CASAMAYOR VS. MARQUEZ– A CELEBRATION OF MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY SEPTEMBER 13
Posted on | September 5, 2008 | 1 Comment
JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ’S MEXICAN LEGACY DEFINED BY MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY FIGHT AGAINST JOEL CASAMAYOR ON SEPTEMBER 13 AT MGM GRAND IN LAS VEGAS
LIVE ON HBO PAY-PER-VIEW
LOS ANGELES (Sept.3) – On September 13 in Las Vegas, Juan Manuel Marquez will take a huge step toward cementing his status as one of the greatest Mexican fighters of all-time when he challenges Joel “Cepillo” Casamayor, who reigns as The Ring Magazine World Lightweight Champion.
For Marquez, a victory over the Cuban southpaw would be monumental. With a victory, Marquez, who has held world titles at featherweight and junior lightweight, would become a three-division world champion. It is the symbolic significance of the bout, however, that separates this fight from Marquez’s previous 53 fights. That’s because Casamayor-Marquez will take place on the weekend of El Grito de Independencia (Mexican Independence Day), which celebrates Mexico’s independence from Spain in 1810.
The weekend has historically been reserved for only the brightest of Mexican and Mexican-American boxing heroes and legends.
“It is an honor and privilege to fight on a date that is so special for all Mexicans. All Mexicans, Mexican Americans and boxing fans in general are eagerly awaiting this fight and I look forward to fighting with pride for all of them,” said Juan Manuel Marquez who fought once before on the celebratory weekend scoring a victory over Orlando Salido on September 18, 2004.
Reflecting on great moments in the history of Mexican Independence Day fights, we begin with Julio Cesar Chavez, a Mexican legend and perhaps the most important figure in the history of Mexican boxing. “J.C. Superstar,” who fought from 1980-2005, was arguably both the greatest and most popular Mexican boxers of all time. No matter how brightly Chavez’s star shined, he never lost his connection to his people. It is fitting then, that so many of his most important bouts took place on Independence Day weekend.
In 1984, Chavez won first world championship on such a weekend, stopping countryman Mario Martinez to capture the vacant WBC super featherweight title. That began a joyous tradition that peaked in the early-90s, when Chavez fought on Independence Day for five consecutive years. Among his opponents in those fights were Hector Camacho, Pernell Whitaker and Meldrick Taylor.
To place the magnitude of those fights in perspective, consider that in 1993, Chavez-Whitaker drew a crowd of 57,000 to the Alamodome in San Antonio and not 100 of them were rooting for the American.
Beloved Mexican legends had previously fought on the national holiday, including Ruben Olivares and Salvador Sanchez, but Chavez virtually made the occasion his own. “I feel proud to have been part of fights that gave fans such great memories while celebrating Mexico’s Independence, such as my fight against Meldrick Taylor,” said Chavez. “That night, I was filled with great pride knowing that all of my people were watching and that the fight was taking place as part of the celebration of Mexican Independence.”
On Independence Day weekend in 1998, 10-time world champion Oscar de la Hoya defeated Chavez in their rematch and in subsequent years, “The Golden Boy” continued the tradition his idol had established. Several of the biggest bouts of De La Hoya’s career came on the holiday weekend, including super-fights with Tito Trinidad, Fernando Vargas, Shane Mosley (their rematch) and Bernard Hopkins.
In 1999, De La Hoya-Trinidad drew 250,000 people to Las Vegas and in the city’s sports books, a staggering $25-million was wagered on the fight. The fight also set a then record for pay-per-view buys for a non-heavyweight bout with a staggering 1.4 millions homes tuning into the fight.
“I have always felt great pride fighting during Mexican Independence Day weekend,” De La Hoya said. “It gave me extra motivation because of the importance of this date for Mexicans and those of Mexican descent all over the world. There is extra pressure to perform on this weekend and I know Marquez is going to want to prove he’s the best on September 13th. I know he’s going to come out strong and show he’s tough, just like Chavez and I did when we fought on this special day.”
I deleted the box with De La Hoya’s fights as well. If you want it back in, I’ll retype it.—SF…eh if we took it out for everyone, leave it out, we may just want to list his other MIDW fights.
Long ago, Marquez established his mettle, but unfortunate timing—and a point or two on the judges’ cards—has cost him. Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales became Mexican icons largely by fighting each other. By the time Marquez defeated Barrera (in March ’07), the latter was regarded as past his prime.
By any standard, Marquez has fared better against pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao than either Barrera or Morales did in their battles with the Filipino star. Pacquiao twice convincingly defeated Barrera and won two of three versus Morales, but in a pair of bouts against Marquez, Pac-Man was held to a draw and won by split decision. Neutral observers made strong cases for Marquez having won both those bouts.
The past, of course, cannot be re-written or erased, but perception can change, and Marquez fighting on Independence Day goes a long way toward doing just that. Marquez is 35 now, and he’s certainly waited his turn. His standing can never be questioned and the honor of fighting on Independence Day weekend has finally been bestowed upon one of the greatest Mexicans of all time.
APPENDIX
Other Mexicans who have fought during Independence Day weekend are some of the most respected champions in the sport’s modern era. They include Barrera and Morales, both of whom won world titles at three weights and established themselves as pound-for-pound greats.
Barrera, who is one of Mexico’s most popular fighters, is best known for his legendary trilogy against Morales and his tremendous victory over then-undefeated and heavily favored Prince Naseem Hamed. Barrera fought on Independence Day weekend thre times against….
“It was an honor for me to fight on this weekend because I knew that all Mexican fans were watching very closely,” Mexico City’s Barrera said. “It has always been an important date that belongs to most important Mexican fighters.”
Morales is also one of the most important fighters in the history of Mexican boxing. With his unique style and brilliant performances, he was able to both win the love of Mexican fans and maintain the respect of his adversaries. Morales had one fight on Independence Day Weekend, a thrilling fourth-round TKO of Junior Jones that took place in a bull ring in Morales’ hometown of Tijuana.
“Even though I only fought once on this weekend, I always knew that it would be a fight that would be remembered because it took place on such an important date,” Morales said. “It remains a strong connection between the sport and Mexican history. There will always a hard-fought battle that fans won’t forget when a Mexican fights during the celebration of Mexican Independence.”
Gabriel Ruelas, a native of Yerbabuena, Jalisco, Mexico, was another important Mexican World Champion who fought on Independence Day Weekend. He did so XX times….
“It was an honor for me to fight during the celebration of Mexico’s Independence and I will always remember it was an important moment in my career during which I hope I was a worthy representative of Mexican boxing,” Ruelas said.
Chango Carmona, a native of Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, is credited with starting the tradition of Mexican fighters representing their country on this weekend. His epic battle against Mando Ramos took place during the celebration in 1972.
“For me it was very special and so important to fight on September 15th in 1972,” Carmona said. “I remember shouting for joy after I beat Ramos and captured a world title in front of all the Mexicans fans in the Los Angeles Coliseum. That win wasn’t just for me, it was for Mexico as well.”
Casamayor vs. Marquez – “The Challenge,” a 12-round bout for Casamayor’s Ring Magazine World Lightweight Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Romanza Boxing Productions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, Cazadores Tequila and Southwest Airlines. Mora-Forrest II is the 12-round co-featured bout presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Tournament of Contenders, Gary Shaw Productions and Fight Knight, LLC. The double header will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Tickets priced at $300, $200, $125 and $75 are on sale and may be purchased at any MGM Grand box office outlet and all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Macy’s West at the Fashion Show Mall). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
Tags: Boxing > Joel Casamayor > Juan Manuel Marquez > Las Vegas > Los Angeles > MGM Grand
TRI-STATE CAGE FIGHTING’S UPCOMING EVENTS!!
Posted on | September 3, 2008 | No Comments
Tags: amateur MMA > fighting > Mixed Martial Arts > MMA > tri-state cagefighting > tristatecagefighting.com
Combat Sports Cooperative Daily Links
Posted on | September 3, 2008 | No Comments
From now on we will be placing all graphic-based stories over at Combat Sports Cooperative. We get many graphic emails that we’d like to publish in their true form, and The system at combatsportscooperative.com allows us to do that. Here’s today’s big stories in that format:
CASSIUS BALOYI VS. JAVIER ALVAREZ HEADLINES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT CARD
“Mighty” Mike Arnaoutis Interview
BILLY C MORNING SHOW TO INTERVIEW QUEZADA
Danny Garcia returns to the ring Sept 13 in Las Vegas
UNDERCARD SHAPING UP FOR A TERRIFIC NIGHT OF BOXING ON FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 12TH AT THE LEGENDARY BLUE HORIZON
Posted on | September 3, 2008 | 1 Comment
PHILADELPHIA (September 3rd, 2008)—On Friday night September 12th, A great night of boxing is rounding into shape as three action packed eight round bouts will be supported by the future stars of tomorrow.
The show will be broadcast live all over the world on www.gofightlive.tv
The main event will pit Steve Upsher Chambers (17-1-1, 5 KO’s) taking on the upset minded Kevin Carmody (10-10-2, 1 KO) in a battle of Philadelphia based Jr. Welterweights.
Blue Horizon favorite, Gee Culmer (14-1, 3 KO’s) takes on the win-starved Jameel “Black Gold” Wilson (13-14-3, 8 KO’s) in a fight that features a pair of Super Middleweights from “The City of Brotherly Love”
In a Cruiserweight bout that should produce a lot of post Labor Day Fireworks, Ran Nakash (14-0, 10 KO’s) will trek all the way from Haifa, Israel to risk his undefeated ledger against Power-Punching Philadelphia, Larry Robinson (10-3, 7 KO’s)
Promoter, Vernoca L. Michael & matchmaker Don Elbaum have put together an undercard that will feature some of the best up & coming talent.
Amateur standout Derek Bivins of Philadelphia will make his pro debut against Darrell Martin (2-5) of Baltimore, Maryland in a four round Featherweight bout
Blue Horizon regular, Gerald Smith (3-0, 1 KO) takes on tough willed Geraldo Robles (2-7) of Topanga, California in a four round Lightweight attraction.
In a battle of debuting Welterweights, Darryl Jones of Philadelphia will take on William Porter in a welterweight tussle.
Joel De La Paz of Atlantic City, fresh off his successful pro debut at The Legendary Blue Horizon will take on an opponent to be announced in a four round Super Middleweight bout.
Ticket prices for this great night of boxing are $200 for Queen Seating, $125 for Presidential seats, $65 for VIP, $55 for Ringside, and $45 for General Admission and can be purchased by calling The Legendary Blue Horizon at 1-215-763-0500 or by logging on to comcasttix.com. Doors open at 6:30 PM / 1st bout begins at 7:30 PM
The Legendary Blue Horizon is located at 1314 North Broad Street in Philadelphia, PA
THERE WILL BE A PRESS CONFERENCE ON WEDNESDAY September 10th AT THE LEGENDARY BLUE HORIZON AT 11 AM
For more information, log on to www.legendarybluehorizon.com
European Boxing News
Posted on | September 3, 2008 | No Comments
Finn “Idi” Amin Asikainen and Armenian, based in Germany with Universum, Khoren Gevor fight for the vacant EBU middleweight title October 24 at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki. Promoter Pekka Maeki confirms there is an agreement made although it´s not officially announced yet. However, the EBU have it already up on their website. Asikainen-Gevor is a fine matchup between two physically strong, capable fighters but Asikainen´s heavier punch should make a difference.
Almost on: Universum will hold a press conference on Wednesday to announce Hugo Hernan Garay´s defence of the WBA lightheavyweight title against Juergen Braehmer´s October 18 at the Freiberger Arena in Dresden. This is an excellent matchup and one that will once and for all show if Braehmer got what it takes at the highest level.
Newly crowned WBA heavy champ Nikolay Valuev have December 12 in Germany as working date for his first defence in his second reign as titleholder.
French jr middle Christophe Canclaux, signed to Sauerland Event, fights on the undercard to Monrose vs Huck and Murat vs Campillo September 20 in Bielefeld.
It´s official: WBA lightheavy champ Hugo Hernan Garay defends the title against # 1 challenger Jurgen Brahmer October 18 in Dresden. However, German media writes today that Brahmer is in the middle of another investigation for assault. This time a man in Schwerin claims that Brahmer – on parole until September 15 from another sentence – punched him following a argument in a pub. Universum spokesman Christof Hawerkamp is quoted by newsagency dpa as saying that the Garay fight shouldn´t be in any danger. Brahemer himself denies all wrongdoings. Co-headlining in Dresden is WBO jr middle titleholder Sergey Dzinziruk defending against Colombian Joel Julio.
The comeback of German heavy Timo Hoffmann set for October 4 after eleven months out since losing to Aleksander Dimitrenko and getting a year long suspension after a positive doping test appears to be off for now – reportedly due to financial reasons. Hoffmann was to fight for promoter Peter Pelk who is licensed with the GBA.
WBA I/C jr welter titlist Brunet Zamora defends against Brazilian Sydney Siqueira September 18 in Adria, Italy. On the undercard middleweight Simone Rotolo face Czech journeyman Patrick Hruska.
Michel Trabant, the veteran German welter, is out of the contract with Sauerland Event after back to back losses but will continue boxing. Word is that the former EBU champ and WBA title challenger is still in deep financial difficulties. Trabant have a comeback fight set for November 29 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
WBO I/C welter champ Christian Bladt might defend against Italian Michele Di Rocco in Italy later this fall.
WBC Youth champ at welter, Oliver Guettel, will make the first defence of his title October 10 in Barleben (just outside of Magdeburg) October 10 with SES promoting.
No sign of former heavyweight champion of the World, Riddick Bowe, in Hungary yet. He is scheduled to fight Zoltan Petranyi September 12 in Gyor. Petranyi, also a promoter, manager and agent, is not in Hungary either – he is at the moment in South Africa where his boxer Joszef Nagy goes for the vacant WBF cruiser title September 5 in Secunda.
Tags: Amin Asikainen > Armenian > Barleben > Bielefeld > Brazilian Sydney Siqueira > Brunet Zamora > Campillo > Christof Hawerkamp > Christophe Canclaux > Colombian > Czech > Dominican Republic > Dresden > EBU middleweight > Finn > Freiberger Arena > Germany > Gyor > Hartwell Arena > Helsinki > Huck > Hugo Hernan Garay > Hungary > Italy > joel julio > Joszef Nagy > Juergen Braehmer > Khoren Gevor > Magdeburg > Michel Trabant > Michele Di Rocco > Monrose > Murat > Nikolay Valuev > Oliver Guettel > Patrick Hruska > Pekka Maeki > Peter Pelk > Riddick Bowe > Santo Domingo > Sauerland Event > Schwerin > Secunda > September 5 > Sergey Dzinziruk > SES > Simone Rotolo > South Africa > Timo Hoffman > Universum > WBA light heavyweight > WBC Youth champion > WBF cruiserweight title > WBO I/C Welterweight Champion Christian Bladt > welterweight > Zoltan Petranyi
WWW.GOFIGHTLIVE.TV GOES TO FULL ACCESS FREE PLATFORM
Posted on | September 3, 2008 | No Comments
NEW YORK—www.GoFightLive.tv, the world leading boxing broadcaster has announced that all of its content will now be free of charge.
All content on the site is now free, no registration is necessary. Except for Pay-Per- events all live and archived fight videos, pictures, and live daily/weekly shows are just one click of the mouse away.
This coming Friday, www.gofightlive.tv will present a live broadcast FREE OF CHARGE when world ranked Jr. Welterweight, “Mighty” Mike Arnaoutis takes on African knockout artist Nassar Athumnai. The co-feature has big implications as undefeated Heavyweight contender; Kevin “Kingpin” Johnson takes on former WBA Heavyweight champion, Bruce “The Atlantic City Express” Seldon in the first ever webcast from an Atlantic City casino as Bally’s will play host to this exciting event.. The entire card will be broadcasted free of charge which includes the exciting welterweight, “The New” Ray Robinson.
Fans now have access to over 500 hours of content, many live monthly events and weekly/daily live talk shows. You won’t see this content anywhere else.
Tags: Boxing > fighting > free videos > Gofightlive.tv > Mixed Martial Arts
HDNET FIGHTS AND AFFLICTION ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCE LONG-TERM DEAL TO AIR LIVE MMA EVENTS ON HDNET
Posted on | September 3, 2008 | No Comments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Partnership solidifies HDNet as THE Home for Mixed Martial Arts on television
DALLAS (September 3, 2008) – HDNet Fights today announced a long-term partnership with Affliction Entertainment to air live MMA events exclusively in North America on HDNet. These live events, featuring the top Mixed Martial Arts fighters from around the world, will be broadcast on HDNet as a lead-in to Affliction’s Pay Per View Events.
“This is the beginning of a long-term partnership with Affliction that encompasses live MMA, co-marketing and top fighters for the top weekly show in MMA – Inside MMA on HDNet,” said Andrew Simon, CEO of HDNet Fights. “Affliction has quickly become one of the top organizations in MMA which means it is a must have for HDNet.”
As part of the agreement, HDNet will feature the first ninety minutes of live bouts that are part of each Affliction MMA event. Affliction joins the deep HDNet Fights lineup, which already features more LIVE events than any other network on television today.
HDNet will kick off the coverage with Affliction’s upcoming “Day of Reckoning” event, to be broadcast LIVE from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on October 11th. HDNet’s coverage of the first three preliminary bouts will include a match-up between Jason High vs. Mike Pyle (welterweight) followed by Paul Buentello vs. Roy Nelson (heavyweight).
Kenny Rice, Bas Rutten, and Ron Kruck will be on hand to call the action live on the HDNet broadcast, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. Pacific Time.
About HDNet Fights
HDNet Fights (www.hdnetfights.com) is one of the leading Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organizations in the country. Founded by Mark Cuban, HDNet Fights promotes, produces and airs over 24 live MMA events annually for broadcast on HDNet. HDNet Fights is a unique and unifying force in the MMA industry, partnering with leading promoters, including M-1, SportFight, Ring of Combat, Adrenaline, DREAM and others to offer the quality match-ups and productions that MMA fans demand.
Founded in 2007, HDNet Fights is led by CEO Andrew Simon while company operations are handled by Dallas MMA legend and former UFC champion, Guy Mezger.
HDNet (www.hd.net) is the home for HDNet Fights and is the leader in offering live MMA broadcasts and the best news and information show for MMA fans, “Inside MMA”.
In addition, HDNet provides viewers with the best in original news, sports, music and entertainment programming. From “Dan Rather Reports”, to championship sports coverage from NASCAR and Major League Soccer to “Guys Night In” every Friday and the HDNet Concert Series every Sunday, HDNet offers great programming with the world’s best picture quality.
Launched in 2001 by Mark Cuban and General Manager and COO Philip Garvin, the HDNet networks are available on AT&T, Bright House Networks, Charter Communications, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Time Warner Cable, Verizon and more than 40 NCTC cable affiliate companies. For more information visit www.hd.net.
If you don’t already have HDNet, call your local cable, satellite or video provider and order it today!
Tags: Affliction MMA > Donald Trump > HDNet FIGHTS > Mark Cuban > Mixed Martial Arts > MMA > Paul Buentello > Roy Nelson > Tom Atencio
TAKEDOWN RADIO REPORT
Posted on | September 3, 2008 | No Comments
Now that things are settling down a little after the Olympics and the nations college programs are starting to crack their doors a little for open practice, un-supervised of course, we can start to focus on the “Season”. It started with a bang as we learned early on Monday that after 16 years Marty Morgan might be leaving the University of Minnesota. Turns out to be true as it was made official on Tuesday the 2nd. Brock has hired away one of the best assistant coaches in wrestling. Brock’s gain is Minnesota’s loss for sure as Lesnar begins to prepare for the fight of his life against the ageless wonder in the Natural Randy Couture.
UFC Veteran John “Hurricane” Halverson along with Dowling Catholic HS Head Coach Jon Garvin (2 X State Champion) will join us in studio as guest hosts to provide some unique questions and answers.
This week on TDR-
Andy Hrovat will give us his unique perspective on Beijing China and the Olympics. What went right and what went wrong? He put up a tough performance Wrestling in the 84kg weight class, Hrovat drew a bye in the round of 16. He wrestled Cuba’s Reineris Salas Perez in the round of 8, losing 3-0 1-3 2-2. The Cuban’s loss to the Turkish wrestler Serhat Balc? in the quarterfinal round eliminated Hrovat from further competition in the repechage round.
Steve Martin- Head Coach of the Monarchs of Old Dominion will join us to discuss and describe his new wrestling room and crop of in coming freshmen. Watch for ODU to make some moves again this year as they get progressively better and more competitive. On Sunday Oct. 12th at 6 pm there will be a book signing for the new book ” The Granby Roll”.The book is about Nationally acclaimed Granby High School Wrestling Coach Billy Martin, Sr.The Martin Family hopes to see you there!
Bruce Burnett- Navy Head Coach has got the world by the tail, tons of athletes and is able to fall to his knees with grace and humiliation. He apparently understands the bigger picture. Burnett has led the Mids to 10 or more dual wins in each of the last six years, is in his eighth season at the helm of the Navy wrestling program. Burnett served as the United States Olympic Freestyle Coach at the 2000 Olympic Games. His athletes captured one gold, two silver and two bronze medals. What is the difference between then and now?
Cary Kolat- The Alabaster, Alabama Native who switched things up during his collegiate years by attending and wrestling for both Lock Haven and Penn State Universities has a new and innovative web site designed to teach, educate and inform all at an affordable price. http://www.kolat.com Kolat was a Two-Time NCAA Champion (1996-97) and a Four Time NCAA All-American (1993,94,96,97). His Career NCAA Record: 111-7 (94.1) 53 Falls (45%)
Jason Borrelli- Stanford cardinal Head Coach opens up to TDR. In one of Borrelli’s first interviews we’ll talk to him about being one of the youngest coaches in NCAA D1 history. We’ll also discuss growing up in wrestling at the feet of his remarkable father Tom Borrelli, the impact that Kerry McCoy, in his 3 seasons as the skipper at Stanford had on Jason’s career and the incredible support that AD Bob Bowlesby has for this young man.
Join us for an enjoyable 2 hours of wrestling talk on America’s Wrestling Radio talk show. A big thank you to all of our fans and sponsors alike. Together you make this journey of ours enjoyable.
Scott Casber
KXNO in Iowa KRRW Minnesota TakedownRadio.Com Intermatwrestle.Com Matchannel.Com KXNO.Com Mat-Magazine.Com
Tags: Andy Hrovat > Beijing > Billy Martin > Bob Bowlesby > Brock Lesnar > Bruce Burnett > Cary Kolat > China > Cuba > Dowling Catholic HS > Jason Borrelli > John Halverson > Jon Garvin > Kerry McCoy > Lock Haven > Marty Morgan > Monarchs > Navy > Navy wrestling > Old Dominion > olympics > Penn State University > Randy Couture > Reineris Salas Perez > Serhat Balci > Stanford > Steve Martin > Takedown Radio > Tom Borrelli > Turkey > United States Olympic Freestyle Coach > University of Minnesota > wrestling
















