Tag Archives: Boxing Insider Notebook

Posted on 05/02/2015

By: William Holmes

The following is the final Boxing Insider special edition notebook for the upcoming Mayweather vs. Pacquiao super bout, set for May 2nd in Las Vegas, Nevada. This notebook covers most of the news and notes that have been emerging from their respective camps as we lead into fight week.

Pacquiao “Look a Like” Nearly Causes a Stampede at MGM Grand

The anticipation for Saturday’s fight has reached a level not seen for any fight in a very long time, and the hysteria caused a large scene at the MGM Grand this afternoon after the mistaken identity of an Asian man for Manny Pacquiao.

The lookalike was seen walking through the casino floor being escorted by security and a large mob of people started to follow them and took pictures causing a brief moment of chaos at the entrance of the MGM Grand Casino. Fight fans soon realized that it in fact was not Manny Pacquiao, but just goes to show the mania behind the event when the mere sight of a look a like nearly causes a stampede.

Pacquiao Mayweather Weigh-In Tickets Through the Roof

How much money is this fight bringing in?

The secondary market for the weigh in, not the fight card itself, is exploding and tickets are currently being resold for about $600 a pop. That’s $600 to watch two men weigh in wearing nothing but their underwear. Hopefully the pre weigh-in festivities will make it worth it for those spending that kind of money on a weigh in.

Celebrities Fighting for the Best Tickets to Mayweather-Pacquiao

The LA Times is reporting that celebrities will have to pay for a ticket to the upcoming Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight and that nobody will get a complimentary ticket.

“They all can’t sit in the front row,” said Dena duBoef of Top Rank Inc., which represents Pacquiao. “Tickets and seating are probably the biggest nightmare for this fight.”

Celebrities expected to be in attendance include Robert De Niro, Jesse Jackson, Sean Combs,

Clint Eastwood, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Michael J. Fox, Jerry Bruckheimer, Will Smith, Jimmy Kimmel, Ronda Rousey, Tom Brady, and nearly a dozen team owners.

Read more here.

Mayweather-Pacquiao Broadcasters May Pull Punches

Bob Raissman of the NY Daily News reported that due to Showtime and HBO networks working together, and due to the fact they have competing conflict of interests, fight fans may notice that the broadcasters will be pulling back some punches when they analyze and announce the fight. HBO’s broadcasters in particular have been critical of Mayweather I the past, but it’s expected that they will be more subdued on Saturday night. The PPV announce team will include Showtime’s Al Bernstein, Jim Gray, Steve Farhood and HBO’s Roy Jones Jr., Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman, and Harold Lederman.

Raissman’s story can be found here.

Global Eagle Entertainment to Broadcast Mayweather-Pacquiao Exclusively on Cruise Lines

Global Eagle Entertainment, a media and connectivity provider to the travel industry, has announced that its Maritime business group, GEE Maritime, will exlusively distribute the upcoming Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao boxing match to cruise lines worldwide. GEE Maritime is the exclusive distributor of this event to the Maritime market via MTN Communications satellite network, enabling those onboard a cruise line to view it.

Pacquiao’s Fight Camp Wanted Legal Online Streaming

Fight fans who wanted to stream Saturday’s fight will be disappointed that they won’t be able to pay to watch the fight online. Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank, told Bloomberg that his company wanted to offer fans a way to pay to watch the fight online, but Showtime and HBO vetoed the idea.

Neither HBO or Showtime is a stranger to streaming, but they probably weren’t interested since they wanted viewers to buy the $100 pay-per-view package. HBO, Showtime, and the promoters for the fight have also been aggressively pursuing illegal websites offering to stream the fight for free.

Read more at here.

Fight Knocks Out Six Cirque Du Soleil Shows

Norm Clarke of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that six of eight Cirque du Soleil shows will shut down on Saturday to serve as venues for the closed-circuit broadcast of the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

18,000 seats for the six Cirque du Soleil show venues were sold out.

Jerry Nadal, senior vice president of Cirque du Soleil was quoted as saying, “It’s not going to be an entertainment crowd anyway on Saturday.”

The projected numbers for the fight include 3 million buys and $74 million in gate revenue.

Re-Sale Ticket Prices Dropping

Darren Rovell of ESPN has reported that resale prices of tickets have been dropping. The meager 500 tickets released to the public sold out in a matter of minutes, but the resale market has started to fall. He reported that the average price of tickets sold on StubHub were sold for about $3,899, compared to $4,693 on Thursday.

One broker told Rovell that he believes even high rollers were scared off at the astronomical price of tickets.

Read more here.

WSJ’s Report on Where it All Began for Pacquiao

The Wall Street Journal reported that in General Santos City, you can see signs of the local hero’s success everywhere across the city.

The Journal noted how when Pacquiao was just 12 years old he used to earn money from fights and climb the tree’s branches and throw treats down to his classmates. He used to make 100 pesos ($3.50) a fight if he won and 50 pesos if he lost.

The journal also does an excellent job on informing their readers about Pacquiao’s upbringing which led him to boxing as well as how his town proudly shows off signs of their hero’s success as well as his several businesses that he currently owns.

Dana White to be a Credentialed Member of the Media

UFC President has made his love of boxing known to most and now he gets to attend the fight not as a paying fan, but as a credentialed member of the media.

Dana White will be working with Yahoo! Sports to provide analysis for the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. Dana White has stated that he believes Floyd Mayweather Jr. will defeated Manny Pacquiao inside the ring.

Filipinos Urged to Turn Off Appliances During Pacquiao Fight

It has been reported that the Philippine Electric Company has urged customers to turn off major appliances to help prevent outages that have recently plagued his province so people can watch Saturday’s fight.

Palawan Electric Cooperative secretary Rante Ramos said shutting down refrigerators in 15,000 households alone will reduce the demand for electricity in the province enough to compensate for the expected power deficit of 2 megaweatts when the fight is aired in the Philippines on Saturday.

Posted on 04/21/2015

By: William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of April 14th to April 21st, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

Cotto vs. Geale Announced

It was announced late last week that WBC Middleweight World Champion Miguel Cotto (39-4) will have his first fight under Roc Nation Sports on June 6th, 2015 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. He will defend his titles against former two-time world champion Daniel Geale (31-3).

Both Miguel Cotto and Daniel Geale offered their thoughts at the initial press conference.

Miguel Cotto: “All I have to say is I’ve been here for the past two days and I’m eager to get back to Los Angeles and get into another training session and get back to New York on June 6. All I have to worry about is my mindset during the fight. I know Daniel is a great fighter and I’m going to do my best as always to bring a good and exciting fight to all the fans. See you all on June 6.”

Daniel Geale: “I’m as excited as you can ever imagine. This is a great moment for me. And come June 6, it’s going to be a hell of a fight and I can’t wait to walk away with the titles.”

Paulie Malignaggi to Face Danny O’Connor on May 29th

Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi (33-6) will return to the ring in his hometown to face Danny O’Connor (25-2) as the co-feature for the PBC on Spike TV on Friday, May 29th at 9 p.m. ET from the Barclays Center.

Amir Khan is already scheduled to face Chris Algieri in the main event of the night.

“My supporters and I have been waiting a long time for an opportunity like this on the big stage,” said O’Connor. “It’s a throwback matchup…Irish vs. Italian, Boston vs. New York. I’ll be bringing down busloads of people and I’m sure he’s going to have a big hometown crowd. I’ve never been more ready for the challenge that lies ahead of me.”

Tickets will be available online at www.ticketmaster.com

Joe Calzaghe to Serve as Guest Analyst for PBC on Spike TV

International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Joe Calzaghe has been added to the broadcast team as a special analyst for the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Spike TV April 24th fight card taking place at Chicago’s UIC Pavilion.

Calzaghe retired in 2009 after making more than 21 defenses of his super middleweight title and had a record of 46-0.

Calzaghe will help analyze the main event between Daniel Jacobs (28-1) and Caleb Truax (25-1-2) and the second televised bout between Anthony Dirrell (27-0-1) and Badou Jack (18-1).

Andre Dirrell and James DeGale to Meet in Super Middleweight Showdown

2004 Bronze Medalist for the United States Andre Dirrell (24-1) is scheduled to meet the 2008 Gold Medalist for Great Britain, James DeGale (20-1), in a super middleweight bout on Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC in Boston on May 23rd, live on NBC and NBCSN.

Live coverage will start on NBC at 4:30 p.m. ET and will switch over to NBCSN from 6:00 p.m. ET until 7:00 p.m. ET.

“I’m ready for this fight,” said Dirrell. “I’m so happy and honored to be fighting on NBC for a world title against a worthy opponent in James DeGale.”

“We are almost there, on May 23 it’s my time to make history as the first Briton to win an Olympic gold medal and a world title,” said DeGale.

“I’m excited about coming to the U.S for this fight, Boston is a great city and I will be bringing plenty of support from the UK. It’s been a frustrating period waiting for my shot but now it’s here and no one is taking it away from me.”

Barrera Wants to Face Chilemba then Kovalev

Light heavyweight contender Sullivan Barrera (15-0) looks to face his stablemate Isaac Chilemba next. Light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev is scheduled to face his mandatory challenger Nadjib Mohammedi this summer, so Barrera feels the time is right to face Chilemba.

Barrera stated, “We should fight each other on Kovalev’s next undercard. It creates the next opponent for Kovalev. I’m sure HBO would show the fight. I will destroy Chilemba and then I will be ready for Kovalev in the fall.”

He went on further to state, “I can’t just sit around. I need a meaningful fight. Me and Chilemba have the same promoter. It’s an easy fight to make and the world can watch me destroy him.”

Svensson: La Pantera Will be Running Out of the Ring with her Tail Between her Legs

On May 2nd Klara Svensson (15-0) will challenge Erica Anabella Farias (21-1) for the WBC Female Light Welterweight Championship at the Frederiksberg-Hallerne in Copenhagen. Svensson is known as the “Swedish Princess” while Farias is known as “La Pantera”.

Svensson stated, “I’m going to break Farias down, both physically and mentally. The Panther will be running out of the ring with her tail between her legs!”

“I’m not taking anything for granted. I know she is a dangerous opponent. She is experienced and mentally very tough, but I don’t think she is a remarkable boxing technician, and that is where I hold advantage. I will need to be careful, but I know what Farias is bringing to the table and I’m ready for it.”

Jennings Arrives in NYC for Klitschko Clash

Gary Shaw Productions’ undefeated heavyweight contender Bryant “By-By” Jennings (19-0) has arrived in New York City for his upcoming championship bout against Wladimir Klitschko (63-3). The fight is presented by K2 Promotions and the Klitschko Management Group in association with Gary Shaw Productions and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT in the United States.

Sadam Ali is scheduled to face Francisco Santana in the co-main event of the evening. Tickets may be purchased through the Madison Square Garden Box Office or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Ishe Smith to Face Cecil McCalla on April 30th

Mayweather Promotions will give fans a fight card at the Palms Casino Resort on April 30th in Las Vegas as Ishe “Sugar Shay” Smith (26-7) takes on Cecil McCalla (20-1) live on a special Thursday night edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights.

The co-main event will feature Ashley “The Treasure” Theophane (37-6-1) taking on Mahonri Montes (29-4-1), and the other televised fight will be between Ronald Gavril (11-1) and Eddie Hunter (10-12-2).

Live coverage will begin at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

“Headlining in my hometown of Las Vegas is always a great thrill and I will not disappoint all the people who come out to watch me fight,” said Smith.

“I have aspirations of getting another world title belt and this fight is my first step towards getting another opportunity.”

“I’m thrilled to get back in the ring and show the world what ‘The Treasure’ is all about,” said Theophane.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for me and I am going to make the most of it.”

Posted on 04/15/2015

By: William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider Notebook for the week of April 7th to April 14th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

Amir Khan to Face Chris Algieri on May 29th

Amir Khan (30-3) will return to the ring to take on former world champion Chris Algieri (20-1) on Friday, May 29th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York as the Main Event on a Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) card on Spike TV.

“I have happy memories of New York having made my successful U.S. debut there against Paulie Malignaggi in 2010,” said Khan.

“I’m delighted to now be fighting there once again against another champion in Chris Algieri. Algieri has shared the ring with some tremendous fighters and shown great skills in those fights, so I know I will need to be at my very best when we meet. In all my fights I bring excitement, speed and skill and can guarantee more fireworks on May 29 at Barclays Center.”

“I am very excited to get back into the ring and to be fighting here in New York,” said Algieri. “Fighting at Barclays Center, where I won my world title just under a year ago, is an added bonus. Amir Khan is a tested champion.

Tony Luis to Face Derry Matthews for World Championship on Saturday

On Saturday, April 18th Ontario’s Tony Luis (19-2) will face Derry Matthews (37-9-2) for the Interim WBA Lightweight Championship at the Echo Arena in Matthews’ hometown of Liverpool, England.

Luis was originially scheduled to face Ira Terry (26-13) in the co-feature of Championship Boxing on CBS Sports Network event. But Ismael Barroso (17-0-2), who was originally scheduled to face Matthews, was unable to obtain the proper visas in time to fight on short notice in England. He will now take Luis’ place and take on Ira Terry in an eight-round fight on Friday.

“It worked out well for everyone,” said Greg Cohen.

“Tony Luis was high enough in the ratings and ready to fight, so he’s one of the few fighters in the world who could have stepped into this important fight on such short notice. And fortunately, he is a GCP fighter as well, so we made it happen quickly and he is on his way to the UK as we speak.

“Tony gets his dream shot at a world championship and the fans in Hinckley, and on CBS Sports Network, will get their first look at one of the most fearsome punchers in boxing, Ismael Barroso. So it seems that everyone wins in this unique situation.”

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Fonfara Fight Week Information

The official weigh-in between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Andrzej Fonfara is open to the public and will be held on Friday, April 17th at 12:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza LAX-Salon C at 5985 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045. The fighters are scheduled to step on the scale at 1:00 p.m.

On Saturday April 18th, the StubHub Center Doors will open at 1:00 p.m. and the first fight will begin at 1:30 p.m. The Showtime Championship Boxing Telecast will begin at 7:00 p.m.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (Photo: Chris Farina: Top Rank)

Undefeated Chicago Prospect Ramiro Carillo Signs with Warriors Boxing

Mexican born, Chicago-based super lightweight Ramiro “El Lobito” Carrillo will make his first appearance under his new promotional banner on Friday, April 24th at the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) “Dirrell vs. Jack” event at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago.

Carillo (7-0) will be a part of the undercard in support of the Spike TV broadcast. Carillo has an amateur record of 215-14 and was a four-time Chicago Golden Gloves Champion and a two-time National Silver Gloves Champion. He was also a runner-up in the Mexican Olympic trials.

Freddie Roach Hails Provodnikov-Matthysse Clash as “Greatest Match Up in the World”

Trainer Freddie Roach believes Saturday night’s clash between Ruslan Provodnikov and Lucas Matthysse is ‘the greatest match up in the world.”

The two knockout artists will match up at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in New York.

Roach, Provodnikov’s trainer, stated, “It’s the greatest match up in the world. You’ve got two guys that love to fight, two guys that are great punchers. It’s going to be a very exciting fight- that’s for sure.”

The super-trainer went on to state, “It’s the best fight and the best is what we need. This is what’s going on in boxing right now and that’s why everything is really happening in boxing bigger than ever at this point, because of fights like this.”

However, Roach won’t be in Provodnikov’s corner since he will be busy preparing his star pupil, Manny Pacquiao, for his May 2 fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas.

Loaded Undercard Announced for ESPN Friday Night Fight’s Mohegan Sun Card

A loaded undercard featuring several unbeaten prospects has been announced for the non-televised segment of the April 17th ESPN Friday Night Fights card from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

The main event is scheduled to be between undefeated junior middleweight contender Tony Harrison (20-0) and Pablo Munguia (20-6) and to co-feature Ryan Kielczweski (22-0) versus Danny Aquino (16-2) in a featherweight bout.

The undercard will feature unbeaten super middleweight Lennox Allen (18-0), unbeaten Alantez Fox (14-0-1), Regis Prograis (13-0), and Amos Cowart (12-0-1).

Roc Nation Sports Announces Throne Boxing Performance Lineup

Roc Nation Sports has announced the throne boxing performance lineup for the April 17th event which will air on Fox Sports 1 from the Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

Murat Gassiev will defend his IBF Intercontinental Cruiserweight Championship against Felix Cora Jr. in the main event, and Ray Robinson (19-2) and Sherzodbek Alimjanov (22-2) will face each other for Robinson’s NABO Welterweight Championship.

Mike Tyson Interview by CP24 Violated Broadcast Ethics

The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council says a Toronto television station breached the broadcasting code of ethics during an interview last year with Mike Tyson.

At least one two occasions during the interview Tyson used extremely course language. The CBSC concluded that by failing to immediately terminate the interview, the channel CP 24 was in breach of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ code of ethics.

More information on this can be found here.

Joe Frazier Collection Auction

Memorabilia, mementos, photographs, and other collectibles acquired from Leslie Wolff, the long time manager of Joe Frazier, is available for auction online and there’s only a few weeks left until the auction. If you are interested in viewing these items for sale, click here.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Foundation Present “Fight 4 Fitness”

The Floyd Mayweather Jr. Foundation (FMJF) is pround to present the Fight 4 Fitness 5k Run/2K Walk Fun Run and Community Day taking place Sunday, April 19 at Sunset Park in las Vegas. The 5k Run/2K Walk and Kids Fun Run starts at 8 a.am. and is followed by an awards ceremony honoring all the participants. The presenting sponsors are Mayweather Promotions, The Money Team and Guy Ventures.

“My foundation genuinely cares about the Las Vegas community, and we are continuing our pledge to serve with great events like this,” said Mayweather. “Staying fit and active is so important. We hope this event encourages all people of all ages to work towards getting in shape and living a healthy lifestyle.”

More information can be found here.

Robert and Casey Guerrero Join Arkansas Tech and Be the Match in Effort to Break World Record for Bone Marrow Registries

Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, will join Arkansas Tech University and BeTheMatch.org in an effort to break the world record for bone marrow registries in a 24-hour period.

In addition, the group will attempt to break the one-hour world record for registries as well. Arkansas Tech’s Be The Match bone marrow registry event will begin at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, and continue through 9 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, on the university’s campus.

Joining “The Ghost” will be his wife, Casey Guerrero, who is a cancer survivor and a recipient of a bone marrow transplant from the BeTheMatch.org registry (National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP). Together they will inspire everyone on campus and help students register while relaying the important message of being a donor.

“What an honor to be invited to this great event put on by Arkansas Tech University and BeTheMatch.org,” said Robert Guerrero.

“Casey and I are going to do our part to help register as many people as possible. I really believe we are going to break the records. Many lives will be saved and that brings me great pleasure. I’m super motivated and can’t wait to get on campus and go to work.”

Rigondeaux to Confront Scott Quigg

Unified super bantamweight world champion Guillermo “The Jackal” Rigondeaux (15-0, 10 KOs) will travel to London next month in order to publicly confront his mandatory challenger, Scott Quigg (30-0-2, 22 KOs), the World Boxing Association (WBA) “regular” 122-pound division titlist.

A month ago in an unusual move, Rigondeaux’s manager Gary Hyde formally petitioned the WBA to enforce a mandatory title fight between his WBA Super champion and Quigg. Hyde is awaiting the WBA’s decision. Rigondeaux is also the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and The Ring magazine’s super bantamweight champion.