Boxing Insider Notebook: Tyson, Cotto , Martinez, Jim Ross, and more…

By: William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of May 6th to May 13th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

Cotto vs. Martinez PPV Undercard Announced

Miguel Cotto and Sergio Martinez are set to box on HBO Pay-Per-View on June 7th at Madison Square Garden. The undercard to the pay-per-view has just been announced. Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (23-3-1) will take on Marvin Sonsona (18-1-1), Andy Lee (32-2) will box John Jackson (18-1), and Jorge Melendez (28-3-1) will take on Yuri Foreman (32-2).

“I am thrilled to have Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. and Jorge Melendez in big fights on my pay-per-view undercard,” said Miguel Cotto. “They are two very talented fighters from my table, and I wanted to open opportunities of massive exposure and good fights to further their careers. The fans will love it.”

Mike Tyson Returns to Turning Stone on June 6th

Former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson will return to Turning Stone Resort Casino on June 6th for an ESPN Friday Night Fights Event promoted by Tyson’s Iron Mike Productions. Tyson will participate in a series of on-site events at Turning Stone in the lead-up to the fights. This will be Tyson’s second time at Turning Stone as a promoter. The two main events for the June 6th card will be a 10 round junior middleweight bout featuring Yudel Jhonson (15-1) and an 8 round welterweight bout featuring Sammy Vasquez Jr. (14-0).

The event will be broadcast on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights beginning at 10:30 p.m. with doors scheduled to open at 7:00 p.m. and the first bout scheduled for 8:00 p.m.

WBC Heavyweight Title Bout is ESPN’s Highest-Rated Boxing Telecast Since 2003

ESPN’s live telecast of the Saturday, May 10th WBC World Heavyweight Title Bout between Bermane Stiverne (24-1-1) and Chris Arreola (36-4) delivered a 0.8 overnight rating. This rating made it the highest-rated fight on any ESPN network since 2003. Stiverne becamse the first heavyweight of Haitian descent to win a Heavyweight title.

The top 5 local markets were New Orleans, San Antonio, San Diego, Providence, and Fort Myers.

Bryant Jennings vs. Mike Perez Cancelled

Bryant Jennings and Mike Perez were scheduled to box on May 24th on HBO, but that bout has been cancelled due to Perez suffering a shoulder injury while training. The entire show in Corpus Christi, Texas has been canceled. Perez is scheduled to fly out to Ireland to see a shoulder specialist.

“When I received the news this afternoon that Perez got injured I felt so bad for Bryant because I know how hard he training for this fight and how much he was looking forward to fighting for this WBC elimination bout,” said Gary Shaw. “I’m hope for that Perez’s is minor and we can get these guys back in the ring in a timely manner.”

Carlos Molina Signs Agreement with Manager Al Haymon

IBF Light Middleweight Champion “King” Carlos Molina (22-5-2) has signed a managerial contract with Al Haymon. He is currently training in Mexico City while his promoter and attorney sort out his immigration issues.

“I’m really excited and looking forward to fighting the best out there,” said Molina. “Al Haymon has a history of getting the big fights for guys and that’s what I wanted. He will make a great addition to my team, which already includes Warriors Boxing and Leon and Luis (De Cubas Sr.), who have always done right by me in my career.”

Abel Ramos Injured on Saturday Night

This Saturday night at the USC Galen Center junior welterweight Abel Ramos battled through a series of injuries to settle for a six round draw with veteran Levan Gvamichava of Miami, Florida. Ramos’ bout with Ghvamichava took place immediately following the WBC Heavyweight Title bout betwee Bermane Stiverne and Chris Arreola.

“Ramos suffered a terrible cut over his right eye in the first round from an elbow thrown by Ghvamichava that required fourteen stiches” said Andy Zak of Journeyman Management Team. “As if the cut wasn’t enough to overcome, in the second round, he also sustained a broken left hand. Despite these horrific injuries to a young fighter, he acted as a true veteran valiantly battling to the end in a fight that many ringsiders thought he won.”

Continued Zak, “Dr. Justin Heller is operating on Abel today at the Antelope Valley Hospital and he will return home tomorrow.”

Ex WWE Employee Jim Ross to do Boxing Commentary

Jim Ross has recently announced that he will be doing some boxing commentary on Memorial Day. He stated, “Very grateful to Fox Sports and Golden Boy Promotions for extending me the opportunity to jump back on some play by play for their Memorial Day night boxing from Ft. Bliss, Texas that will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1. My old pal Mauro Ranallo will “coach me up” and I will be ready to rock the Monday night away.”

“I’ve been a lifelong boxing fan so this will be a big thrill for me to be able to stick my toe in new water. I hope that you will check it out and I will have more info on the special night in the next few days. My late father was a HUGE boxing fan and I know that he would be so proud of me which makes the whole process a win before I even fly to El Paso.”

Chisora and Fury Pulled Apart by Security at Heated Public Head to Head

Heavyweight rivals Dereck Chisora and Tyson Fury had to be forcibly pulled apart by security during their public head to head on May 10th at the Printworks in Manchester, ahead of their WBO World Heavyweight Title Eliminator on July 26th at Mancher’s Phones 4 U Arena.

Chisora was angered at Fury’s recent twitter comments in which he accused Chisora of taking anabolic steroids. The video can be viewed at http://frankwarren.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8978faed7c58de5f7e93401b1&id=6919383f8a&e=29b1412a7d

Everlast Launches First Cross-Functional Workout and Training Facility

Everlast Worldwide has added a new member to the family, The Lab. The Everlast Lab is a fitness training facility located in Hoboken, NJ that offers cross-functional fitness programs designed to evolve the way people train. The Lab is the first of several anticipated Everlast Gyms that will debut across the country.

The Lab will feature several amenities, that include a cross training area with a variety of equipment including suspension training, plyometric boxes, a full boxing ring, and complete fight sports training accessories More information can be found at http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwfitness/article/Everlast-Launches-First-Cross-Functional-Workout-And-Training-Facility-20140512#.U3KeyPldWrl