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By: William Holmes
The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of May 27th to June 3rd covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.
Hernan “Tyson” Marquez Defeats Carlos Tamara
Herman “Tyson” Marquez (36-3) defeated Carlos Tamara (23-8-1) in the flyweight division on Saturday night in Hermosillo, Mexico. Marquez knocked Tamara down in the fifth round with a two punch combination and cruised throughout the remainder of the fight. The final scores were 120-108, 120-107, and 119-109.
Seanie Monaghan Signs with Top Rank
Top Rank has announced the signing of undefeated light heavyweight contender “Irish” Seanis Monaghan. Monaghan (18-0) of Long Beach, NY, captured the WBC Continental Americas Light Heavyweight title on June 14, 2012 with an 8th round TKO over Romaro Johnson and defended it on October 24th by winning a decision over Rayco Sanders. He is currently world-rated No. 11 by the WBA and No. 18 by the WBC.
“It’s an honor to sign with Top Rank. I have really improved and I know Top Rank will work hard to get me the big fights,” said Monaghan.
“We are delighted that Seanie has decided to be promoted by Top Rank. He is a fan-friendly fighter who has a large and loyal fan base,” said promoter Bob Arum. “We expect to showcase his talents on the televised undercard of the much anticipated Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Timothy Bradley pay-per-event on October 12 at the Thomas and Mack in Las Vegas.
Kovalev Aims to Keep KO Streak Alive
Unbeaten Russian KO king Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, 20-0-1, 18 KOs, not only has his sights set on Cornelius “Da Beast” White, 21-1, 16 KOs, in their upcoming 12-round title elimination bout on June 14th, at the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, PA. The fast-rising light heavyweight contender is also aiming to keep his impressive knockout streak alive when he meets White in the nationally televised match.
The fight is part of a big boxing triple header to be televised live by NBC Sports Network on the next edition of Fight Night. Also on the bill is a 10-round heavyweight bout between Bryant Jennings, 16-0, 8 KOs, and Andrey Fedosov, 24-2, 19 KOs, and a 10-round welterweight battle between Ronald Cruz, 17-1, 12 KOs, and Ray Narh, 25-2, 21 KOs. The broadcast begins at 8PM ET.
Kovalev has made quite a name for himself over the past year with a collection of showy KOs that have not only disposed of top-shelf opponents and attracted many fans, Krusher’s big knockouts have also pushed him up the 175-pound rankings at a speedy pace. One more win on June 14th, and Kovalev will be so close to title shot that he’ll be able to taste it. And what better way to win the critical bout than with another knockout.
Undefeated, Kovalev has dispatched eight of his last nine opponents by KO.
Marrero vs. Cuellar For WBA Interim Featherweight Title In the Works
Unbeaten Domincan featherweight Claudio “The Matrix” Marrero (14-0) and Argentinean Jesus Andres Cuellar (22-1) are in talks to face each other for the interim featherweight title sometime this July.
Henry Rivalta, Acquinity Sports promoter, stated the following:
“We are finalizing details of this fight now and discussions with Sebastian Contursi, Team Cuellar’s representative, indicate that this fight can probably be made for this July. We have yet to determine the precise date and place for this fight, which we understand will feature, face to face, two of the top ranked WBA featherweight fighters.”
KO Kings Boxing Promotions Signs TV Deal
Adrian Patrick, an Atlanta Attorney and Boxing Promoter of KO Kings Boxing Promotions, signed a TV deal with Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS) to televise the Boxing Reality Show, “Rivalry: The Blood Sweat & Tears of Professional Boxing.
The first show will be televised on CSS on Monday, June 10 at 11:00 pm EST.
Big Month of June for Goossen Tutor Boxers
John Molina Jr. will start things off this Friday for Goossen Tutor trying to fight for his right to challenge for the world championship. Molina (25-2) will face Andrey Klimov (15-0) in a lightweight matchup on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.
On Saturday June 8th Josesito Lopez (30-5) will take on Marcos Maidana (33-3) in the main event of a Showtime boxing card in Carson, California at the Home Depot Center. On June 14th, Cornelius “Da Beast” White (21-1) will be in the co-main event of NBC Sports Network’s Boxing series when he takes on Sergey Kovalev (20-0-1). On June 29th both Brandon Gonzales (17-0) and Thomas Oosthuizen (21-0-1) will each try to emerge from the super middleweight division with an impressive victory.
Mundine vs. Mosley a Possibility
Sugar Shane Mosley is coming off a victory over Pablo Cesar Cano and may either face the winner of Broner vs. Malignaggi or travel to Australia to fight Anthony Mundine. Mundine is on of the most popular fighters in Australia and the pay day for Mosley against Mundine in Australia would earn Mosley a good payday.
However the excitement for this fight in the United States pales in comparison to the excitement in Australia.
Isiah Thomas Targets Top Light Heavyweights
Undefeated contender Isiah “The Piston” Thomas (12-0. 6 KO’s), rated No. 10 by the World Boxing Association (WBA), has targeted the top light heavyweights in the world.
“I am ready to face any of the top light heavyweights in the world, when and wherever they want to fight,” said the 24-year-old southpaw from Detroit. The 6′ 4″ Thomas has exceptionally fast hands, good foot work and numbing power in both hands. He has fought mostly in the cruiserweight division, registering six knockouts in his 12 professional fights to date. After signing a promotional deal with Acquinity Sports in 2012, Thomas made his Acquinity Sports debut on July 21, 2012, knocking out Reggie Pena in the second round of their fight at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
“I’m ready to take on any of the top 175-pounders,” Thomas noted. “Most of my fights have been as a cruiserweight but light heavyweight is my natural weight class. I want to measure myself against the best to prove I belong at that elite level. We give all our potential opponents great respect, but I want to emphasize that I fear nobody.”
Quotes: Felix Sturm vs. Predrag Radosevic
Felix Sturm: “I’m glad to be back in Dortmund. I changed a lot of things in preparation for this fight and will be way more professional than I have been in the past. I thought my talent would get me through. Make no mistake, I always trained hard but I did some wrong things in between my camps. In enjoyed life a bit too much, even though I don’t drink or smoke. That has changed. You haven’t seen the true Felix Sturm recently but I promise you will on July 6 against an motivated and unbeaten opponent in Predrag Radosevic. If you want, you could say you are in for Felix Sturm 2.0.”
Fritz Sdunek, Trainer Felix Sturm: “We will work hard to get a big win against Radosevic. I have no doubt in my mind that Felix will show a master performance in Dortmund.”
Predrag Radosevic: “He is a big name but that does not scare me at all. I will use this opportunity to prove myself as an elite fighter. I’m unbeaten and I’ll stay so in July.”
Hartmut Schröder, Trainer Predrag Radosevic: “We are the underdog in Dortmund, there is no doubt about that. But we will use the little chance we have. You can’t guarantee a thing in boxing but I’m absolutely convinced that Predrag will stay unbeaten and defeat Felix Sturm in July.”
Lara Looks to Make a Statement Against Angulo
“Angulo is a very tough fighter who can overwhelm his opponents with the pressure style he brings to the ring,” said Lara. “I know I’m up against a very tough challenge, but he’s never been in the ring with a world class fighter like me. There is nothing he does that I haven’t already seen. My goal is to give him a boxing lesson and win my first world championship on June 8.”
Lara’s trainer Ronnie Shields sees traits in his fighter that can’t be matched by anyone in the division.
“I don’t see any fighters in the super welterweight division that can match skills with Lara,” said a confident Shields. “Lara is in a class of his own. He’s one of the most advanced fighters I’ve been around in a very long time and I can say that with confidence.”
Book Release on Joe Jennette
In this first and only biography of New Jersey heavyweight boxing contender Joe Jennette, author Joe Botti chronicles the life and career of this interracial athlete who competed in the longest boxing contest of the twentieth century. From 1904 to 1922 Jennette faced and defeated the most dangerous fighters of his era, including Jack Johnson, Sam Langford, and Sam McVea. Jennette was unable to secure a title shot due to the fact that the world was fixated with finding a Caucasian boxer to defeat Jack Johnson in the “great white hope” era. The story deals with the struggles of interracial romance, racism, and the world of boxing in the early twentieth century. Joe Botti is the Founder and Head Coach of the Union City Boxing Club in Union City, N.J. A former amateur boxer, Botti has trained over 30 New Jersey Golden Glove champions and currently manages and trains professional and amateur boxers. The 448 page book contains over a hundred rare photo’s many never before published. The book is available on amazon.com. Link: http://www.amazon.com/Joe-Jennette-Boxings-Ironman-Botti/dp/0979982278/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1370282590&sr=8-3&keywords=Joe+Botti
Chad Dawson Gives Statement on Upcoming Fight with Stevenson
“I expect the crowd to be against me, but I’m not worried about that because I know that I can win them over with my performance,” said Dawson. “Stevenson is a worthy opponent but he’s not on my level. I’ve fought and won over there before so I hope he’s not banking on home field advantage because it’s going to take a whole lot more to beat me. Once again I’m going to fight in someone’s backyard and I’m fully confident I’ll come out victorious.”
The Andre Ward fight in Oakland was Dawson’s last outing and he not only fought in Ward’s home town, but he also came down in weight. He fought Ward at Ward’s weight class of 168 lbs, a move that proved to be Dawson’s downfall. However, Dawson is back at his natural weight of 175 lbs, the weight class in which Dawson reigns as the lineal champion.
With Dawson back at his real weight, he insists that he feels stronger and his training camp is operating on a much higher efficiency level.
“No excuses in my last fight, we’ll just say that I’m a different fighter when I’m at 175 lbs. I can say with absolute confidence that my power is back, and not just my power but my strength as well. It’s like I’m stronger in every aspect and it is playing a huge roll in training camp. I’m strong enough to push myself more miles, strong enough to go more rounds, and I’m stronger at the end of my workouts.” Dawson said.
Guzman vs. Mosquera WBA Interim World Title Fight on June 28th in Florida
Acquinity Sports CEO Gary Jonas and Henry Rivalta, Vice President of Boxing Operations, have confirmed that Dominican Republic star and two-time, two-division world champion, Joan “Little Tyson” Guzman (33-1-1, 20 KOs), will face Panamanian Vicente “El Loco” Mosquera (32-2-1, 17 KOs) for the interim World Boxing Association (WBA) junior welterweight title on Friday, June 28, in Kissimmee, Florida.
“We are excited about this fight, not only because our fighter Guzman has the opportunity to reach another title for our team, but, because we have the pleasure of working together with one of the companies that has consistently presented boxing in Florida, All Star Boxing, which is owned by my friend, Tutico Zabala, Jr. “Rivalta said.
The 12-round WBA interim world title fight between the Guzman and Mosquera will be broadcast throughout America through TELEMUNDO Network’s series, “Boxeo Telemundo Ford,” as the main event of the night.
Top Rank to Announce Signing of Olympic Gold Medalist Ryota Murata
Top Rank Promotions will host a news conference luncheon to announce the signing and professional debut of 2012 Japanese Olympic Gold Medliast Ryoto Murata. It will take place on Monday, June 10th in the Sunset Ballroom at the Beverly Hills Hotel at noon.
Jose Pedraza Added to Dawson-Stevenson Card
Pedraza (12-0) is fighting Mexico’s Sergio Villanueva (25-2-2, 13 KOs) on Saturday, June 8, as part of an HBO Latino special broadcast starting at 12:15am ET (Sunday) at the Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
“This is another great opportunity to showcase my God-given talent to those watching on HBO,” said Pedraza. “My goal is to come out victorious and use superior boxing skills to defeat my opponent. I’m looking forward to giving the fans a fan-friendly fight.”
“Pedraza is a special fighter who can bring excitement to all Puerto Rican fans around the world,” said Gary Shaw. “He’s gaining great experience each time he steps in the ring. He’s got a bright future.”
EBU Names Pulev “Champion of the Year”
Kubrat Pulev (17-0, 9 KOs) is EBU’s “Champion of the Year”. The European Boxing Union honored its heavyweight champion due to his dominant outings inside the ring during 2012, bringing him close to a world title shot in the not so distant future. The prestigious award was presented to the 32-year-old at the Union´s annual general meeting this Saturday, which is currently held in Vienna, Austria.
“I am very happy to receive this award,” said Pulev who was present. “The EBU is a long-standing and renowned association and I am proud to be its heavyweight champion.”
Pulev caught the eye of many boxing fans and experts last year with his emphatic victories over Alexander Dimitrenko and Alexander Ustinov, beating both by knockout in the eleventh round. He won the European Heavyweight Championship against Dimitrenko in May 2012, followed by his first title-defense in September against Ustinov.
“I know that I can only show my best inside the ring when I am well prepared,” stated the prodigy of coach Otto Ramin. “As a European Champion I have to set high standards to myself. I am always giving my best – in preparation as well as on fight night.”
Chisora to Face Unbeaten American Malik Scott
Britain’s Dereck Chisora was in negotiations to face Deontay Wilder but their negotiations hit a snag and now he will face unbeaten American Malik Scott at Wembley Arena on Saturday, July 20th.
Offers had been made to Manuel Charr, Fres Oquendo, Tyson Fury, and Tomasz Adamek but they all turned the fight down. Goossen Tutor Promotions said Malik was ready and willing to leave the US and face Chisora in England.
