Vazquez Pushes, Sonsona Caves; Holt Quits (And The Rest of The Weekend Action)

Bayamon, Puerto Rico- In a surprisingly easy evening of work, Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr. (18-0-1, 15 KOs) beat Marvin Sonsona (14-1-1, 12 KOs) via TKO in the 4th round.

Sonsona had a good 1st round, but folded as soon as Vazquez started applying pressure. The end came thanks to a wicked left hand to the body of Sonsona.

Vazquez picks up the vacant WBO super bantamweight title.

Guadalajara, Mexico- On the same telecast, the Rodel Mayol (26-4, 20 KOs)-Omar Niño Romero (28-3, 11 KOs) bout for Mayol's WBC jr. flyweight title ended in a controversial technical draw.

The first two rounds were even and the bout showed signs of being an exciting encounter, but those hopes were dashed in the 3rd round when Romero knocked Mayol out while ref Vic Drakulich was trying to stop the action after a Romero low blow.

A defenseless Mayol, still recoiling from the low blow was knocked down hard and had to be carried out of the ring on a stretcher.

The bout was declared a technical draw and WBC officials announced that an immediate rematch would be ordered.

Atlantic City- Kendall Holt (25-4, 13 KOs) put in the non-performance of the night in a RTD 6 loss to unknown South African, Kaizer Mabuza (23-6-3. 14 KOs).

After an ok 1st round, Holt simply stopped fighting and stopped trying while Mabuza applied even pressure throughout.

Holt did not answer the bell for the 7th. Neither Holt nor his trainer offered any explanation for this extremely passive performance.

Mabuza is now the top challenger for the winner of the upcoming Juan Urango-Devon Alexander bout.

Also, on the card, BTBC Co-House Fighter and welterweight prospect, Mike Jones (20-0, 16 KOs), overcame his biggest test to date by beating veteran Henry Bruseles (25-4-1, 13 KOs) via UD.

Jones struggled at the beginning, but found his rhythm in the middle rounds and outclassed the experienced Puerto Rican over the full 10.

Scores were: 98-92 (Twice) and 97-92.

On that same card, Gabriel Rosado (14-4, 8 KOs) put last August's slaughter at the hands of Alfredo Angulo behind him by beating tough veteran, Saul Roman (32-6, 27 KOs) via split decision.

Roman started strong, but Rosado's better technique and execution took over and allowed him to beat the aggressive Mexican.

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Carl Froch Dances For Charity!

Last year, we brought you Nikolay Valuev singing. This time, it's Carl Froch dancing.

As part of BBC's talent show 'Let's Dance For Sport Relief', Carl Froch and a host of other British boxing stars danced in the hope of getting through to the next stage of the competition.

The WBC super middleweight champion was supported by former cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson, Olympic bronze medallist Tony Jefferies and ex-flyweight champion Duke McKenzie as they danced to 'Bad Guys' from Bugsy Malone.

Surprisingly, the boxers weren't that bad. Johnny Nelson looked like he'd been in ballet classes as he popped out with the best moves of the quartet.

Unfortunately, the boxers didn't make it through to the final of 'Let's Dance For Sport Relief', but I'm sure Mikkel Kessler is quaking in his boots after seeing the most recent footage from Carl Froch's training regime.

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Charlie 21er, Live at Fight Night Club

by Charlie 21er

Golden Boy’s Fight Night Club has proven to be a huge success.  Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles sold out Thursday night for its first card of the year.

The round card girls were hot, the fights were decent, and the beer was expensive.  From beginning to end, the action lasted about 3 and a half hours—not bad for a $20 ticket.

Victor Ortiz was the main draw Thursday night as he got in rounds against an overmatched Hector Alatorre, a blown up light welterweight who had lost six of his last seven fights.

Ortiz, Ventura, CA, has been clocking rounds and attempting to raise his stock again after a hard loss to Marcos Maidana and a questionable post-fight interview last year.  And clocking rounds was all he did against Alatorre whom he had hurt in the second and sixth rounds of a 10 round bout.  In fact, Ortiz seemed to possess the skill and power to finish his man at all times during the bout, but opted to take the fight the full 10 rounds instead.  When the bell rang for the tenth round, the fighters came out, touched gloves and immediately went at it.  Ortiz put his combinations together finally and pushed forward, stopping his man in 51 seconds of the final round with a perfect right uppercut, the third punch in a stiff combination.  Alatorre dropped suddenly to the canvas and was unable to continue the fight.

This victory for Ortiz sets up a possible bout against former lightweight titleholder Nate Campbell on the Kahn-Malignaggi undercard in May.

Undercard Action

Ricky Lopez of Oxnard California improved his record to 7-0 with a unanimous decision against a determined Hugo Ramos 2-5-2.

Ramos immediately put Lopez on the back foot for the 4 round fight, trying to lure Lopez into a brawl.  Lopez regrouped and got back to boxing after the exciting first round and put in some good work.  Ramos was shaken in the third, but covered up and got his legs beneath him.  Ramos rallied enough over the last half of the round to take it.  In the fourth, both fighters threw caution to the wind in an exciting back and forth battle that saw both men hurt.  Both were gassed in the final minute but continued throwing, Lopez landing the better punches.

All three judges scored the fight 39-37.  The BTBC’s man in the crowd had it 38-38.

Philadelphia’s  Karl Dargan impressed the crowd as he was virtually untouchable against Jose Alfredo Lugo of Los Mochis, Mexico.  Dargan 7-0 (3) boxed at distance and put together lightning fast combinations, frequently beating his opponent to the punch.  Lugo was game, but could not find a way inside against Dargan.  At the end of the fourth, another painfully one-sided round, Dargan landed a tooth rattling straight right.  The hollow pop of fist against cheek elicited a collective sympathy groan from the crowd.  Impressively, Dargan timed this punch as Lugo was throwing one of his, landed it, and was out of the way by the time Lugo’s arrived.  Lugo retired on his stool, his record going 10-13-1 after losing his last 8.  When the fight was called off, hardcore boxing fans got to see Dargan’s trainer Naziim Richardson in the ring, big as life.

One of last year’s FNC favorites, Charles Huerta, seemed to get a hometown decision against Guadalupe De Leon, the man who beat Derrick Wilson who beat Huerta by shocking first round knockout last year.

Huerta seemed gunshy as De Leon took it to him and pushed the action and it wasn’t until the third round that Huerta woke up and decided to throw more than a punch at a time.  When Huerta decided to work, he was very accurate, but he didn’t seem to have a clue about how to deal with somebody who throws 8 punches at a time.  De Leon took it to Huerta who was successful at times with potshotting, but appeared to be overwhelmed as he went life and death in a 6 rounder.  Raul Caiz had the closest correct score at 57-57, Max DeLuca scored it 58-56, and David Denkin had it a ridiculous 59-55 for a MD win in Huerta’s favor.  The man in the crowd gave it to De Leon 58-56.

Luis Ramos and Walter Estrada felt each other out and warmed up for four rounds in a scheduled four rounder.  The most spirited exchange was after the final bell when both fighters remembered that they were not, in fact, sparring.  All three judges gave it to Ramos 40-36.  The BTBC man in the crowd decided that it would be a good time to get another drink and make a bathroom run, but may have scored it 39-37, giving the first round to Estrada for being a little bit busier.

After the main event, the crowd was treated to a performance by Candyman 187.  The Man in the Crowd didn’t bother watching this since they didn’t look like this:

The FNC structure has improved and the crowd was responsive.  The TV screens throughout the venue now show the fight as well for the instances in which the ref is blocking your view.  This also helps with a visible ring timer and between-round replays.  Somewhere up north, people were watching curling and ice skating; down in So Cal, hundreds upon hundreds of people turned up to see three hours of fighting.  Golden Boy is bringing it back to Los Angeles.

The Fight Night Club will run once a month through November.

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Victor Ortiz Spars On Fight Night Club

The questions and doubts remain around Victor Ortiz (26-2-1, 21 KO) after his performance on the season debut of Golden Boy Promotions' "Fight Night Club". After nine tentative rounds, Ortiz finished Hector Alatorre (16-9, 5 KO) in the tenth round of their main event contest.

Even though Ring Magazine contributor and Fight Night commentator Doug Fischer hyped up the performance as impressive and mature., the victory hardly impressed me. Hector Alatorre is as good as his record suggests and has lost nine of his last eleven bouts.

What I don't understand is why did they bother go through with the fight? Ortiz earned nothing in the fight, not even rounds, as he met no resistance from his opponent. Alatorre wasn't durable, Ortiz simply didn't press enough to take him out as he'd been ordered to 'get some rounds under your belt'. But it makes no sense. At least give him an opponent that concentrated on the offensive aspect of the game, not only the defence.

Alatorre is about as good as the fighters tonight on Prizefighter. Ortiz has been in the ring and battered many better opponents than Alatorre. In my opinion, Ortiz has gained nothing from last night's fight. They've just given Nate Campbell a fresh tape for the Galaxxy Warrior to dissect and prepare himself for the Ortiz fight.

Elsewhere, Charles Huerta (13-1, 7 KO) was involved in a decent fight with Guadalupe de Leon (8-10, 4 KO). De Leon defeated Derrick Wilson, who was the guy who defeated Huerta. The BTBC scored it 58-56 for Huerta. Judge Raul Caiz scored the fight 57-57 draw, while the other two judges scored it to Huerta, 59-55 and 58-56. Luis Ramos Jr. (13-0, 6 KO) wasn't at his best as he defeated veteran Walter Estrada (35-12, 24 KO) via four-round unanimous decision. Still, it was a decent outing for Ramos Jr., who won every round on my card, 40-36. Karl Dargan (7-0, 3 KO), Jesse Vargas (9-0, 4 KO) and Ricky Lopez (7-0, 2 KO) stayed unbeaten with wins.

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House Fighter Update: Another Step-Up For Jones

by Dafs117

After three stoppage wins for our House Fighters, The Boxing Tribune previews one of the hottest prospects in the sport, Mike Jones, in his first real test against the experienced Henry Bruseles.

* * * * *

As a -1200 betting favorite, Mike Jones (19-0, 16 KO) is expected to add another victory to his 19-fight old record. Afterall, MJ's last opponent, Raul Pinzon, had given former 140 pound player Ricardo Torres all he could handle for nine rounds in his previous fight.

In one of the best fights of the year, Pinzon was on the verge of one of the major upsets of 2009, leading on all three scorecards by at least three points. However, he couldn't survive the late barrage from Torres, who stopped him with less than a minute to go.

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Marvin Sonsona vs.Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.; The Way Boxing Should Be

by Paul Magno

As 19-year old Filipino phenom and former world titlist, Marvin Sonsona, prepares to clash with the son of a Puerto Rican legend, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., this Saturday, all old school boxing traditionalists have to be sporting a satisfied grin.

These days, the boxing purist is being outsourced to parts unknown and in his place is a generation of fans that take record-padding and boxing politics for granted as part of the sport.

The new breed of fan will never understand how, in the old days, hotshot prospects actually fought one another on the way up, forging their skills until bursting onto the world stage as a professional, battle-hardened fighting machine.

Nowadays, a prospect will be spoon fed until a mega-payday and title shot against some paper champion comes his way. Then, and only then, will the world see if the young star truly has what it takes to be a world class fighter. That's why we have guys like Andre Berto and Nonito Donaire sporting two and three year title reigns, respectively, without having faced more than one world-class challenger apiece.

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Montiel Buckles In Hasegawa Negotiations

Many sources are reporting that this fight is a done deal. Other sources are reporting that they're not even close to signing on the dotted line. If you're an optimist or a pessimist, you're bound to be confused.

Teiken Promotions, Hasegawa's handlers, have announced that this fight is slated for April 30, and even though the WBO belt held by Montiel means nothing in Japan, it will be an unification fight as Hasegawa holds the WBC strap. They also report that Toshiaki Nishioka (pictured with Hasegawa) will defend his junior featherweight title on the same bill.

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Margarito, Forgiven?

by Paul Magno

If you look around cyberspace these days, there has been a subtle shift in the public wind as it pertains to Antonio Margarito and his indefinite suspension from boxing. Margarito's attempted use of illegal hand wraps for his January, 2009 contest with Shane Mosley seems a distant memory to some and, shockingly, a flat-out falsehood to more than a few.

A year ago, there was outrage and indignation in the public discourse. Now, articles are popping up in support of the return of Margarito's license and all sorts of conspiracy theories are springing up that would have one re-think their stance on "The Tijuana Tornado."

But, before we forgive and forget, let's take a look at the night Antonio Margarito wanted on January 24th, 2009.

If Margarito had his way, he would've been leaping for joy over a fallen Hall of Famer in Shane Mosley and his post-fight interview would've consisted of smug grins as he gave special thanks to God and all Mexicans everywhere. It was his intention to climb the ranks to mega-star status by battering Mosley to an ugly, bloody pulp, as he did against Miguel Cotto about six months earlier. And he would've done it with the full knowledge that he was sporting doctored, illegal hand wraps.

And please spare me the fantasy that Margarito had no idea that his trainer, Javier Capetillo, was loading him up with a "plaster-like" substance.

To think that a fighter would have no idea that two wet, cement knuckle pads were inserted into his hand wraps is silly. To buy into the fairytale of some sort of conspiracy against Margarito is patently ridiculous.

What would the California State Athletic Commission stand to gain from banning a popular Mexican fighter from their state? Why would a commission, with no vested interest, choose to outlaw the guy who just sold out the Staples Center? The fact of the matter is that the wraps confiscated on January 24th were personally reviewed by the commission members and even checked by an independent laboratory.

Even Capetillo, himself, when faced with the evidence, basically confessed and offered himself as a sacrifice. Yeah, I'll say it again for those who have come to doubt the evidence: Capetillo confessed to inserting illegal knuckle pads into his fighter's wraps, thus completely shooting down the recent claims regarding some sort of controversy as to whether the gauze was ever truly as illegal as initially reported.

Now, a little over a year later, Margarito happily prepares himself for a May 8th return in Mexico while talking about the eight figure November date with Manny Pacquiao promised to him by Top Rank's Bob Arum.

Other than an extended vacation from the sport and some early negative press, nothing really happened to him as a result of his infraction. He thumbed his nose at the authorities and at boxing itself and is almost guaranteed to fight again in The United States before the end of the year.

But before our sympathies and/or indifference get the best of us, remember this: Margarito was fine with putting the life of another fighter at stake...as long as it propelled him to where he wanted to go. That's the Antonio Margarito we need to remember...

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Weekend Hangover

Nothing major going on this weekend, but plenty of minor second-tier fights scattered around the world and weight classes. The Mexican results have already been posted.

Shawn Porter UD 10 Russell Jordan

Junior middleweight prospect Shawn Porter (13-0, 10 KO) survived his first real gut check, winning a ten-round unanimous decision against Russell Jordan (15-7, 10 KO) in Cleveland, Ohio.

The tall and awkward southpaw troubled Porter who eventually turned up the heat in the later rounds to earn the decision. Porter looked a small junior middleweight, which might cause some difficulties as he steps up the ranks.

Jordan was harshly penalised for spitting out his mouthpiece, but despite having the odds stacked against him, provided a stern test for Porter. So often in these type of fights, you get one shutout card. And we got it here. A shutout 100-89 for Porter followed by two more accurate 97-92.

Fres Oquendo RTD 9 Demetrice King

Fres Oquendo (32-5, 21 KO) kept himself in the hunt to fit the criteria as step-up man by stopping Demetrice King (15-18, 13 KO) after nine rounds to win regional titles. The big-hitting King kept the fight competitive until he started to tire at the mid-way point.

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War in Mexico: Ponce De Leon, Segura,Chavez, Espadas in Action

by Paul Magno

Lots of action South of the border this past Saturday.

In Mexico City at the Auditorio Plaza Condesa, former world champ, Daniel Ponce de Leon (38-2, 33 KOs), headlined a sold out Golden Boy show and inched closer to another world title shot by knocking out Puerto Rican, Orlando Cruz (16-2-1, 7 KOs).

Ponce de Leon pounced on Cruz from the opening bell and never let him in the fight until a thudding liver shot ended the bout at the 2:37 mark of the third round. For his part, Cruz never really seemed invested into the fight as he basically ran and pawed with weak shots for the entire bout.

The WBC Latino Featherweight title was at stake.

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Johnny Nelson... Nigga, Please! (Again)

Johnny Nelson is back for his second "Nigga, Please!" award, after another ridiculously over-exaggerated quote on the vacant European junior lightweight title fight between Scott Lawton and Leva Kirakosyan.

As part of Sky Sports' post-fight analysis of Kirakosyan's third round stoppage of Lawton, Johnny Nelson commented that Kirakosyan was a "dragon slayer in England", who holds a (3-1, 3 KO) record in Britain against domestic club fighters.

No offence intended to Kirakosyan, but at 35, he's no world beater and not even considered a contender. Without disrespect to Lawton, who's not a 130 pound fighter, is he really a dragon? He was floored in the first forty seconds, given a standing count in the second, and stopped in the third.

With no logic linking to the wildly inaccurate quotation from Nelson, another "Nigga, Please" Award is in the post for the ex-cruiserweight champ.

Dedicated to the late, great Ol' Dirty Bastard, the heart and soul of the Wu Tang Clan, the "Nigga, Please!" award will be given to a fighter, event or situation that is just plain stupid enough to garner ODB's famous phrase of disgusted disbelief, "Nigga, Please!"

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Controversial Fight Series: Mayweather-Castillo I

"Which Champion is the Best?" - WBC Lightweight Title

JOSE LUIS CASTILLO (45-4-1, 41 KO, WBC Titleholder)
vs.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. (27-0, 20 KO)
April 20, 2002 | MGM Grand - Las Vegas, NV

by Dafs117/Damon/Richiemerc

April 20th, 2002

After defeating Stevie Johnston in the upset of the year, followed up with a defence against former champ Cesar Bazan, Jose Luis Castillo still came into the ring as an underdog as he defended his WBC lightweight crown in Las Vegas against the highly backed Floyd Mayweather Jr., who had vacated his WBC super featherweight title after eight one-sided defences to fight at lightweight.

Nobody predicted that this fight would be the most debated in Mayweather’s undefeated career, and when Mayweather goes on and on about his spotless record, the haters have an asterisk next to the first contest between the two, touting is at the toughest contest the Pretty Boy has ever been involved in.

Mayweather controlled the first half of the bout with his slickness and skills, which earned him a lead over the opening half of the bout. But did Castillo stage enough of a comeback to scrape a decision? Or did he fall short? Should he have gotten the nod in a bout where he dominated the punch stat numbers?

The Boxing Tribune have replaced the judges with our own balanced panel. The three judges will be Dafs117, Damon and Richimerc, and they'll give their round-by-round opinion, with a quest to find if Castillo was robbed at ringside.

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Abraham-Dirrell Postponed To March 27

After revealing that he's injured his back in sparring, Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KO) has been forced to push back his upcoming fight against Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KO) from March 6 to March 27.

The bout will still open the second stage of the Super 6 Boxing Classic, with Andre Ward making his first defence of his WBA belt against Allan Green and Carl Froch travelling to Denmark in his third defence of his WBC crown versus Mikkel Kessler on April 24.

Abraham leads the way in the groundbreaking tournament with a stunning twelfth-round knockout win over Jermain Taylor, who has since pulled out of the tournament. Andre Dirrell received his first defeat as he was on the wrong-end of a split decision defeat to Carl Froch, and is still searching for his first point of the tournament.

The March 6 card was clashing with HBO's World Championship Boxing broadcast of Devon Alexander's unification fight with Juan Urango for the WBC and IBF junior welterweight titles.

However, the March 27 card also clashes with another HBO broadcast which features Daniel Jacobs, Marcos Rene Maidana vs. Victor Manuel Cayo and a rematch between Joan Guzman and Ali Funeka for the vacant IBF lightweight title.

The fight will still take place at Rancho Mirage, California, also featuring Vic Darchinyan on the undercard.

This fight is an interesting clash of styles, showing how Dirrell's adapted to the Froch defeat and how Abraham controls a quicker opponent. A win for Dirrell adds another dimension to Stage 3, with possibly five fighters in the hunt for four spots.

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Adamek vs. Arreola: Old School Slobberknocker

by Paul Magno

According to nearly every credible source, the rumored Tomasz Adamek-Chris Arreola will cease to be a rumor in a matter of hours.

Apparently, contracts are signed, fighters are ready and all that's left is the official press conference to kick off the countdown to the proposed April 24th date. That official press conference is scheduled for tomorrow, February 19th, on Arreola's home turf of Southern California.

While this fight won't be as significant to the heavyweight division as Wladimir Klitschko-Eddie Chambers or, even, David Haye-John Ruiz, it will be the first time in a long time that fans are getting an evenly-matched, entertaining battle between two guys on the verge of being considered legit threats in the heavyweight division.

A good homework assignment would be to try and remember the last time we were treated to something as all-around good as Adamek vs. Arreola.

If you can come up with an answer, by all means post it in the comment section here because, honestly, I'm having a hard time coming up with anything in recent memory.

In any case, both fighters have a lot to lose on April 24th.

For Arreola, a loss represents a deeper hole for his career than the one he found himself in following his one-sided loss to Vitali Klitschko last year. A bad loss officially means journeyman status for the affable Mexican-American brawler.

For Adamek, a loss ends his experiment in the heavyweight division and sends him back to the lower-paying ranks of the cruiserweight division with his tail between his legs. The term "journeyman" at heavyweight could also be applied to an Adamek unable to get past a 260+ pound doorkeeper.

There's no way around it. This is a crucial fight for both warriors and neither has been one to shy away from a good, old school brawl.

The biggest question in this fight will be: Who the hell will be the betting favorite?

Adamek is the better-skilled and better conditioned of the two. He proudly carries the weight of Polish hopes and dreams on his shoulders and seems to be a better, more inspired fighter than the one who held the 175 lb. crown several years ago.

Arreola is the HBO-friendly fan favorite, really more charisma than substance, but always down for a brawl. Come fight night, Arreola could likely have a forty pound weight advantage aside from a natural edge in power and strength.

Right now, I'd be hard-pressed to give you a real prediction. The fight is that tight.

The only sure winners right now are the fans...and that's all that really matters.

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Picture This: Oscar Loves McNuggets!

From a Press Release:

This event – one of three that happened at McDonald’s locations across the country – served as the kickoff for the “How Do You McNugget?” Sweepstakes, an online sweepstakes that will give one grand prize winner a chance to have their own golden moment: a trip for two to the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

Customers can log online to www.mcdonalds.com/howdoyoumcnugget and must correctly identify how Olympians and athletes at these local events “McNugget.” They can find the answers by watching Olympian videos online at www.mcdonalds.com/mcnuggets and following the #HowDoYouMcNugget? hashtag feed and event updates on Twitter. In the photo, Oscar De La Hoya is showing consumers how he “punches it and crunches it” for his McNuggets.

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Latin Fury 13/Pinoy Power 3 PPV Review

I don't know why, but every review seems to start with the main event. But not this one. I'll start with the most meaningful and competitive fight, then the controversial one, finishing with a brief account of how Donaire and Montiel's public sparring sessions went.

Bernabe Concepcion UD 10 Mario Santiago

In an unofficial eliminator to face WBO titlist Juan Manuel Lopez in the Summer, Bernabe Concepcion (30-2-1, 17 KO) won a too-wide decision over Mario Santiago (21-2-1, 14 KO) in the best fight of the night by far. The scores seemed wider than they should have been, but the judges had given it to the right fighter. Santiago gave it his all, but for me, he only won 5 rounds at most and Concepcion scored a knockdown. Santiago rallied late on but it wasn't enough, as Concepcion won by scores of 98-91, 96-93, 97-92. The BTBC scored it 96-93 Concepcion. It's a big win for Concepcion, who gets a once in a career opportunity against an icon in Juan Manuel Lopez. Lopez is the obvious favourite, but the unpredictable Concepcion is a live underdog.

Eric Morel SD 12 Gerry Penalosa

In a WBO bantamweight elimination fight, Eric Morel (42-2, 21 KO) shoplifted a split decision from veteran contender Gerry Penalosa (54-8, 34 KO). Two unintentional headbutts in round six opened cuts over Penalosa's eyes, but the 38 year-old Filipino upped his game down the stretch and had done more than enough to win on The BTBC card. By all accounts, it was a horrible decision. The judges scores were 115-113 and 116-112 to Morel, while one judge gave it to the right fighter, 115-113 Penalosa. The BTBC had it 116-112 to Penalosa, and it really could've been more.

Nonito Donaire KO 3 Manuel Vargas

Nonito Donaire (23-1, 15 KO) knocked out blown-up strawweight Manuel Vargas (26-5-1, 11 KO) in three rounds in one of the biggest headline mismatches in PPV history. Donaire towered over Vargas and floored him with a left uppercut in the third. Vargas, a late replacement, is not the calibre of opponent Donaire should be facing at this stage of his career. His original opponent, Gerson Guerrero, doesn't fit the bill either.

Fernando Montiel KO 1 Ciso Morales

In another pointless fight, Fernando Montiel (40-2-2, 30 KO) continued his rise in the pound-4-pound stakes by creaming Ciso Morales (14-1, 8 KO) with a body shot in the opening round. The previously unbeaten Morales didn't give much of a fight, failing to beat the referee's count after Montiel landed a left hand to the body winded the challenger.

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House Fighter Cleverly Canes Brancalion

BTBC Light Heavyweight House Fighter Nathan Cleverly (19-0, 9 KOs) annihilated a defenceless Antonio Brancalion at the Wembley Arena, winning the vacant European light heavyweight title in the process with a fifth round stoppage.

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Nonito Donaire: From Filipino Flash to Filipino Bust

by Paul Magno

When Nonito Donaire first hit the world stage and KOd trash-talking Armenian world champ, Vic Darchinyan, I was riding high on the Donaire bandwagon.

This kid looked like he had it all: power, speed, skill and charisma. He was the type of fighter who could be built into something truly special.

Now, almost 3 years after his shocking title grab, I am firmly off the Donaire bandwagon and it's all Nonito's fault.

With just four bouts in about three years and none against his division's top fighters, Donaire has certainly disappointed all but the most deliriously dedicated fan boys.

The latest disappointment from "The Filipino Flash" began with the selection of his PPV-headlining opponent: Boxrec's 35th ranked super flyweight and dedicated journeyman, Gerson Guerrero. It takes a pick up full of nerve to place Guerrero alongside Donaire on a pay per view main event, especially after Nonito has taken a 3 year working vacation.

Then, to make matters worse, Guerrero failed a pre-fight eye exam and had to pull out. Manuel Vargas was named sacrificial lamb in Guerrero's place. Vargas is the world's ninth ranked minimumweight last seen getting beat by 105 lb. Donnie Nietes.

For those unfamiliar with the weight classes, minimumweight is a full three divisions below Donaire's super flyweight division. So, essentially, Saturday we'll see the equivalent of Shane Mosley fighting super featherweight Jorge Solis.

Oh yeah, did I mention that Donaire is struggling with his weight and is still about eight pounds over the limit?

One has to wonder why Ring Magazine has stubbornly saved its seat on the bandwagon and insists on placing him in the #6 spot on their pound for pound list, especially when they rate him seventh in his own division. (By the way, the more accurate and reasonable rankings of The BTBC place Donaire #11 at 115 lbs., but that's a story for another day.)

Until something changes, this writer's official statement to Nonito Donaire is short and simple: Get back to me, son, when you're ready to take this sport seriously.

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HBO's Cheap Shot Makes Super 6 Pointless

by Dafs117

When the Super 6 Boxing Classic tournament was launched, it received the same amount of good karma as Manny Pacquiao gets for feeding the homeless in General Santos City. Boxing forums were buzzing, fans ecstatic; HBO fuming.

Angry people at the top of the HBO tower attempted to devise different strategies to work around the tournament, even build something of the same stature. But they couldn't. Showtime had outthought HBO. 1-0 Showtime.

Angered by Showtime's unique approach to the sport that had befuddled everyone at the network, there was only one answer from HBO, screw it up.

Showitme carelessly let a jewel in Lucian Bute slip out of their grasp, and HBO duly took advantage. The 'Super Seventh' as he's known to many, Bute is probably the best fighter at 168 pounds. Why isn't he in the tournament is beyond me.

Surely, letting Bute go will hardly ruin the tournament. Wrong. Bute goes on to score a stunning knockout win over Librado Andrade to climb to the top of the super middleweight ratings, live on HBO.

So HBO are squaring up with its own take on the super middleweights.

The whole point of the tournament is to find out the best in the weight class. How are they going to do that when the #1 fighter is outside of the tournament?

Recent rumours suggest that Showtime are shifting the dates of their Super 6 doubleheader involving Andre Ward’s first defence against Allan Green and Carl Froch ‘s title fight versus Mikkel Kessler, back a week to April 24.

While the exact reason has not been confirmed, it seems pretty clear that HBO’s muscle flexing counter-programme has caused the shift. HBO will be airing a split-site doubleheader, opening with Lucian Bute defending his IBF championship against Edison Miranda in Canada, finishing in Atlantic City with Kelly Pavlik defending his middleweight championship against Sergio Martinez.

I think you've cracked it by now. HBO are hyping up a Bute-Pavlik showdown for the future, erasing all hopes for Showtime to crown the new super middleweight champion in Andre Ward. To make it doubly worse, Bute-Pavlik will be for the vacant RING super middleweight belt, yes, the holy grail for any fighter in the sport today.

The winner of Bute-Pavlik will be the real deal at 168, while the tournament contestants are battling for pride and position, not for #1 spot. Cue fist pumping from Ross Greenburg.

HBO have built their battle for #1 spot the HBO way. They will build Bute-Pavlik into a major attraction and put the fight on at the same time as it gets tense in the Super 6. After the tournament has ended, HBO will bully Showtime in negotiations to win the right to broadcast the biggest fight of them all; Bute-Pavlik winner vs. Super 6 winner.

Is it only me that will find the run-up adverts about the major fight cringe-worthy? Imagine Max Kellerman rambling on about the Super 6 Tournament winner with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

I'm all for cutthroat competition between networks as fans benefit from it, but is this really competition? They're not trying to better Showtime, they're trying to demolish something that could've changed the shape of the sport. Because it's Showtime's product, it must be destroyed. I think fans should have a problem with that.

If HBO competed with Showtime by putting on rival cards that were matching up with theirs, I think I would be fine with that. That's not the case here. This is a sabotage operation to spew out any chance of Showtime success.

If they do eventually match-up the winner of Bute-Pavlik and the Super 6, what right do HBO have to broadcast the fight that's been hyped up by another network? It seems to me that HBO's goal here isn't to stay ahead of the game, but to eliminate the competition. HBO's response is not to improve it's own product, but destroy their rivals'.

Since 2007, Showtime have consistently put on better fights than HBO with a much smaller budget. This proves that HBO's marketing strategy isn't working, hasn't been working, and doesn't look like it will suddenly work.

Showtime is never going to back down. If you think this will jeopardize the chances of Showtime investing heavily in the sport, I would disagree. I think incidents like this will teach Showitme an important lesson, and ultimately, spur them on in their fierce battle with HBO. Remember, HBO can't host everything.

These broadcasters are behaving like sanctioning bodies, playing games with super champion statuses and interim farces. Again, the boxing world is reminded why the world tuned out of the sport many years ago.

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Nathan Cleverly vs. Antonio Brancalion: House Fighter vs. Club Fighter

Erislandy Lara got the House Fighter Project off to the best possible start with a tenth-round stoppage victory over the experienced Grady Brewer on January 29. Now it’s Nathan Cleverly and James DeGale’s turn to advance another step in their fledging careers.

Nathan Cleverly (18-0, 8 KO) challenges Antonio Brancalion (32-7-2, 8 KO), an over-the-hill but experienced Italian veteran. Brancalion has been in the rings with name opponents in the past such as Mario Veit and Stipe Drews, losing both by unanimous decision. The fight will be for the vacant European light heavyweight title.

In his last outing, Brancalion stumbled across jail-bound Juergen Braehmer for the same belt that will be on the line on Saturday. The Italian was down three times during the ninety-seven second-long contest. Braehmer went on to capture the vacant WBO light heavyweight title by defeating Dmitry Sukhotsky via unanimous decision, before later being sentenced for assault.

The Italian is game, even if his last fight suggested differently. He’s tall at 6 ft 1, but Cleverly still holds a 3 inch advantage in height. Brancalion is a boxer, but not as good as Cleverly. Brancalion has a tiny bit of power in his punches, but not half as much as Cleverly. And that’s the story across the field; he’s not as good as Cleverly.

Cleverly, 22, is currently ranked by every alphabet organization, #2 with the WBO, #3 IBF, #5 WBC and #12 by the WBA. He’s expected to challenge for the IBF title later in the year, maybe against Tavoris Cloud, maybe not. Rumours are that Cloud will defend his belt against Glen Johnson, before relinquishing his strap so he can face Chad Dawson instead. However, Cloud needs to get through Johnson first; Cleverly needs to get through Brancalion too.

The fight was scheduled to be held in Italy, but Brancalion demanded that the date was pushed back suggesting problems of making weight. The wily fox Frank Warren claimed ownership of the fight and posted it on the Night of Champions show.

This should be relatively straight forward for Clever Boy, but as we’ve seen in the past, not all prospects make it to the promise land. Take one eye off the ball and the veteran will pocket his chance.

The fight will headline Frank Warren’s Night of Champions, which was a juicy fight card before Kell Brook, Danny Williams and Sam Sexton all pulled out for different reasons. Also on the card, Kevin Mitchell will face blown-up Colombian super featherweight Ignacio Mendoza at 135 pounds and promising unbeaten heavyweight Derek Chisora will square up to the infamous Carl Baker. There are plenty of undefeated prospects on show too, one of which is James DeGale, our super middleweight House Fighter.

James ‘Chunky’ DeGale (5-0, 3 KO) will face china chinned Matthew Barr (14-5, 6 KO) scheduled for six rounds. In his last fight, Barr faced unbeaten French super middleweight Jean Paul Mendy, retiring in the fourth round claiming an injury.

DeGale is improving as he gathers more rounds under his belt, and this is visible with the level of competition he’s facing. Of course, the Gold Medallist is very carefully matched by Warren, but he’s not facing eastern European punchbags, at least he’s fighting domestic level, and that’s well respected in Britain.

I expect both House Fighters to win on Saturday, and hopefully they will. Two undefeated fighters at different stages in their careers will hopefully raise our record to 3-0. If you want to catch a glimpse of our House Fighters, tune-in onto the forum Saturday afternoon.

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Ortiz-Campbell Staged For May 15

It's not often that Rick Reeno's rumors come true, but today he reports that Victor Ortiz (25-2-1, 20 KO) and Nate Campbell (33-5-1, 25 KO) have reached an agreement to face each other on May 15.

In a junior welterweight contest, the fight will likely be put on the undercard of Amir Khan's WBA title defence against Juan Manuel Marquez, probably televised on HBO.

The fight is rumoured to take place in Las Vegas, and it's the true definition of a crossroads bout. The loser will be eliminated from the 140 pound picture, the winner will be quickly thrown in the frame as a fringe-top 10 contender.

Nate Campbell, 38 next month, hasn't fought since his controversial August fight with Timothy Bradley, where the result was changed to a no contest following referee David Mendoza's on the night misjudgment.

Victor Ortiz is still very young at 23, but in June suffered a defeat that could end any talented fighter's career when he quit against Marcos Maidana. He came back in December to stop the experienced Antonio Diaz in seven rounds.

Ortiz will headline a Fight Night Club card on February 25 against durable punchbag, Hector Alatorre (16-8, 5 KO).

This is a great match-up that has a lot of unanswered questions affecting every predictor's theory. I can see how people see Ortiz's hands being raised on May 15, but I can also agree with the fans who believe Campbell will get another victory on his record.

Another good fight added to an already bulky April/May schedule.

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Stage 9: Magno vs. Machine Results

There sounds the bell for the end of round 9, and the Machine now has the upper hand in this intriguing battle of boxing knowledge.

Glen Johnson vs. Yusaf Mack

Magno: Yusaf Mack SD 12 Glen Johnson
Machine: Glen Johnson UD 12 Yusaf Mack

Result: Glen Johnson TKO 6 Yusaf Mack

Edwin Valero vs. Antonio DeMarco

Magno: Edwin Valero TKO 3 Antonio DeMarco
Machine: Edwin Valero KO 6 Antonio DeMarco

Result: Edwin Valero RTD 10 Antonio DeMarco

Magno vs. Machine will return in March, when Arthur Abraham takes on Andre Dirrell in the Super 6 Boxing Classic, plus Devon Alexander and Juan Urango will hope to unify titles at 140 pounds.

Current Scores: Magno (13-3, 2 KO); Machine (13-3, 3 KO)

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Edwin Valero - Destined For Domination

by Dafs117

If you like to have a nose around different boxing forums before Saturday’s lightweight bout between Edwin Valero and Antonio DeMarco, you would have seen many people backing the 24 year-old Mexican to pull an upset.

Of course, the majority of The BTBC members plumped for Valero before the first bell, but many could see the logic behind the DeMarco backers. The more technically gifted DeMarco would weather the early wild storm to sneak up on the scorecards, or even halt the Venezuelan titlist.

Let’s say I was aware that DeMarco was a live underdog, but I was quick to say that DeMarco was unprepared for what he had coming, and indeed, he was. From the opening bell until the white flag was waved in DeMarco’s deflated corner, a DeMarco upset was never on the cards. Not even when a tremendously deep cut opened on Valero’s forehead, it only seemed to spur the WBC titleholder to concentrate and work harder.

DeMarco simply didn’t get going, or simply couldn’t because of Valero’s relentless offense. Valero’s come-forward attitude nullified anything DeMarco had trained in the gym for several weeks prior to the fight taking place in Monterrey. For being too cautious, he was given a pounding.

Every time a reckless fighter blasts away with their chin hanging out waiting to be exposed by a peach of a punch, some people will never be able to resist the temptation of picking the lesser experience, but better equipped fighter. Very similar to the recent Gamboa-Mtagwa fight where some were touting that Gamboa was there for the taking. They were quickly put in their place.

Valero really impressed me yesterday. Not because he won every minute since he was cut, he seemed to adapt well to variable conditions and situations throughout the fight. Antonio DeMarco was a level below Valero and it was apparent from the get go, but I wondered does someone really have what it takes to tame the Venezuelan beast?

To topple Edwin Valero, you need a quick opponents that’s capable to take and trade with ‘Dinamita’. These days, that style is very rare, even more so in the lightweight division.

If you took a snapshot of the 135 pound division, Valero is nicely placed below legit champion Juan Manuel Marquez. Below Valero stands Michael Katsidis, Juan Diaz, Ali Funeka and Joan Guzman.

The Valero doubters criticise his choice of opponents, and a step-up in class will expose the Venezuelan ‘fraud’ to who he really is. Let’s say he decides to step in with Marquez, are you going to tell me that you would pick an aging slow counter-puncher over a fresh and physical operator?

If Marquez isn’t available would Diaz be able to stay with him, would Guzman, would Katsidis? The only fighter at lightweight I would consider picking over Valero is Ali Funeka, only because his style might be the perfect match to defeat Valero.

The lanky and rangy South African has received nice air time by HBO, in a gutsy effort against Nate Campbell and a highly controversial decision against Joan Guzman. On both occasions, Funeka showed that he causes mountains of problems for the best technicians, and Valero, as special as he is, might not be an exception this time.

It’s the fight that intrigues me the most at 135, it’s really the only one that I see lasting over eight rounds. Another option might be Humberto Soto, a face-first fighter that is a fiery fighter that could frustrate Valero for the earlier stages of the fight. Soto helped DeMarco prepare for Valero, and is favourite to face him next. I would think Valero would come through in the end.

Gary Shaw has again mentioned Timothy Bradley’s name, and I would have no problems with that fight either. Bradley is in need of a tough match-up and Valero could be the guy to hand him the tough test that he needs to elevate himself into a HBO product.

Funeka, Soto and Bradley. Three fighters that I would give a chance of beating Valero. Three fighters that have styles that could bring out the best in Edwin. Three fights that the boxing world will definitely pay attention too.

Certainly, the future is bright for Valero as he proved last night that he is not all hype. There’s nobody like Edwin Valero. To beat him, it would require someone special. In my view, Valero is destined for domination.

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Daiki Kameda Dethrones Kaovichit In Rematch

Daiki Kameda (16-2, 11 KO) avenged his close loss to long-reigned titlist Denkaosan Kaovichit (48-2-1, 20 KO) with a unanimous decision victory to capture his first world title.

Now the WBA titleholder, his brother Koki holds the WBC belt and is regarded as the division's number one. Koki defeated Daisuke Naito, who took the "0" away from Daiki's record, with a competitive unanimous decision victory in November.

The fight itself wasn't half as good as the first. It was a messy affair with Kaovichit penalized twice for excessive clinching in the sixth and eighth. Kaovichit controlled the early stages but started to fight Daiki's fight, and the Thai fighter couldn't handle the pace of the bout from the fifth round onwards.

The latter stages was all over the place as Daiki kept on complaining, Kaovichit kept on clinching and I kept on falling asleep at my computer screen. The judges scored the contest 116-110, 116-110 and 114-112. BTBC scored the fight 114-112 also to Daiki Kameda. Don't be shocked if there's a third fight.

There's also a third Kameda brother, Tomoki (12-0, 10 KO), who's the remaining Kameda without a trinket. At just 18, he supposedly has the most exciting style of the three, which is a remarkable feat in itself, so expect to see Tomoki on the world scene later on this year.

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Adamek Edges Estrada In Newark

Ready or not, you can't really complain about Tomasz Adamek (40-1, 27 KO) most recent decision to fight against Chris Arreola in April. Based on Adamek's performance tonight, it should be a thriller, a back-and-forth tug of war, finally (for Adamek) on American TV.

The two-weight world champion continued his rise to contender status as he won a hard-fought decision win over Jason Estrada (16-3, 4 KO) in front of a noisy crowd predominantly Adamek fans in Newark.

Adamek opened-up a wide lead in the first half of the bout, quickly underlining the vast difference in class by dominating Estrada's soft body. The early rounds were fairly even, but as the fight progressed, Adamek's dominance was quite clearly visible.

But that's not the full story. Suddenly, Adamek ran out of steam at the end of the ninth allowing Estrada to creep back into the fight, reminding me of Carlos Tamara's upset win over Brian Viloria two weeks ago.

It wasn't to be for Estrada, but it did ring a few bells in Adamek's camp. Estrada clean sweeped the final three rounds to make the scorecards seem competitive, and rightly so as he definitely was no pushover in the early rounds.

Adamek's struggle makes Arreola favourite for me, although he did have the characteristics of a lower-weight fighter, feinting and moving, something clearly lacking from the heavyweight scene.

On the undercard, Peter Quillin (21-0, 15 KO) dominated Fernando Zuinga (28-10, 20 KO) to a wide ten-round unanimous decision. It doesn't portray the full story as Quillin was regularly caught napping by the experienced veteran as Zuinga constantly scored with right hands throughout the fight. Quillin lacked the fundamentals, but ring rust can be blamed as this was his first fight in 17 months.

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Valero Shines As Deflated DeMarco Quits

After nine rounds of action in Monterry, Antonio DeMarco (23-2-1, 17 KO) had shown a ton of heart and that he possesses a great chin. As I mentioned earlier this week, DeMarco wasn't ready or frankly good enough against WBC titlist Edwin Valero (27-0, 27 KO) as he was thoroughly out-classed by the Venezuelan.

After a close first round, Valero suffered a nasty cut on his forehead following an accidental elbow, similar to Marco Antonio Barrera's cut against Amir Khan but without affecting Valero's eyesight. DeMarco went on to win that round on my card as he landed some decent shots that made Valero change his approach.

From then on, it was all Valero. The constant pressure, impressive jab to set-up the big left hook and his ever-improving boxing ability saw him nullify everything DeMarco had to offer.

It wasn't that DeMarco had an off-night, he proved a hell of a lot last night, he was just not ready. He came out of the blocks tentative, never got on the front foot and never imposed himself on Valero. At 24, DeMarco still has a lot of miles in the tank and he could be challenging for another title next year, although he has a lot to work on.

Valero was very impressive as he tactically broke and wore down DeMarco. It wasn't your usual Valero performance, 'Dinamita' controlled the fight and threw clever combinations not wild shots that missed half of the time. However, seeing DeMarco take all those power punches from Valero makes you question his level of opponents over the last couple of fights, doesn't it?

In the co-feature, Luis Carlos Abregu (29-0, 23 KO) put on an entertaining show with Richard Guttierez (24-4-1, 14 KO) as both fighters hit the deck in the 10-round thriller. The ringside judges scored the fight 98-90, 97-91 and 97-91 all in favour of Abregu. The BTBC scored it much closer, 95-93 in favour of Abregu.

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Michael Katsidis' Open Challenge to Juan Diaz!

Today i propose a challenge to to Juan Diaz !

This is your lifeline !  Lets play who wants to be a millionaire !

It is your turn  to phone a friend , call Golden boy and lets make this happen !

Since our last fight i have regained the WBO light weight championship of the world !

There has been talk for a bout against Robert Guerrero , a junior lightweight with little interest to me and nothing to gain !

Instead i choose a greater task with a personal meaning !

I propose to come Houston on the 27th of March and put everything i have gained on the line !

Juan this is your opportunity and i ask for a public response within the next 24 hours to show your willingness to accept this challenge !

With confidence , I will abide , come to Houston and and in front of 15000 or more fans defend my title !

MICHAEL KATSIDIS .

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Johnson Stops Mack In Six

Glen Johnson (50-13-2, 34 KO) scored a sixth-round stoppage victory over a competitive Yusaf Mack (28-3-2, 17 KO) at Fort Lauderdale in Johnson's adopted hometown.

For the chance to face unbeaten IBF titlist Tavoris Cloud later on in the year, Mack started the better of the two by landing the cleaner and more precise power punches on the outside in the opening round.

The second went the same as the first, with both fighters opening up but Mack getting the better of the action. Both fighters landed solid right hands and traded hooks as Johnson pressured the fragile Mack.

After a one-sided third round in favour of the 'Road Warrior', both fighters traded in every corner of the ring as Johnson cut off the escape routes to punish the eleven-year younger Mack with heavy jabs and body shots.

It was obvious in the fifth that Mack was beginning to fall apart mentally as Johnson continued to plod forward not giving Mack a chance to settle down.

The ending came in the sixth, as a solid right-hand over the top floored Mack who was cornered at the time. Mack received his first standing-eight count, before he was on the canvas for the second time as another right hand caught him off balance. Mack continued but not for long as another straight shot caught him off-guard for him to touch down for the third time in the round.

It was a decent scrap while it lasted, but it was pretty obvious that Johnson was out of Mack's league from the fourth round onwards. The style didn't match-up for Mack and he was drawn into the wrong fight. Johnson will now move on to face Cloud in what should be, another exciting fight.

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DeMarco's Moment To Shine May Have Come Too Soon

by Dafs117

All the hype has been around Edwin Valero’s (26-0, 26 KO) hotly awaited US television debut; but quietly in the background, Antonio DeMarco (23-1-1, 17 KO) set-up camp and stayed away from the interested media. Occasionally, “Tony” did release trash talking statements aimed at his Venezuelan opponent, but the attention was still firmly focused on Valero.

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Mayweather vs. Mosley: Hard to Hate

by Paul Magno

Floyd Mayweather vs. Shane Mosley: May 1st.

I dare you to hate on this one. Go ahead...I dare you.

While Manny Pacquiao is fighting Joshua Clottey, the guy who lost to the guy that he just blew away, Mayweather will be fighting the consensus number one welterweight in the world and a first ballot hall of famer.

Mayweather's opponent is the same one who practically begged Pacquiao for a fight to no avail. Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, even said, "Shane came to the gym twice to ask me to let him fight Manny...I told him 'no' both times, and both times for the same two reasons: First, there isn't enough money there, and second, you're too good a fighter."

Best of all, this fight was signed with no drama about fear of needles, superstitions and blood-letting; No weight stipulations and penalties and no petty lawsuits.

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Adamek’s Long Road For Respect Continues

by Dafs117

Tomasz Adamek (39-1, 27 KO) is a familiar name for even the casual fans. Known for his incredible punch resistance and exciting style, the Pole has built quite a following in his adopted town of New Jersey.

After winning the bronze medal at the 1998 European Amateur Boxing Championships in Minsk, Belarus, losing out to Courtney Fry in the light heavyweight semi-final, Adamek decided to turn pro in 1999.

In four years time, Adamek had notched up 24 wins before the IBF handed him their Intercontinental title after he stopped Ed Dalton in two rounds. The WBO also took notice of ‘Goral’, as he had a connection with the WBO title following a fifth round demolition of Dzhabrail Dzhabrailov.

But it was the WBC who gave Adamek his first title shot. In 2004, Antonio Tarver was stripped of his belt for choosing to fight Glen Johnson rather than Paul Briggs, Adamek’s opponent.

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Stage 9: Magno vs. The Machine

As the late Michael Jackson put it, "This is it." There has to be a change of strategy; something different from Title Bout's corner. We're in round 9 of a scheduled 12, and the Machine is no closer to catching the boxing encyclopedia in human form, Paul Magno.

There's no interim title at stake here, oh no, this is all about pride, bragging rights and who gets first orders at the bar afterwards. Yes folks, we're excited, so without further ado, let round 10 commence.

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Kaos Comes to Twin Town- Fight Night at First Avenue

Minnesota Middleweight Champion Andy “Kaos” Kolle  

Gets Back Into Action on February 5 in the Twin Cities

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA (February 1, 2010) - Minnesota’s middleweight champion is slated to make his return to the ring this Friday. Andy “Kaos” Kolle (19-2 14 KO’s) will take on power punching Pat “The Cat” Coleman (29-15 20 KO’s) on February 5 at First Avenue in Minneapolis.

Kolle is coming off of a highlight reel knockout of Anthony Bonsante in March, and an impressive stoppage of Anthony Shuler in June. Although Kolle has been inactive for six months he insists that February 5th presents an opportunity to not only get back into action, but turn some heads in the Twin Cities.

“I am really looking forward to getting back into the ring, it has been too long! It has been a few years since I have fought in the Twin Cities so I can’t wait to come and show the boxing fans there what I got. I don’t know much about my opponent but that is nothing new to me so I will be ready for whatever he brings to the table”

           

Kolle vs Coleman will be promoted by Midwest Sports Council in association with RDS Company and will bring Boxing to the Venue made famous by Prince in the mid 80’s.

*Co-Main Events:

Heralded prospect and former Olympic prospect Javontae Starks (2-0 2 KO’s) finally gets to fight in his hometown.  Starks, who is already being discussed as a future Title Contender, will do battle for the first time in his native Minneapolis when he takes on Matt Ellis (2-1) in the co-feature.

*Feature Bouts:

Starks’ stable mate Jeremy McLaurin (6-0 4 KO’s) from Coon Rapids will also be in action against local brawler Hector Orozco from Hopkins. Minnesota Bantamweight Champion Antwan Robertson (5-1-1), Minneapolis; Latin Sensation Jose Hilario (1-0) of St. Louis Park; and Don Tierney (1-1) of St. Paul round out this talented fight card.

           

*Fighters subject to change.

Weigh-In Scheduled – February 4^th @ 3:30 p.m. – Target Center

The next scheduled media event for “Fight Night @ First Avenue” is the weigh-in, set for 3:30 p.m., Thursday, February 4^th at First Avenue.  We recommend picking up your Fight Night @ First Avenue media credentials at that time.  Please contact Brett Mauren at (612) 275-2885 for Media Credentials.  Video highlights of featured fighters are available to all media outlets upon request.

Ticket Information:

Tickets for “Fight Night @ First Avenue” (18+) are on sale now at the First Avenue box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, charge by phone at 651-989-5151 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.  Arena seating ticket prices are $25, $35 (reserved-stage).  VIP ring side tables are also available by calling 612-388-5228.

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Brace Yourselves America: Tyson Fury Is Coming To Town

You're in for a treat America! Heavyweight prospect, and still undefeated thanks to Terry O'Connor's woeful officiating, Tyson Fury (9-0, 7 KO), will reportedly fight on two shows Stateside.

According to Fury's trainer, Brian Hughes, Fury was supposed to fight on a show in America last week, but as a result of visa issues, the plans had to be re-mapped.

"Mick Hennessey has lined-up two fights for him, one in Atlantic City on 27 February and the other in Vegas on March 12."

Fury recently made a mockery of himself in the British media, issuing a £10,000 reward for any domestic heavyweight who could knock him down in sparring. This immediately triggered a response from Derek Chisora, who's without an opponent for February 13 card after BBBofC champion Danny Williams pulled out with a viral infection.

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