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By: William Holmes
The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of May 13th to May 20th covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.
Will Tomlinson Retains IBO Super Featherweight Title
“Wild” Will Tomlinson (21-0-1) retained his IBO Super Featherweight Title by defeating Malcom “Stone” Klassen (27-6-2) via a controversial unanimous points decision. All three judges scores the bout 117-110, 118-109, and 118-109.
Klassen suffered a debatable first round knockdown, but cut Tomlinson in the fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds. It was a back and forth fight and much closer than what the scorecards read. “Tomlinson showed he can compete with the top fighters in the super-featherweight division,” said his promoter Gary Shaw. “There’s a lot of good fights out there for Will. I’ll be discussing his next fight with his team and I know he’ll be ready. This kid has a bright future to look forward to.”
Guy Robb Wins Decision Victory
Featherweight prospect Guy Robb (11-1) won a unanimous decision victory against John Herrera (4-7-1) at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix, Arizona. Robb controlled the action and was never hurt by any of Herrera’s punches. The scorescards were 60-54 by all three judges.
Edgar Sosa Defeats Giovani Segura
On Saturday night in Zitacuaro, Mexico Edgar Sosa (49-7) fought Giovania Segura (29-3-1) in the flyweight division. The bout was action packed and tight, but Seguar lost a point in the ninth round for a low blow that may have cost him dearly. Sosa won the decision with scores of 116-112, 115-112, and 114-113. This victory earned Sosa a mandatory shot at flyweight titleholder Akira Yaegashi.
Degale Knocks Out Demers
James DeGale (15-1) fought on Friday night against Sebastien Demers (31-6) in Gatineau, Canada in the light heavyweight division. Demers took the fight on short notice and was a former title challenger, but he did poorly against DeGale. He took a knee in the second round after succumbing to the pressure of DeGale and did not rise to beat the count. The end came at 1:58 of the second round.
Jones and Povetkin Victorious in Russia
Guillermo Jones (39-3-2) and Denis Lebedev (25-2) engaged in a brutal war on Friday night in Moscow, Russia. Many considered this fight to be a fight of the year candidate, but Lebedev suffered a gruesome injury to his right eye that made his face look hideous. Lebedev suffered a cut near his eye in the first round and it gradually got worse as the fight progressed. Lebedev started off strong but Jones took over in the middle to late rounds. Lebedev went down in the 11th round at the fight was called off at 1:54 when Lebedev could not beat the count.
Alexander Povetkin (26-0) defended his heavyweight title against Andrzej Wawrzyk (27-1). Povetkin has a pending fight with Wladimir Klitschko on the horizon and he had no problems defeating the overmatched Wawrzyk. Povetkin scored a knockdown in the second round and dropped him again in the third round after bloodying his opponent’s nose. The fight was called off at 2:33 of the third round.
Robert Guerrero Holds Fundraiser
On Saturday C.A.R.A.S. and the Community of Gilroy honored Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero with a fan festival fundraiser. He was present with a “Key to the City” by Gilory Mayor Don Gage. He signed autographs and Nonito Donaire joined Guerrero for a few hours. He was there to help raise money for the Be The Match National Marrow Donor Program and the Leukemia & Lympoma Society.
“I’m very appreciative to my fans, the City of Gilory, my family, all the sponsors and everyone who came out to support this wonderful event,” said Robert Guerrero. “I know there were a lot of people behind the scenes who volunteered their time so I want to thank them as well. I also want to thank Nonito Donaire for coming out and signing autographs.”
Johnny Bos Tribute Tuesday Night
Ring 8 will pay tribute to the late, great matchmaker Johnny Bos on Tuesday Night (May 21st) at the Waterfront Crabhouse in Long Island City, New York. Family, friends, and associates have been invited to attend the Ring 8 monthly meeting in an effort to help defrat the costs of Bos’ funeral. One-hundred percent of all proceeds raised from new Ring 8 membership fees as well as any group or individual donations will go directly towards Bos’ funeral expenses.
Bos helped develop the careers of countless boxers over the years, including Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Pernell Whitaker, Gerry Cooney, Paulie Malignaggi, and Jameel McCline. Go to www.ring8ny.com for more information.
Francisco “Panchito” De Vaca Donates First Professional Paycheck to Breast Cancer Research
18 year old Francisco “Panchito” De Vaco has over 13 years of fighting as an amateur boxer with a record of 190 wins and 16 losses. On Friday night he had his first professional fight and he donated his first check to help support breast cancer research. Breast cancer has affected three of his aunts. De Vaca is trained by Roger Mayweather and more info can be found at http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/central_phoenix/valley-boxer-donates-first-pro-boxing-paycheck-to-breast-cancer-research#ixzz2TqIeikek
James DeGale Plans to Keep the Momentum Going
James DeGale stopped Sebastien Demers in two rounds and the 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist plans to keep the momentum going. The win gave DeGale his 15th professional win and he now aims to step up in class and challenge some of the best in the super middleweight division.
“Give me a couple more fights to keep the momentum going and I’m willing to fight anyone,” DeGale said. “I will be a world champion by the end of this year.”
David Price Home After Canada Camp
David Price has returned from his Canadian training camp and is convinced he’s back on track to become world heavyweight champion. Price and his trainer Franny Smith have spent three weeks in Canada working with Lennox Lewis and conditioner Courtney Shand. Price believes he’s back on course to get revenge over Tony Thompson when they clash at Liverpool’s Echo Arena on Saturday, July 6th.
Price stated, “I’m learning all the time from Lennox. Courtney is pushing me beyond what I thought I was capable of and I’m preparing for the fight of my life. I’m ready to win it and get right back in the mix.”
Chris Van Heerden Lands in America on July 18th
In preparation for his upcoming fight with British contender Ashley Theophane, IBO Welterweight Champion Chris Van Heerden will be heading to America to begin a prolonged training camp. He plans to spar with some of the best available including African boxer Thabiso Mchunu.
Team Van Heerden is thrilled about the opportunity to open to a wider audience. Training and perhaps fighting in the United States will increase his marketability on a much widened scale and allow his career to blast off against the biggest names in the fight game.
Eddie Paredes Wants Some of the Top Welterweights
World rated welterweight Eddie “The Lion” Paredes (32-3-1) is preparing to from being considered one of the most avoided welterweights to world champion.
Ranked #2 by the WBC and #3 by the WBA, Parades hopes to soon face on of the top-ranked welterweights- Robert Guerrero, Luis Carlos Abregu or even Amir Khan if he moves up in a weight- in a career defining fight to position him for his first world title shot. Paredes is riding a ten fight win streak.
“Eddie is the only welterweight rated by all four of the major boxing organizations,” noted his promoter Henry Rivalta, “yet he hasn’t been in a really big fight. I think he’s a victim of boxing politics today. He’s talented and a risky fight for anybody, no doubt, but I woner if he’s so avoided because he’s not with the two major promotional companies in boxing. We’re ready to prove he deserves a world title shot by fighting any of the top 147 pounders who will get in the ring with him. If none of them will fight Eddie, we’ll continue working hard to get him into a mandatory position. One way or the other, we’re determined to get Eddie the shot he deserves.”
Knockout Kings II Featuring Berto, Soto Karass, and Thurman on Sale
San Antonio, Texas will be the site of a major boxing event when Showtime Championship Boxing returns to Texas on Saturday, Juny 27th with Knockout Kings II at the AT&T center featuring a triple header with some of the sport’s brightest stars live on Showtime.
The 12 round main event will be between two time welterweight world champion Andre Berto against Jesus Soto Karass. The undercard will feature Keith Thurman against Diego Gabriel Chaves and undefeated prospect Omar Figuero Jr. against Nihito Arakawa. Tickets are on sale at www.ticketmaster.com
