By: William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of April 1st to April 8th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

Road to Marquez/Alvarado Premieres Saturday, April 19th on HBO

HBO Boxing presents “Road to Marquez/Alvarado”, a special examining the upcoming welterweight bout between Juan Manual Marquez and former junior welterweight title holder Mike Alvardo. They are scheduled to meet on Saturday, May 17th at the Forum in Inglewood, California and it will be televised on HBO.

The “Road to Marquez/Alvarado” special will premiere Saturday, April 19 at 12:45 a.m. ET/PT on HBO. It will preview the fast-approaching contest between these two ring warriors who are meeting for the first time ever in this high stakes battle.

Golden Boy Promotions Donates Floyd Mayweather and Bernard Hopkins Portraits to Gallery

Golden Boy Promotions has announced their intent to donate portraits of future Hall of Famers Floyd Mayweather and Bernard Hopkins to the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. These portraits were taken by renowned sports photographer Holger Keifel, and are part of the National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection in Washington, DC.

Floyd Mayweather’s portrait will be presented to him on April 30th in Las Vegas at the final press conference for his May 3rd bout with Marcos Maidana, and Bernard Hopkins will receive his portrait on April 17th at the final press conference before his bout against Beibut Shumenov.

Undercard Announced for Hopkins vs. Shumenov

Bernard Hopkins and Beibut Shumenov will face each other on April 19th, 2014 at the DC Armory in Washington DC. The televised action starts with the undercard on Showtime Extreme beginning at 7 p.m. ET. 2008 U.S. Olympian Sadam “World Kid” Ali puts his unbeaten record on the line against Jeremy Bryan of Patterson, NJ. Also, undefeated Zachary Ochoa will take on Hector Margeno, and 2012 US Olympian Marcus Browne will be fighting an opponent to be announced.

Robert Guerrero’s Breathe for Caley Fundraiser Raises over 15K

This Sunday Robert Guerrero’s “Breath for Caley” fundraising event succesffully raised over $15,000 for Caley Camarillo, a 12-year old girl who is suffering from Cystic Fibrosis.

“I’m very happy with the turnout yesterday as our local community and neighboring communities came out to support this event and help Caley and her family,” said Robert Guerrero. “Our goal was to hit $10K and we surpassed that, raising over $15K. I want to thank all the people who donated items, bought tickets and made bids on our silent auction items. There are so many people to thank, I’m just grateful to everyone who helped out.”

Bruno Escalante Out with Two Broken Bones in Left Hand

Filipino boxer Bruno Escalante (13-1-1) was victorious over Victor Ruiz (12-3) this weekend in an IBA Super Flyweight Title bout. However, x-rays taken after the fight show that he was fighting with two broken bones in his left hand. This injury occurred during the second round and Escalante will be out of the ring for three months.

“This is just a minor setback,” said Bruno Escalante. “I’m going to do everything the doctor says to make the healing process faster. I’ll continue working out, mostly on my jab since that is the only arm I can use at the moment.”

Rockingham Park to Host World Series of Boxing and Serve as a Closed Circuit Site for Pacquiao vs. Bradley

Rockingham Park will be a closed circuit site this Saturday for the Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley pay-per-view fight airing live from Las Vegas. Admission is only $20.00 and tickets are on sale at Rockingham Park’s box office. The Rock will also host live World Series of Boxing action, featuring the USA Knockouts vs. Cuba Domadores, earlier that same evening. More information can be found at www.rockinghampark.com

Skip Scott Files Protest Over Loss to Gerald Washington

Jesse Reid and promoter Kerry Daigle of Keeppunching Entertainment say the California Boxing Commission has a clear duty to correct the mistake made by referee Lou Moret in the Skipp “Strictly Business” Scott vs. Gerald Washington fight held on April 3rd. Scott was dropped to a knee by a right hand and then knocked out by a hard body shot after a full second after his fighter had clearly taken a knee.

“It was definitely a foul,” said Reid. “Skipp went down, but was not seriously hurt. He got hit with a right and was on all fours. And then he got hit with a right hook to the body while he was clearly on the canvas. That’s a foul. The referee, Lou Moret, told us before the fight if someone is hit while they’re on the ground, the fighter who does it will be disqualified or have points taken away. I know refs make mistakes, but the California Commission must step in and do the right thing here. They should disqualify Washington. That’s what I’d like to see them do.”

Daigle, a long-time boxing man in the Louisiana area, says he realizes that Washington has some powerful backers, but the right thing must be done.

“Washington is with Al Haymon and he’s a very powerful man. I understand how hard it can be to go against the powerful forces in boxing, but this is such a clear case of an honest referee making a mistake that the commission has to step in and rectify the situation. We’ll fight Washington again right away. We’re not looking to duck him. We would like to see a clear winner between these two as much as anyone else. But these fighters work so hard and to hand Skipp a loss in a circumstance like this isn’t fair. We are confident the California Commission will recognize this.”

Playstation Becomes the Official Gaming Partner of Top Rank Boxing

Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC has announced a partnership with Top Rank Boxing, the world’s leading boxing promotions company. The PlayStation brand and the PlayStation 4 system will be highlighted at several of Top Rank’s premier events, including the highly anticipated World Welterweight Championship rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley.

“With the successful launch of PS4, PlayStation is a very compelling brand among gamers around the world,” said Lucia McKelvey, EVP of Global Marketing, Top Rank. “This paternship is a perfect opportunity for two leading brands to join forces and capitalize on the excitement and global attention surrounding the sport of boxing and Top Rank’s premier events.”

Raging Babe Brunch III Set for May 3rd

The Raging Babe Brunch III, presented by Mayweather Promotions, will take place on the morning of the highly anticipated event “THE MOMENT: Mayweather vs. Maidana” at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas at 10:00 a.m. PT. Tickets can be purchased at www.RagingBabe.com

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