By: William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of June 3rd to June 10th covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

James DeGale Victorious in England

2008 Olympic Gold Medalist James DeGale (16-1) was victorious in Greenhithe, England on Saturday night against Stjepan Bozic (26-7) in the super middleweight division. DeGale hit Bozic below the belt twice during the fight, once during the third round and once during the fourth round. Bozic quit on his stool after the end of the fourth round but he was never really in the fight. This was an obvious stay busy fight for DeGale.

Payano on Weight for Fight with Maraon

Undefeated Dominican Bantamweight Juan Carlos Payano (13-0) is on weight at 118 pounds for this weekend’s ESPN Friday Night Fights showdown against Philippine invader Jundy “Pretty Boy” Maraon (15-0-1).

“We got down to weight ahead of schedule,” German Caicedo, Payano’s trainer, said. “Payano will work to stay on weight for Thursday’s official weigh in and be strong Friday night for his fight.”

Garcia and Lopez Forth Worth Fan Fest

Undefaeted WBO featherweight champion Mikey Garcia (31-0) and former WBO junior featherweight and WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez (33-2) will meet their fans and sign autographs in the Center Court at the La Gran Plaza de Fort Worth Mall on Wednesday June 12th from 5:30pm to 7:00pm.

The Garcia-Lopez world featherweight championship fight will take place on June 15th at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX on HBO Boxing After Dark.

NBCSN Fight Night Headliners Nearing the Big Time

Both heavyweight Bryant Jennings (16-0) and light heavyweight Sergey Kovalev (20-0-1) compete on this Friday’s NBC Sports Network Fight Night Series from the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Both fighters have also captured the eye of the boxing media and are in line for some big time fights in the near future.

Jennings, who blossomed as a legitimate contender in 2012, made five starts during the year that not only put him on the heavyweight map, but also boosted him to the #3 spot in the IBF ratings. With his renowned work ethic, winning attitude, and still developing fighting skills, Jennings stacks up as one challenger who has a legitimate chance against the Klitschko brothers.

Like Jennings, Sergey Kovalev, is quite possibly the future of his division. His punching power ranks amongst the best in the division. His fight against Cornelius White is a title eliminator that puts him in line to face legend Bernard Hopkins.

Don George Congratulates Adonis Stevenson

Chicago based middleweight contender Donovan “Da Bomb” George congratulates his friend and former opponent Adonis Stevenson for his WBC Light Heavyweight title winning KO1 over Chad Dawson.

“I’m very happy for Adonis,” said George (24-3-2), who is currently in heavy preparations for his upcoming ESPN Friday Night Fights bout against Caleb Truax. “He hits like a heavyweight. I was hurt for a month after our 12 round war. There aren’t many fighters who can take his punches and stay upright.”

Floyd Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez Media Tour Starts June 24th

Eight time and five division world champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather and super welterweight world champion Canelo Alvarez kick off 11 city, two country media tour Monday, June 24th in New York City. They will stop at the following cities:

June 25th: Washington DC
June 26th: Grand Rapids (AM)/Chicago (PM)
June 27th: Atlanta
June 28th: Miami
June 30th: Mexico City
July 1st: San Antonio
July 2nd: Phoenix, Arizona
Tony Thompson Says Lennox Lewis Trip Shows David Price is for Real
Tony Thompson believes David Price’s three week training camp with Lennox Lewis will make their rematch even tougher. Thompson scored one of boxing’s biggest upsetse when he stopped Price inside two rounds.

Thompson stated, “It isn’t respect for me that he went to work with Lennox, but shows how seriously he takes his career. He will be getting great information from Lennox because he is an all time great and knows the game.”

Thompson continued, “You think you know it all. You get beat and instead of changing things you go back with the same flaws. He is showing a willingness and that is a credit to David. I will come to England still full of confidence, but it will take a lot longer than two rounds before I get the win.”

Bradely vs. Marquez Media Tour

Undefated WBO Junior Welterweight Champion Timothy Bradley Jr., four division champion Juan Manuel Marquez, Bob Arum, and Zanfer Promotions’ Fernando Beltran will formally announce their world championship event with a two country media tour. The tour will kick-off with a news conference luncheon on Thursday, June 20th in the Crystal Ballroom at the Beverly Hills Hotel at 11:30 a.m. PT. The tour will conclude the following day, Friday June 21, with a news conference in Mexico City.

Hughie Fury: I Will Beat Mike Tyson’s Record

Hughie Fury is determined to become the youngest world heavyweight champion after his latest knockout win against Ladislav Kovarik.

“I’ve got plenty of time, I’m only young and I’m improving every single fight,” Hughie said. “But I will do it, I will beat Mike Tyson’s record and be the youngest heavyweight world champion. Hughie is also the first ever British/Irish fighter to win a gold medal at the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships at super-heavyweight.

Boston Strong: Danny O’Connor on Golovkin-Macklin Undercard

Born and raised in Framingham, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, light welterweight prospect Danny “Bhoy” O’Connor (20-1) has always been a proud Bostonian and avid sports fan of Boston teams.

One June 29th he will take things a step further when he gets into the ring to fight Hector Munoz (21-10-1) in an eight round fight on the non televised portion of the HBO card.

“I’m really excited to be Boston Strong,” O’Connor said about dedicating his fight. “I’m honored and privileged to wear what Rival has made for me. The names of the Boston Marathon bombing victims will be on my trunks. I’ll also be wearing the Boston Marathon logo and colors on my trunks, shoes, gloves…everything. This means a lot to me.”

Szpilka vs. Mollo II Tickets to Go on Sale

Tickets for “The Big Fight 2” at U.S. Cellular field, home of the Chicago White Sox, presented by “The Promoters” and “The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority” will go on sale Wednesday June 12, 2013. This historic event marks the return of boxing to the South Side of Chicago after more than 50 years.

The headline will be Andrzej Fonfara battling former world champion Gabriel Campillo. Also featured will be Artur Szpilka and Mike Mollo in a rematch of their hotly contest bout. Tickets can be bout on ticketmaster.com and the card will be broadcast on ESPN.

Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame Gala Tickets Are on Sale

The Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame will honor 19 greats on August 10th in Las Vegas. Tickets are on sale at the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame website at http://nvbhof.com. Inductees include “Iron” Mike Tyson, Mike “The Body Snatcher” McCallum, Diego “Chico” Corrales, Larry Holmes, Sugar Ray Leonard, Julio Cesar Chavez, Oscar De La Hoya, Eddie Futch, Freddie Roach, Mills Lane, and Joe Cortez.

Quartet of Junior Welters Highlights June 14th Prelims at Sands Casino

Three rising junior welterweights and one young veteran highlight the undercard of the NBC Sports Network Fight Night card on Friday, June 14th. Bethlehem’s Ronald Cruz hopes to rebound from his first loss as a pro when he takes on rugged Ray Narh, of Ghana. Two unbeaten undefeated lefties collide in the top junior welterweight prelim when Treysean Wiggins goest against hometown favorite Jerome Rodriguez of nearby Alltentown, PA in a six round contest.

Brandon Rios Meet & Greet in Dallas, Texas

Friday June 14, 2013 Tecate will be hosting 3 different Meet & Greets in Dallas, Texas where Bam Bam Brandon Rios will be making himself available for all his fans! Brandon is known to be very appreciative with his fans and wants to take this time before he goes into training camp to visit and interact with his fans in Texas. Rios will be fighting Manny Pacquiao November 24, 2013 at The Venetian in Macau, China, LIVE on HBO PPV.

The schedule is as follows for Brandon Rios’ Dallas appearances:

6/14/13 from 3pm-3:45pm
Rio Grande Supermercado
2515 W. Jefferson Blvd. Suite 300
Dallas, TX

6/14/13 from 4:15pm-5pm
Jerry’s Supermarket
532 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Dallas, TX

6/14/13 from 5:30pm-6:45pm
Fiesta Mart
611 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Dallas, TX

August 3rd NBC Sports Fight Night Card Announced

Curtis “Showtime” Stevens and “Fast” Eddie Chambers have launched a campaign to dominate their weight divisions. By this time next year, each has plans to become the “Man to Beat” at in his respective class. On August 3rd NBC Sports Network will feature these two warriors in highly competitive bouts on their Fight Night series. Tomasz “Goral” Adamek has also been added to the card. He opponent will be announced next week. The telecast will begin at 10:30 PM EDT.

At the start of his career, Stevens, 24-3, 17 KO’s, a former amateur standout, was one of the hardest punchers in the super middleweight division. At middleweight, he plans to dominate a weight class where he may be the hardest puncher of all. On a campaign to become the middleweight champion in 2014, Stevens knows he needs to be matched in dangerous fights to get ready to take on the big names at 160.

And so enters his next opponent: Saul Roman, 37-9, 31 KO’s of Tijuana, Mexico. Roman is coming off three straight wins. He has big punching power. NBC Sports Network alumni, Gabriel Rosado can attest to that. Roman lost a split decision to Rosado which many people questioned. Roman is very active and highly competitive, he accepted the fight within 24 hours of the offer.

The former USBA Heavyweight Champion, Chambers may already be the best cruiserweight in the world. A small heavyweight who always punched above his weight, Chambers will begin to demonstrate that in in his first fight at the cruiserweight limit on August 3rd. A big puncher who specifically asked to come to the US to take on Chambers, his opponent, Thabiso “The Rock” Mchunu, 12-1, 9 KO’s, of South Africa, is a serious threat in this 10-round match.

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