Boxing News

Archive for August, 2012

Boxing News & Updates 23^rd August, for: Hatton Comeback, According To Ricky Hatton’s Agent, Big-time boxing returns to Brooklyn, Tapia died from heart disease, Prize Fight returns on August 25^th, Paul McCloskey will fight Manuel Perez, WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, Andre Berto licensed by the CSAC, Vasquez vs. Reyes

• Hatton Comeback - It is official (According to the UK’s Daily Star) Hatton, age 33, will announce a two-fight deal sometime in the coming fortnight, and his first fight will be in November. Thus far no venue or opponent has been confirmed. According to the UK’s Daily Star, it will “almost certainly be old rival Paulie Malignaggi. Hatton is said to be planning to get a TV station interested in taking the two planned fights, with his own company Hatton Promotions promoting.

• According To Ricky Hatton’s Agent - there is “no story” behind the rumours that the 33-year-old is about to make a return to the ring. Speculation has been building for some time that Hatton’s new training regime has led him to rethink his retirement from the sport. The Daily Star reported on Wednesday that Hatton would make his comeback, likely in late November, and his target opponent was Paulie Malignaggi as part of a two-fight deal. But Hatton’s agent Paul Speak effectively ruled out a comeback, saying the former world champion was merely enjoying a cleaner lifestyle. “People are speculating but he is just keeping fit and has not made any decision on a comeback. There’s no story,” he told Sky Sports. The ‘Hitman’ has not fought since he was knocked out in the second round by Manny Pacquiao more than three years ago.

• Big-time boxing returns to Brooklyn - After more than a 50-year hiatus on Saturday, October 20, when Golden Boy Promotions presents the first boxing event at the new Barclays Center. Televised live on SHOWTIME, the night will feature a star-studded boxing card including two world championship fights and a host of New York’s top talents. The main event will feature unbeaten Danny “Swift” Garcia defending his World Boxing Association (WBA) Super, World Boxing Council (WBC) & Ring Magazine Super Lightweight World Championships against the man he defeated to win the WBC belt, legendary Mexican warrior and future Hall of Famer Erik “El Terrible” Morales. In the co-featured bout, Brooklyn’s own Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi risks his WBA Welterweight World Championship against hard-hitting Pablo Cesar “El Demoledor” Cano.

• Tapia died from heart disease - A press conference in Albuqerque held by Teresa Tapia revealed that the former five-time world champion died due to heart disease. An autopsy report released on Wednesday revealed the cause of death that had the New Mexico legend passing away on May 27. Though prescription drugs played a part, the cause of death has officially been ruled an accident due to heart disease complications. There were no illegal drugs in Tapia’s system.

• Prize Fight returns on August 25th - as it presents the latest instalment of “Fights at the Fitz” from the Grand Ballroom at Fitzgerald’s Hotel & Casino in Tunica, MS. The card features the long awaited third showdown between female lightweights Kim Connor and “Notorious” Nicole Woods. The bout will be an eight-rounder for the Ladies Mid-South belt. Both fights were toe-to-toe battles with the first ending in a draw and the second going to Connor 77-76 on all cards. The event will also feature a guest appearance by Olympic gold medal boxer Claressa Shields. Tickets are available at the Fitz Casino Gift Shop at (800-766-5825) or at Ticketmaster (online or call 800-745-3000). Doors open at 6:30p and the first bell is at 7:30p.

• Paul McCloskey will fight Manuel Perez - at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast on September 22. McCloskey is aiming to get back on track after his defeat to DeMarcus Corley in May and a victory over the WBA ranked Perez would boost the title hopes of the former World title challenger. Perez, 28, successfully defended his NABA light welterweight title against Jose Miguel Cotto last month and has twice tangled with WBA lightweight champion Brandon Rios. McCloskey is part of the undercard of a huge night for boxing in Belfast with Carl Frampton topping the bill against two-time World champion Steve Molitor for the Commonwealth and IBF Inter Continental titles in his hometown. Martin Lindsay welcomes Lee Selby to his hometown in a challenge for the Welshman’s British and Commonwealth featherweight titles, while fellow Belfast fighters Eamonn O’Kane, Jamie Conlan and Dee Walsh will also be in action, with O’Kane’s opponent announced tomorrow. Team GB stars Scotty Cardle, Kal Yafai and Martin Ward all continue their pro education in Belfast.

WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko - prepares for his next title defense in Austria. He will face off with German, Manuel Charr at SC Olimpiyski sports arena in Moscow, Russia on September 8. In the US, Klitschko vs. Charr will be shown live on HBO, RTL broadcasts in Germany. The fight will be promoted by K2 Promotions. K2 has promoted the most heavyweight championship events in the last decade. Tickets are available on www.olimpik.ru (booking). Photos: KMG/Klitschko Press-Service.

• Andre Berto licensed by the CSAC - Former IBF welterweight champion Andre Berto has been licensed by the California State Athletic Commission after completing all necessary pre-licensing requirements. “As someone who truly believes in clean sport, I have never used any type of performing enhancing drugs. Everything I’ve achieved was the result of hard work and determination,” Berto said. “I am excited that this whole situation is behind me, and I look forward to returning to the ring soon with another exciting performance so stay tuned.” Berto’s positive test in May revealed extremely small amounts of a banned substance, which the CSAC deemed inconsistent with any performance-enhancing effect and were much more consistent with contamination of an otherwise acceptable food or supplement.

• Vasquez vs. Reyes, Fallon, NV — Presented by the City of Fallon, NV and Let’s Get It On Promotions, the “Rural Rumble: Fallon Fights 2012” show promises to be another thrilling night featuring excellent fights. The fights are this Saturday, August 25th at the Churchill County Fairgrounds, and will feature world class professional boxing. This will be the fifth installment of this annual event held in “The Oasis of Nevada.”

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Buglioni will be a studio guest for Abraham-Stieglitz fight on BoxNation on Saturday

Red-hot super-middleweight prospect Frank Buglioni will be a studio guest for this Saturday night’s big world title fight on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/Virgin Ch. 546) live from Germany between Robert Stieglitz and Arthur Abraham.

The unbeaten Londoner is making big waves on the domestic scene with his exciting all-action style, massive fan following and mediterranean good looks as he builds towards a potential first title fight later this year.

The 23-year-old has his sixth pro fight – a six-round contest – on Friday 14th September at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, on the undercard of stable-mate Billy Joe Saunders’ Commonwealth Middleweight title defence against Australian Jarrod Fletcher, which is also live on BoxNation.

Buglioni joins BoxNation presenter Steve Bunce in the London studio for live coverage of Stieglitz’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) World Super-Middleweight title defence against Abraham at the O2 World in Berlin.

And Buglioni is looking forward to seeing all the action.

“It’s a cracking fight for BoxNation, both are come forward fighters and I expect a great fight between them. Of the two, Abraham is the heavier handed and has been in harder fights and Stieglitz has more movement and is in the prime of his career. It’s a tough one to call, but I’m looking forward to a very interesting fight between them,” Said Buglioni.

He added, “At the moment I’m only five fights into my professional career and I’m enjoying the learning experience of it all as I work towards challenging for domestic titles. Stieglitz and Abraham are at the top of their game and I want to be in their position in a good few years which will be a long hard road, but I’m loving every minute of it.”

Stieglitz v Abraham is live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/Virgin Ch. 546) this Saturday with live coverage starting from 7.30pm. Join at www.boxnation.com

Buglioni features on an action packed card at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, headlined by Billy Joe Saunders’ Commonwealth Middleweight title defence against Jarrod Fletcher, plus Bradley Skeete v Peter McDonagh in a ten-round welterweight contest and unbeaten prospects Billy Morgan, Gary Corcoran, Mitchell Smith and Ediz Hussein.

Tickets priced at £40 and £60 are available from Ticketmaster on 0844 844 0444 or www.ticketmaster.co.uk or Frank Warren Promotions on 01992 550 888 or www.frankwarren.com

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Garcia vs. Morales & Malignaggi vs. Cano in Brooklyn on October 20th

BROOKLYN (August 22, 2024) – Big-time boxing returns to Brooklyn after more than a 50-year hiatus on Saturday, October 20, when Golden Boy Promotions presents the first boxing event at the new Barclays Center. Televised live on SHOWTIME, the night will feature a star-studded boxing card including two world championship fights and a host of New York’s top talents.

The main event will feature unbeaten Danny “Swift” Garcia defending his World Boxing Association (WBA) Super, World Boxing Council (WBC) & Ring Magazine Super Lightweight World Championships against the man he defeated to win the WBC belt, legendary Mexican warrior and future Hall of Famer Erik “El Terrible” Morales. In the co-featured bout, Brooklyn’s own Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi risks his WBA Welterweight World Championship against hard-hitting Pablo Cesar “El Demoledor” Cano.

Tickets start at $50 and go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, August 29 at 10:00 a.m. ET and will be available at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, or at 800-745-3000.

Brooklyn Nets All Access season ticket buyers have the opportunity to purchase tickets for Barclays Center events before the general public. Fans are encouraged to visit www.barclayscenter.com and follow @BarclaysCenter on Twitter and Facebook (facebook.com/BarclaysCenter) for the latest updates and special pre-sale offers.

Barclays Center and Golden Boy Promotions previously announced a multi-year deal in which they will hold at least 12 events annually at Barclays Center. It has been more than a half century since Brooklyn was a significant hub of the sport of boxing.

The explosive night of boxing is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Box Latino and supported by Golden Boy Promotions sponsors Corona, DeWalt Tools and AT&T. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins live at 9:00 p.m. ET. Preliminary fights will air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET.

All participants, along with Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar De La Hoya, Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark and SHOWTIME Sports Executive Vice President and General Manager Stephen Espinoza will participate in a press conference scheduled for Thursday, August 30 at the New York Marriott at Brooklyn Bridge, the official hotel of Barclays Center, in downtown Brooklyn to officially announce these fights and others. More details will be announced soon regarding the press conference.

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STEVE CUNNINGHAM TO FACE JASON GAVERN IN HEAVYWEIGHT DEBUT

NEWARK, NJ - Former two-time cruiserweight champion Steve “USS” Cunningham, 24-4, 12 KOs, will make his debut in the heavyweight division on September 8th against Jason Gavern, 21-10-4, 10 KOs. The 10-round fight is part of a big afternoon heavyweight triple header promoted by Main Events, at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.
Former two-time world champion, Tomasz “Goral” Adamek, 46-2, 28 KOs, and Travis Walker, 39-7-1, 31 KOs, fight in the main event, a 12-rounder for Adamek’s IBF North American Heavyweight Title, and emerging heavyweight star Bryant Jennings, 14-0, 6 KOs, and Chris Koval, 25-9, 18 KOs, faceoff in the third featured heavyweight contest.

It will be a night of firsts for Cunningham who recently signed a promotional contract with Main Events. Cunningham makes his first start under his new agreement with the promoter, and will fight for the very first time at the new weight.

After losing a bid to regain his IBF cruiserweight belt in February, Cunningham made the decision to move up in weight and try his luck in boxing’s most prestigious division. At six-feet, three-inches tall, Steve brings a heavyweight frame to the division, but will have to carefully add the extra pounds to become a true heavyweight.

“I’m probably looking to do my first fight at 208 (pounds),” Cunningham said recently. “And probably max out at 215 (for future fights). I’m not interested in getting up to 225.”

For his first heavyweight test, Cunningham will contend with Virginia-born Gavern, who now fights out of Orlando, FL. Gavern is an inch shorter than Cunningham, but will likely have at least a 20-pound weight advantage in the fight.

Where a move up to heavyweight was once thought to be a hopeless endeavor for smaller fighters, it is now considered more of a calculated risk with some real potential upside. After boxers like Michael Spinks and Evander Holyfield set the standard for the move, and cruiserweights like David Haye and Tomasz Adamek having more recent success as heavyweights, more and more fighters seem willing to take the challenge. On September 8th, Gavern will do his best to keep Cunningham from joining the others who have defied the odds.

In an interesting note, both fighters have history with the participants of the main event. Cunningham lost a war of a cruiserweight title fight with Adamek back in 2008, at the very same arena, and Gavern fought to an 8-round draw with a then-undefeated Travis Walker in 2005.

FIGHT INFO:

“Ironbound Throwdown” September 8th at Newark’s Prudential Center features Tomasz Adamek vs. Travis Walker. Tickets priced at $180 ringside, $105, and $55 are available through Ticketmaster: online at www.ticketmaster.com; Charge-by-phone: 1-800-745-3000; Ticketmaster Express 866-448-7849; and Ticketmaster ticket centers. Tickets are also available at Prudential Center’s Box Office and www.prucenter.com.

Prudential Center doors will open at 1:30PM, first fight is 2:00PM. The card is presented by Main Events in association with Peltz Boxing, and Ziggy Promotions.

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WHITTAKER LOOKS FORWARD TO PROVING HIMSELF IN SEPT 21 FIGHT AGAINST ROSADO

Georgetown, Cayman Islands - Junior middleweight Charles Whittaker hopes everyone underestimates his chances of beating Gabriel Rosado when the two collide Friday evening, Sept. 21, at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

The winner of the scheduled 12-round contest will become the No. 1 contender and official mandatory challenger for IBF world champion Cornelius K9 Bundrage.

The Whittaker-Rosado bout is one of three to be televised Sept. 21 by the NBC Sports Network Fight Night series. The others: Gabriel Campillo, of Madrid, Spain, vs. Sergey Kovalev, of Chelyabinsk, Russia, 10 rounds, light-heavyweights; Ronald Cruz, of Bethlehem, PA, vs. Antwone Smith, of Miami, FL, 12 rounds, for Cruz’ WBC Continental Americas Welterweight Title. The NBCSN broadcast will begin at 9PM ET.

Whittaker, 38, of the Cayman Islands, has boxed under the radar during most of his 19-year career. His 38-12-2 record includes 23 knockouts, but he rarely has been in high-profile matches.

“This fight means the world to me,” Whittaker said. “I have paid my dues and ready to be number one in the world. After this fight I will challenge for the IBF 154 world title.”

Whittaker gained the No. 2 slot in the IBF ratings due to a pair of 12-round victories in his two most recent fights-over Keenan Collins, of Reading, PA, 14 months ago in the Cayman Islands for the vacant USBA junior middleweight title, and over Giorbis Barthelemy, of Cuba, last November, in Miami, FL.

Whittaker has beaten former world-title challenger Billy Lyell and he has lost to some of the best-Troy Rowland, Mikkel Kessler, Shannon Taylor and Hercules Kyvelos.

“There are some people who told me I would never make it as a professional boxer and I have proved them wrong,” Whittaker said. “When I step into the ring on September 21 it will be no different. I know Rosado will be game but I have the experience and I am hungry to win.”

Proof of Whittaker’s popularity in the Cayman Islands is the fact that Premier McKeeva Bush plans to attend the Sept. 21 fight in Bethlehem.

It has been a long and winding road to the top spot for Whittaker, who got into trouble as a youth in the Cayman Islands. Born in Georgetown, he later moved to West Bay and was placed in a Jamaican reform school.

He returned home to attend Cayman Island High School. After graduation, his cousin John Evans took Whittaker to the local boxing gym where Dalmain Ebanks became his first coach and mentor.

After a brief amateur career, Whittaker turned pro in 1993 and won a four-round decision over Larry Jarrett, of Lafayette, TN.

With few opportunities in the Cayman Islands, Whittaker headed for Florida and spent time in Hollywood at Angelo Dundee’s gym under the guidance of Joe Quinlan and Dell Cava, then moved to Pensacola and worked with Roy Jones. Back in Hollywood, he finally hooked up with Norman Wilson, who has been his trainer for the last 10 years.

A native Philadelphian, Wilson is a former US Marine and Dade County Public School teacher with over 40 years boxing experience. He has worked with Oliver McCall, Tony Tucker and Randall Bailey.

Whittaker and family members formed Knockout Productions, Ltd., a group which promotes Whittaker’s fights in the Cayman Islands with Whittaker in the main event. Longtime friend Raul Alvarez, of Winter Haven, FL, is matchmaker and advisor.

Rosado, 26, of Philadelphia, PA, earned the No. 3 slot in the IBF ratings this year with knockout victories over Jesus Soto-Karass, of Mexico, and over Sechew Powell, of Brooklyn, NY. The win over Powell topped the June 1 card in front of a standing-room-only crowd at the 2,000-seat Event Center at the Sands.

A pro since 2006, Rosado has a 20-5 record, 12 K0s. He has won his last six fights and also has defeated ex-IBF champ Kassim Ouma, of Uganda, and contender Saul Roman, of Mexico.

ABOUT SEPTEMBER 21

The Campillo-Kovalev and Cruz-Smith fights top a seven-bout card at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. First fight is 7.15 pm. Tickets priced at $130 (luxury suites), $80 and $55 can be purchased through the offices of Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922), all Ticketmaster outlets (800-745-3000) or at the box office at the Sands Event Center (610-297-7414). Tickets also can be purchased online at www.peltzboxing.com, www.SandsEventCenter.com and www.Ticketmaster.com. In Bethlehem, tickets are available at Deja Brew, Inc., 101 West 4th Street (610-865-2739) and at Pronto Insurance Notary, 232 East 3rd Street (610-419-6790). NBC Sports Network will televise the Campillo-Kovalev and Cruz-Smith fights, beginning at 9 pm. The card is being promoted by Main Events and Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc., in association with Sampson Boxing and the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

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