Yeah. Hey, James, what do you see in the gym with Carlos right now? Does he look like a guy who’s got something left?

Jesse James Leija: Oh, yeah, definitely. What I see in him, Carlos is a guy who is eager to learn and who’s just tenacious in there. He’s just nonstop. We have to – sometimes I have to slow him down and give him some easy days because he’s just working very hard to get there. And he looks like a young fighter. And that’s what you want to see, a guy with a lot of drive, a lot of talent, a guy that wants to succeed in the ring and win in the ring at all costs.

And that’s what every trainer wants in every fighter is to have that drive and the will to win. And that’s what he has. And that makes it – it makes my job easy when you have that type of fighter.

Q: My question is for both Carlos and Vicente. And Carlos, you can go first. Do you see this fight with Escobedo as a crossroads bout? Do either of you believe that you’re at a crossroads in your careers?

Carlos Hernandez: Yeah, for me, of course it is. I mean, it’s not like I’m Escobedo’s age. So to me, I’m pretty much backed into a corner and have to fight my way out of it. But Escobedo still has a future in boxing. So for me, it’s, of course, it’s really, it’s to do or die for me. And it kind of reminds me of when I was up and coming fighting against an old veteran as Goyo Vargas and beating Goyo Vargas. And that’s what opened the doors for me. So I see a young lion coming, wanting to fight against the old lion. But, we’re just going to have to wait and see till April 4 and let the bell sound and fireworks should explode.

Q: Vicente, do you think it’s a crossroads or do you feel that you, even though you’re a young guy, do you feel that maybe this is a must-win fight for you?

Vicente Escobedo: Yeah, definitely, it’s a must-win fight, even though definitely not a crossroads fight for me. Like you say, I’m a young fighter, and it’s really a huge opportunity for me. This is my moment. This is my moment and I – and I’m going to go in there and step in that ring and give it all I got, give it 100%, leave it in the ring. And I know I got a tough, tough fight against Carlos Hernandez, so we’re prepared. We’re ready, hungry. And it’s going to be a good, good fight.And like Carlos said, the bell rings and you’re going to see, two fighters just go at it. And, it’s going to be a great, great fight. So I’m really, really excited.

Q: Would you say that Hernandez is the most formidable opponent you’ve faced in your professional career?

Vicente Escobedo: Definitely, definitely. I believe so.

Q: What is that your other opponents haven’t brought to the ring?

Vicente Escobedo: I think the last one, I fought against Dominic Salcido. It was a tough fight, too you know? And he was a good boxer and everything, but, I just felt, in my heart the whole time that as long as I had a good punch on him, I was going to hurt him. I just thought I was much stronger than him. And now the opportunity with Carlos, I know he’s a strong fighter. He’s proved that. And I’ve seen him in action and he’s a really, really strong fighter. I mean, the guy is, going to stay in there and fight me? It’s going to be a fight. And then so I definitely (believe) that it is going to be the toughest fight that I have so far.

Q: Does it mean anything to you — and this is my last question. Does it add anything to you to beat someone who has held a world title and somebody who’s fought the best over the last two decades, somebody who actually has a name for himself?

Vicente Escobedo: Definitely. I mean, Carlos Hernandez, he had a world title. All those fights, he’s fought, Mayweather, Kevin Kelley everyone, just he has such a big resume with just fighters that – great fighters that he’s fought, a win over Carlos Hernandez would just, skyrocket my career, would blossom my career and it’s huge to me. And, I think it’s just a huge opportunity to have this opportunity and fight Carlos Hernandez. And a win over Carlos Hernandez would just benefit me.

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Q: Hey Vicente this is the biggest challenge and it’s kind of a make-or-break fight for your career, but also coming up in the sport, were you ever a fan of Famoso and kind of what his life story has been like, the being homeless and fighting his way through and winning a world title? Were you ever a fan of his?

Vicente Escobedo: I remember, I wont forget this because, Carlos is a good person. Everyone has nothing but good things to say about him. I remember the first time I was going to turn pro, I went to the Wild boxinng card and I was watching Carlos Hernandez spar. And, I was watching him spar and like man, this guy is just – it looks like I fight. I mean, I’m serious. And I was just like amazed of, just this is sparring. It looked like a fight. And I remember him coming down to the ring and they introduce me and he shook my hand and, told me, hey, turn pro with a lot of respect. He was just, he just shook my hand, said good luck, and train hard. He was just giving me good advice. And like I got to say that I am, I am a fan of Carlos Hernandez.

Q: And Carlos, what about Vicente as a young fighter impresses you the most about him and what he’s been able to do?

Carlos Hernandez: He’s a really clean, clean kid, seems like a very dedicated young man who just, not only in, but outside, a very likeable person. And it’s not like we’re buddies or great pals, like that, but I know him.I’ve seen him before at Maywood. And I remember the that at wild card. And the guy’s a nice guy and I just want to thank him for taking the fight and what a compliment to me.

Q: Vicente, I wanted to talk to you about, a couple weeks ago before you took this fight, you were set for Kelley. And then that was a non-televised fight. It was in ARCO Arena, a place that you’ve fought many times before. What does it mean to your career to be able to go from that and in a matter of weeks you’re on a pay-per-view fight?

Vicente Escobedo: I means a lot this is what I’ve been waiting for, to get on pay-per-view, HBO, have a big, big fight like this, televised, for the world to see it, all of the fans, it’s huge to me. It means everything to me. I was supposed to fight Kevin Kelley, but he got sick, and one day, when Golden Boy announced this fight, I wanted to take it. I didn’t hesitate to take it because I was ready. I was already prepared, ready to fight Kelley. So – and that was scheduled to be March 26. And this is scheduled to April 4. It gave me more time, so I just thought this was an opportunity that I can not pass and I had to take it. And I felt confident and ready, so here we are.

Q: Do you feel like, the stars kind of aligned for you and you have to get a win here so you can kind of capitalize on this opportunity?

Vicente Escobedo: Definitely. I’m doing everything in my power to train hard and, to me, a huge win over Carlos Hernandez would be huge to me and, just great for my career, so I’m definitely training hard and ready for this fight.

Q: Hey James, I wanted to ask you about – something else about Carlos. I imagine you guys have gotten to be pretty good friends because – I see some similarities there. Not only were you both world champions, but you’re both real strong family men. And I imagine that has played a part in your friendship. Tell me about that and what kind of a person you think Carlos is.

Jesse James Leija: No, we’re not friends at all. I don’t really like the guy at all. No, we really – and that’s a great thing, too, is to be good friends with, I mean, first of all, we were friends beforehand, only, through a meeting, but I was friends with and I knew who he was. And I was a fan of his in boxing. And then when he moved to San Antonio, I was surprised that he moved down here. And, I was anxious to train him. And I seen him train a few times and I said man, you still have it. You got to put it together and get motivated again. And I think that’s what we’ve – I have been able to help him get re-motivated and, and to keep him doing what he wants to do and that’s to fight. I mean, he’s a fighter.

And you can see it. You can see it all over him when he comes into the gym and when he wants to get into it and spar. And that he’s a fighter. And to be able to work with him and to be friends with him, be friends with his wife, and then our families are all friends, that’s incredible. And that’s when you really go out and you really want to do your best to help him achieve his goal and that’s to become a world champion again.

Q: The question is for Vicente. Your only loss came to Daniel Jimenez. And I’m just curious as to whether you would like to get a rematch with him to avenge that loss? And is that something that you think about? Like do you think much about that loss and what happened in that fight?

Vicente Escobedo: I don’t think about that any more actually. My loss did come to him. And it’s something that I would love to get a rematch in the future. We are talking about to get a rematch in the future, which – to gain that win back over Jimenez, and that’s something, maybe in the future. I mean, I’m not sure.

I’m going to leave that up to my promotion because right now, I mean, the only thing I’m concentrating is April 4 and that’s Carlos Hernandez because that’s what I got in front of me. So as far as Jimenez, I have no thoughts or anything about that fight. That’s behind me and it’s the past.

Q: And then have you sparred much with the Marquez brothers? And if so, could you describe how those sessions went and what’s the most important thing that you learned from them?

Vicente Escobedo: I had the opportunity to spar with Juan Manuel Marquez for his fight with Diaz. I helped him a couple times, and I got to say, it’s amazing, you go in a sparring session with the world champion, you definitely notice the difference, the way he’s – his style, the way he is – his rhythm and everything just on point. And, I learned a lot from him, and so everything went well. I learned and got to know, what it’s like to be in there with the world champion.

And, I think it just benefited me and helped me more because, I’m – here I am, April 4, going to face another ex-world champion. So I got to say it went very well and I’m just thankful to have to have the opportunity to spar with Juan Manual Marquez.

Q: Oh, okay. Carlos, are you disappointed Barrios got hurt, especially after all of that months trashing talk you did at the LA press conference.

Carlos Hernandez: Of course, of course, a little disappointed, but at the same time, concerned, hopefully he’s okay and he’ll be able to recover and come back to fight because the sport would miss him. He’s just a character. But, we have Vicente Escobedo and so we have to focus on this guy. I can’t think about Barrios anymore. And Escobedo’s the one who we’re targeting.

Q: Oh, Vicente. You are fighting an experienced boxer. How prepared are you for Carlos?

Vicente Escobedo: I’m really prepared. I’ve been training very hard, with here at Nacho and sparring with top sparring partners. I’ve been ready. I’ve been feeling good and ready and I’m just – this is my moment. It’s what I’ve been waiting for. This is after a win and after a great win with Dominic Salcido and now I feel like I’m ready, to step up and fight one of these top lightweight fighters like Carlos Hernandez. So I’m definitely ready. And, April 4, we’ll be ready and prepared.

Q: Okay, the question is to both the trainers, Jesse James Leija and to Nacho Beristain, what do you guys foresee in your fighters – in front of your fighters and what do you expect from your opponents and also after the fight what do you see for your fighters’ immediate future. So I guess we could start with Nacho?

Nacho Beristain: Well, to answer that question , without the years of experience and – that I’ve been in this sport, I can say that we – we respect Carlos Hernandez.It’s a very, very strong, tough fight. I don’t like to look past. And what we have here is a very attractive fight. And as far as future plans, nothing’s on our mind except Carlos Hernandez.

Q: And the question, same question for you, Jesse, regarding Carlos Famoso Hernandez.

Jesse James Leija: Well, first of all and I know we’re going to have a tough fight on our hands. Being, I’ve been in there several times where I’m fighting a younger guy that I think we have seen lately with the experience, we’ve seen Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins, all with experience.You can never, never beat experience. And I think that’s one thing that we have over Escobedo, we have experience. I take it for granted, yeah, he has a great trainer in his corner who’s going to minimize some of that experience. But no matter what you have, no matter what you do, once you get in the ring, it all changes. And you can count on the experience when you’re in the ring. And I think that’s what we have. We have experience. And I think it’s going to be a tough fight. I see Carlos winning the fight, in a tough fight, but I see Carlos winning the fight.

Q: The question to Mr. Schaefer, what criteria is taken when the judges are selected and if the judges have already been named for these fights.

Richard Schaefer: Well, we really have nothing to do with the selection of the judges. These fights are taking place in the jurisdiction of the Texas Athletic Commission and it is only up to the Texas commission to come up to select the judges.

And so we all place our faith in the capabilities of the Texas commission. I think they are very experienced. They have done many big fights. So we really have no worries about that. I think they will put together a fine panel of judges.

Q: Okay, Nacho, do you see a bright future ahead, possibly a world champion ahead for your fighter, Vicente Escobedo?

Nacho Beristain: Of course, definitely. A fighter, first of all, to make the Olympic team, the US Olympic team, not just an average fighter makes that. He has tremendous talent. He has tremendous faculties. He’s looking better and better each time out, the more we work together. And it’s just a matter of time and bringing that out of him.

Q: Question for both of you guys real quick, just if you guys could talk about Marquez, kind of the champ of the division right now. Do either of you feel you guys are ready? Do you feel you need a couple more fights to take on Marquez? If you could just comment on where you guys are at as far as thinking about Marquez.

Carlos Hernandez: As for me, I think first things first. And the first thing is getting past Vicente Escobedo, who I think who is working with as Marquez’s trainer, so he’s going to bring I’m sure his style to the ring. So it’ll be – beating him was like beating Marquez in a way because of them having the same trainer. But first things first, we would have to get past Vicente Escobedo before we can talk about Marquez, for sure.

Q: Okay. Vicente?

Vicente Escobedo: To me, I don’t think so. To me, I’m focused here on Carlos as well. Carlos Hernandez is who I am fighting next and it’s kind of hard to say that, I mean, because, I mean, we’re both trained by Nacho Beristain. I mean, to me, I just feel like, first things first, we’ve got to take care, what we’ve got in front of us and that’s Carlos Hernandez and, we’ve got a fun fight April 4 and – but to me right now as far as fighting Juan Marquez anytime soon, I don’t think so.

Richard Schaefer: Well, thank you very much. Again, top to bottom, the best lightweight card ever, four great fights, four very meaningful fights, and you absolutely right, Colby, one of those guys might make a case for a showdown with Juan Manuel Marquez. Juan Manual Marquez is planning on coming back on the Mexican holiday in September. And who knows, maybe one of these guys on this card might be his next opponent. What I want to say as well, it’s on pay-per-view. And it’s not like the regular $50 or $55. It’s priced at $39.95, so great fights, great price from a great city in Austin, distributed by HBO pay-per-view, so make sure you tell all of your readers, listeners, and so on, to watch this great Lightweight Lightning on April 4.

END OF CALL

“Lightweight Lightning,” which is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and Southwest Airlines on April 4th at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, TX, will air live on pay-per-view beginning at 9pm ET / 6pm PT with a suggested retail price of $39.95. The unprecedented four-bout pay-per-view card features Edwin Valero vs. Antonio Pitalua in a 12 round bout for the vacant WBC World Lightweight Crown, Jesus Chavez vs. Michael Katsidis in a 10 round lightweight bout, Carlos Hernandez vs. Vicente Escobedo in a 10 round lightweight bout and Julio Diaz vs. Rolando Reyes in a 10 round lightweight bout.

Tickets priced at $200, $100, $75, $50, $35 and $25, go on sale on Friday, February 27th, and may be purchased at the Frank Erwin Center box office, by phone at (512) 477-6060 or 1-800-982-2386 or online at TexasBoxOffice.com. Tickets are also available at Texas Box Office Outlets including select H-E-B stores located in Austin and surrounding areas.

UNDEFEATED HEAVYWEIGHTS BRETT ROGERS AND ABONGO HUMPHREY TO BATTLE APRIL 11

Posted on | March 27, 2009 | No Comments

Bout Finalizes Fight Card for Strikeforce: “Shamrock vs. Diaz”;

Live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT)

From the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

New York (March 27, 2009)–Heavyweight mixed martial arts (MMA) forces, Brett “The Grim” Rogers (8-0) and “Abongo” Humphrey (12-0) will put their unbeaten records on the line when they face off on the live SHOWTIME televised portion of Strikeforce’s “Shamrock vs. Diaz” mega-fight card at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. on Saturday, April 11.

“I feel like a new and improved person who’s not just in the sport to be in the sport. I’m in this to take it all the way,” said the 28 year-old Rogers, a 6-foot 5-inch, 265 pound human weapon, whose aggressive, unforgiving style of cage combat has ended each of his eight fights in the first round.

“There’s certain things in that first minute of the fight that people do and they do the same thing in every fight. The last couple of fights, I knew what my opponent was going to do and I just waited for him to do it,” explained Rogers of his calculated approach. “For the most part, I try to be as smart a fighter as I can.”

The majority of fans are familiar with Rogers’s kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu skills, but what they have not yet seen put into play by the Minneapolis native is his background in Wing Chun, a Chinese martial art known for its aggressive striking techniques in close quarter combat.

“The way I see it, I just got to get to the point where I feel comfortable enough to use it,” said Rogers of his Wing Chun skill set. “I don’t know if I’m going to use it this time around but, once I do, it’s gonna be on.”

Humphrey, who hails from Atlanta, Ga., introduced himself to a national audience last year as a contestant on BET’s MMA reality series “Iron Ring” where he was a member of a fight team coached by MMA star, “Mr. International” Shonie Carter, and managed by hip-hop artist and producer Lil’ Jon.

“Some people are under the impression that most of the fighters on the show were push overs, but I fought and defeated some pretty well-known contenders,” said the 31-year-old Humphrey, who stands 5-11 and weighs approximately 245 pounds.

Amongst the fighters Humphrey defeated during his stint on “Iron Ring” were former K-1 USA contender, Jeff “Big Diesel” Ford, and Carlos Moreno, who Humphrey knocked out with a head kick.

“I move more like a 205-pounder than I do a 245. I bring a lot of athleticism and skill into the cage,” Humphrey asserted.

While his birth name is “Ronald,” Humphrey prefers to be addressed as “Abongo,” the name of an African warrior spirit believed to protect a village located in The Republic of Ghana. The moniker was bestowed upon him two and a half years ago after he endured a series of mentally and physically grueling tasks during a rites of passage trip to Africa.

Humphrey’s experience there inspired him to establish a non-profit organization that allows him to introduce other African-Americans to their heritage by bringing them to Africa.

“There’s certain things that are lacking in the black community here and one of them has to do with cultural identity,” explained Humphrey. “Fighting and doing the community work in Africa is something that really drives me and motivates me in life.”

The “Shamrock vs. Diaz” event represents the dawn of a new age for Strikeforce as it will be the first one under the world championship MMA promotion’s new television agreement with Showtime Networks Inc. The live telecast will feature five fights including a thrilling main event between four-time world champion and MMA legend Frank Shamrock (24-9-1) and fellow knockout artist Nick Diaz (18-7, 1 NC), contested at a catch weight of 179 pounds.

Strikeforce World Lightweight Champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson (16-2) and superstar “El Nino” Gilbert Melendez (14-2) will revisit their classic five-round battle when they collide in a rematch for the coveted 155-pound title.

Middleweight (185-pound limit) sluggers Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith (16-5, 1 NC) and Benji “Razor” Radach (19-4) will also meet in a featured contest.

Women’s MMA power houses, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (6-1) and Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano (14-5) will slug it out in a 145-pound showdown.

Strikeforce “Shamrock vs. Diaz” will air live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) on Saturday, April 11.

Tickets for “Shamrock vs. Diaz,” priced from $30, are available for purchase at the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070) as well as at all Ticketmaster locations (408-998-TIXS), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com), and Strikeforce’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).

About Strikeforce

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.

About Showtime Networks Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

KEA BOXING April 11th FIGHT CARD UDPATE

Posted on | March 27, 2009 | No Comments

The fight card has been updated for April 11, 2009 at The Woodlands Inn and Resort in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

The Latest tentative Fight Card (subject to change) features:

Jason Gavern, 16-5-3, 8 KOs vs. Bernard Brown, 6-5-2, 3 KOs

Antonio Espinosa, 9-0, 1 KO vs. Darrell Martin, 4-7, 1 KO

Anthony Cusumano, 2-2-1, 1 KO vs. Emmanuel Roses, 0-4

Denys Lozada, 5-2, 2 KOs vs. Reshawn Scott, 1-2

Clinton Douglas, 2-2-2 vs. Raymondo Elliott, 0-1

Julie Albanese, (pro debut) vs. TBA

For ticket information email KEA Boxing or buy them online!

If you’ve come to one of our previous fights, you already know what to expect. If this will be your first fight with us, here’s what you’ll get:

Great action! — You’ll see competitive fights involving some great local prospects and seasoned professionals.

Beautiful ladies! — Round Card Models will be in the house!

Great food and drink! — A full bar is available along with a snack bar.

Plus lots more! — Including pics with the models, pics with the boxers, raffles and other surprises!

Order your tickets today to reserve the best seats! We can accept all major credit cards via the secure leader in online payment processing, PayPal. For more ticket information you can email KEA Boxing.

Fury only too happy to drop Price again

Posted on | March 27, 2009 | No Comments

Tyson Fury believes that heavyweight newcomer David Price should heed his own advice and issue a restraining order against him if he is to have any chance of making it in the pro ranks.

Price has yet to step between the ropes as a pro but the Beijing bronze medallist has accused unbeaten sensation Fury of stalking him. The Liverpool man holds a win over Fury from the amateur ranks and he says he’s keen to continue that rivalry now that he’s about to have his first pro fight under boxer turned promoter, David Haye.

“A restraining order might be a good idea because if I get within a few feet of him I’ll knock him cold,” said Fury. “What he really needs though if he’s going to do anything as a pro is a chin transplant.

“I had him on the floor in the amateurs when I was a 10 fight novice and just 17 but he says he doesn’t remember that. Maybe he doesn’t want to remember it but I have the fight on tape and would be happy to send him a copy but I’m sure it’s something he would rather forget.

“He could hardly keep upright in the amateurs and that was with big gloves and a head guard on. Imagine if we met now, he wouldn’t get out of the first round. He says he wants to build a rivalry with me and is talking about a 12 rounder for the British title but he’ll never get that far. I think he’d struggle to do 12 rounds of shadow boxing without getting knocked out!

“He’s like a lot of these other British heavyweights coming out with this nonsense about needing to build the fight up. You build a rivalry by getting in there and fighting each other instead of just talking about it. I just hope the fight can happen as soon as possible because let’s face it the first decent fighter he meets is going to knock him out. If he wants it all he needs to do is to pick up the phone to my promoter and we can get the fight on instead of just talking about it.”

Fury is currently preparing for his fifth pro fight on the undercard of the massive Carl Froch and Jermain Taylor WBC World title fight at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut on April 25. “I can’t wait for my American debut, I’ve fought over there in the amateurs and really enjoyed the experience. I’m looking forward to showing American fight fans that there is someone out there who can breathe some new life into the heavyweight division and it most certainly isn’t David Price.”

Pascal, McGuinness anchor matinee, see the action first – Only on Super Channel Fights!

Posted on | March 27, 2009 | No Comments

LIVE FROM MONTREAL

A Presentation of The Budweiser Boxing Series presented by the Casino of Montreal.

EDMONTON / MONTREAL March 27, 2009 – Super Channel, Groupe Yvon Michel and Hennessy Sports team up to bring Canadian fight fans a stirring afternoon of boxing action on Saturday April 4, featuring the return of Super Middleweight contender Jean Pascal, and the sixth pro fight of stellar prospect Logan Cotton McGuinness, LIVE from the Casino de Montreal

It all gets underway at 3 p.m. ET on Super Channel in vibrant HD.

In his first fight since his stirring loss last December to Carl Froch for the vacant WBC Super Middleweight title, Pascal (21-1, 14 KO’s) faces former world title challenger Pablo Daniel Zamora Nievas (22-5-1, 15 KO’s), of Argentina, in what promises to be a hard-hitting homecoming for the 2004 Canadian Olympian.

In undercard action, undefeated world-ranked Montreal super bantamweight Oliver Lontchi (17-0-2, 7 KO’s) faces the stiffest test of his career in three-time world title challenger Cecilio Santos (23-9-3, 13 KO’s), and unbeaten lightweight prospect Logan Cotton McGuinness (5-0, 3 KO’s) continues his bruising matriculation against Cesar Figueroa (1-2, 1 KO).

“What a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon,” said Adam Harris, Hennessy Sports. “Pascal and Lontchi are in critical tests, and McGuinness is looking to continue his rise through the professional ranks.”

About Super Channel
Super Channel is Canada’s national pay television network, consisting of two new HD channels, four new SD channels, and Super Channel On Demand.

Super Channel’s vision is to expand the Canadian premium TV experience by offering a broad range of fresh, entertaining movies, series and live events. Super Channel is owned by Allarco Entertainment 2008 Inc., an Edmonton-based media company.

Super Channel is currently available on Bell TV, Star Choice, Rogers PersonalTV, Shaw Cable, Cogeco Cable, Access Communications, Mountain Cablevision, Source Cable, SaskTel, MTS, Novus, EastLink, Delta Cable/Coast Cable, TELUS and other regional providers.

www.superchannel.ca
– 30 –

Per Ake Persson: European Boxing News

Posted on | March 27, 2009 | No Comments

EBU supermiddle champ Karo Murat reportedly defends the title against Italian Lorenzo Di Giacomo, a former EU champ and EBU two-time challenger at middleweight, May 30 at a site to be announced in Germany.

P 3 Boxing have been forced to cancel EU jr welter ruler Giuseppe Lauri´s defence against Juho Tolppola April 18 as the Finn have battling with illness for over a week. The show, set for the Kiisahall in Helsinki, still go ahead with Russian jr welter Dennis Shafikov and former EBU middle champ Amin Asikainen headlining. Also on the bill is Swedish heavy Attila Levin, Finnis heavy Jarno Rosberg and Norwegian jr light Andreas Evensen.

Universum have added a third titlefight to the show in Bremen May 2 as supermiddles Lukas Wilaschek and Dimitri Sartison clash for the vacant German title. It´s also an internal Spotlight Boxing eliminator. Sartison have looked pretty sharp since fighting WBA king Mikkel Kessler in June of last year and is a firm favourite to win in my eyes.

It´s official: it will be Maselino Masoe that challenge WBO supermiddle champ Karoly Balzsay April 25 in Krefeld. The show is headlined by Felix Sturm defending the WBA crown against Japanese Koji Sato.

Akaash Bhatia Heads Up Undercard At Newham

Posted on | March 26, 2009 | No Comments

Fresh off a riveting destruction of former English super bantamweight titlist Marc Callaghan, undefeated prospect Akaash Bhatia returns to the ring in support of Ian Napa’s European bantamweight title defense against Malik Bouziane this Friday, March 20 at Newham Leisure Centre in London, England.

Red hot Bhatia stepped up against veteran Callaghan and gunned down the former British and Commonwealth title challenger in just two rounds last November, joining Michael Hunter and Jackson Asiku as the only opponents to send Callaghan home early over the last seven years.

Bhatia, 13-0 (4), got to try out every tool in the arsenal but it was the left hook that shattered the seasoned man from Barking, earning “Kash The Bash” his first title belt, the southern area featherweight crown.

The 25 year old Harrow sharpshooter is fast becoming the young gun to beat in the UK at 126 pounds and his appearance at Newham Leisure Centre this Friday brings blazing speed to a packed undercard.

In a pair of eight round bouts, rugged lightweight Henry Castle, 19-4 (11), faces the comeback of former British super feather champion Carl Johanneson, 27-4 (19), who has vowed to regain his elevated stature by any means necessary while light middle prospect Sam Webb, 12-1 (4), tangles with cagey “Mad” Max Maxwell, 9-4-1 (2), and must win the difficult clash in order to see a possible upcoming British title challenge.

In a six rounder, promising flyweight Ashley Sexton, 4-0 (2), takes on a more experienced foe in Robert Nelson, 6-1-2 (0), who is coming off a failed bid to unseat English super fly titlist Andy Bell, and welterweights Tomas Grublys, 2-0 (1), and Paul Dyer, 18-10 (1), go at it over a scheduled four frames.

Two of Maloney’s promising young heavyweights are also on the bill as Tom Dallas, 3-0 (1), trades leather with Ben Harding, 2-1-1 (0), and Larry “The War Machine” Olubamiwo, 3-0 (3), gets to grips with former amateur star Mick O’Connell making his long awaited pro debut while super feather prospect Liam Shinkwin, 1-0 (0), meets journeyman Johnny Greaves, 1-25 (1), all in four round contests.

Frank Maloney Promotions presents the Bantamweight Championship of Europe as reigning titlist Ian Napa defends against Malik Bouziane along with full undercard support at Newham Leisure Centre in London, England on Friday, March 20, 2009.

Tickets, priced at £80 for Ringside and £35 General Admission, are available by logging onto www.frankmaloney.com or by calling the Box Office at 0871 226 1508.

Sky Sports will televise the action live on SS2 at 10PM.

For further information or press credential requests contact ftm.press@gmail.com.

Akaash Bhatia photo ©Jane Warburton/MMG and is free for use only with credit given to same.

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