IBF Middleweight Mandatory Eliminator
Hard Rock Live in Hollywood , FL
SHOWTIME TO BROADCAST LIVE
MIDDLEWEIGHT MELEE: The Hard Rock Live in Hollywood , FL will serve as the site for a Showtime World Championship Boxing middleweight doubleheader. The 12 round non-title main event bout will feature a rematch between Edison Miranda (30-2, 26 KO’s) and undefeated IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham (26-0, 21 KO’s). In the co-feature undefeated IBF #4 ranked contender Giovanni Lorenzo (26-0, 18 KO’s) challenges IBF #13 ranked contender and former world champion Raul Marquez (40-3-1, 29 KO’s) in a 12 round IBF Mandatory Eliminator bout. IBF champion Abraham is mandated to fight the winner of Lorenzo-Marquez in his next bout. SHOWTIME’s June 21 broadcast will begin at 9pm ET / PT. Tickets, priced at $202, $152, $102, and $52 are now on sale and may be purchased at the Hard Rock Live Box Office or TicketMaster.com.
GIOVANNI LORENZO: TIME TO STEP UP - Undefeated middleweight contender Giovanni Lorenzo has been waiting for this opportunity. He has hungered for the chance to showcase his talents and prove to the world that he is ready to battle for a world title. The only person standing in his way is Raul Marquez:
On Marquez’s abilities: “Marquez has many strengths, as do most former world champions. He is durable, he’s been active, and he can punch. He has been in with the best in the world. Also, he is a southpaw and I have never faced a southpaw before. He works every minute of every round and bangs to the body hard. He's tenacious, focused, but also very relaxed. He is a tough out for anyone. That is why so many fighters have avoided him. But so far no one has been able to defeat me. He has been defeated and he knows how to lose. That will be the big difference in the fight.”
On Marquez’s age and stamina: “Marquez has been the distance [10 rounds or more] numerous times and the most I have gone is 8 rounds, so I don’t expect any advantages if the fight going longer. I have been preparing for the old Marquez and I expect a hard physical fight from start to finish. I know that although he has been stopped he has never been counted out, so I want to be the first man to ever do that. If I can, it will be a huge accomplishment.”
On Pavlik-Lockett: “I think Pavlik could get beat. He is an overrated fighter
who wants to fight bums who nobody gives a damn about. But if HBO
wants to keep paying him the amount of money he is asking to fight these
bums, then they deserve the poor ratings that they have been getting.
Pavlik is never going to fight me. His management already confirmed this
. . . which is why we are moving on and planning to face Abraham in our
next fight.”
RAUL MARQUEZ: FINAL SHOT? Former world champion Raul Marquez recognizes that this IBF eliminator bout on June 21 against Lorenzo may be his final opportunity to earn a world title shot. Since losing to Jermain Taylor in June 2004, the 16-year veteran and 1992 Silver Medalist has rattled off a 5-0-1 record. With the help of his trainer/father, Arturo Marquez, Raul plans to knock off Lorenzo and then challenge IBF champion Arthur Abraham . . . or any other world middleweight champion willing to fight him.
On Lorenzo’s opposition: “Lorenzo’s young and hungry and this is a big opportunity for him. But the guy’s never been tested. The biggest name on his resume is Archak [Ter-Meliksetian]. He’s been fighting nothing but journeymen.”
On Lorenzo’s skills: “He’s powerful and strong. When you knock out 18 guys you have some power no matter who the opponent is. But I don’t think he is a full-blown middleweight and a lot of the guys he’s fought were welterweights and jr. middleweights. He hasn’t been in with a true middleweight. I’ve watched tape of him and I think he’s an average guy, an average fighter. Nothing impressive. I don’t compare him with the talent of guys like Jermain Taylor and Fernando Vargas when I fought them. They had better resumes.”
Marquez is training for the bout in Houston , and other than suffering through the heat and the humidity he is enjoying training like never before: “Since I lost to Taylor I’ve had six fights. The training is hard and you really have to want it. It’s hard at any age, but it gets even harder at 36. But I’m different now. I’m older, wiser, and more mature. I love boxing more now than ever. I appreciate it more. I train happy.”
Next Week: Training Camp Tidbits
For more info: Main Events (973) 200-7050
Donald Tremblay
¶ 9:53 AM 14 comments
World Class Professional Boxing Returns to Chicago as Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions,HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING and Bob Arum’s Top Rank Incorporated present FEARLESS, an action packed evening of world class professional boxing on Friday, June 20th at the Aragon Ballroom.
Tickets for FEARLESS are on sale now through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com) and the 8 Count Production offices at 312-226-5800. The Aragon Ballroom is located at 1106 W. Lawrence Ave. Doors for this event will open at 5:30pm with the first bell at 6:30pm.
Headlining FEARLESS is an outstanding bantamweight clash as world ranked Alex Valdez,(20-2-1, 15 KO’s), of Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico battles Accra, Ghana native Anyetei Laryea,(17-4, 8 KO’s) over ten rounds. Valdez is currently ranked # 4 by the WBC, #7 by the WBO, # 10 by the IBF and # 15 by WBA.
In the co-main event, Salinas, California's super bantamweight Alejandro Perez, (12-0-1, 7 KO’s) squares off against Mexico City’s Adolfo Landeros,(17-10-1, 8 KO’s) in a scheduled eight rounder.
In a special feature attraction bout, former world champion Montell “ICE” Griffin, (48-7, 30 KO’s) of Chicago will face Baltimore native Corey Cummings,(15-2, 12 KO’s) over ten rounds in the light heavyweight division. This will be Griffin’s first bout in his hometown in nine years.
On the outstanding under card, Chicago favoriteIvan Popoca, (6-0-1, 5 KO’s) will face KhristianGeraci, (3-2-1, 2 KO’s) in a six round welterweight bout. Also on the undercard, Michigan nativeFrederico Flores Jr. (4-2, 2 KO’s) faces ChicagoanGustavo Palacios, (2-3, 1 KO’s) over four rounds.
Rounding out the card is a four round junior lightweight battle between Chicago native JuanBailon, (2-0, 1 KO) and Mexico’s Gerardo Alarcon, (0-1).
Along with Dominic Pesoli's 8 Count Productions and Bob Arum’s Top Rank Incorporated,FEARLESS is presented by TCF Bank, Tecate Beer and AeroMexico, Mexico’s premier airline travel headquarters. The SOLO BOXEO TECATE broadcast will be viewed in 42 US markets and 70 foreign countries.
The Master of Ceremonies for the evening will be Lupe Contreras, the internationally recognized voice of Latino boxing.
8 Count Productions was started by Dominic Pesoliin 1998 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland. In 2003, Pesoli along with former featherweight contender Mike Garcia opened JABB Boxing Gym, a 6,000 square foot venue dedicated to the finestChicagoland boxers of all talent levels.
To view the seating chart and poster for this event or for more information on 8 Count Productions and JABB Boxing Gym, please visitwww.8countproductions.com andwww.jabbboxinggym.com
For more information on Bob Arum’s Top Rank Incorporated, please visit
GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS SIGNS DEAL WITH VERSUS TO TELEVISE
RICKY HATTON VS. JUAN LAZCANO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT
ON MAY 24 FROM MANCHESTER, ENGLAND
Malignaggi vs. N’Dou World Championship Bout Also On Card Lineup
LOS ANGELES (May 12, 2008) – Golden Boy Promotions announced today a deal with VERSUS, the sports network that celebrates real competition in all its forms, to televise the Ricky Hatton vs. Juan Lazcano and Paulie Malignaggi vs. Lovemore N’Dou world championship doubleheader. The fights will air live on VERSUS on May 24 at 3:30 PM ET and will originate from the City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England. The event marks the first time that Golden Boy Promotions and VERSUS will work together to televise a boxing event. The fight will be televised by Sky Box Office in the United Kingdom.
The main event will feature Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton and Juan Lazcano in a 12-round bout for Hatton’s IBO and Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight World Championships with the co-featured bout pitting IBF Junior Welterweight World Champion Paulie Malignaggi vs. Lovemore N’Dou in a re-match battle for Malignaggi’s title. The bouts are promoted by Punch Promotions in association with Golden Boy Promotions and Frank Maloney Promotions. Malignaggi vs. N’Dou is presented in association with DiBella Entertainment.
“I’m very excited to bring Ricky’s fight to his American fans through VERSUS,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “This is a step in the right direction for fight fans as we at Golden Boy hope to continue to bring big names and big fights to non-pay TV on cable television. The fights between Hatton and Lazcano and Malignaggi and N’Dou are the perfect start to what I hope will be a long relationship with VERSUS.”
“We are thrilled to be bringing this level of fight to our network,” said Marc Fein, Executive Vice President of Programming, Production and Business Operations for VERSUS. “We look forward to continuing to build our boxing franchise and look forward to working with Golden Boy Promotions on this event.”
For more information on Golden Boy Promotions, please visit www.goldenboypromotions.com. For more information on VERSUS, please visit www.versus.com.
New boxing book pounds away
JE Grant’s The Ropes Held Him Up -- Boxing Essays and Articles was published Nov. 17 and is now available.
Click on the title above to place your order.
The collection of boxing pieces covering a wide variety of fights and issues facing the sport today provide the reader insights into the professional scene.
Grant, who currently writes for the highly-acclaimed Boxing Scene.com, continues to highlight the action of fighters worldwide and jabs at those that he sees as pounding at the sport.
ABOUT AUTHOR
JE Grant is a pen name used exclusively by the author for writing about boxing. This is his first compilation.
ABOUT LULUFounded in 2002, Lulu is the world’s fastest-growing print-on-demand marketplace. Please see www.lulu.com for more information. ¶ 7:45 AM 0 comments
When we launched the event on October 17 in Melbourne , the Superfighter team was confident all elements were secured to run a successful inaugural tournament.
However; recent withdrawals coupled with the unexpected challenges for fighters’ securing the proper clearances to enter Australia in time to train and acclimate themselves led Superfighter to the conclusion that the final December 2 field would not be of an appropriate caliber.
Superfighter’s objective has always been – and will remain - to showcase the world’s most exciting elite boxers.
Due to the withdrawal of Calvin Brock and Samuel Peter, and the visa/entry issues, the investors and management of Superfighter made what we believe to be the appropriate decision to postpone the event regardless of the significant monetary losses we are incurring.
All ticket sales will be refunded.
The Superfighter team believes in this innovative boxing format and is dedicated to its goals. We are committed to our promise to fight fans worldwide - to promote world class boxing events.
Stephen Duval
Founder and CEO ¶ 5:02 PM 0 comments
It's official. Three-division world champions MANNY "PAC MAN" PACQUIAO and ERIK "EL TERRIBLE" MORALES will get it on for the third time to determine who really is the best man inside the ring.
Pacquiao and Morales each own a victory over the other in their two previous fights - both considered "Fight of the Year" candidates -- which have attracted over 700,000 pay-per-view buys combined.
The announcement was made by Bob Arum, chairman of Top Rank and Shelly Finkel, Pacquiao's manager. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Wynn Las Vegas, Pacquiao-Morales III will be a 12-round super featherweight bout, from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV, and broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View. ¶ 5:30 PM 1 comments
Northern Virginia fan favorite JIMMY LANGE (27-3-1, 19 KOs) will return for his fourth consecutive bout in Fairfax joining one of the region’s all-time great fighters, former three-time world champion MARK “TOO SHARP” JOHNSON (44-5, 28 KOs) of Washington, D.C. as the evening’s main attractions. Opponents for both fighters will be announced shortly.
After an impressive showing earlier this month “THE PRIDE OF PORTSMOUTH ” DORIN SPIVEY (34-4, 28 KOs) returns to Northern Virginia to face DEAN “THE PIT BULL” WHITE (13-5-1, 6 KOs ) of Smithsburg, MD in an exciting eight-round rematch. The two fighters squared off back in 1998 with Spivey earning a seventh round TKO in Virginia Beach .
Lange looks to continue on the winning track after scoring a tenth round TKO win over Tommy Wilt earlier this month at the Patriot Center .
“I look forward to getting right back to work and preparing for December 9,” said Lange who recently returned to camp at trainer Buddy McGirt’s Vero Beach , FL gym. “I chose to return to the Patriot Center for my next fight instead of pursuing other options because of the great support I always receive from my hometown fans.“
Johnson, the first and only African-American boxer to ever capture a world championship flyweight title, suffered a loss to WBO bantamweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez in his last fight held on February 25, 2006 in Las Vegas . This will be Johnson’s second fight in Virginia (first was June 12, 1992 in Alexandria ) and first area appearance since July 2004 (Bowie, MD).
“Boxing has been great to me and my goal is to get back into world title contention, eventually fighting (Robert) Guerrero for his IBF Featherweight Title,” explained Johnson who has captured the WBO Super Flyweight, IBF Flyweight and Super Flyweight championship belts during his illustrious 12–year career. “It all starts with this fight in December where I’ll get a chance to see how I feel fighting at 126 in front of a great hometown crowd.”
Promoter Joe Hensley of Major League Boxing anticipates another attractive and competitive card, top-to-bottom, with a total of six bouts to be scheduled. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. with the first bout slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will go onsale in the immediate future.
PROMOTER:
www.MajorLeagueBoxing.com
MEDIA CONTACT:
Brotman•Winter•Fried Communications – 703-534-4600
Brian Bishop (brian@bwfcom.com) ext. 210
Mike Schaffer (mike@bwfcom.com) ext. 217 ¶ 6:07 PM 1 comments
