No trash-talk between friends and Nov. 13 foes Brewer & Bundrage

Posted on | November 6, 2008 | No Comments

Manfredo-Bika headline “Tough & Tested” in Providence, live on Versus

PROVIDENCE (November 6, 2008) – The Contender, Season Two winner, “Bad Boy” Grady Brewer, and third-place finisher, Cornelius “K9” Bundrage, developed a strong friendship when they were teammates on the 2006 television reality series. The bond remains but has been temporarily put aside because Brewer and Bundrage will battle November 13 in a 10-round IBO light middleweight eliminator on the “Tough & Tested” card at the newly renovated Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.

The 12-round main event for the vacant IBO super middleweight title pits two-time world title challenger “The Pride of Providence” Peter Manfredo, Jr., runner-up in Season One of The Contender, against Sakio “The Scorpion” Bika, winner of The Contender, Season Three.

“Tough & Tested,” promoted by the Tournament of Contenders in association with Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES), will air nationally live on Versus television. The co-promoters have called for a ‘Pink Out’ (everybody wearing something colored pink) to show support for the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation. A portion of the proceeds from ticket and T-shirt sales will benefit the Gloria Gemma Foundation for research into early breast cancer detection.

Brewer (23-11, 13 KOs), fighting out of Lawton, Oklahoma, sports a misleading pro record because he took numerous short-notice fights in the backyards of his opponents prior to joining The Contender. Never-the-less, “Bad Boy” has registered impressive victories against former world champion Steve Forbes in The Contender II finale, as well as Anthony Thompson and Michael Stewart.

“We became good friends on The Contender and still are today,” Brewer spoke about his relationship with Bundrage, “but we’re not talking until after this fight. I’ll wish him luck when I see him at the weigh-in and I’m sure that he’ll wish me good luck, too. But our friendship can’t interact with boxing until after this fight.

“I plan to use angles against him to stay away from his big right hand. That’s his favorite punch. I’m sure he knows we’ve watched a lot of types and he’s going to come out trying to prove that he’s more than a one-handed fighter. But I think he’ll resort to his big right hand after four or five rounds. We both were on The Contender and people are intrigued by this match-up because we didn’t fight each other on the show. We both have something to prove and fans are going to have a lot of fun watching us fight. This is a great opportunity for both of us and a big stepping-stone for the winner’s career. People don’t know who is going to win but he will go on to the next level and fight for the IBO title.”

Detroit native Bundrage (28-3, 16 KOs), rated No. 14 by the IBF, is coming off of a win by 10-round decision last March against former IBF title-holder Kassim Ouma. “K9” has also defeated Chris Smith and Michael Clark, among the more notables.

“This was a tough fight to take because we’re such good friends,” Bundrage commented. “We talked a little before The Contender, but then we became friends. Grady took it first (the fight against Bundrage), so I took it, too. He’s a proven veteran and good fighter. Grady’s a much better fighter than his record may indicate. I’m always the underdog; I’m motivated to prove that I’m one of the best fighters out there.

“This is definitely the biggest fight of my life, especially following my win against Ouma. This fight is business and afterwards we’ll still be good friends. I’ve prepared very hard for him. This is an IBO title eliminator and we’ll let the chips fall where they may. The winner is going to go on to even bigger things. Hey, I’m hungry and he already won $500,000 (the winner’s purse for The Contender II). Now it’s my time.”

Manfredo (31-5, 16 KOs), the reigning NABF Interim champion, is the WBC No. 13 rated super middleweight. Fighting in front of his hometown fans, “The Pride of Providence” sports a perfect 16-0 (10 KOs) record in Rhode Island, including 3-0 (3 KOs) in the same Providence building as his Nov. 13th showdown against Bika. Manfredo’s five pro career losses have all come at the hands of world champions.

IBF Pan Pacific super middleweight title-holder Bika (26-3-2. 16 KOs), a 2000 Cameroon Olympian now fighting out of Australia, won The Contender III with a dramatic eighth round stoppage of Bridgeport, Connecticut native Jaidon Codrington in the finale a year ago in Boston. Bika, rated No. 4 by the IBF and No. 8 by The Ring magazine, hasn’t been stopped in 31 pro fights.

Codrington (18-2, 14 KOs), runner-up in Season Three of The Contender, also is fighting on the card in a super middleweight Special Attraction.

Some of New England’s most talented and popular fighters are scheduled to fight on the undercard including WBC World Youth and USNBC featherweight champion Matt “Sharp Shooter” Remillard (15-0, 8 KOs), super flyweight Isander “Peachy” Beauchamp (5-0, 2 KOs), Providence light welterweight Jesus Caro (2-0, 2 KOs), and Pawtucket light welterweight Diego Periera (1-0, 1 KO). All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets, priced at $18.00, $23.00, $58.00, $79.00, $107.00 and $222.00, are on sale at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center Box Office (401.331.6700) or through CES Boxing at 401.724.2253/2254 or www.cesboxing.com. Tickets will also be on sale through www.Ticketmaster.com, at all local Ticketmaster outlets by calling Ticketmaster direct at 401.331.2211 or 617.931.2000, as well as Manfredo’s Gym in Pawtucket (401.723.1359), 401 Gym in Cranston (401.261.9800), Balletto’s Gym in Providence (401.641.9994), Elite Mixed Martial Arts (401.728.1356), and Ultimate Fitness in Bristol (401.253.3539). Each paid ticket holder will receive a complimentary Dave & Buster’s $10.00 Power Card ($12 value) upon entry.

For more information call 401.724.2253/2254 or go online to www.cesboxing.com, www.tournamentofcontenders.com or www.dunkindonutscenter.com. Doors open at 5:30 PM/ET, first bout 6:30 PM/ET.

ABRAHAM-MARQUEZ FACT SHEET

Posted on | November 6, 2008 | No Comments

IBF MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
MAIN EVENT – 12 ROUNDS

“King” ARTHUR ABRAHAM RAUL “El Diamante” MARQUEZ
IBF Middleweight Champion Former IBF Light Middleweight Champion & US Olympian
Rated No. 2 The Ring Rated No. 2 IBF, No. 8 The Ring
Berlin, Germany by way of Armenia Houston, Texas, United States by way of Mexico
27-0 (22 KOs) 41-3-1 (29 KOs)

IBF INTERCONTINENTAL CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
CO-FEATURE – 12 ROUNDS

ENAD LICINA OTIS “Triple OG” GRIFFIN
Rated No. 13 European Boxing Union Winner of The Next Great Champ Reality Series
Rated No. 13 European Boxing Association Former NABO Light Heavyweight Champion
Frankfort, Hessen, Germany by way of Yugoslavia Sacramento, California, United States
14-1 (8 KOs) 19-3-2 (7 KOs)
4 ROUNDS – HEAVYWEIGHTS

NIKOLA VUJASINOVIC ROBERT HELENIUS
Luzem, Switzerland Stockholm, Sweden
3-0 (1 KO) 3-0 (1 KO)

(ALL FIGHTS & FIGHTERS SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

WHEN: Live: Saturday, November 8, 2008 – 3 PM/ET 12 PM/PT
Tape: Sunday, November 9, 2008 – 2 PM/ET

WHERE: Jako Arena, Bamberg, Germany

PROMOTER: Wilfried Sauerland, presented by Sauerland Event and its Managing Director, Christian Meyer, in association with Seminole Warriors Boxing

PAY-PER-VIEW: Distributed in the United States and Canada by Integrated Sports for live viewing in English and Spanish on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, TVN, DISH Network, Viewer’s Choice Canada, and Bell ExpressVue, for a suggested retail price of only $24.95..

ANNOUNCERS: Al Bernstein and Nick Charles

INFORMATION: www.integratedsportsnet.com or www.warriorsboxing.com

PER AKE PERSSON: EUROPEAN BOXING NEWS

Posted on | November 6, 2008 | No Comments

The undercard to Garay-Brahmer in Rostock November 22 shapes up very interestingly: WBO I/C lightheavy champ Aleksyi Kuziemsky defends the title against Yuri Barashian from Ukraine. Barashian beat Thomas Ulrich in his last fight in Germany and then lost to Hugo Hernan Garay for the vacant WBA title. Eduard Gutknecht and Christian Pawlak clash for the vacant German crown. Middleweight Malik Dziarra, 29-3, returns to the ring after two years out and doesn´t exactly face a soft touch in Gennadyi Golovkin, 13-0, an exellent prospect.

French welter champ Franck Harroche Horta have been to Germany and in camp with IBF middleweight king Arthur Abraham as part of his preparations for a defence of the title against Louise Mimoune November 21 in Lyon.

Spotlight Boxing´s show in Halle / Saale December 5 feature an internal heavyweight eliminator between Dieter Roth and Sebastian Koeber. Both have somewhat inflated records, Koeber is 16-0 (11) while Roth is 19-0 (12).

Arena Box Promotion have cruiser Herbie Hide in a final eliminator for a shot at the WBC title against Matt Godfrey. The WBC have also approved for Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa to fight for an interim version of the featherweight title – opponent will be Elio Rojas from the Dominican Republic while champ Oscar Larios is sidelined with an injury. The WBC also comfirmed Juan Carlos Gomez´ status as mandatory challenger for Vitali Klitschko with pursebids December 19 if no agreement is reached before that.

The WBC also clearified the status of the eliminator between Jackson Osei Bonsu, # 13 in the latest ratings, and Carlos Baldomir – a fight that is set for December 20 in Antwerp. Should Baldomir win he will become mandatory challenger – should Jackson be victorious he will need to win another eliminator to make it to mandatory challenger status.

Italian superbantam Simone Maludrottu face Venezuelan Luis Guzman November 14 in Carbonia.

The Swedish Federation have applied to the Martial Arts Delegation about first of all a renewed permission to supervise professional boxing in Sweden – and also for a change in the current rules from the current 12 minute maximum to international standard. It´s a difficult struggle and MAD have to follow the law that regulates Martials Arts in Sweden. Initially, the lawmakers intended to keep proboxing prohibited but then came a political change and a more positive interpretation of the law which got the current “proboxing light” off the ground.

Calzaghe vs. Jones, Preview and Prediction By Tony Penecale

Posted on | November 6, 2008 | 1 Comment

CALZAGHE VS. JONES

** In-Depth Preview and Analysis **

By Tony Penecale

For years, Roy Jones Jr. was “The Man”. Playing basketball during the day and defending his title at night. Punching from odd angles and still scoring knockouts. For years, Joe Calzaghe was just another fighter from across the pond, toiling in anonymity to most American fans. Roy Jones has since become human. He is no longer Superman but still extremely gifted. Joe Calzaghe has climbed to the top of the mountain and reigns supreme at Light Heavyweight. It would have been considered a mismatch five years ago. But now it is set for the Light Heavyweight Championship. Calzaghe wants to retire undefeated. And Jones wants one more taste of his former glory. Who comes out on top here?

AGE, RECORD, AND STATS

Calzaghe: Age: 36 years old
Record: 45-0 (32 Knockouts)
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 173 ** Weight for last bout (4-19-08)
Reach: 73”

Jones : Age: 39 years old
Record: 52-4 (38 Knockouts)
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 169 ** Weight for last bout (1-19-08)
Reach: 74”

RING ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Calzaghe: WBO Super Middleweight Champion (’97-’Pres)
IBF Super Middleweight Champion (’06)
WBA Super Middleweight Champion (’07-Pres)
WBC Super Middleweight Champion (’07-Pres)
Ring Magazine Super Middleweight Champion(’07-Pres)
IBO Light Heavyweight Champion (’08-Pres)
Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Champion (’08-Pres)
Jones: IBF Middleweight Champion (’93-‘94)
IBF Super Middleweight Champion (’94-’96)
WBC Light Heavyweight Champion (’96-’04)
WBA Light Heavyweight Champion (’98-’04)
IBF Light Heavyweight Champion (’99-’04)
WBA Heavyweight Champion (’03)
Ring Magazine #1 Rated Pound-4-Pound Boxer (’94-97)

STYLE

Calzaghe: A southpaw punching machine. Calzaghe moves forward and throws punches in bunches, often averaging 75-80 punches per round. Calzaghe works behind his southpaw jab and uses his fast hands to fire combinations to the head and body. Is always in tremendous condition and can keep up a torrid pace in the late rounds. Sometimes will ignore defense when trying to open up his own offense.

Jones: Often with his hands at his waist, Jones relies on his natural speed and reflexes to outmaneuver and overwhelm opponents. Jones will sometimes abandon the jab and use lead hooks from the outside, either as a set up or a knockout punch. Once an opponent has been hurt, Jones will fire a volley of punches to the head, often punctuated by double and tripling his left hook.

STRENGTHS

Calzaghe: * Speed – Calzaghe has extremely quick hands and uses his rapid-fire punching attack to land punches and keep opponents on the defense. His advantage in speed has carried him to victories over younger and harder-punching adversaries.
* Work Ethic – Calzaghe averages over 80 punches per round and most opponents cannot keep pace with him. He often picks up the pace in the later rounds and dominates in the championship rounds.
* Youth – For a 36-year-old veteran of 45 fights, Calzaghe is very fresh. He hasn’t taken a lot of punishment in his career and he fights at a younger man’s pace.

Jones: * Experience – Boxing has been with Jones since his father trained him when he was very young. Completed an extensive amateur career by winning the silver medal in the ’88 Olympic games (dubious scoring robbed him of the gold medal). He has been competing successfully on a championship level for the past 15 years, facing and defeating all styles.

* Speed – While his hand and foot speed has diminished since his prime, Jones still has a quick trigger. He doesn’t throw punches in bunches like he once did but he still is adept at throwing two or three quick punches before moving from danger.

* Size – In the last decade, Jones has competed at light heavyweight and has even bulked up to fight at heavyweight. Using the help of fitness guru Mackie Shilstone, Jones maintained his muscle and strength, which gives him a significant advantage over an opponent who has only competed once above 168 lbs.

WEAKNESSES

Calzaghe: * Punching Power – Calzaghe doesn’t own devastating power
in either hand. Most of his stoppage victories have come from
an accumulation of punishment over the course of a fight. If behind on the scorecards, it is unlikely that Calzaghe can win with a dramatic KO.
* Inconsistent – In his best wins, Calzaghe has been excellent. But he has looked very inconsistent in other bouts. He looked very uninspired against David Starie and encountered some rough moments against the tough but limited Omar Sheika and Sakio Bika. When Calzaghe is on, he is spectacular. When he is off, he is ordinary.
* Brittle Hands – Calzaghe’s hand problems are documented. The soreness n his hands often forces him to abandon attempts of putting power behind his punches and he often compensates by throwing flurries of quick but minimally-damaging punches

Jones: * Chin – For many years, Jones seemed invincible. Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson finally found out that if Jones was hit solidly on the chin, there was a weakness. Jones lost back-to-back knockout losses, including a frightening loss to Johnson, where Jones remained unconscious for several minutes.

* Age – In his prime, Jones was able to depend on his reflexes to compensate for some fundamental mistakes since no opponent could land clean punches against him. As he has gotten older, his reflexes have slowed, and he has been unable to avoid punches like in his younger days.

* Weight –After his move to heavyweight, Jones admittedly had problems getting back to 175 lbs. Although Jones weighed 169 lbs in his last bout, he appeared sluggish and had long stretches of inactivity during the bout.

PREVIOUS BOUT

Calzaghe: Calzaghe ventured to the United States for the first time and annexed the Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Title from Bernard Hopkins. Hopkins floored Calzaghe in the 1st round with a precise counter right and flustered him during the early going. Calzaghe picked up the tempo over the final seven rounds and outworked Hopkins down the stretch en route to a close and disputed split decision victory.

Jones: A dream fight that came eight years too late saw Jones win a workman-like unanimous decision over faded legend Felix Trinidad. Trinidad’s pressure carried the early rounds but Jones was able to take control and score two knockdowns in taking home the decision.

3 BEST PERFORMANCES

Calzaghe: * Bernard Hopkins (12/2/00) – Questions if Calzaghe could fight in America against boxing legend were answered as Calzaghe climbed off the canvas to outhustle Hopkins down the stretch and capture a split decision victory. Calzaghe’s breath-taking pace winded the aging but supremely-conditioned champion and forced him into a retreat mode over the bout’s second half.
* Jeff Lacy (3/4/06) – Lacy was a super middleweight titlist with an Olympic pedigree and devastating punching power. Many expected him to not only defeat Calzaghe in his backyard, but to win by stoppage. Calzaghe was dominant throughout the bout, battering Lacy and knocking him down in the 12th round before winning a dominant decision
* Mikkel Kessler (11/3/07) – Coming into this bout, Kessler, a Dane known as “The Viking Warrior” was sporting an undefeated record and was known for wearing opponents down with a punishing attack. The first half of the bout featured some good two-way action but as the fight progressed, it was Calzaghe who shifted his attack in overdrive and dominated down the stretch winning by unanimous decision.

Jones: * James Toney (11/18/94) – This was the first pay-per-view main event for Jones, and it came against Toney, a tough, well-schooled boxer, who many considered the best in the sport. Jones made it look easy, dominating a listless Toney from the beginning, and knocking him to the canvas in the 3rd round, and winning a clear unanimous decision by scores of 119-108, 118-109, and 117-110.

* Montell Griffin (8/7/97) – Their first meeting had come five months earlier, with an unfocused Jones struggling with Griffin’s awkward style, before finally losing his title on a disqualification, after he struck Griffin on the canvas. The Jones that came to the rematch was focused and angry, which was evident when he staggered Griffin only moments into the opening round, and nearly decapitated him with a monster left hook, winning his title back after only two minutes.

* Virgil Hill (4/25/98) – Hill was a polished professional who was a long-reigning light heavyweight champion. Jones kept him on the defensive early and was ahead after three rounds, before suddenly ending matters in the 4th, landing a right hand to Hill’s ribs, breaking several and leaving him grimacing on the canvas.

QUESTIONS

Calzaghe: * Does he have the power to gain Jones’ respect?

* Will his hands be able to hold up in the late rounds?

* Can he match speed with Jones?

Jones: * Will Jones weaken himself trying to make weight?

* Can Jones still fight three hard minutes a round?

* If he falls behind early, can Jones readjust his gameplan?

PENECALE PREDICTION

Jones will open the bout by using lateral movement and not letting Calzaghe set his feet. Boxing with his hands low, Jones will try to bait Calzaghe in forward and counter. Calzaghe will come forward behind his southpaw jab but in the early going, he will find little success in landing anything of significance on Jones, while eating a few counter rights in the process.

Jones will try to keep the tempo steady by staying in the center of the ring and using bolo moves and feints, Calzaghe will try to back Jones to the ropes and make things uncomfortable for him by throwing volumes of rapid-fire punches. Jones will slip, move, and duck, all the while making faces, but it will be clear that Calzaghe’s pace is bothering him.

In the 4th round, Jones will move back to the center and slow the pace by throwing a simple two-punch combination, jab to the head and right to the body, and moving laterally and setting up his one-two again. Calzaghe will try to take advantage of the moments Jones sets his feet by unleashing three and four punch combinations. While they are not damaging punches, they will accomplish two crucial things: forcing Jones to fight hard on his aging legs and scoring points in the judges eyes.

After six rounds, the fight will be even. As it was in the Hopkins fight, it will be Calzaghe’s workrate that carries the day. Jones will certainly have his moments and his punches will raise welts across the Welshman’s face. Even though Calzaghe doesn’t have the one-punch power to put Jones out like Tarver and Johnson once did, he does have the fresher legs and he will apply heavy pressure, firing quick blows in succession.

Over the final two rounds, Jones will try to bring back his one-two, mixing the right to the head and body, and adding several lead left uppercuts. But when he throws, Calzaghe will be quick to retaliate with four and five punch combinations.

It will go to the scorecards and it will read along the lines of 114-114, 116-113, and 115-113… For the Winner by Majority Decision… And STILL Undefeated… JOE CALZAGHE!!!

Haskins A Major Threat To Bell

Posted on | November 6, 2008 | No Comments

In just two days time, British super flyweight champion Andy Bell has vowed to turn up the heat on challenger Lee Haskins and turn the canvas at Robin Park Centre into a hot coal carpet when the two meet this Friday in Wigan, England.

Bell put in a scorching performance to rip the Lonsdale belt away from Chris Edwards at the end of March and the towering 23 year old from Doncaster is preparing a hellish reception for Haskins.

But whether or not Bell, 11-3 (3), is capable of imposing his own will on his Bristol based opponent remains to be seen as 24 year old former Commonwealth champion Haskins, 17-2 (9), is reportedly on the form of his career, coming off a tough win over Jamie McDonnell, who stopped Bell in 2006.

Haskins has only lost in bantamweight title fights and the shifty West Country southpaw in banking on the idea that his greater experience, which saw him sweep through the flyweight division to capture the English and Commonwealth crowns, will bring home the British super flyweight title belt.

A strong lineup supports the main event at Robin Park with such emerging talent as welterweight Mark Thompson, featherweight Akaash Bhatia, light middle Thomas McDonagh, super bantam Mark Moran and others appearing on the bill.

Frank Maloney Promotions presents “The Explosive Thin Men”, featuring Andy Bell vs. Lee Haskins for the Super Flyweight Championship of Britain, supported by full undercard, at Robin Park Centre in Wigan, England on Friday, November 7, 2008.

Tickets are priced at £70 and £30 and 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 SS1 starting at 9:30pm.

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

Lee Haskins photo ©Jane Warburton/MMG and free for use only with credit given to same.

Curtis McCormick
Press Consultant
Frank Maloney Promotions
info@mccormickmediagroup.com

JERMAIN TAYLOR: ALL OR NOTHING

Posted on | November 6, 2008 | No Comments

“ALL OR NOTHING”
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

JERMAIN TAYLOR
PEAKING AT THE RIGHT TIME
“Everything is peaking at the right time. I’m ready. I feel great and we have a good game plan for Jeff Lacy”

MIAMI, Wednesday-Nov.6 -With less than two weeks to go before the fight that could determine the entire direction of his boxing future, Jermain Taylor is both calm, cool, confident and anxious to get in the ring. Taylor has less than one week left in his Miami-based training camp before shifting to Nashville, Tennessee, site of his 12-round Super Middleweight Eliminator fight with Jeff Lacy on November 15th “All Or Nothing”.

HBO World Championship Boxing will televise the bout from Memorial Gymnasium on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee (10:15pm ET / 9:15pm CT / 7:15pm PT).

DiBella Entertainment is presenting the 12-round super middleweight title eliminator in association with Prize Fight Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions. Tickets are on sale now at $275, $200, $100, $75, $50 and $25, and available through all Ticketmaster locations at 615-255-9600 or www.ticketmaster.com .

.
“Everything is peaking at the right time,” Taylor said. “I’m ready. I feel great, and we have a good game plan for Jeff. I have the skills to go in there and win, and look good doing it. I’m hungry, and I’m ready to fight.”

Taylor’s hunger has been building all throughout training camp. He and lead trainer Ozell Nelson have watched plenty of film of Taylor’s two losses to Kelly Pavlik — the only two of the Little Rock, Ark.-natives professional career — and Taylor said he has worked all camp long on correcting any mistakes that Lacy may feel he can take advantage of. Nelson said all the hard work has paid off. Taylor has been well within his target weight for several weeks, and Nelson said training has gone better than planned.

“Things have really come together perfectly,” Nelson said. “Jermain has been sharp and focused since the beginning of camp, and I can really tell he is as determined as he ever has been. I couldn’t have asked for a better effort from Jermain at this training camp.”

Coming off two losses has a way of sharpening a fighter’s focus. Taylor said his bouts with Pavlik have motivated him in a way no opponent has before.

“It pushes me like nothing else,” Taylor said. “This is a fight both of us need to win, especially me, coming off two losses.”

The hype surrounding this fight is growing, in large part because this is a fight that is so crucial to the careers of both Taylor and Lacy. Both fighters know a loss will be very difficult to come back from.

“Jermain knows how big this is,” Taylor’s promoter, Lou DiBella, said. “He’s very aware. This is the kind of fight that will escalate him back to the top. He has to win the fight. I do think he’s hungry again. He wants this fight.”

WIBA 2008 Annual Awards winners

Posted on | November 6, 2008 | No Comments

The WIBA is proud to announce the following WIBA 2008 Annual Awards winners:

WIBA 2008 Boxer of the Year
JISSELE SALANDY
(honorable mention: Carlette Ewell, Gwendolyn O’Neil, Natascha Ragosina,
Wang Ya Nan, Melissa Hernandez, Cheng Jing, Eileen Olszewski, Juhee Kim,
Carina Moreno)

WIBA 2008 Promoter of the Year
MILTON “BOBBY” OTTLEY
(honorable mention: Cedric Kushner, Steven Bash, Gary Shaw, Sal
Musimichi, Harry Ragonnanan, Liu Gang, Ulf Steinforth, Christian
Printup, Brother Promotion, Christian Amaya, Steve Mestas)

WIBA 2008 Manager of the Year
DAVID SELWYN

WIBA 2008 Trainer of the Year
RICK NOBLE

WIBA 2008 Rookie of the Year
YESICA YOLANDA BOPP

the WIBA’s 2008 Fight of the Year is still to be determined, and will be
announced sometime in December.
RYAN

http://wiba_ratings.tripod.com/

CALZAGHE VS. JONES FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

Posted on | November 6, 2008 | No Comments

Below you will find quotes from the main event and undercard fighters from today’s final press conference leading for Calzaghe vs. Jones “Battle of the Superpowers” this Saturday November 8th at Madison Square Garden and live on HBO Pay-Per-View.

Joe Calzaghe:

“I am a person who does actions more than words. I am not going to talk this up more than it has to be. To finish my career fighting at Madison Square Garden is all the motivation I need.

“I am happy to be here. On Saturday night, you aren’t going to see a good fight, you are going to see a great fight. Roy says he is in the best condition he has been in years and I believe that. I am also in the best shape I’ve been in years. Its going to be a great fight.

“I am one guy who wrote Roy off, but he came back and won three big fights. He is a legend bigger than Hopkins. He’s hungry and you can’t write him off. He is in great shape and I can’t come in as sloppy as I was with Hopkins.

“I was happy with Hopkins win (against Pavlik). I am not friends with him, but I was happy he beat Pavlik because it showed how big my win was over him. Either I am doing something right in the ring or they are all having off days.

“I wish I had never mentioned retirement. I am a fighter focusing on this fight and this fight only. Not what I am going to do once I retire. I am not planning any retirement parties I am going to come 100% I am hungry for this fight.”

Roy Jones Jr.:

“There are a lot of hungry fighters on the undercard. I want to say I am more proud to be an American now, more so than I have ever been in my life. With that can being said, we can all move on. It was a long drawn out campaign. Those guys fought their hearts out. It makes me feel so good to be an American.

“The 20 years I have been representing this country, I have poured my heart out and on Saturday, I am going to pour my heart out again.

“I know Joe is punching already. I’ve been ducking and dodging in my sleep.

“Joe is a man of his word. We made this fight together. I feel proud to face someone with dignity and pride in himself.

“I am still the man and I will bring it Saturday night.”

Enzo Calzaghe, Calzaghe’s dad and trainer:

“The road has been very long. Twenty-five years of being a pain in the ass to Joe. I remember the first fight and now we are going to Madison Square Garden.

“As many of you know I never boxed in my life. It has been exciting. One thing I would like to make clear is that Joe was the first to say to me, ‘Dad I want to box Roy Jones. Dad, I want to box in America. Dad I want to box at Madison Square Garden.’

“Of course I was thinking we could box in Wales. And he said no, dad I want to go to America and I want to fight at Madison Square Garden.

“Joe is going to kick Roy Jones’ ass. What do you think of that?

“We have just come across the shore to kick ass. We don’t need cheerleaders. On fight night, Joe possesses what no other fighter does; and its called a heart.

“When Joe’s been down in the fight, he always finds a way to win. The harder the fight, the harder he works to win.

(To Jones) “Roy you are a good friend, but make no mistake Joe Calzaghe is coming to kick ass. On Saturday night, he is going to become 46 and 0. You are going to see a fantastic display of Joe Calzaghe. Roy is going to fight his heart out, but it won’t be enough to beat Joe.

“Joe is my son first and a great fighter second. I am proud to be his trainer.

“I believe the fight will go 12 rounds. It will be a long road.

“People say that Roy needs to seal his legacy. They welcome that conversation in America. They put Joe on the back burner.

“This is not going to be a cat and mouse fight. This is a great fight. Joe has that extra special something.

“We didn’t come here to fight to lose. We are going to be at Madison Square Garden with all the Americans pulling for Jones. We picked this place. We picked this place to kick ass.”

Alton Merkerson, Jones’ trainer:

“I would especially like to thank these two young individuals that took it upon themselves to put this promotion together and a great undercard. This is going to be a great night of boxing with a lot of young energetic guys who want to fight.

“I would like to say that I think everyone is pleased that the campaign for the Commander in Chief is over. It was a long campaign. It is time to try to bring this nation back to where it is supposed to be.

“Just like the campaign, it is has been a very long training camp for these two fighters. This fight was supposed to be September 20th. It has been very long very hard and very strenuous on both athletes.

“Our camp has been a small productive camp. Roy is ready. He is more ready now than he has ever been for any fight that I have been with him for in the last 18 years.

The fight on November 8th is going to make history. Roy will make history.”

Gareth Williams, Calzaghe’s Attorney:

“This may very well be Joe’s last fight. Having said that, I know on Saturday night his intensity and passion will be 100% and he is going to have a great night and be victorious against Roy Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.”

McGee Wright, Jones’ Manager:

“In my eyes, Joe Calzaghe is the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Now, Roy knows what he has to do. To be the man you have to beat the man.

“On November 8th, you are going to see what you’ve been told and what you’ve been hearing.

“You guys are going to see a battle. It will go on for 12 rounds because there’s no stopping either one of them.

“Joe is going to be ready and prepared. If Joe beats Roy, make no mistake about it, Joe would have beat the best Roy Jones Jr he could have possibly beat.”

John Wirt, CEO Square Ring Inc:

“Roy and Joe really made this fight. After the Calzaghe vs. Hopkins fight, Roy was at the post-fight press conference, they exchanged numbers and the rest is history. This is really a mega fight.”

Mark Taffet, Senior Vice President of HBO Pay-Per-View & HBO Sports

“Calzaghe is the gold standard in boxing. He is an undefeated superstar at 45 and 0. He is supremely talented in the ring. He is a tremendous guy outside of it. Fighting in the other corner is Roy Jones, one of the greatest fighters of our era. At the age of 39, he is out to beat Joe Calzaghe Saturday night.”

Malvina Lathan, New York State Athletic Commissioner:

“On the tails of one of the most profound moments in our nation’s history comes Calzaghe vs. Jones on Saturday November 8th. I am proud of these fighters. They came together on their own and have put together one of the most respectful promotions in the history of boxing. Please come out on Saturday and be a part of Calzaghe vs. Jones.”

Joel Fisher, Executive Vice President, Madison Square Garden:

“Roy and Joe are two of the greatest boxing ambassadors that we have. Boxing fans all over the world will get to see this fight on HBO Pay-Per-View, and if you get to see this fight live there will be nothing like it.”

UNDERCARD FIGHTERS

Zab Judah:

“With the way the world is going today, it is time for a change. I am happy to be fighting on the same week that Obama won.

“I am just trying to figure out what side I am going to knock him out with the left or the right. It is going to be a knockout.

“My name is Zab “Super” Judah and its going to be a knockout. Don’t miss it. It is going to be a great event.”

Ernest Johnson:

“It is going to be an honor to fight at the Mecca of boxing and it is going to be an honor to fight under Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones, two legends.

“I am fighting another superstar in Zab Judah. I am excited to be here. I am coming to fight and coming to win. It is a major opportunity. He is coming down in weight to be the bigger man, but I want him to know that I am the bigger man.”

Dmitriy Salita:

“I grew up in New York City watching big fights on HBO and at the Garden. It is pretty special to be a part of this.

“I am glad Derrick is ready to fight. I am going to take care of business. It is going to be a great night and I can’t wait.

“I look forward to putting on a great performance and show you that I am the future of boxing.”

Derrick Campos:

“I want to fight the best around. I am ready to get down and win. I normally fight at 130-pounds and when I got the call to fight at 140 from Salita, I jumped on it. I feel good and confident. I want to let Salita know that I am going to be in his face all night long.”

Francisco Figueroa:

“For the guys who do know me or who don’t, I come to fight. I’ve got good rhythm. I am a free style dancer. So I want to say if he wants to dance, I can dance.

“This fight is going to be well worth. Bring your friends bring your family, get them out of the house and get them to the fight because it is going to be worth it. Its going to be a great night.”

Emanuel Augustus Burton:

“It feels strange to be here. I’ve never been in this type of light before. I am nervous standing here in front of you, but one thing is for sure I won’t be nervous for the fight. This is a time for me to restart my career. Revitalize it.

“I really do not know much about my opponent. He is a boxer, therefore I know that he is coming to fight and coming to win. The fans that are watching the fight that don’t know me, I come to fight too. It’s going to be on. It’s going to be popping like popcorn.”

Calzaghe vs. Jones “Battle of the Superpowers” is a 12 round championship for Calzaghe’s Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Championship belt. Promoted by Square Ring, Inc. and Calzaghe Promotions in association with Madison Square Garden, Calzaghe vs. Jones will take place November 8, and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

Tickets priced at $1500, $1000, $750, $500, $250 and $150, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets or online at ticketmaster.com.

The final episode of HBO’s all-access reality series Calzaghe/Jones 24/7 debuts Thursday, Nov. 6 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

All three half-hour episodes of CALZAGHE/JONES 24/7 will be presented back-to-back-to-back Friday, Nov. 7 (8:30-10:00 p.m.), and Saturday, Nov. 8 (8:30-10:00 a.m.), on HBO. All times are ET/PT.

« go back — keep looking »

SEARCH OUR BLOGS

Search for:

SEARCH THE WEB

Subscribe in a reader



US Money Reserve

Bodybuilding fitness software: Gain weight & build muscle fast.

Photographers - Boston, MA



PRO-SEBLOG.COM: EMPOWERING ORDINARY PEOPLE TO PRACTICE LAW ON THEIR OWN BEHALF

CLICK HERE TO ORDER AN AWESOME SELF-HELP LEGAL COURSE

MARKETINGBOSS.INFO: MARKETING TIPS FOR YOUR SITE & BUSINESS

Boxing Live

RING GIRLS

OUR SPONSORS

Categories

Categories Select Category A.J. Vittone  (4) Affliction MMA  (60) amateur boxing  (12) Amateur MMA  (3) BAMMA  (4) Bareknuckle Boxing  (10) Bellator  (64) BJJ  (37) Blogroll  (9,763) Boxing  (5,785) Cage Fighting Xtreme  (39) Cage Rage  (2) Capiello Promotions  (2) CBS  (17) Charlie Schmidt  (7) CHARLIE WARD  (7) Clay Smith  (3) COMPANY PROFILES  (10) Darren McElligott  (5) Dissipline  (3) Dominic Lavin  (6) EliteXC  (172) Fight Previews  (178) fight videos  (7) Fighter Interviews  (80) Fightzone TV  (16) Full Force Productions  (7) Gina Carano  (8) gofightlive  (32) grappling  (91) Groupon  (1) HDNet FIGHTS  (130) Holli Yargo  (29) IFL  (38) IFO  (16) Investigative Reports  (44) Jack Bratcher  (46) Jerky.Com  (1) jiu jitsu  (17) Joe Ball  (8) John Martinez  (9) Judo  (6) K-1  (3) karate  (10) Keisha Morrisey  (2) kickboxing  (25) King of The Cage  (5) KNOCKOUT NATION  (4) Kristie L. Groves  (2) Kristin Van Zee  (2) M-1  (37) Mark McCoy  (3) martial arts  (80) Matt Yanofsky  (83) Matthew Brothers  (4) MaxFights  (13) Melissa Hatch  (2) MFC  (89) MFL  (3) Michael Fountain  (4) Midwest MMA  (41) MIKE INDRI  (21) Mixed Martial Arts  (3,406) MMA  (3,405) mma agents  (4) MMA RECRUITER  (59) Moosin: God of Martial Arts  (1) movies  (16) Muay Thai  (60) NAGA  (3) other interviews  (16) PALACE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS  (54) PATRICK MCELLIGOTT  (46) Politics  (1) Post fight reports  (109) Predictions  (11) press conferences  (28) press releases  (298) Prizefighter  (86) ProElite  (136) Pure Combat  (9) Rage in the Cage  (48) Reality Fighting  (5) Rich Bergeron  (157) ring girls  (22) Ring of Fire  (43) Rocky Marciano  (2) Round 5  (9) Ryan Christensen  (6) seperated at birth  (4) Shaun McCoy  (5) SHOWTIME SPORTS  (177) SportFight  (6) Steele Cage  (16) Strikeforce  (395) Striking Technique  (14) submission fighting  (3) sun sports  (7) Tachi Palace Fights  (11) Takedown Radio  (413) The Ultimate Fighter Series  (21) Tony Penecale  (117) Tri-State Cage Fighting  (9) Tristan Yunker  (5) UFC  (478) Uncategorized  (75) Untamed  (12) USFL  (2) War  (7) WEC  (10) White Chocolate Management  (3) White Collar Brawler  (1) women’s boxing  (115) Women’s MMA  (16) World Championship Fighting  (23) wrestling  (1,117) WWE  (7) Xtreme Arm Wrestling  (1) Xyience  (75) Yamma  (3)

JOIN FIGHT SPACE ONLINE

About

This is an area on your website where you can add text. This will serve as an informative location on your website, where you can talk about your site.

Subscribe to our feed

Search

Admin

• Register
• Log in
• Wordpress
• XHTML