Boxing Digest

COTTO-FOREMAN ✯ EDWIN VALERO ✯ FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR.

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Juan Manuel

Juan

MARQUEZ DIAZ II VS.

August/September 2010

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REMATCH OF 2009’s “FIGHT OF THE YEAR” Can They Do It Again?

Vol. LII Number 4 August/September 2010 Publisher John G. Ledes Editor in Chief Sean Sullivan Creative Director Jim McLernon Staff Photographers Ray Bailey Teddy B. Blackburn Tom Casino Chris Farina Thierry Gourjon Mike Greenhill Tom Hogan Ed Mulholland Marty Rosengarten Sumio Yamada Correspondents J.R. Jowett, U.S. Jack Obermayer, U.S. Marc Lichtenfeld, U.S. Scott Mallon, Thailand Joe Koizumi, Japan West Coast Bureau Chief Phil Woolever Advertising Executive Directors Sean Sullivan 212-730-1374 Jim McLernon 212-840-8800 x228

On The Fight Card

The class of Boxing Magazines

FEATURES Marquez-Diaz II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Matt Richardson Floyd Mayweather Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Sean Sullivan The Black Pearl, Part II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Jake Wegner Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Sean Sullivan

Cotto-Foreman, Back to the Ballpark . . . . . . . 32 George Kimball

p. 20

The Tragedy of Edwin Valero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Robert G. Rodriguez, Ph.D. “King” Khan Takes Manhattan . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 George Kimball National Collegiate Boxing Championships.. . . 46 J.R. Jowett MMA: Clash of the Titans, Lesnar-Carwin. . . . 50 Moses Vered

DEPARTMENTS

p. 23

In This Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Boxing Illustrated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 A Round And A Bout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Upcoming Bouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 BD Round Card Girl of the Month . . . . . . . . . . . 18 The Contender, Jorge Diaz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Collectors Corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

WORLDWIDE SCENE

p. 32

World Title Bouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 BD ‘Round the World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 El Rincon Latino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

RANKINGS Boxing Digest Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 WBO/IBO Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 p. 50

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BOXING DIGEST (ISSN 1531-4677), is published bi-monthly except January and December, with offices at 16 East 40th Street, Ste. 700, New York, N.Y. 10016 (212) 730-1374. © Copyright 2010 by International Sports Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part of any text, photograph, or illustration without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Subscription: U.S., Canada, and Mexico $24 per year, 2 years $36. Other foreign airmail add $26 per year. U.S. currency only, drawn on a U.S. bank. For subscriptions call (800) 966-7787. Periodicals postage paid at New York, N.Y. and additional mailing offices. Newsstand distribution by Kable News Company, 14 Wall Street, Suite 4C, New York, NY 10005. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BOXING DIGEST, 16 East 40th Street, Ste. 700, New York, N.Y. 10016. Printed in USA.

IN THIS CORNER

DID PACQUIAO DESERVE THE “FIGHTER OF THE DECADE” AWARD?

O

n the eve of Cotto-Foreman, the Boxing Writers Association of America bestowed its “Fighter of the Decade” award upon Manny Pacquiao. Not only that, Pacquiao also received his third “Fighter of the Year” Award in the last four years. The only other fighter to garner that award in that time period was Floyd Mayweather Jr., who some debate should have been deemed the decade’s best instead. The same two fighters vie for control of the pound-for-pound top spot, most currently concede to Pacquiao, given his most recent accomplishments.

Overall, Pacquiao accumulated a record of 23-1-2 (20) between 2000-’09, while Mayweather remained undefeated going 18-0 (8). While some may point to the latter’s unblemished record as evidence that he deserved the award, by the same measure, 168lb. and light heavyweight titlist Joe Calzaghe would have to be in consideration as well, as he scored 19 victories without a loss during the decade.

However, Calzaghe mainly fought against relatively weak opposition until much later into his career. By the same accord, quality of opposition is what separates Pacquiao from Mayweather in this argument, in addition to success rate.

Pacquiao burst onto the national radar with an explosive TKO victory over the respected Lehlohonolo Ledwaba to grab the IBF 122lb. title in 2001. After four defenses, Pacquiao toppled featherweight king Marco Antonio Barrera, who at a time was listed high on many pound-for-pound lists. Pacquiao would score a second victory over Barrera four years later. Pacquiao would have two blazing battles against Juan Manuel Marquez that were so close that a single point separated the two in their rematch, giving the Filipino a split verdict after their initial encounter ended in a draw. Sandwiched in between was a trilogy against Erik Morales, which accounts for the sole loss on the Pac-Man’s ledger during the decade. The loss also served as a springboard for coach Freddie Roach to transform his southpaw charge into a much more complete fighter. Pacquiao avenged the loss with two subsequent stoppage victories over his rival. And it was in 2008 that credibility among boxing circles and native fanfare turned into massive mainstream appeal, when after the Marquez rematch, Pacquiao moved up in weight, taking a lightweight title from David Diaz and sending the favored Oscar De La Hoya into retirement in a welterweight bout. Pacquiao continued to build on that success in 2009 with a two-round blowout of consensus 140lb. leader Ricky Hatton and impressively dismantling Miguel Cotto back at 147lbs.

If only the pair could start off the new decade facing each other in what would undoubtedly be the start of a historic trilogy to determine who reigns supreme.

Sean Sullivan,

Editor in Chief

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BOXING WRITERS OF AMERICA 85th Annual Awards Dinner

all photos by Ray Bailey

Roosevelt Hotel, New York, NY

George Chuvalo, who had two memorable battles with Joe Frazier, received the “Courage in Overcoming Adversity” Award.

Erin Boyd, daughter of author F.X. Toole, accepted the “Oustanding Boxing Writing” Award from Bernard Fernandez, on her late father’s behalf.

Alexis Arguello’s son AJ accepted the Marvin Kohn “Good Guy” Award from Bill Gallo on his late father’s behalf.

Journalist Jerry Izenberg received the “Long and Meritorious Service” Award.

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ESPN’s Joe Tessitore was given the Sam Taub Award for “Excellence in Broadcast Journalism.”

Boxing Digest’s George Kimball bestowed Freddie Roach with his fourth “Trainer of the Year” Award.

Manny Pacquiao was dually honored with the “Fighter of the Year” and “Fighter of the Decade” Awards.

Referee Mills Lane’s sons, Terrance and Tommy, received the “Honesty and Integrity and in Boxing” Award from HBO’s Max Kellerman, on their father’s behalf.

Golden Boy’s David Itskowitch and HBO’s Harold Lederman accepted the 2009 “Fight of the Year” Award on behalf of fighters Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz.

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all photos by Jim McLernon

A Night at the Friars Club in New York City Honoring Bob Arum

The military were among the guests in attendance.

Author Tom Hauser with the President of HBO Sports Ross Greenburg

WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto with Ring 8’s President Matt Farrago

The man of the hour, Bob Arum 6

The evening’s coordinator, Jules Feiler, was flanked by round card girls before they escorted comedian Mickey Freeman, a.k.a. “Kid Prune Juice,” to the stage.

Berto congratulated Arum on all his years of success.

Fighters such as Tommy Hearns, Manny Pacquiao, and Ray Mancini were at the Friars Club to show their appreciation for Arum.

Iran Barkley is always a welcomed guest at New York boxing events.

As Arum sat on stage, HBO’s Jim Lampley acted at the Master of Ceremonies.

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A ROUND AND A BOUT Marty Rosengarten/RingsidePhotos.com

Renowned referee Arthur Mercante Sr. died on April 10, at the age of 90. Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995, Mercante was a professional referee from 1954-2001, becoming the first active referee to be enshrined into the Hall. During his tenure, he worked the bouts of some of the most famous fighters in history, including Sugar Ray Robinson, Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Arthur Mercante Sr. George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard and Mike Tyson. Born in 1920 in Brockton, MA, Mercante was a childhood friend of Rocky Marciano.

Introduced to boxing by his uncle who was a heavyweight during the twenties, Arthur boxed in the Golden Gloves at the age of 16. Mercante attended NYU to earn a masters degree in physical education, and while enrolled, he refereed college bouts and taught boxing at the US Merchant Marine Academy. Six years into his professional refereeing career, Mercante worked his first heavyweight championship, the Ingemar Johansson-Floyd Patterson rematch. But the fight he is mostly closely associated with being the third man in the ring in is the first Joe Frazier-Muhammad Ali bout, staged at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971.

HOLMES TO VISIT GHANA

Jim McLernon

Former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes is scheduled to visit Ghana in early August to help promote the country’s tourism. He is expected to visit various historical sites, meet with dignitaries, box in an exhibition with Azumah Nelson and hold a boxing clinic for fighters at the Accra Sports Stadium.

To end his visit, Holmes and Muhammad Ali will be honored at a festival held at Bukom Square in Accra that will launch the Larry Holmes Boxing Museum.

Event organizers include Larry Holmes will be visiting the Nii Guate Foundation Ghana in August.

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in partnership with Larry Holmes Enterprises, Nuumo Guate Peace Foundation, Agu Resources and Village Communications in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ghana.

“ASSAULT IN THE RING” WINS EMMY

The highly acclaimed HBO boxing film “Assault in the Ring,” written, directed and produced by Eric Drath, was awarded the Sports Emmy for “Best Documentary” at the 31st Annual Sports Emmy Awards in New York City.

The film delves into the controversy surrounding the 1983 Luis Resto-Billy Collins Jr. bout held at MSG, in which it was found that Eric Drath’s lm “Assault in the Resto’s gloves had been Ring” received the Sports Emmy for “Best Documentary.” tampered with and the leading culprit was his trainer Panama Lewis. A two-disc special edition of the documentary, which includes deleted scenes as well as the entire infamous fight itself, is now available to purchase at www.AssaultInTheRing.com.

VASYL LOMACHENKO TO REMAIN AN AMATEUR

Ukrainian amateur boxer Vasyl Lomachenko, who won a gold medal as a featherweight and the Val Barker Award at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, will reportedly stay an amateur, at the behest of his father who is his coach, until after the 2012 Olympic games in London.

“I wanted to go pro, but my father stopped me. He said that we should wait until the body is fully formed and I reach an age where my body stops growing, and then I can finish my amateur career,” said the 22-year-old Lomachenko.

Considered one of today’s best amateur talents, Lomachenko has lost only once in over 300 contests. At the World Amateur Boxing Championships, he won Vasyl Lomachenko will re- the silver medal in 2007 and the main an amateur until after gold in 2009. the 2012 Olympics.

Scott Mallon

IN MEMORIAM

BOXING DIGEST

TONEY VS. COUTURE

Renay Johnson/FightWireImages.com

Looks like UFC president Dana White finally figured out what to do with recent signee James Toney, who had been clamoring to compete in MMA for some time. Toney, 72-6-3-2NC (44), who last fought in a boxing ring in September, will challenge former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Randy Couture at UFC 118 on Aug. 28 in Boston, in what will be the first UFC event ever staged in Massachusetts.

“Toney is a real fighter, a future Hall of James Toney will challenge Famer, and the most Randy Couture at UFC 118. accomplished boxer ever to fight in the UFC, and I think everyone’s curious to see what he can do against Couture’s wrestling and ground and pound attack,” said White.

“Toney promised me that he’s coming to win, and knowing him like I do, I would never count him out.”

LA CASA DEL BOXEADOR

Earlier this year the Puerto Rican boxing museum, La Casa Del Boxeador (House of Boxing), located in the town of Santurce, held an event in Cantaño to celebrate its 40th Anniversary. A packed house featured many former champions and other celebrities, such as Alfredo Escalera, Wilfred Benitez, Julian Solis, famed boxing writer Mario Rivera Martino, former promoter Larry Cruz and 104-year-old former baseball star Emilio Navarro.

Boxing Digest’s Arturito Santiago Rubero attended a star-studded event celebrating the40th anniversary of Puerto Rican boxing museum, La Casa Del Boxeador.

Courtesy of Arturo Santiago

Former baseball player Emilio Navarro, Wilfred Benitez, Arturito, and Alfredo Escalera

Former promoter Larry Cruz, Mario Rivera Martino, and Arturito

Arturito, the museum’s president Severo Figueroa and Jose E. Rey, the Secretary of the Department of Treasure of Puerto Rico

FAMED 5TH STREET GYM REOPENS

The legendary 5th Street Gym in Miami, which was opened in 1950 by Chris and Angelo Dundee, is set to finally return after closing down in 1992. The gym can boast to have housed 15 world champions during its existence, including

Pat Orr

University Boxing Gym

Carmen Basilio, Willie Pastrano, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Sugar Ray Leonard.

The history of the gym was recently well chronicled in Ferdie Pacheco’s book, “Tales from the 5th Street Gym: Ali, the Dundees, and Miami’s Golden Age of Boxing.”

At 88 years old, Angelo will not be the main trainer operating the gym, although he th Angelo Dundee’s 5 Street Gym in will be involved as much Miami is set to reopen. as he can. Assisting him will be Tom Tsatas, Dino Spencer and Angelo’s chief trainer Matt Baiamonte. Angelo’s son Jimmy will work with licensing and memorabilia.

University Boxing Gym of Melbourne Florida is proud to announce that Joseph “Biggie Boy” Elegele is currently 8-0 with 6 KOs.

“FIGHTING IRISHMEN”

1415 E. University Blvd., Melbourne, FL 32901 (321) 723-8704 www.universityboxing.com In the building near the tracks, That’s a little bit worn; Is where dreams come to life, And champions are born.

You’ll find will and desire, Blood sweat and tears; Attitude and determination, And the conquering of fears.

Athletes of all ages, Go there to train; Working their bodies, Pushing past the pain.

Learning from coaches, And also from mistakes; Wanting to be champions, They do what it takes.

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Pounding the bags, Spinning the ropes; Hitting the mitts, Fulfilling their hopes.

Sparring in the ring, They learn how to fight; To punish their opponent, With all of their might.

All this and more, Takes place here every day; In a neighborhood gym; Not too far away.

In the building near the tracks, That’s a little bit worn; Where dreams come to life; And champions are born.

A “Fighting Irishmen”exhibit invitation featured art by Gabe Perillo.

Artist Gabe Perillo’s painting of former heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey was selected to grace the invitation sent out by the Irish Arts Center to promote their “Fighting Irishmen” exhibit now on tour in Ireland. Perillo’s Dempsey painting and other artwork devoted to the heavyweight division can be found in Boxing Digest’s new book, “The Boxing Art of Gabe Perillo.”

AAIB ANNUAL LUNCHEON

The American Association for the Improvement of Boxing (AAIB), founded by Stephen B. Acunto and Rocky Marciano in 1969, has relentlessly focused on and raised awareness for the medical safety of boxers. In May, the organization held its 41st annual awards luncheon at the Edward and Mary Doyle Education and Training Center in Elmsford, NY. Former heavyweight champion Leon Spinks and light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson received Stephen B. Acunto, Founder of the AAIB the Rocky Marciano Champions Award. Former boxing judge Tom Kaczmarek was given the Officials Award. Boxing Digest’s own Jerry Glick was presented with the Media Award. The Medical Award went to Dr. Robert Polofsky. Mike Criscio was deemed the “Manager of the Year.”

Patricia Page, the widow of former heavyweight champion Greg Page, was honored with the Distinguished Service Award for her continued fight for boxing safety. Sergeants Matthew M. Martin and Lipson Joseph were praised for their military service. A special award for “Man of the Year” was given to the event’s host, Edward Doyle Sr., for his longstanding support of the AAIB.

Jim McLernon

VINNY MADDALONE, BOXER TURNED RESTAURATEUR

Do The Superstar Fighters of Today Measure Up to the Old Timers of the Past?

Find the Answers in This Book!

“Eye opening…A must read”

—STEVE FARHOOD, Showtime analyst and former editor-in-chief of The Ring Magazine

“A classic…convinced me that the ‘old timers’ were superior to our modern superstars” —CHUCK HASSON, historian, PhillyBoxingHistory.com

“So thoroughly researched and its point so articulately argued that you immediately want to rush out and buy lms of Sugar Ray Robinson to see what we’ve missed” —BOBBY CASSIDY, JR., Newsday.com

“A lot of modern myths are very rightly exploded in this gem of a book” —MIKE CASEY, Grandslampage.net

Monte Barrett [l.] attended an event celebrating the reopening of a restaurant in Whitestone, NY, by fellow heavyweight Vinny Maddalone, who renamed the establishment “Ringside Bar and Grill.”

The colorful, always-exciting heavyweight Vinny Maddalone, who has been a professional for over 11 years fighting many top contenders, has reopened Bar/Restaurant 14 in Whitestone, NY, and renamed it the Ringside Bar & Grill. It was also announced that Maddalone was elected to the Board of Directors of the Ring 8 sect of the Veteran Boxers Association, of which he has been a longtime member.

“We are very proud of Vinny’s accomplishments both inside, and now outside of the ring,” said promoter Joe DeGuardia, CEO of Star Boxing.

“Wherever he goes, Vinny is just so well-respected, and being elected to serve on the board is a true testament to that.”

“Breaks new ground in thoroughly dissecting the old timers vs. modern ghters debate… should be compulsory reading for all boxing journalists.”

—TONY GEE, author of Up to Scratch: Bareknuckle Fighting and Heroes of the Prize-Ring

“I did not write this book to add fuel to the old school vs. new school boxing debate. I wrote it to end the debate” —MIKE SILVER, author of The Arc of Boxing: The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science (McFarland Publishing Co.)

Available on Amazon.com or Barnes&Noble.com.

For autographed copies contact the author: E-mail: msilver33@gmail.com

FOR YOUR BOXING LIBRARY…

T h r o u g h photographs and prose, “Extraordinary Women Of The Ring,” by boxing photographer Mary Ann Lurie Owen, explores the history of female boxing and why it deserves the recognition and respect it has fought hard to receive. Alicia Ashley, Bonnie Canino and Barbara Buttrick are just a few of the boxers depicted in the book. # “DAN DONNELLY 1788-1820, Pugilist, Publican, Playboy,”

by Patrick Myler, tells the remarkable story of an Irishman whose exploits in the bareknuckle ring made him into an early 19th century folk hero. His victories over highly regarded English opponents came in the wake of several armed rebellions and were seen as symbolizing his country’s fight for freedom from Westminster rule.

One of the many legends about Donnelly claimed that he so impressed the Prince Regent (later King George IV) that he was granted a knighthood. On being greeted by the Regent as “the best fighting man in Ireland,” Donnelly is said to have replied, “I am not that, your royal highness, but I am the best in England.”

Donnelly’s life was less than exemplary outside the ring: a heavy drinker, he never made any profit from his four Dublin pubs, and his sexual adventures led to him paying the price for “chasing petticoats” while supposedly training for a fight in England. # Something about boxing attracts literary types. Perhaps it’s the inherent drama of people fighting, or the colorful characters involved in the chaotic world of professional boxing. Maybe writers see something of themselves in boxers’ struggles, or something they can make use of in their work. “Fighters & Writers,” a new book written by John G. Rodwan Jr., examines writers’ longstanding fascination with pugilism from multiple angles. Rodwan considers both the lively body of literature directly related to the sport as well as the ways boxing relates to writers not usually identified with it. The collection also includes personal essays involving boxing.

TRUFAN BOXING via INASECTV.COM Khan Is King

Trufan Boxing was at Madison Square Garden for an exclusive look at Amir Khan’s 11th-round stoppage of Paulie Malignaggi and recorded reactions from Khan and his team on the fight.

Pacquiao Wins Big at BWAA Awards

It was a star-studded night at the Boxing Writers Association of America Awards Dinner, and J. Monte was alongside Cara Castranova to bring highlights of all the pageantry. The pair also interviewed Joe Frazier and George Chuvalo among others.

The Pound-For-Pound Debate

Cara Castranova and J. Monte poll a “who’s who” in boxing as it relates to the pound-for-pound king of the sport. With the help of HBO’s Max Kellerman and Harold 12

Lederman, Freddie Roach, former heavyweight contender George Chuvalo, writers Bill Gallo and Jerry Izenberg, promoter Lou DiBella, and more, the Pound-for-Pound credentials are established, and then the debate begins for the current and all-time kings.

Sports Lab NYC

Trufan Boxing’s J. Monte visited a new state of the art, all inclusive, boxing gym in New York City that is unlike any gym you’ve seen before.

Upcoming…

Upcoming Trufan Boxing episodes include a piece on whether great boxing trainers attract talented fighters or vice versa, and how the influence of boxing writers has changed in recent years.

BOXING & THE ARTS GABE PERILLO

brought these two worlds together.

BOXING DIGEST 16 East 40th Street Suite 700 New York, NY 10016 $100

• Hi His legendary l d paintings i ti are reproduced in this limited edition book which is available to Boxing Digest readers for $100.

• Each copy will be certified and signed by Gabe Perillo Jr., the son of the artist and owner of most of these major paintings.

• Only 200 numbered units are left.

To order fill out the form and send it in with your payment or call toll-free 888-840-8801.

Essays in “Fighters & Writers” discuss works about boxing by authors such as Albert Camus, W.C. Heinz, A.J. Liebling, Norman Mailer, Joyce Carol Oates, George Plimpton, Philip Roth, New Yorker editor David Remnick, Darin Strauss and Jose Torres, as well as the cultural impact made by boxers like Muhammad Ali, Max Baer, James Braddock, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Joe Louis and Mike Tyson. Rodwan also considers the sport in connection with figures such as Martin Amis, Christopher Hitchens, John McCain, Ian McEwan, George Orwell, Henry Rollins and Oscar Wilde. # In 1923, not long after oil had started gushing from northern Montana fields, real-estate sales in nearby Shelby were declining, dimming the little town’s prospects of becoming the “Tulsa of the West.” Then the mayor’s son dreamed up a marketing ploy: offer to host heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey’s next fight. What began as a publicity stunt soon spiraled into a civic drama unlike any Montana had ever seen—or ever would again. “Shelby’s Folly: Jack Dempsey, Doc Kearns, and the Shakedown of a Montana Boomtown,” by Jason Kelly, tells this story in full.

Against the background of boom-and-bust Montana history, the folly of Shelby’s would-be promoters unfolds in colorful detail. It took months to persuade Dempsey’s conniving manager, Jack “Doc” Kearns, to sign a $300,000 contract. With less than two months before the July 4

The Boxing Art of Gabe Perillo □ Check or money order enclosed

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Account # _________________________________ Expiration date: ____________________________ Signature: __________________________________ Name: ____________________________________ Address: ___________________________________ City: ______________________________________ State: ______________ Zip: __________________

fight, the town still had no stadium and no accommodations for tens of thousands of expected fans.

Kelly describes the promoters’ de sp erate measures and their disastrous results, from the first inkling of the idea to the bitter end of the 15-round boxing match.

Shelby residents identified with the underdog c h a l l e n g e r, Tommy Gibbons, who went toe-to-toe with the champion in an atmosphere crackling with tension. A soap opera of financial intrigue and chicanery, “Shelby’s Folly” chronicles how Big Sky ambition and the scheming mind of Doc Kearns collided to produce one of the most preposterous series of events in boxing history.

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Richard Foreman

Joe Pesci and Helen Mirren star as Charlie and Grace Bontempo in “Love Ranch.”

Here in Nevada a man can do anything he’s big enough to do, so long as he don’t hurt nobody else.”

“L

ove Ranch” is a film loosely based on true events involving former heavyweight contender Oscar Bonavena and Reno’s infamous Mustang Ranch, one of Nevada’s first legalized brothels, run by husband/wife team Joe and Sally Conforte, that ultimately led to a tryst between Bonavena and Sally and subsequently the boxer’s murder.

In the film, written and adapted by Mark Jacobson, Helen Mirren and Joe Pesci star as Grace and Charlie Bontempo, who own and run the Love Ranch. Their lives are irrevocably altered when Armando Bruza, a boxer played by Sergio Peris-Mencheta, is brought to the Ranch to train as part of Charlie’s ever-expanding entrepreneurial empire. Plans quickly go awry when Bruza and Grace become romantically involved.

“I went to Buenos Aires and tried to find everybody there who could tell me things about Bonavena. I’m not playing Oscar Bonavena, but the story is based on him,” said Mencheta about researching the role. “I am a boxing fan but this movie gave me the experience of actually boxing myself for the first time. I worked with Jimmy Glenn and Angel Rivera at Gleason’s Gym to bulk up into a true heavyweight.”

“My husband told me the story of Bonavena, of the brothel, and Joe and Sally Conforte. I said, ‘That sounds like a wonderful story to make a film of,’” said Mirren, of her attraction to the film, which gave her the opportunity to work with her husband, Taylor Hackford, who directed and produced the movie. “I’m personally a boxing fan as well as my husband. I know my husband has always wanted to make a boxing film.”

“We met the writer through being fans of boxing,” continued Mirren. “Great friends of ours, journalist Jack Newfield, Lou DiBella, we would all meet [at Newfield’s house] on fight night and watch the big fight.”

Boxing promoter Lou DiBella is another producer of the film, along with David Sergio Peris-Mencheta plays heavyweight boxer Armondo Bruza in “Love Ranch.”

Bergstein and Marty Katz.

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Richard Foreman

— Joe Conforte, owner of the first legal brothel in the United States

BOXING DIGEST’S WORLD

1) Wladimir Klitschko

Dagmar Kielhorn-Hoganphotos.com

1) Marco Huck

1) Chad Dawson

2) Steve Cunningham (U.S.) 3) Matt Godfrey (U.S.) 4) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (Pol.) 5) Danny Green (Aus.) 6) B.J. Flores (U.S.) 7) Denis Lebedev (Rus.) 8) Giacobbe Fragomeni (Italy) 9) Ola Afolabi (U.S.) 10) Victor E. Ramirez (Arg.)

2) Bernard Hopkins (U.S.) 3) Andre Ward (U.S.) 4) Lucien Bute (Can.) 5) Jean Pascal (Can.) 6) Mikkel Kessler (Den.) 7) Carl Froch (Eng.) 8) Andre Dirrell (U.S.) 9) Arthur Abraham (Ger.) 10) Tavoris Cloud (U.S.)

(United States)

Lightweight

Welterweight

Middleweight

(127 - 135 lbs.)

(136 - 147 lbs.)

(148 - 160 lbs.)

1) Sergio Martinez

1) Floyd Mayweather Jr.

1) Juan M. Marquez

2) Sergiy Dzinziruk (Ukr.) 3) Felix Sturm (Ger.) 4) Paul Williams (U.S.) 5) Miguel Cotto (P.R.) 6) Kelly Pavlik (U.S.) 7) Cory Spinks (U.S.) 8) Kermit Cintron (U.S.) 9) Sebastian Zbik (Ger.) 10) Sebastian Sylvester (Ger.)

2) Manny Pacquiao (Phil.)

3) Timothy Bradley (U.S.) 4) Andre Berto (U.S.) 5) Shane Mosley (U.S.) 6) Amir Khan (Eng.) 7) Devon Alexander (U.S.) 8) Marcos Maidana (Arg.) 9) Jan Zaveck (Ger.) 10) Victor Ortiz (U.S.)

2) Humberto Soto (Mex.) 3) Joan Guzman (U.S.) 4) Michael Katsidis (Aus.) 5) Roman Martinez (P.R.) 6) Takashi Uchiyama (Jap.) 7) Robert Guerrero (U.S.) 8) Jorge Solis (Mex.) 9) Miguel Acosta (Ven.) 10) Jorge Linares (Jap.)

Featherweight

(Mexico)

Thierry Gourjon

(United States)

Craig Bennett/FightWireImages.com

(United States)

Bantamweight

(119 - 126 lbs.)

Flyweight

(113 - 118 lbs.)

(105 - 112 lbs.)

1) Chris John

1) Fernando Montiel

1) Ivan Calderon

2) Celestino Caballero (Pan.) 3) Juan Manuel Lopez (P.R.) 4) Yuriorkis Gamboa (Cuba) 5) Orlando Salido (Mex.) 6) Rafael Marquez (Mex.) 7) Elio Rojas (U.S.) 8) P. Kratingdaenggym (Thai.)

9) Toshiaki Nishioka (Jap.) 10) Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (P.R.)

2) Anselmo Moreno (Pan.) 3) Yonnhy Perez (U.S.) 4) Vic Darchinyan (Aus.) 5) Nonito Donaire (Phil.)

6) Omar Narvaez (Arg. 7) Hozumi Hasegawa (Jap.) 8) Eric Morel (U.S.) 9) Hugo Cazares (Mex.) 10) Abner Mares (U.S.)

2) P. Wonjongkam (Thai.)

3) Daiki Kameda (Jap.) 4) Roman Gonzalez (Nic.) 5) Giovanni Segura (U.S.) 6) O. Sithsamerchai (Thai.)

7) Donnie Nietes (Phil.)

8) Nkosinathi Joyi (S.A.) 9) Koki Kameda (Jap.) 10) Luis Alberto Lazarte (Arg.)

(Mexico)

Sumio Yamada

(Indonesia)

(Puerto Rico)

Jim McLernon

Jim McLernon

(161 - 175 lbs.)

(Germany)

(Germany)

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Light Heavyweight

(176 - 200 lbs.)

(over 200 lbs.)

Thierry Gourjon

* Who should Boxing Digest’s champions ght next?

Please relate your comments, opinions and suggested rankings to the editor at ibdmailbag@aol.com for publication.

Cruiserweight

Heavyweight

2) Vitali Klitschko (Ger.) 3) David Haye (Eng.) 4) Alexander Povetkin (Rus.) 5) Tomasz Adamek (Pol.) 6) Nikolai Valuev (Rus.) 7) Ruslan Chagaev (Ger.) 8) Samuel Peter (Nigeria) 9) Odlanier Solis (Cuba) 10) Denis Boytsov (Ger.)

RANKINGS

15

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Oleydong Sithsamerchai vs. Pornsawan Porpramook (WBC Strawweight Title)

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Steve Molitor vs. Jason Booth (IBF Junior Featherweight Title)

Rainton Meadows Arena Tyne and Wear, England

Bebuit Shumenov vs. Vyacheslav Uzelkov (WBA Light Heavyweight Title)

Lemoore, CA

ESPN2

July 24

Anthony Peterson vs. Brandon Rios (Interim WBA Lightweight Title) Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Orlando Salido (“Regular” WBA/IBF Featherweight Unification)

Palms Casino Resort Las Vegas, NV

HBO

July 26

Chris John vs. Fernando David Saucedo (WBA Featherweight Title)

Jakarta, Indonesia

July 31

Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz (WBA/WBO Lightwieght Title) Danny Jacobs vs. Dmitry Pirog (Vacant WBO Middleweight Title) Robert Guerrero vs. Joel Casamayor Jorge Linares vs. Rocky Juarez

Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Las Vegas, NV

Aug. 6

Mzonke Fana vs. Cassius Baloyi (Vacant IBF Junior Lightweight Title)

South Africa

Aug. 7

Devon Alexander vs. Andriy Kotelnik (WBC/IBF Lightweight Title) Tavoris Cloud vs. Glen Johnson (IBF Light Heavyweight Title)

Scottrade Center Saint Louis, MO

HBO

Aug. 14

Jean Pascal vs. Chad Dawson (WBC/IBO Light Heavyweight Titles)

Bell Centre Montreal, Quebec, Canada

HBO

Anselmo Moreno vs. Nehomar Cermeno (WBA Bantamweight Title) Ricardo Cordoba vs. Rafael Hernandez (Interim WBA Junior Featherweight Title)

Arena Roberto Duran Panama City, Panama

Marco Huck vs. Matt Godfrey (WBO Cruiserweight Title)

Messehalle Efert, Germany

Tomasz Adamek vs. Michael Grant

Prudential Center Newark, NJ

Aug. 30

Vyacheslav Senchenko vs. Charlie Jose Navarro (WBA Welterweight Title)

Lenin Square Donetsk, Ukraine

Sept. 4

Luis Alberto Lazarte vs. Carlos Tamara (IBF Junior Flyweight Title)

Argentina

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Daiki Kameda vs. Takefumi Sakata (WBA Flyweight Title)

Tokyo, Japan

Aug. 21

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MARQUEZ DIAZ II VS.

August/September 2010

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REMATCH OF 2009’s “FIGHT OF THE YEAR” Can They Do It Again?

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COTTO-FOREMAN 2 EDWIN VALERO 2 FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR.

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Go to www.BoxingDigest.com for details—and keep punching!

A Rematch of 2009’s “Fight of the Year” Tom Hogan/HoganPhotos.com

By Matt Richardson

W

Lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez will once again face off against Juan Diaz.

hen lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez first defended his title against Juan Diaz in February 2009, the fight had significance.

Marquez, 50-5-1 (37), was coming off arguably the finest win of his career: an 11th-round knockout over Joel Casamayor in September 2008. The win over Casamayor allowed Marquez to gain top billing in the 135-pound ranks and it helped entrench his position, at the time, as one of the world’s top three or four finest fighters.

Diaz, 35-3 (17), meanwhile, had just rebounded from his first professional loss to totally dominate Michael Katsidis by decision, also that September. Diaz’ impressive win over Katsidis coupled with Marquez’ knockout of Casamayor seven days later led to an important and ultimately thrilling fight the following February. In what was considered to be one of the best fights of 2009, Marquez overcame an early points deficit to brutally knock Diaz out in the ninth round.

It was an exciting fight with blood, guts, and skill.

But when it was announced that the two lightweights would be fighting one another again on July 31 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, the response from boxing fans and media members was just lukewarm.

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And this was despite the fact that Marquez’ WBA and WBO titles would be on the line.

That’s because Marquez and Diaz have only gone a combined 1-2 in the three fights they have fought since their first encounter. And most fans would tell you that record should be 0-3.

First, Diaz won a highly controversial decision over Paulie Malignaggi in a 140lb. contest last summer. The decision was debatable and could have (and probably should have) gone to Malignaggi. A few weeks later, Marquez moved all the way up to welterweight to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. It was clearly just a payday for Marquez and that’s how he fought; losing every round in a lopsided unanimous decision loss.

Finally, in the last month of the year, Diaz lost a decision to Malignaggi in a rematch of their August bout.

Neither Marquez nor Diaz has fought since their loss.

Neither fighter looked particularly good (or even very competitive) in their last fight. And neither of them should be fighting on pay-per-view (the medium in which this fight will be presented to the public). The significance that accompanied their first bout has been all but stripped away for this one.

Tom Hogan/HoganPhotos.com

Marquez-Diaz I was considered 2009’s “Fight of the Year.”

So why should fight fans care about their rematch?

Because if you’re a fan of “fights,” this one promises to be just that. This is not about titles. This is not about elite, pound-for-pound status. This is about slugging it out in the middle of the ring for as long as it lasts. And what’s so wrong with that?

Despite what has happened since their initial encounter, Diaz is motivated for revenge. “People are saying this is going to be a must win fight for me,” said Diaz. “I see this as redemption. Redemption for what I was going to accomplish in 2009, but it wasn’t meant to be in 2009. Come July 31, I am going to pick up in the ninth round. I left off in the ninth round last time, and I am going to pick it up from there.”

Both guys have definitely slipped since their first fight.

Maybe that has something to do with the savage nature of their brawl. Or maybe it is due to years and years of both men engaging in tough battles. But since both men are on the downhill, instead of just one of them, the fight should still be competitive. Both boxers are at (or around) the same level as one another. That’s important.

STYLES MAKE FIGHTS

Another factor to consider is that both guys love to fight.

If neither boxer appeared in a ring again after their last performance, no one would have blamed them. But they’re gearing up to get back in the ring, against one another, demonstrating they still have the desire to perform and

willingness to take the inevitable lumps that go along with it. They probably don’t need the payday (or at least Marquez certainly shouldn’t since winning the “Money” Mayweather lottery). But they enjoy what they do.

In addition to their insatiable drive to succeed, what makes this fight particularly appealing is the mesh of their styles. Just because they lost their most recent fights, it doesn’t mean they’re different fighters. Each man is what he is: Marquez, a solid boxer with a good chin and clever counterpunching skills; Diaz, a relentless aggressor who seemingly can throw punches forever. Styles make fights.

And their styles, especially mixed with one another, make for exciting fights.

“There are two reasons to fight Juan Diaz again,” Marquez said when the fight was announced. “Number one, he’s a great fighter and deserves a rematch. Number two, people want to see this kind of fight. Last year it was fight of the year. Maybe, now in 2010, it will be again.”

We can appreciate the artistry of a Floyd Mayweather Jr. or the destructive skills of a Manny Pacquiao. But the fact of the matter is that neither of those guys has had a truly competitive two-way action fight in years. Ironically, Pacquiao’s last genuinely stimulating contest was his rematch with Marquez. Is this fight as significant or as expensive as a Mayweather-Pacquiao clash? No. Is it as sexy? Certainly not. It’s not likely that Jack Nicholson and P. Diddy will be sitting ringside.

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John Booz/FightWireImages.com

Since losing to Marquez, Diaz split two ghts with Paulie Malignaggi.

Marquez summed it up perfectly when he said, “You are going to see two warriors who will give everything they have and leave everything in the ring.”

Sometimes it’s just about two guys fighting one another.

And regardless of the developments since their last encounter, that’s what this promises to be: a fight.

Chris Cozzone/FightWireImages.com

But that’s fine. Boxing doesn’t always have to be about championships and rankings and setting up one fight to make a bigger one down the road. Sometimes it’s just about two fighters, in one fight, on one night, exchanging and deflecting punches in the ring.

Marquez moved up to welterweight to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. but lost a unanimous decision.

22

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR.

By Sean Sullivan

Tom Hogan/HoganPhotos.com

T

he question was “Who R U Picking?” and after twelve rounds it was apparent that “Sugar” Shane Mosley picked the wrong fighter to step in the ring with on Saturday night in front of 15,117 at MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, NV. A bevy of celebrities ranging from Jay-Z and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson witnessed arguably this era’s greatest fighter as Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. turned in a virtuoso performance as he defeated Mosley by unanimous decision in their highly anticipated welterweight bout.

It was a performance that featured high drama in the second round – something that skeptics claim has kept Mayweather away from greatness – when a Mosley right hand nearly floored Mayweather and had the six time world champion on very shaky legs. But Mayweather survived the brief scare, settled into his rhythm and soundly throttled Mosley with lopsided scores of 119-109 (twice) and 118-110.

During his campaign at welterweight, Mayweather has often been criticized for taking on smaller fighters and avoiding “true” welterweights by critics and fans alike. Those skeptics were silenced

by Mayweather’s domination of Mosley – who has fought at welterweight for over a decade.

Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) put together a perfect game plan, sans the 2nd round, as he surprisingly came forward while popping the jab and scoring often with his lightening quick straight right hand. The 38-year-old Mosley (46-6, 39 KOs) had his chance in the second round but simply couldn’t crack the code to end Mayweather’s unbeaten run. He gave Mayweather his best, Mayweather accepted it and

Mosley looked like a fighter who completely shut down after the second round.

Perhaps the 16-month layoff played a role in Mosley’s not being able to get his punches off, but much more of the blame can be placed on the adjustments Mayweather made to take away all of Mosley’s weapons.

“I think the long layoff hurt me,” a clearly disappointed Mosley said.

“I tried to move during the 2nd round but he was just too quick.

After I landed the right hand I thought I need to knock him out but I just couldn’t do it.”

If seeing Mayweather rocked was a surprised, it was an even bigger surprise when the 33-year-old pressed the action and hurt Mosley very badly on several occasions. Using the jab to set up the right hand, Mayweather surgically dismantled Mosley piece by piece and he looked very close to ending the night the Pomona, CA fighter’s night.

What started as a challenge turned into a game of “how many times can I land the right hand” as Mosley had a fistful of Mayweather’s straight right over and over again. It turned into a glorified sparring session as Mosley couldn’t commit himself to anything substantial. If he stood in front of Mayweather, his head would be snapped back by the jab. When Mosley stepped inside, Mayweather would lead with the hook and finish with the straight right. It was a beautifully orchestrated game plan that “Money” stuck to and cashed in at the end of the night.

Who will Mayweather challenge next?

23

Chris Cozzone/FightWireImages.com

Tom Hogan/HoganPhotos.com

“I did what the fans came here to see, a toe-to-toe battle,” said Mayweather. “That’s not my style but I wanted to give them that kind of fight. I went over the game plan with my dad [Floyd Mayweather Sr.] and [trainer] Roger [Mayweather] as we were sitting around the house. I think we could have pressed the attack a lot sooner and got him out of there.”

As for that second round, Mayweather chose to downplay it as a part of the game that comes with the territory.

“It’s a contact sport and you’re going to get hit,” he said.

“But when you get hit you suck it up and keep on fighting.

I’m happy we finally had a chance to fight. This is the fight the fans have been looking forward to for a long time and they deserved it.”

The attention now turns to the obvious – a huge megafight with Manny Pacquiao. Although a proposed March date fell apart due to the dispute regarding drug tests, some are optimistic that the fight still can happen. Mayweather is definitely not shying away from the fight.

“If he wants to fight, it’s not that hard to find me,” he said before stating that his position on Olympic style drug testing will not change. “Mosley is a warrior. I wanted to fight him and he did what he had to do. If Manny takes the test we can make the fight happen. I will continue to fight the best and whoever they put in front of me.”

The hope is that “the best” and “who they put in front” of Mayweather equates to the Pacquiao showdown.

On top of the 15,117 people in attendance inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer announced that 12,748 seats were sold at closed circuit locations at other casinos and venues in Las Vegas. Schaefer also announced that Saturday’s gate exceeded $11 million.

The only time Mosley hurt Mayweather was in round two.

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HBO Sports confirmed today that 1.4 million pay-per-view buys were generated from the May 1st welterweight fight between Floyd Mayweather and Sugar Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The fight was promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions. The 1.4 million buy total generated $78.3 million in pay-per-view revenue. The pay-perview buy total includes 740,000 from cable homes and 660,000 from satellite and telco homes.

The WBA has officially withdrawn recognition of Shane Mosley as its welterweight super champion after a failure to agree with him on terms regarding conditions to sanction his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. held May 1st. In a statement, the organization said “the WBA is proud to count Mr. Mosley among its world champions and wishes him all the best for his career. The doors of the WBA will be always open for him.”

Chris Cozzone/FightWireImages.com

Floyd Mayweather Jr. easily dominated Shane Mosley to reclaim the top welterweight position, belt or no belt.

Mayweather’s speed was too much for Mosley to handle.

25

The Black Pearl, Part II Minneapolis’ 19 Century Dark Destroyer th

By Jake Wegner

D

ue to outside-the-ring antics of Harris Martin, known as the “Black Pearl,” the relationship between trainer Charles Hadley and his pupil began to break down, but no matter how hard he partied, the Pearl kept on winning.

In February 1887, the managers of the Theater Comique stated that they had solid backing for a big match for the Pearl for the Colored middleweight championship of the world. Manager Billy Hawley and Martin were all for it. But when the day of the fight came, the opponent, who was nicknamed “Black Strap,” turned out to be nothing more than a weak local opponent whom the Pearl crushed in four rounds. Because of that fact, the title was not well received in the sporting community as legitimate, and the Pearl set his sights on a third Black Frank fight. It was set for March 18, 1887, at the Olympic Theater in Saint Paul, MN. Professor Hadley’s plan for Martin was to let Frank punch himself out in the first half then utilize Martin’s incredible stamina to win by late knockout. The plan didn’t work.

Black Frank was ready and in shape, and he came out swinging from the opening bell. He had the Pearl on the defensive over the first half, stinging Martin with hard right hooks to the head and neck, while the Pearl ripped away at his taller foe’s trunk. Frank took all five of the opening rounds with Martin turning up the gas in the second half. Frank was groggy and ready to go in the seventh, but the Pearl hadn’t enough energy to put him away. The fight ended in a draw.

TRAINER VS. PUPIL

With the growing friction between Hadley and the Pearl, the two agreed to face one another for a nice purse at the end of March over eight rounds. In an era where the average black man earned about a dollar a day, it isn’t difficult to imagine why a black trainer and a black fighter would

Although they were trainer and pupil, Prof. Charles Hadley and Martin waged a few ring battles against one another.

26

agree to face one another when the winner was to get $150, and the loser $25. The fight was fast-paced with Hadley as the aggressor and forcing the fighting throughout the first four rounds. But perhaps the scientific lessons were taught too well to his pupil, who allowed his 40-year-old trainer to tire himself out. The Pearl then went to work, driving in devastating body shots to the ribs that took the remaining wind from Hadley, taking the referee’s decision easily.

It wasn’t long before a fourth fight was set between Martin and Black Frank, with the winner to get $250. It would prove to be an uninspiring encounter, as neither man fought hard until the ninth round, whereupon the Pearl finally began his offensive; staying close and negating Frank’s superior reach, while Frank did his best to drive hard right hands downward to the neck of the Pearl. The last three rounds played out the same way with the Pearl going low and Frank going high. It was declared a 12-round draw.

Talk of another fight between the Pearl and his trainer began to surface, and each man was willing to lace them up again for the money. They did on April 15, with the Pearl once again taking the victory over eight rounds.

Two days after the second Hadley bout, Billy Hawley sold the Pearl’s contract to Jerry Donovan. Donovan told the papers that he firmly believed that the “Black Pearl” was the best colored fighter in the world. He quickly arranged a fight with a colored fighter whose identity was never fully revealed, but fought under the moniker of “Desperate Coon.” He had been fighting and beating many fighters in the Twin Cities area of all weight classes, and his fanfare as a dark horse to bet on was great. The Pearl whipped him easily before Desperate quit on his stool after three rounds.

The crowd was so disappointed in the one-sided affair that

Black Frank was Martin’s biggest rival and the pair fought a total of six times.

After claiming the Colored middleweight title in 1887, Martin scored two victories over Harry Woodson, known as the “Black Diamond.”

Martin offered to spar a four-round exhibition with his rival Black Frank who was in the audience. The sparring was heated enough to spark an argument which led to a fifth fight between the two, arranged for May 2 in Minneapolis. It was designed to settle once and for all who was the other’s master, scheduled to be a fight to the finish. It In 1891, Martin fought thenwas held at 5:30am on the middleweight champion Bob east side of the Mississippi Fitzsimmons, but with an River where Hennepin and agreement that he would last Ramsey counties adjoin so four rounds, indicating that no as to avoid the authorities, decision would be rendered. as Minnesota did not allow finish fights. The opening round was slow, but the second through the seventh were so lively that few expected the fight to last much longer. It was a brutal fight with several knockdowns, all in favor of the Pearl except for being floored once himself in the second. In the seventh round, the Pearl worked Frank over pretty well and he bled profusely for the remainder of the battle. By the 25th round, both men were groggy and tired, but the Pearl seemed to be catching his second wind and began to up his attack; digging deep to the belly with his right, and scoring short, clubbing lefts to Frank’s bloody face. In the 38th round, the Pearl rushed Frank and knocked him to the ground for a count of six, only to smother him with a blistering finish that dropped Frank yet again for good. Harris must have felt some sort of remorseful respect for his long-standing rival, as he then picked up Frank and carried him to a grassy knoll where he helped revive him. With the win, the Pearl laid claim to the Colored middleweight championship of the world.

This time no one disputed the claim, especially since he had achieved the feat despite being outweighed by a good 30 pounds.

COLORED MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

After the brutal 38-round affair with Frank, Harris Martin wrote a letter to the editor of the St. Paul Daily News in which he claimed the Colored middleweight championship of the world and also announced that he was now under the training and management of the well-known former colored champion, George Phillips. He then went on a tear of wins, including two over the highly regarded Black Diamond; the first time crushing him in five rounds via the uppercut, and the second via DQ. After taking a decisive licking over 12 rounds and seeing he was going to lose, Black Diamond slammed Martin to the floor and fell on him in an obvious attempt to be disqualified rather than lose by knockout or decision. Seeing this, the referee did not recognize the infraction as to satisfy the crowd, until

the Diamond repeated the stunt three more times in the following stanza, forcing the referee to disqualify him. At this point, the Black Pearl’s status nationwide ranked not only as the best colored middleweight, but also perhaps the best middleweight, period.

With few credible challenges coming his way, Martin again fought rival Black Frank for the sixth and final time, earning a 10-round draw. Martin then whipped the wellknown Charles Gleason along with a slew of heavyweights to boot. He also once again met and drew with former trainer, Professor Charles Hadley. He then defeated the much feared Dick Moore for the middleweight championship of the Northwest. Proving it was no accident, he again whipped Moore in a four-round setto a few months later.

BANNED FROM MINNEAPOLIS

Amidst all of his headlines, titles, and success; the Pearl was secretly out of control. After knocking out another handful of men in easy victories, the Pearl was about to lose his welcome in the city he loved.

His nightlife greatly increased, and it did not go unnoticed—not even by his wife. In February 1891, Martin’s wife filed assault and battery charges against him in Minneapolis, allegedly stemming from her accusations of adultery and his repeated visits to houses of ill-repute. His wife divorced him shortly thereafter.

Yet, on May 1, 1891, Martin fought a four-round go with world middleweight champion Bob Fitzsimmons, the terms being to simply last four rounds with the feared champ. Not only did Martin pull that off, but he asked for more when it was over.

On July 6, 1891, he was arrested for disorderly conduct toward a woman, but she failed to testify and he was released. A few weeks later he was again in trouble. An inebriated Pearl forgot his place in 19th Century America, as he boldly tried to gain admittance into the most wellknown brothel in Minneapolis—but one exclusively for white clientele. Feeling invincible and being known as the most famous black athlete in the Midwest, he must have felt reasonably certain of being served there. But when the infamous Madam of the house, Ida Dorsey, saw him at the door, she refused him entry. The Pearl was so insulted; he asked her if she knew who she was refusing. When she slammed the door in his face, he turned violent, and began kicking in the door. The police were called and arrested the Pearl. Since this was not his firstt offense, the judge sentenced Harris is to 30 days in the workhouse,, though he was released early for good behavior and upon the condition that he never again set foot in Minneapolis, the city in which he had made the headquarters of his The Pearl had many ghts staged at the Theater Comique, which was also a well known house of ill-repute.

27

pugilistic career. It had given him fame and fortune and had made him the envy of African-Americans of the city and he was their first role model. Now he was being asked to leave. He headed west to California, taking fights along the way to earn more cash.

It is said that this era Whatever was left of Martin’s abilities was beaten out of him after an marked the end of the 18-round loss to Bobby Dobbs in 1893. “Black Pearl.” Though he still possessed his boxing talents, he often lacked his resources when stepping into the ring, as his nightlife robbed him of his energy, and he rarely trained.

Martin would lose his Colored middleweight championship by KO to Ed Binney in November 1891, after 25 brutal rounds. He then was kayoed again by the noted Charles Turner in 19 rounds, followed by a third consecutive nap, this time from Hank Griffin. By now, the Pearl was struggling to find his way. His three losses, coupled with his partying ways, had raped him prematurely of his skills.

After taking a few inconsequential fights in 1892, he then fought Joe King in 36 hellish rounds before being knocked out. Amazingly, he agreed to fight the infamous colored lightweight champion of California, Bobby Dobbs, in January 1893. He showed well, but eventually succumbed to Dobbs in the 18th round. If the “Black Pearl” had anything left in his fight with Dobbs, it is safe to say that it was beaten out of him that day. Although he fought 20 rounds to a draw with Jack Ramsey in March 1894, his skills had by then significantly eroded. Harris Martin, once a man of means, was now trying to eek out a living.

END OF THE PEARL’S CAREER

His remaining fights were nothing more than paydays, as few people gave him any chance of beating Young Peter Jackson and he was stopped in the first round. After his career was finally over in 1900, the Pearl drifted north where his brother William was living in Seattle. Living with William for several years and working in the same professions in which he had started off ; shining shoes by day, and waiting tables by night. Hoping to better his financial standings by capitalizing on his name in the state that knew him best, he left Seattle for Minnesota. Since he was banned for life from ever setting foot in his beloved Minneapolis, Martin made Saint Paul his new home. He quickly picked up work bartending at his old friend Phil Reed’s saloon. By this time, George Harris Martin was a much different man than Minnesota had last seen and remembered. Gone was his wealth, and with it, his upper-class swagger. He was still a celebrity, though one clearly grounded by the reality that his luck had come full circle. His charm, charisma, and infamous smile were all traits that were still very much intact, and his striking good looks were said to still have 28

attracted the attention of finer women of the Saintly City. In short, Martin was once again, a king; his currency being the daily compliments paid by fans of years past. He not only enjoyed his re-found fame, he lived off of it. He was once again, the “Black Pearl.” Still just 38 years old and said to be thinking of starting his own saloon, the Pearl left work at Reed’s saloon for his apartment that he shared with friend Henry Shaw when eyewitnesses said his eyes got wide just as stepped on the curb of the St. Peter sidewalk. He then clutched his wide-barreled dark chest and immediately collapsed to the ground; something that had only happened a handful of times in his long and illustrious career. People rushed to his side in efforts to help him but it was no use. He was dead in a matter of seconds, having suffered a massive heart attack.

Never before in the history of the state of Minnesota had the death of a black man made the front page of the newspapers. Yet, fans and friends, both black and white, mourned his death as if he had been family. It was almost remarkable, with more than 1,000 people reportedly viewing his lifeless body at the wake, with an equal amount of whites mourning alongside the African-American population. More than 50 carriages followed his body to Forest Cemetery in present day Maplewood, MN, to pay their final respects, and many mourners gave heartfelt speeches.

GRAVE DISCOVERY

Today the “Black Pearl” is a name long forgotten. His record at the time of his death was reported to have been more than 100 wins with only 10 losses, and continues to be discovered and documented. Until 2009, his final resting place was even a small-time boxing world mystery, as Forest Cemetery (now Forest Lawn Cemetery) had claimed that he was never interred there at all. This led many boxing historians to seek out his grave like a modern era Holy Grail.

I’m proud to report that this writer is the one who discovered the remains of the “Black Pearl,” interred under years of grass and earth, buried all along in the very cemetery that claimed never to have had him at all. Finding his name etched onto the 109-year-old slab of concrete was akin to finding a long lost A mystery for many years, Martin’s treasure. It turns out Grave was found in 2009 at Forest that the denial of Lawn Cemetery in Minnesota. having his remains was a clerical issue, having entered his name into their 1903 interment logbooks incorrectly, thus burying all evidence of his existence there. On Dec. 7, 2009, buried treasure was indeed found in the frozen earth of Minnesota; 155 pounds of “Black Pearl” to be exact, and with it, the tale of one of the 19th Century’s most talented black fighters sails again.

SERGIO “MARAVI LLA” MARTINEZ

By Sean Sullivan

W

BC junior middleweight champion Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez rose in weight – and from the floor – to take Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik’s WBC and WBO middleweight belts with a dominating twelve round unanimous decision last night at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the co-feature, Mike “MJ” Jones battered tough but overmatched Hector Munoz before stopping him at 2:03 of the fifth round of a scheduled ten round welterweight bout. Jones defended his NABA belt, while also picking up the vacant NABO welterweight title as well. The Martinez-Pavlik bout was televised on HBO as part of a dual-city broadcast with IBF super middleweight champ Lucian Bute’s defense against Edison “Pantera” Miranda serving as the broadcast’s co-main event. The card was promoted

by Top Rank and DiBella Entertainment, in conjunction with Caesars Atlantic City.

The difference in size was evident immediately, as Pavlik, of Youngstown, OH, and Martinez, of Buenos Aires, Argentina squared off in the opening round. Pavlik has fought in the past as high as 169 pounds, while Martinez began his career as a 147-pound welterweight.

If there is one thing that can overcome a disadvantage in size, it is speed, and Martinez has plenty of that. Combined with his awkward, hands-down style coming out of a southpaw stance, Martinez had all the tools needed to dethrone the powerful champion.

Both men were cautious in the first round, with pressure coming Pavlik while Martinez circled the ring as expected. Near the end of the round, an off-balance Martinez tumbled to the mat.

Martinez put his speed advantage to good use in round two. He connected with his right jab to Pavlik’s body, and established his money punch, a short left to the head. An apparent accidental clash of heads opened up a cut over Pavlik’s left eye that would bleed for the remainder of the fight.

Pavlik had a better round in the third, as he landed his jab and several two-punch combinations, however Martinez took round four. In that round, Martinez knocked Pavlik back with a hard right-left-left combination, followed by six unanswered right hands at the end of the round.

P a v l i k bounced back in the fifth round.

A f t e r opening w i t h three lead rights, Kelly was effective 29

Martinez grabbed the middleweight crown with a dominant performance over Kelly Pavlik.

with his jabs, and landed a big left hook that had Sergio backing off to re-think his strategy. With Martinez not coming in to land his awkward punches, Pavlik was able to strike first and win the round.

Round six was close, and after Pavlik dropped Martinez with a short right midway through round seven, the proPavlik crowd was thinking knockout.

Martinez shortened up his punches in the eighth round, and began making the slower Pavlik miss. This round was also very close, but Martinez won it on two scorecards.

Everything changed in round nine. If you could liken Throughout most of the bout, Pavlik found Martinez very hard to hit.

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Pavlik to a Hummer truck, Martinez would be a Maserati.

Martinez sensed Pavlik was slowing down as he became more predictable, and he opened up with energetic and short three-punch combinations that landed before Kelly could react.

Midway through the round, one of the numerous lefts landed by Martinez opened a nasty cut under Pavlik’s right eye. Martinez peppered Pavlik with clean left hands throughout the round, and sent Pavlik back to his stool bleeding profusely from both eyes.

Round ten, along with the “championship rounds” eleven and twelve, were all Martinez. He would land two and three punch combinations before Pavlik could get set, and landed nearly every left hand he would throw.

In the twelfth, it was obvious Pavlik needed a knockout to win, but he couldn’t muster the strength to even go for it. The final scores were 116-111, 115-111, and 115-112 for Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez.

With the victory, Martinez saw his record rise to (45-2-2, 23 KOs), while Pavlik fell to (36-2, 32 KOs).

As he awaits his next assignment, current WBC middleweight and junior middleweight champion Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez (45-2-2, 24 KOs) of Argentina, is keeping himself in great condition at the World Crown Sports Training Center in Oxnard, CA. Martinez was recently stripped of his WBO title, due to one of the organization’s rules, however he won less than 2 months ago. He defeated Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) via unanimous decision this past April in Atlantic City, NJ. Sergio Martinez will be departing tonight for Canastota,

all photos by Thierry Gourjon

In steady but slow pursuit, Pavlik had his best moments in the middle rounds.

New York to attend the 21st annual International Boxing Hall of Fame Induction this weekend; a decision has not been made as to whether his next fight will be at middleweight or junior middleweight.

In what was the biggest bout of his career, Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez (45-2-2, 24 KOs) of Argentina, dismantled reigning and defending middleweight champion, Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) of Youngstown, OH, this past Saturday at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ over 12 rounds to win via unanimous decision. The newly crowned WBC/WBO middleweight champion took time out of his busy schedule to sit down and talk to us about his fight with Pavlik, who he’d like to face in the near future and more.

Here’s what he and Team Martinez has to say: Sergio Martinez – “I feel very happy right now and very pleased, words can’t begin to describe how I’m feeling, it’s just the best feeling in the world right now. Once you reach a certain level in any sport, it’s hard to explain, there’s no moment better than right now. Strategically and technically the fight wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be, but physically it was very hard because Kelly Pavlik is much bigger and stronger than I am. Right now we’re looking at rematches, for example there’s Antonio Margarito and Paul Williams those are definite possibilities, they are the ones I’d like to face before the end of this year. For me, Margarito being the first one I’d like to face because I think our styles would make for a great fight and I’d like to avenge my first loss. Depending on what kind of offers we get, we’ll then decide whether we’ll stay at 160 or move back down to 154, it doesn’t matter to which one, I’m comfortable at either weight. I’d like to thank everyone for all their support before and after this fight, everyone here in United States, Argentina and all the Latinos and to let everyone know that this championship was dedicated to them.”

Sergio Martinez

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Miguel Cotto silenced his critics with a dominant performance in taking the WBA 154lb. title away from Yuri Foreman at Yankee Stadium.

BACK TO THE BALLPARK Miguel Cotto and Yuri Foreman Reacquaint Yankee Stadium with Boxing

I

By George Kimball

n a prelude to their June 5 encounter in the Bronx, fight publicists posed them near the on-deck circle, wielding Louisville Sluggers and clad in the pinstriped regalia of the home team. Thirty-four years had elapsed since men last donned boxing gloves in Yankee Stadium, but the baseball equivalents of Yuri Foreman and Miguel Cotto seem to show up every year.

One was the good-field, no-hit utility infielder determined to prove that he was deserving of his promotion to the major leagues. The other was the once-popular but now-struggling veteran, attempting to recapture his past glory and show all those guys who’d dumped him from their Rotisserie League rosters the error of their ways.

ROAD TO “STADIUM SLUGFEST”

Over the last half-dozen years, boxing fans could have set their clocks and planted their gardens based on the comings and goings of Miguel Angel Cotto. Like the swallows returning to Capistrano, on the second Saturday in June each year Cotto would swoop into Madison Square Garden and dominate his highly-touted opponent as sort of a tuneup for the next day’s Puerto Rican Day Parade.

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The June tradition was to have continued this year.

Arum had already placed a hold on the Garden, but two developments, occurring just a couple of hours apart on the night of Nov. 14, intervened: Cotto got beaten up by Manny Pacquiao and Yuri Foreman, an undefeated but light-punching 154-pounder, battered the usually-durable Daniel Santos to win the WBA title.

Given that Cotto would need time for his wounds to heal and could potentially be rehabilitated with a spring tuneup back in New York in June, it must have been at this point that Arum’s mind kicked into overdrive. Cotto needed an opponent—preferably one who couldn’t punch hard enough to hurt him, and Foreman, having won a title, was looking for a payday worthy of a champion—preferably against an opponent who, like Santos, had absorbed enough punishment over time that he might be vulnerable.

While Cotto was already a proven box-office commodity with massive fan appeal, Top Rank was certain that Foreman’s story as an aspiring rabbinical student would generate interest as well. Religious devotion may create some buzz for a fighter, but in order for one to achieve real success, he must possess the talent. In Foreman’s case, not

only had he demonstrated superb technical skill throughout his early career, he’d also seemed to have grit.

“The kid is surprisingly tough,” said promoter Lou DiBella, who featured the developing Foreman on many of his shows in the Big Apple and at the Connecticut casinos. “Coming up he fought the same usual suspects the other guys did, and you expected him to win those, but there came a time when he was in so tough that he seemed to be consistently overmatched against guys like Anthony Thompson and Andrey Tsurkan and Saul Roman. But he not only hung in there with those guys, he figured out a way to beat all of them.”

Foreman says he learned to be tough at an early age, first back in Gomel, Belarus’ second-largest city, and even more so after he moved with his family to Israel less than a year after Belarus declared its independence from the USSR. In Haifa, according to Foreman, his immigrant status precluded access to the facilities and equipment normally available to Israeli youth of his age, so he made do by showing up at a gym which had previously been the exclusive province of Arab kids.

“I needed to fight,” he shrugs at the recollection. “And boy, did they want to fight me!”

He graduated from this school of hard knocks with honors, winning three national age-group titles by the time he departed for the United States, stepped off the plane, and went straight to Gleason’s Gym. He won the Daily News Golden Gloves the year he arrived, and then turned pro.

A promotional free agent for most of his career, Foreman fought on cards promoted by DiBella, Cedric Kushner, Joe DeGuardia, Leon Margules, New England Ringside, and

Jim McLernon

Thierry Gourjon

With good footwork and ring generalship, Foreman was able to land occasional counters.

Cotto-Foreman marked the 50th boxing card ever staged at Yankee Stadium.

Don King before he performed on his first Top Rank bill, but never had a problem finding work. His ethnic appeal would sell enough tickets that promoters were happy to have him, and, aware that he couldn’t break an egg with his fists, few opponents ducked him.

YANKEE STADIUM

Since Arum’s March venture with Jerry Jones for the Paquiao-Clottey fight at Cowboys Stadium was a triumph, demonstrating that a modern, outdoor arena was a viable alternative in the age of casino-bankrolled boxing, the 33

promoter found himself contemplating the possibility of staging the first fight in the new Yankee Stadium, having in 1976 promoted Ali-Norton III, the last fight held at the old stadium.

Scheduling the event on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade would be impossible with the Yankees hosting the Houston Astros that weekend, so Top Rank opted for the previous weekend while the Bronx Bombers were on the road.

One significant obstacle stood in the way. A Wall Street lawyer named Jonathan Ballen had booked one of the stadium’s luxury lounges for his 13-year-old son Scott’s bar mitzvah on the night of June 5. Both Top Rank and the Yankees could spare the seating capacity of a lounge on the night of the fight, but Ballen’s contract also included a stipulation that part of the festivities would be shown on the Stadium’s giant scoreboard screen. However, after a period of negotiation, a settlement was reached to convince Ballen to alter the terms of his son’s bar mitzvah.

COTTO DOMINATES

Although the first boxing card ever to take place in the newest incarnation of Yankee Stadium had been unabashedly pitched as an ethnic matchup pitting Cotto’s pan-Puerto Rican constituency against Foreman’s band of Israeli flag-waving supporters, this wasn’t the Sharks and the Jets. There were no Puerto Rican-Jewish confrontations in the stadium, or even on the streets outside.

The two blocs did vote with their lungs at the fighter introductions, confirming that Cotto’s crowd support was approximately five times that of Foreman, though since the latter’s backers were for the most part concentrated in the more expensive seats near the ring, the television face time may have made the allegiance of the audience appear more equitably distributed.

In the end, although Cotto departed the ring with the World Boxing Association 154-pound belt that had previously been the property of Foreman, the manner in which the “Stadium Slugfest” unfolded allowed partisans of both fighters to walk away proclaiming a measure of satisfaction.

Cotto, widely believed to have seen better days, was able to demonstrate in a dominant performance that he was not a shot fighter, or at least not as shot as widely supposed, and in the process extended his career while positioning himself for at least one or two more big paydays.

Foreman’s supporters, on the other hand, will cite the seventh-round knee injury that rendered their man a onelegged fighter thereafter. Many of them no doubt came away believing that to have been the critical factor underlying Foreman’s first professional loss, and by the time Yuri recuperates from knee surgery and is ready to box again (next February, we’re hearing) you can probably assume that promoter Bob Arum will have picked up the same refrain.

There is no doubt that the rabbi-in-training displayed unsuspected mettle well beyond the call of duty by continuing to fight even after it was apparent that he had absolutely no chance of winning.

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Cotto-Foreman was in a sense a drama in two parts. Act I, consisting of the first six rounds and the first minute of the seventh, was so dominated by Cotto that there is no reason to suppose that, in the absence of the injury, the next six wouldn’t have unfolded in very much the same manner.

Not only did Cotto dominate on the scorecards, he did so by outboxing Foreman, and essentially beating him at his own game. When new trainer Emanuel Steward predicted a week earlier that Cotto’s hand speed might be the equal or better of Foreman’s, many had dismissed it as typical prefight hyperbole, but the forecast proved essentially accurate.

Ed Mulholland/FightWireImages.com

The ght took a dramatic turn in round seven when Foreman slipped to the canvas, severely injuring his right knee.

Thierry Gourjon

After ghting another two rounds with limited movement, a Cotto body shot ended Foreman’s night, in round nine.

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Thierry Gourjon

in the seventh until the referee belatedly concluded the battle almost two rounds later, the dominant presence in Yankee Stadium was not Cotto or Foreman or the ghost of Babe Ruth, it was Arthur Mercante Jr. This interlude saw an almost complete reversal of roles. The referee, ostensibly neutral and there to enforce the rules and protect the combatants, instead behaved like some sort of motivational cheerleader bent on propping up the wounded Foreman, addressing him as “champ,” and maintaining a chummy dialogue as he encouraged him to keep fighting.

And once it became clear that the referee wasn’t going to protect his fighter, Foreman’s trainer Joe Grier was forced to assume what should have been Mercante’s duty in attempting to stop the fight— only to be rebuffed by the referee.

On the occasion of Foreman’s initial slip, and another one later in the round, when his leg gave way and he went down without being hit, Mercante gave Foreman extra time to recover, and urged him to “suck it up.” Then, in the eighth, once it had become apparent that his fighter was utterly defenseless, Grier followed protocol and asked Ernie Morales, the New York Commission inspector in his corner, to inform Mercante that he wanted the fight stopped.

Morales started up the ring steps, only to be chased back down again by the referee. Only at this point did Grier take matters into his own hands by winding up and firing a towel into the ring, a prodigious heave with which he managed to hit Cotto.

Even as the entourages of both boxers spilled into the ring, Mercante overruled the traditional gesture of surrender. He asked Foreman point-blank whether he wanted to quit, and when he unsurprisingly answered ‘No,’ ordered the ring cleared and action resumed.

Foreman managed to remain erect through the rest of the eighth and was even allowed to come out for the ninth.

During the interlude between rounds, ring announcer Michael Buffer was directed to address the crowd, explaining that the towel had been ignored because it had come from an “outside source.” At that very moment the scoreboard was showing a replay of the episode confirming that the towel had in fact been thrown by Grier.

Why, in the face of all this, the ninth round ever started remains a mystery. Since Foreman hadn’t so much as put a dent in Cotto during the six-plus rounds he was fighting on two legs, and since he had managed to stop just eight of 28 opponents in his entire career, the notion that he might turn this fight around by knocking out Cotto seemed pretty preposterous, and by then he was in such a deep hole on the scorecards that represented his only chance.

In any case, when Cotto dropped Foreman with a left hook to the body for the fight’s only official knockdown, Mercante finally did wave it off at 42 seconds of the ninth.

Cotto, 35-2 (28), picked up a world title in a third weight class. Foreman, 28-1 (8), who underwent surgery to repair

Concerned for his ghter’s safety, Foreman’s trainer, Joe Grier, threw a towel into the ring in round eight, in hopes of halting the contest.

The circumstances that led to Steward working Cotto’s corner seemed almost calculated to produce disruption in the opposite corner, as during the build-up to the fight, Foreman’s team was engaged in negotiations with that same veteran trainer to have him assist their charge in an advisory role. The essential details had been all but agreed to when manager Murray Wilson began hearing that Steward was simultaneously in talks with Cotto’s people. Shortly thereafter, Cotto and Steward formalized an arrangement for the latter to take over as chief trainer, replacing the under-qualified Joe Santiago. # The one round among those first half-dozen that Foreman did conclusively win was the fourth round. In the first minute of the frame, he caught Cotto with some sneaky right-hand leads and several deftly-executed combinations.

Cotto did not seem greatly troubled by any of the blows, and in fact reassumed control over the last half of that round, but all three judges at ringside gave the round to Foreman (as did Boxing Digest).

MERCANTE MEDDLES

Act II was a bizarre sequence occupying the better part of two rounds, triggered by Foreman’s unforced pratfall. He had retreated across the ring and attempted to plant his feet, only to look like a man who’d just stepped on a banana peel.

His legs went right out from underneath him, and when he arose it was on a gimpy right knee.

The late Arthur Mercante Sr. was fond of saying that the best referees often seem almost invisible in the ring. It is advice his son might have better contemplated on this night, because from the moment Foreman lost his underpinnings 36

Thierry Gourjon

Critics say referee Arthur Mercante Jr. should have stopped the bout much sooner than he did.

a torn meniscus and attendant cartilage damage later in the week, should be able to pursue his rabbinical studies free of distractions for the balance of 2010.

But both boxers could in a sense claim victory, Cotto by refuting the perception that the damage incurred in a recent succession of extremely hard fights had left him but a shell of his former self, Foreman by demonstrating unanticipated fortitude. (And by the time he fights again, trust us, the enduring memory of Yuri’s legions of supporters will have become that the knee injury deprived him of certain victory and not, as is more likely the case, a one-sided drubbing on the scorecards.)

The other winners:

Bob Arum. The promoter of both fighters, Arum had invested heavily in the notion that appealing to their ethnic backgrounds would bring fans flocking to the new Yankee Stadium in unprecedented numbers, and was prepared to sacrifice one of his drawing cards at the expense of the other. While he was wrong about the numbers—the 20,272 fans who showed up were not only 33,000 fewer than attended Arum’s previous outdoor extravaganza in Dallas, but wouldn’t even have filled the Garden—the promoter emerged whole in two important respects: Both Cotto and Foreman may have some useful days at the box office remaining, and Arum had so well insulated his position financially that the disappointing turnout didn’t cost him a nickel.

HBO. Having overpaid for Cotto-Foreman, the network sunk an additional half a million dollars into an advertising blitz, and tossed a party for its VIP clientele worthy of a Super Bowl. The reward came in the highest ratings engendered by any boxing show this year, garnering a 3.9 rating (approximately 1.9 million viewers), which, in the eyes of Time Warner execs, makes it all money well spent.

The losers:

Mercante Jr. The statute of limitations was just about to expire on the 2001 death of the late Beethaeven Scottland, whose fatal beating occurred on Mercante’s watch. The referee picked a particularly inopportune moment to experience what had all the trappings of a highly public manic episode. An embarrassed New York State Athletic Commission may not admonish him publicly, but it will probably be a long while before you see Mercante work another such high-profile bout.

The Yankees. The penny-wise front office doesn’t often get snookered at the bargaining table, but by buying into the notion that Cotto and Foreman would bring Puerto Rican and Jewish boxing fans swarming to the Bronx in unprecedented numbers, the baseball team turned itself into the 21st century equivalent of Shelby, Montana (Jack Dempsey-Tommy Gibbons, 1923) and wound up holding the bag for the shortfall. It could be another 34 years before we see another boxing event in the House that Steinbrenner Built.

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THE TRAGEDY OF EDWIN VALERO O

‌Evokes Memories of Carlos Monzon

By Robert G. Rodriguez, Ph.D.

The troubled life of Edwin Valero tragically came to an end when he allegedly took his own life in a Venezuelan jail cell.

Chris Farina/Top Rank

n April 18, 2010, I was enjoying a normal Sunday afternoon, until a cursory look at an internet news feed revealed that undefeated lightweight champion Edwin Valero had been arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife of 10 years, Jennifer Carolina Viera.

The report instantly reminded me of a news ash I heard while on an afternoon drive outside of Buenos Aires on Feb. 14, 1988, announcing that former middleweight champion Carlos Monzon was detained for questioning in the murder of his ex-wife Alicia Muniz.

Prior to the tragic deaths of their spouses, both Valero and Monzon had well-documented domestic violence and substance abuse issues. As a result of a DUI in Texas in early 2009, Valero was denied a working visa when promoter Top Rank attempted to place him on the Cotto-Pacquiao undercard in Las Vegas.

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Sumio Yamada

Valero backed up all the hype when he traveled to Panama to dismantle Vicente Mosquera over 10 rounds to claim the WBA 130lb. title.

Valero was then arrested in September of last year on allegations of assault against his mother and sister. An article dated March 25 in Venezuelan daily El Universal revealed that Valero had allegedly beaten his wife.

Likewise, Alicia Muniz (with whom Monzon had a son), Mercedes Pelusa Garcia (who bore three of Monzon’s children), and ex-wife Susana Gimenez (an Argentine television personality) all reported Monzon’s violent behavior toward them to the authorities without meaningful results.

DOWNWARD SPIRAL

While Viera was recovering from a collapsed lung and other bruises at Hospital Universitario de los Andes in Merida, Valero grew irate at medical personnel, who he claimed were trying to coerce his wife into making a statement that she was physically abused, as opposed to their story that she acquired her injuries from a fall down a staircase. As a result of his outburst, Valero was detained by the CICPC (The Body of Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigations) and after he admitted having a problem with alcohol, he was ordered to undergo treatment for drug and alcohol addiction at San Juan de Dios Hospital for at least six months.

In an eerie premonition published on April 6, ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael wrote, “Hopefully, Edwin Valero will get his life under control before something really bad happens.”

After two weeks at San Juan de Dios, the hospital allowed Valero to leave the premises to receive further treatment at a facility in Havana, Cuba, for one month. He was scheduled to fly there on April 9 with his wife, children, newest trainer, Mario Morales, and an advisor, Segundo Lujano.

But he missed his flight after crashing his car into another vehicle while intoxicated then fleeing the scene. Police later

apprehended him and returned him to his home.

Eight days later, on April 17, Valero and his wife were traveling from Merida to Valencia in a rented van, and Valero was said to have been inebriated at this time as well. In the late hours of the night, the couple checked into Valencia’s Hotel Intercontinental.

Early the next day, Valero allegedly confessed to hotel staff that he murdered his wife. When they found her body in the couple’s room, Carabobo authorities were quickly alerted and Valero was arrested.

Valero later told Carabobo police that he checked into the hotel on the recommendation of a sergeant he met at a toll booth en route to Valencia, after alerting the officer that he felt he and his wife were being followed by someone who wanted to rob them.

Alcohol was Monzon’s vice too, and he purportedly consumed it in great quantity and variety, in the hours leading to his ex-wife’s murder. Both boxers’ wives met gruesome ends: Viera was stabbed to death, while Muniz had been thrown from a balcony and suffered fatal wounds to the cranium.

THE STRUGGLE TO SUCCEED

Valero grew up poor in El Vigia, Venezuela, and often found himself on the wrong side of the law. His former trainer Joe Hernandez, who runs the Maywood Boxing Gym, recollected to the website MaxBoxing.com that Valero himself credited boxing for keeping him out of trouble.

“I think boxing straightened his life out,” said Hernandez.

“That’s what he would tell me. Without boxing, he would probably be in prison or he would not be in this world. He always said that. He thanked boxing for that. He was a wild kid. He had a lot of respect for [me]. I was grateful for that and that we were able to discipline him for the time that he was with us in L.A. I think he was a kid that was wild in Venezuela. I think he had a lot of contact with the law. I think he had a lot of problems as a youngster. I think his life was a street type of life. There were many times he would tell me, ‘I was in a motorcycle gang and what we did was [rob and strong arm].’”

Hernandez met Valero at an amateur tournament in Venezuela, just before the 2000 Olympics, and shortly thereafter, the fighter’s handlers contacted the Californiabased trainer to work with their charge, to get him exposure in the United States.

After turning pro in 2002 in Venezuela and easily demolishing eight opponents, Valero would have his first stateside appearance at the Maywood Activities Center.

Word spread throughout the boxing community and soon the 5’6” southpaw powerhouse was signed by Golden Boy Promotions. Valero was then set up to make his HBO debut at Gotham Hall in New York City on Jan. 29, 2004.

However, a routine medical examination by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) would forever alter the course of his career.

Valero failed his MRI and a CAT scan detected a spot in the back of the brain that the NYSAC thought was cause for concern. It was then that Valero revealed an incident that 39

Sumio Yamada

he’d kept quiet for three years. In 2001, while still an amateur, Valero crashed his motorcycle into a car and was not wearing a helmet. He was taken to a Venezuelan hospital, operated on to remove a blood clot, and assured by his neurosurgeons that he’d be able to resume his boxing career. But because of the failed MRI, the NYSAC suspended his license and the ruling was universally followed throughout the country.

Unable to fight, Valero and his handlers spent the next 17 months seeking out various medical opinions and the fighter underwent a series of medical tests in hopes of getting his boxing license reinstated. During that time, Valero dissolved his relationship The saddest part in this whole tragedy is that with the deaths of Jennifer Viera and Valero, two children are left behind as orphans. with Golden Boy and signed with Japanese outlet Teiken Boxing. enjoyed frequent weekend furloughs, and was able to train Valero resumed his career fighting in countries where he at a prison boxing gym where he was visited by various could get licensed such as Argentina, Panama, Venezuela, celebrities.

France, Japan and Mexico, meanwhile breaking the record In contrast, Valero’s demise remains somewhat for consecutive first-round knockouts with 18. After seven suspicious. The official version—suicide by hanging—is fights into his comeback, Valero was given a title shot in certainly plausible. But many questions remain. Why wasn’t 2006 against the tough Panamanian Vicente Mosquera, in a high profile inmate such as Valero put on a suicide watch? the WBA 130lb. champion’s backyard. In an entertaining Cynics suggest that the prison guards may have looked the battle that saw him hit the deck in round three, Valero other way and allowed Valero to choose his destiny. The surged back to score a 10th-round TKO. boxer’s brothers, Edward and Luis Valero, suspect that the Over the next two years, Valero defended his title four police may have strangled their sibling, and requested an times, while securing a license to box in the state of Texas in exhumation. Another incredulous theory suggested that early 2008. A year later, he would sign a three-year contract President Hugo Chavez, whose image was tattooed on with Top Rank Promotions and move up to lightweight, Valero’s chest, may have given the order for Valero to meet winning the WBC belt in the Lone Star State. In what turned his maker. For further investigation, Venezuelan authorities out to be his last fight, Valero defended that crown for the did grant the Valero brothers’ request for a forensic second time with a dominant ninth-round stoppage victory examination of the body. over Antonio DeMarco, on Feb. 6 in Mexico.

The burials of Valero and Monzon were strikingly similar.

An outpouring of fans shouting “Campeón!” accompanied the funeral processions. Tearful testimonies from relatives, As the ghastly details of the Valero case continued to friends, and fans accompanied their interments. Seemingly filter in, by the following morning after his arrest, another lost in their fans’ expressions of grief were sentiments about shocking announcement went viral on boxing websites: their slain spouses or the children they left behind. At press The 28-year-old Valero allegedly hung himself with his time, Valero’s children, an eight-year-old son and five-yearown sweatpants in his jail cell. El Universal reported that old daughter, were staying with Edwin’s sister until a court a prisoner in an adjacent cell summoned jail officials officially decided to either give custody to her or the siblings’ upon hearing some noises. The officials said that Valero maternal grandmother. “presented signs of life, but subsequently died due to An intriguing exception to that fan sentiment came from Monzon’s eventual Argentine successor as world mechanical suffocation by hanging.” (author’s translation) This prompted me to flashback to the morning of Jan. 9, middleweight champion. The day after Valero’s death, 1995, when I read a newspaper article stating that Monzon had Sergio Martinez announced a campaign against domestic died in a car accident while on a prison furlough the day before. violence. “Violence against women is simply unacceptable,” Monzon’s death was not polemic. There were some said Martinez. “Women must be respected, not abused. My unfounded rumors at the time that he purposely crashed middleweight championship gives me a voice, I will use this his vehicle to commit suicide, but these did not make any voice in an effort to protect women from senseless violence sense. He was half-way through his 11-year prison sentence, and abuse.”

A TRAGIC ENDING

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In his only stateside appearance following his boxing license suspension, Valero demolished Antonio Pitalua inside two frames to pick up the WBC lightweight crown in Texas.

Chris Farina/Top Rank

In terms of boxing, Monzon’s legacy is airtight. He was the middleweight champion of the world for seven years. Along the way, he made 14 consecutive title defenses, against the best of his era, including several future Hall-of-Famers.

Valero’s legacy is far more questionable, despite compiling a pristine 27-0 (27) record. A two-time world titlist, Valero engaged in eight championship fights. Yet none of the fighters he faced were superstars of the sport, and he never really had that defining fight or opponent that proved his worth. He never unified the belts. Was Valero on the path to boxing greatness? No doubt about it. But addictions, debauchery—and ultimately—death, put a tragic end to a promising career.

Sumio Yamada

“The sad part of all this is that the signs were all there,” lamented assistant trainer Ray Alcorta to MaxBoxing.com.

“So many people could have done so many things that could have prevented this. Going all the way back to the Venezuelan judge who said okay when his wife had a collapsed lung. You heard all the stories about the mother getting beat up, the sister getting beat up, beating his wife. A lot of things could’ve been done. Missing the plane to Cuba.

He was drunk. How do you let him get away with that?

“The [Venezuelan] government really failed his wife. He was already arrested for it and then he got out and violated the rehab and got drunk and in a car accident. There is no excuse for him driving the way he was at the end and going to a hotel in the middle of the night when he was drunk again. You and I know that [in the U.S.] that wouldn’t happen. Perhaps after the beating they wouldn’t have needed the wife to go in and press charges. They would have done it themselves.

And if they ordered him into rehab, gave him a chance and [he] violated it, they wouldn’t have let him out again. Nobody could have controlled him or saved him from himself, but they should have saved the girl from him.”

In the year following his death, a monument to Monzon including a lifelike statue of the boxer was erected in his native province of Santa Fe. Monzon was also dutifully included in the inaugural class of inductees at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.

The day after Valero died, the World Boxing Council rendered tribute to him. WBC President Jose Sulaiman is quoted in El Universal as saying, “Perhaps for many, Valero stained his career, but not for me. This is a case of a poor man who had such suffering that he lost his way and ended the life of his wife and his own.” (Author’s translation) Sulaiman went on to declare a day of mourning in honor of Edwin Valero and announced that his organization would work to raise funds to assure the future of Valero’s kids.

In what turned out to be his last ght, Valero impressively stopped Antonio DeMarco in nine rounds.

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By George Kimball

Britain’s Amir Khan made his American debut, defending the WBA 140lb. title against Paulie Malignaggi at Madison Square Garden.

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hether one chose to view it as a bout for the trashtalking championship of the 140-pound universe or as the play-in game for a 140lb. tournament that HBO’s Kerry Davis has fixed in his mind, if not on his schedule, Amir Khan’s American coming-out party was a resounding triumph on both counts.

The WBA 140lb. champion didn’t lose a single minute of any of the 10 rounds he and Paulie Malignaggi completed at the Madison Square Garden Theater, and more ominously from the hometowner’s viewpoint, Khan did it by beating the former IBF champ at his own game, landing more jabs than the loser did aggregate punches in a dazzling display.

Malignaggi has acknowledged over the course of his career that his speed has been the great equalizer in putting some distance between himself and more talented (and almost always harder-hitting) opponents, but on this night he soon learned he was the second-quickest man in the ring.

Malignaggi would say later that facing Khan had been like fighting “a clone of myself when I was younger.” The analogy wasn’t entirely inappropriate, but the fact of the matter is

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that the skills Malignaggi put to use in defeating 27 prior opponents had not deteriorated appreciably. It’s just that Khan is so much quicker and so much more elusive than Malignaggi that he was able to out-magic the “Magic Man.” Between Khan’s ability to tag Malignaggi with jabs and a straight right hand that rarely missed and his total disdain for anything the challenger had to offer in return, the bout quickly took on the trappings of a one-sided rout, one that could have been stopped much earlier.

Malignaggi’s former trainer Buddy McGirt might have intervened on humane grounds much earlier, but Sharif Younan, the chief second in Paulie’s corner, never evinced any inclination to curtail the proceedings.

(Weeks before the bout, Younan’s questionable behavior was on display during a sparring session between his fighter and another, managed by Ed Post, that took place at Gleason’s Gym, as verified by gym owner Bruce Silverglade.

After the two amateur boxers engaged in a heated argument, Younan added to the dispute by hitting Post’s fighter, who had his back turned to the trainer, with his bare right hand.)

After each of the last three completed rounds, referee Steve Smoger invited the ring doctors into Malignaggi’s corner in the vain hope that one of them might order a stoppage. Once Paulie won his argument with Dr. Osric King that momentarily delayed the commencement of the 11th, Smoger realized that the task would fall upon him alone, and at the first opportunity—a hard left hook from Khan that drove Malignaggi to the ropes, where the champion jumped on him to land a flurry of unanswered punches—the referee moved in at 1:25 of the round to slap a choke-hold on Malignaggi, signaling that the fight was over.

This in turn set off wild celebrations among those remnants of Khan’s Army who hadn’t already been ejected from the Theater by Garden personnel. The security team, beefed up after Khan’s posse made a shambles of the previous day’s weigh-in, were kept busy throughout the evening as skirmishes continually erupted in the audience.

The result was that so many of the rowdy Khan fans had been taken into custody and frog-marched out of the building that by the time Smoger rang down the curtain on the one-sided bout there may not have been enough of them left to produce a decent riot.

TOURNAMENT AT 140?

all photos by Tom Hogan/HoganPhotos.com

Before he even left the ring after the Malignaggi win, Khan, now 22-1 (17), revived the prospect of an unofficial “tournament” matching the world’s top 140-pounders that had been alluded to by HBO’s Davis at an earlier press conference.

“I’ll fight (Marcos) Maidana, have (Devon) Alexander and (Timothy) Bradley fight, and then the winners fight,” volunteered Khan in describing the scenario of a four-man tournament.

Malignaggi tried to employ his game plan but ultimately could not keep up with Khan’s speed or power.

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A ruckus ensued after some verbal jarring between the ghters at the weigh-in held at the Essex House.

As recently as early 2009, the 140-pound division was regarded as so deep that such an exercise could not have been credibly contemplated without at least an eight-man draw. Both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather would have been regarded as junior welters then; so would Juan Manuel Marquez, although subsequent events have marked him as too small to realistically contend at the weight. A year ago both Ricky Hatton and Juan Urango would likely have been part of the mix as well.

Should Malignaggi’s corner have stopped the bout earlier?

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In addition to those four, you can probably eliminate both Malignaggi, now 27-4 (5), and Nate Campbell as prospective tournament entries, too. On the strength of his performance against Campbell on the Khan-Malignaggi card, you could make a case for Victor Ortiz, but because of last June’s loss to Maidana and Maidana’s mandatory position versus Khan, the 23-year-old Kansan could find himself the odd man out.

KHAN’S ARMY

The British wunderkind’s arrival in Manhattan had been delayed by several days by Homeland Security’s handling of his application for a work visa, leading trainer Freddie Roach to move the training camp to a Vancouver gym, where Khan wrapped up his sparring while awaiting the approval of his visa application from the US Consulate in that Canadian city.

Already under extra scrutiny due to a dodgy pattern of vehicular infractions back in the UK, Khan’s perilous position became more so five days into the wait when a fellow Pakistani tried to blow up Times Square. Eventually, after nearly two weeks in British Columbia, the P1 visa was approved, but Khan faced yet another hurdle when he tried to re-enter the United States. Apparently an individual also named Amir Khan features prominently on a list of potential Al Qaida operatives, and as a result the boxer was red-flagged by border agents and detained for another two hours as a suspected terrorist.

Since they arrived on visitors’ visas, the members of Khan’s Army, alas, faced no such problems, and they were waiting in full force when their hero arrived in New York.

Because the weigh-in was supposed to be closed to the public, there was an almost total absence of security in the ballroom of the staid old Essex House for the Friday noontime ritual. Having been thus warned, Malignaggi’s team had deliberately limited the size of the challenger’s entourage, but apparently no one, including New York State Athletic Commission chairwoman Melvina Lathan, had reckoned on Golden Boy, a company prone to viewing press conferences as pep rallies and weigh-ins as marketing opportunities. Although Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer would later claim that he was taken by surprise

CAN KHAN BECOME A US COMMERCIAL SUCCESS?

by the unexpected turnout of Khan supporters, the truth of the matter is that Golden Boy had a pair of scantily-clad Tecate Girls on hand to dispense hundreds of souvenir key chains—and it’s doubtful that they were there to give them to the press, the commissioners, or the boxers’ cornermen.

After the weigh-in—Khan scaled 139½, Malignaggi half a pound less—someone made the ill-advised suggestion that the boxers pose for one last stare-down. This devolved into the two yapping at one another with their foreheads literally touching, a recipe for disaster which was quickly confirmed when Khan reached out and shoved Malignaggi backwards, and, as if by prearranged signal, Khan’s Army rushed the stage and chaos reigned.

Golden Boy matchmaker Eric Gomez quickly wrapped Khan in a stranglehold and hauled him away to safety.

Schaefer would claim to the Associated Press that he thought he saw Malignaggi with his hands around Khan’s neck. Video footage, of which plenty existed, confirmed that the only one who ever had Khan by the throat was Gomez, who works for Schaefer. Besides the matchmaker, the only other Golden Boy employee to distinguish herself during this rampage of violence was publicist Monica Sears, who valiantly attempted to intercede in a peacemaker’s role before she was overwhelmed in the crush of bodies.

When one of the Khan’s Army foot-soldiers was discouraged from mounting the stage by the rather large presence of announcer Joe Antonacci, he reacted by cursing the announcer and calling him a “dirty New York Jew.” “Actually,” replied Antonacci, “I’m a dirty New York Italian.”

“Just my luck,” sighed Malignaggi promoter Lou DiBella.

“Why did the guy have to say that to the Italian announcer instead of one of the Jewish judges?”

Since the commission plans to review the episode, Schaefer and Golden Boy can expect to be reprimanded and may face financial penalties. DiBella has also called for Khan to be suspended for his unprovoked aggression on the scale.

(It was physically unprovoked, anyway, though Malignaggi’s body language immediately preceding the trip to the scale was hardly that of a choirboy.)

While Khan’s first fight on US soil was by any standard an artistic success, it is by no means clear that he is on the verge of establishing himself as an attraction to boxing audiences on this side of the Atlantic.

It is interesting to note that days before the bout, the Daily Mail, a British newspaper, reported this bit of inside information: The fight takes place in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden. Khan admits he would have preferred to appear in the fabled main arena, but this was already booked when HBO picked this date. Khan says: ‘I will make a statement with a spectacular win over Malignaggi that will bring me back here for an even bigger fight in the Garden proper before too long.’

For one thing, HBO didn’t pick the date, or the venue; Golden Boy did. For another, the only thing playing in the Garden’s main arena the night Khan fought Malignaggi was a large family of rats who regularly come out to frolic whenever the building is dark. And since Khan, facing a New York fighter in New York, could only draw 4,420 customers to the 5,800-seat Theater, any aspirations of playing the big room would at this point appear to be somewhat fanciful.

Can Amir Khan become a commercial superstar in the US on the level that he has reached in the UK? 45

all photos by Tommy Gilligan/PV

By J. R. Jowett

Two of the tournament’s most experienced boxers met at 125 pounds when Army’s Danilo Garcia [l.] defeated UNLV’s Jerome Foster, who was given the Sportsmanship Award despite the loss.

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pproaching West Point through the village of Highland Falls, one begins to see the legendary names marking combat on a grand scale: General “Blackjack” Pershing, Dwight Eisenhower, and Robert E. Lee. But the first sign after entering is about man-to-man engagement in an 18foot square. This is the home of National Collegiate Boxing’s championship team, and it’s tournament time.

Army’s Ryle Stous [l.] avenged a Regionals defeat when he again met up with UMD’s Ryan Roach at 165 pounds.

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This year’s national championships were to have been held at the Citadel in Charleston, SC. But they lost their coach and dropped boxing. Up stepped Infantry Major “Smokin’” Joe Sowers, who rallied the troops like Gen. McAuliffe at Bastogne. The US Military Academy at West Point stepped in to host its first national tournament.

Action took place over a three-day period. By the time it ended, 58 bouts would be waged in 12 weight classes. Every one was a good contest. Eighteen schools participated, qualifying at least one boxer from three regional tournaments. But the civilian schools were there mostly for target practice. This year was all about the militaries. In years past, the team title was a competition between the Air Force and Naval Academies, with the flyers garnering the lion’s share of team titles but the midshipmen always kept them looking over their shoulders. Traditionally, Army took a more aloof posture, sending only a few elite boxers to offpost competitions and not mounting a full team challenge.

That began to change, but coaches rotating with military duty didn’t help the cause. When coach Ray Barone took over the West Point team in 2007, Army began to send full squads to the invitationals and mounted a challenge to the

It was as heated as the Army-Navy rivalry gets, when Navy’s Mike Steadman [l.] defeated Jamal Robinson at 175 pounds.

dominance of the other two academies. While boxing is primarily regarded as an individual sport, team competition is important in the collegiates. The emergence of Army ratcheted the season finale up another click, and two seasons ago, West Point took their first team title ever. Last year, they repeated. Could they three-peat on home field?

The pressure was on!

CIVILIAN SCHOOLS

Meanwhile, the civilian schools provided cannon fodder. Frequently hampered by lax administrations more comfortable with a debating team, the civvies are indispensable as opponents, but lack the support enjoyed by the militaries. Nonetheless, a small core of tough civilian squads have beaten the odds and fielded formidable challenges. The last school to win the nationals before Army was tiny Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, with a team coached by one-time Olympic wrestler Dr. Kenneth Cox, who had almost single-handedly founded the Eastern region of the National Collegiate Boxing Association. Before Lock Haven, once-mighty Penn State had threatened with second- and third-place finishes under coach Bill Wrable.

Both schools sent boxers this year, but with LHU in a rebuilding phase and PSU still gathering steam, neither put a boxer into the finals. A sleeper to watch is West Virginia, under coach Sam Chekha, whose boxers put up some good fights although failing to advance to the finals.

Eisenhower Hall was packed for the finals, and competition was rife. Based on the established points system, Army led by a slim eight points, but with entries in nine weight classes, held an overwhelming advantage. (Each fighter starts off with one point for mere participation in the tournament, then can earn an additional point for a quarter final win, three points for a semi final victory, and five for a championship win.) Second was Army’s traditional archrival Navy, whose veteran coach Jimmy McNally was relaxed but relying on some strategic knockoffs by other teams for a come-from-behind victory. “Army’s got a lot of tough ones,” McNally mused about the upcoming showdown. “There’s

always talk [heated competition] between Army and Navy,” observed “Smokin’” Joe.

112LBS.

Navy had a chance for a quick start at 112lbs., with Army’s boxer having dropped out. With little competition at the weight, neither Huy Troung nor Air Force’s Matt DeMars had yet boxed in the tournament. That didn’t stop them from putting on a lively scrap to warm up the crowd.

But Navy fell short as the bigger DeMars used his range and experience, finishing strong to give Air Force the first champion, 5-0.

ARMY-NAVY RIVALRY HEATS UP AT 119LBS.

All Hades broke out next as Army and Navy confronted each other for the first time, at 119lbs. Army’s veteran southpaw Andrew Mangliomot mounted a Normandy invasion against Navy’s Tom Payne. But the taller Payne was getting the better of torrid exchanging until a surprise right dropped him at the end of the second. With a “Mango!” chant rocking the room, the Army boxer rallied in a desperation third but took an eight-count from a solid left-right as the midshipman held his ground. The air was tense before the verdict, as Navy picked up the win, 5-0.

125LBS.

The room quieted briefly as two of the most experienced boxers met at 125lbs. The first civilian entry was Jerome Foster of UNLV, facing a tough assignment in Army’s multititled Danilo Garcia. The southpaw civvy boxed well at the start to frustrate the charging Garcia. But the well-coached Army boxer turned up the aggression to make it his fight.

By the third, Danilo had the place going crazy as he attacked with a swarming frenzy. The crestfallen Foster heard the decision go to Army, giving them their first champion, 4-1.

“After the first round, I knew I had to change my game plan,” Danilo advised. “I knew I had to push the fight. He’s 47

a slick counter puncher, so I had to pressure. My brother just had a liver transplant. Seeing him, carrying his cross, I had to push through for him, I had to push through for my teammates. I couldn’t let them down.”

The UNLV boxer got the Sportsmanship Award for a game effort in a good bout. “It pretty much means that even in defeat I was still able to show great class and graciousness to my opponent who fought a good fight and he deserves a win, and I can respect that,” Foster explained.

strides in a short time under former national collegiate heavyweight champion Luke Runion. But UMD’s Russ Williams wasn’t ready for experienced Chris Bertucci. The Navy boxer made good use of his long arms to get leverage on his punches, dropping Williams early with a left hook and at the end of the first with a jarring right uppercut. Williams fought back with great heart and tried to pull it out in a hectic third, but Navy got their second title, 5-0.

“If one of us wins, the entire team wins,” declared Bertucci. “I boxed Williams two years ago. I went into this fight knowing that he was going The 132lb. class was back to allto be a lot tougher this time. To his military, but this time Army faced credit, he got up, gave me a great the Coast Guard Academy, which second and third round. I spoke to has been gaining momentum under At 185 pounds, Charles Parra, of San Jose State him after the fight and told him, ‘I coach Tom Barile. Two more veteran University, became the rst of only two ghters really appreciate the way you fought representing civilian schools to win the tournament. warriors engaged, Army’s rangy and and made me earn that win.’” difficult Johnny Garcia and CG’s non-stop battler Gabe Nelson. Garcia tattooed Nelson with big rights as Gabe tried UMD was back at 165lbs., and so was Army. Ryan to bore in, then withstood a determined crescendo finish by Roach had won a hairline decision from Ryle Stous in the the Coast Guard boxer. Army picked up its second title, 5-0.

Regionals, but the cadet was ready for him. Ryan got off to a lead with sharp counters, but the determined Stous The second Army-Navy confrontation came at 139lbs., responded by increasing the attack to the point where the with Navy’s game Paul Hollwedel facing the daunting Terrapin couldn’t counter them all. Bleeding badly from challenge of Army’s defending champion Terrell Anthony. the nose in round three, Stous rallied to force a definitive Hollwedel took heavy punishment from the sharp-shooting standing eight-count just before the bell. Army won, 4-1.

Anthony, but rather than fall into a defensive posture, he tried to neutralize Terrell’s skills by moving to medium range to force heavy trading. By the third, action was full tilt, with Hollwedel bleeding heavily from the nose but forcing the classy Anthony to fight trench warfare. Hollwedel looked The 175lb. bout was the final direct Army-Navy stunned at the announcement of Army’s third straight win, confrontation. It also pitted two of the best in the 4-1. “My coach told me to keep the jab out there but I got to the point where I didn’t want to stop punching. I got tired of moving back,” Terrell explained of the hair-raising finish.

132LBS.

165LBS.

139LBS.

VETERAN VS. NEWCOMER AT 175LBS.

REVENGE AT 147LBS.

Army was back again at 147lbs., with formidable Steve Henoa-Escobar facing the second civilian challenge of the evening, Nevada-Reno’s veteran slugger Ryan Kotey. Steve had lost to him in the regular season, but not this time.

Escobar showed the better pair of hands in mid-range trading through yet another Armageddon third. Army garnered their fourth straight title, 5-0. “He likes to come forward, very strong fighter, so I decided to use more angles on him, and it really worked,” the winner advised.

156LBS.

Army finally dropped out at 156lbs., where Navy faced one of the few surviving civilian teams, University of Maryland. The fledgling program at UMD has made great 48

Cory Tinzman, of the Air Force Academy, defeated Army’s Tyler Elliott [l.] at 195 pounds.

With ve individual victories, West Point won the team title for the third year in a row.

competition, Army’s promising newcomer Jamal Robinson and Navy’s veteran national champion Mike Steadman.

This one started before first bell! “It’s personal!” Steadman declared. “We came up here, we didn’t have a lot of people on our side. I felt that I needed to make a statement.”

Added Coach McNally, “He’s a football player. In four years, he got his butt kicked in football. He never won a game against Navy, so he came out and tried to intimidate him. He’s got prior experience.” The rivalry ran so intense that the combatants got into each other’s face during the instructions. Hostilities continued so that skills were set aside and points forgotten. Every blow was meant for a KO, with vigorous mauling in between. In the second, Robinson buckled Steadman’s knees with a crushing right, but Mike immediately rallied. The third was again a frenzy of action, but with styles essentially the same, the stocky Robinson wilted under Steadman’s size advantage. Navy won, 4-1.

“Boxing helped me get through the Naval Academy.

Collegiate boxing is going to help me get a degree from the United States Naval Academy,” the victor summed up.

CIVILIANS SURGE BACK

While the militaries were cleaning up the titles, the civilians were down to their last two shots. Even though out of the running for a team title, winning an individual crown is a prized accomplishment. Would this be the first national tournament to produce not a single civilian champion? In the semi-finals, when Charles Parra quickly took a knee from an injured shoulder against Army’s tough John Maddox, it

Participating schools:

United States Military Academy United States Naval Academy United States Air Force Academy United States Coast Guard Academy Lock Haven University Penn State University Mansfield University Shippensburg University University of Maryland

East Carolina University West Virginia University Ohio State University University of Nevada – Reno University of Nevada – Las Vegas San Jose State University Santa Clara University University of California – Berkeley University of North Carolina

looked like a mere cameo for the entry from darkhorse San Jose State. But after a rescue mission by Dr. Keith “Big Doc” Adams, Parra was back in the fray and won it the hard way, an upset in a head-on shootout, 4-1. That earned him the 185lb. final, against Navy’s much bigger Luke Culver. Parra fell behind early, but in a dramatic third-round reversal, the underdog switched to crafty movement and countering that caught the judges’ eyes. San Jose took a 3-2 win in the evening’s tightest contest.

“I represented where we’re from, San Jose,” Parra declared.

“We just thought that these guys were going to outpunch us so I had to maneuver and outbox him. He was trying to time me with that right uppercut so I countered it with the left hook. I dislocated my shoulder so I was really hesitant about throwing that right. I had to keep him at bay and throw the jab and the left hook.”

UP IN THE AIR AT 195LBS.

Not seen since the first bout, Air Force was back with a vengeance at 195. Cory Tinzman used his experience to take the lead against Army’s Tyler Elliott, but Elliott forced a straight shootout in the second. Another do-ordie third inspired Tyler, but the badly bleeding Tinzman let everything fly in a huge rally that forced Elliott to take a standing eight-count. Coach Ed Weichers’ Air Force squad went 2-0 with a 5-0 win that gave them third place.

HEAVYWEIGHT

UNLV had one more shot with Brett Rather against Army’s Seth King. It was a war. King maneuvered and boxed smartly, especially for a heavyweight, but the sturdy Rather placed punches well and would not be denied. Action escalated through a wild third, and a civilian school won for the second time, 5-0.

Army took the team title over Navy. There wasn’t a bad decision in the lot, to the credit of an elite team of officials headed by Cincinnati’s Tom Cleary. What’s next for Army?

Can they do the unheard-of and sweep every title next year?

Can the civilian schools break up the military monopoly?

As they used to say in Brooklyn, “Wait’ll next year.”

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Compiled by Moses Vered

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here’s nothing like a big heavyweight fight.

Unfortunately, fight fans haven’t had one to look forward to since Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis faced off in June 2002. The sweet science’s heavyweight talent pool has been lacking for almost a decade. Long gone are the days of Tyson, Bowe, Lewis and Holyfield. Now, the two-headed Ukrainian heavyweight monster known as the Klitschko brothers rule the division.

Thankfully, a mega-fight is on the horizon, only this time it will take place inside the UFC’s octagon as opposed to a boxing ring. By comparison, the UFC heavyweight division is extremely deep and has developed exciting, talented, big men who put on entertaining fights.

At UFC 116 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, two massive heavyweights will collide when champion Brock Lesnar takes on undefeated powerhouse Shane Carwin. With each standing at 6’3” and topping at 265lbs. of solid muscle, there is no way to call this anything but a “big fight.” What makes this matchup so appealing is that there is no clear favorite.

Boxing Digest polled 20 MMA experts on what they think will happen when Lesnar meets Carwin. Here is what they had to say: Gareth A. Davies, The Daily Telegraph: This is an incredibly exciting heavyweight fight for the MMA world.

Since Shane Carwin dropped Frank Mir like an ox being shot at UFC 111, everyone is looking at him. Carwin’s 12-0 record in MMA, all by first-round stoppage, makes him the threat to ignite a mega fight with Lesnar. Carwin at the present time is the only heavyweight who can master Lesnar at his own game. He has the look of a potential nemesis for the Minnesotan and I am going to say that Carwin will rock Brock and finish him with ground and pound on the floor in the second round. He must get the job done before the end of the second round; after that, he’s a boat in uncharted waters.

UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar

Carlos Arias, The Orange County Register: Carwin walks around with two bowling balls for fists so I think he can knockout anyone in the heavyweight division. They are both great wrestlers but Brock has the edge in the wrestling department. If he can avoid those early bombs by Carwin and get the fight to the ground I think he can ground and pound his way to victory. Lesnar by stoppage in the third round.

Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times: Obviously, there’s some concern about how Lesnar’s year-long layoff will affect him. The caution he and the UFC have exercised, however, should mean Lesnar is back close to full health, and as he showed at UFC 100, beating him is a difficult task. Lesnar by fourth-round stoppage.

Martin McNeil, MMA Photographer-ESPN: The diverticulitis that put Lesnar out of action was a very serious disease that had to have taken both a physical and psychological toll on him. Carwin proved on March 27 that a one-year layoff from competitive MMA hadn’t dulled his abilities, no doubt mostly due to being able to stay in active training for a good portion of that time.

Lesnar, however, will not have been afforded the same opportunity to stay in peak condition. My pick? Carwin. And I’ll be very surprised if it goes beyond the second round.

Hywel Teague, Editor-in-Chief of Fighters Only Magazine: A heavyweight fight like this is hard to predict because these guys are pretty much carbon copies of each other. There is very little difference between both in terms of stature and style, they both hit hard, they are both phenomenal wrestlers, both are huge brutes of men. I really think the deciding factor here will be experience. Both guys are relatively inexperienced in the sport. Carwin has been around longer but the actual amount of time that he has racked up in the cage is not considerable, he’s never been out of the first round. Lesnar’s been in the ring for 15 minutes straight, he knows what it’s like to have to pace Shane Carwin

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Photos courtesy of the UFC

himself. I think Carwin has a dynamite right hand and if he can land it on Lesnar’s chin it could go south for the champ.

But Lesnar is too big, he’s too explosive, and he’s too fast.

He will put the pressure on Carwin and might take him into deep waters. Lesnar by early TKO. Donovan Craig, Editor-in-Chief of FIGHT! Magazine: These are obviously two of the top heavyweights, these guys are the template for the future of MMA heavyweights.

Lesnar is a guy who cuts weight to get to 265lbs., is 6’3”, walks around at about 280lbs. but then is also very quick and agile. Carwin is a better striker than Lesnar, who’s not technically that good of a striker. If Lesnar can take Carwin down he has a good chance of ground and pounding him toward a mid-round stoppage. If Carwin can negate Lesnar’s takedowns and keep him on his feet, I think he could easily knock Lesnar out. Carwin by knockout in the first or second round.

Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports: I see this fight being largely a stand-up battle. Both Brock and Shane have terrific wrestling skills. A lot of times in MMA the great wrestlers neutralize each other out and they end up striking. I think it’s going to be some kind of combination clinch work and striking at a distance. Carwin has the type of overall striking game that is a little bit more advanced than Lesnar’s. I think a concern for both guys is whichever one lands first may be the winner. They are such big punchers and willing warriors that if they try to brawl, all it may take is one punch. Carwin by first-round knockout.

Josh Gross, Sports Illustrated: Stylistically it’s interesting because they do appear to be very similar. There’re both big, physical solid wrestlers. The difference to me is athleticism.

I see Lesnar being a step above Carwin in a lot of aspects, I think he is faster, moves better, and is the better wrestler.

People talk about Carwin’s wrestling; he was a champion at the Division 2 level. Lesnar was a national champion. I’ve described Carwin as being a bit of a “poor man’s” Brock Lesnar. I don’t mean that as an insult, but Brock is better in most areas. For that reason, I think that he will win the wrestling exchanges, win the clinch battles, and because of that, Lesnar will put Carwin on his back and win by stoppage within two rounds.

Sergio Non, USA Today: The real question is what kind of shape is Lesnar going to be in after such a long layoff?

Will he be fully recovered? How rusty is he going to be? I think if we get Lesnar in the athletic peak he was in a year ago, Carwin will have a very difficult time. Lesnar can basically do everything Carwin can do but faster and more explosively. Carwin probably has a bit more power in his hands but Brock has that massive reach. Shane has also never faced a guy with Brock’s athletic gifts. If he’s in shape, Lesnar beats Shane Carwin by TKO in the second round.

Ariel Helwani, MMAfighting.com: I’m tempted to pick Carwin due to Lesnar’s extended time away from the cage and everything he’s had to deal with, but the champ is just too powerful and dangerous to pick against. Sure, they are the same size, but I think Lesnar will be able to outmuscle Carwin and work his way toward a second-round TKO victory.

Loretta Hunt, News Editor, Sherdog.com: To the UFC’s credit, this is a very difficult fight to select the winner for on paper. There are a lot of X-factors in this fight. Lesnar has been off for a year. We don’t know how he’s handled his injuries, and how those injuries have affected his longterm training. Carwin improves with each fight, but so does Lesnar. I don’t think Carwin has gone into a fight where he’s not the larger aggressor of the two. Lesnar knows how to move his bulk in a very effective way, often stifling even the best-laid strategies. Carwin is going to come in extremely prepared with a solid game plan. But at this point in his career, I don’t know if that’s going to be enough to take out the beast that is Brock Lesnar.

Dann Stupp, Editor-in-Chief of MMAJunkie.com: Obviously we are in a new era of heavyweight fighters

Will Lesnar’s superior wrestling skills and ground game give him the advantage?

that are much bigger. If anyone is going to beat Lesnar, it’s Carwin. The only thing that concerns me is a lot of people consider them big heavyweights and equally sized, but they stood together at a pre-fight event and it was obvious that Lesnar still is a much bigger fighter. We have seen Carwin’s chin tested and I think his conditioning is probably a little better and I think the speed may pay off for him. I see it going into the later rounds and I think that’s when Carwin probably connects on a big punch and wins via knockout.

Ed Mulholland, Freelance Photographer: I see the fight being a quick one, within one round. Both guys can bang. I don’t know what Lesnar’s going to have after such a long layoff.

He went through a lot and had to be in a pretty weakened condition. I expect fireworks but I think Carwin will land first and will be able to take advantage and shock Lesnar.

Darius Ortiz, Boxing-MMA editor of ESPN.com: Technical prowess and wrestling ability will go out the window the moment these two lock horns. Lesnar is an incredible athlete, but whereas he hurts fighters with one punch, Carwin puts them to sleep. Carwin wins in round one.

Andreas Hale, Fightnews.com: Lesnar has had a lot of time off so we don’t really know what kind of shape he is going to be in when he gets back into the cage. Carwin has been a wrecking machine, has monster power in his right hand, solid wrestling skills and he hasn’t been taken into deep waters yet. I don’t think that Lesnar’s faced anyone with this much size and strength. I am going to predict a first-round knockout via Shane Carwin’s devastatingly powerful right hand.

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Will Carwin’s explosive knockout power be the deciding factor?

Randy Gordon, Host of ‘Fight Club’ SIRIUS Satellite Radio: I see Carwin winning on his feet, with a volley of blows. He’s a true heavyweight banger. Carwin is every bit the wrestler that Lesnar is, has a vast collegiate background in wrestling. He knows what he’s doing on the ground but because he is such a tremendous puncher that’s where he’ll want to keep it. I like the way he punches with either hand and I think the fight will be over in the second round with Shane Carwin the winner by TKO. Kurt Pellegrino, UFC Lightweight contender: Carwin is a big, fast heavyweight, and he also wrestled in college.

The difference between Shane and all the other guys is that Shane knows how to sprawl and he has one heck of a puncher’s chance. If anyone is going to have a legitimate chance of beating Lesnar, it’s going to be a fighter that is on par athletically with Brock. In Carwin you have a very big heavyweight as well as a very good boxer and in my eyes that’s going to be the difference in the fight. If Brock could take him down, things could change. But I don’t think that’s going to happen. Carwin is going to win in round one or two.

Howard Davis Junior, MMA/Boxing Trainer: If Lesnar takes it past the first round, how will Carwin handle it?

Sometimes you need that experience of going the distance to see who you are as a fighter, see what kind of heart that 54

you have. There is always going to come a time when you’re going to be tested. This could be one of those times for Carwin. I’m going with Lesnar based on his experience of going rounds. It’s a matchup between a guy with experience versus a guy with punching power. If the guy with the punching power can’t land that big punch, what happens then? That’s why I’m picking Lesnar.

John Morgan, Lead Staff Reporter for MMAjunkie.com: This fight all comes down to Lesnar’s health. He’s recovering from a potentially career-ending injury, so we don’t really know how that’s going to affect his performance. Carwin is a big powerful fighter but Brock is even bigger and more powerful. If Lesnar has a kink in that armor and he’s not the force he was because of this injury, Carwin is more than capable of capitalizing on that. But I am going to assume that Lesnar is healthy, and I’ll look for the champ to defend his belt with a second-round TKO. Ben Fowlkes, MMAFighting.com: When you get two big, strong wrestlers together, there’s always the chance that their primary skills will cancel each other out. Then it’s about who can do something else. That’s why I’m picking Carwin via TKO in the second. He’s more comfortable on his feet, and—much like Ivan Drago—whatever he hits, he destroys.

Final Tally: Carwin 11, Lesnar 9

CONTENDER

FUTURE

®

Jorge Diaz

E

J. Featherweight, 13-0 (8 KOs)

veryday, Jorge Diaz takes three trains from his home in New Brunswick, NJ, to train in Passaic at the Police Athletic League. The trip takes two hours, sometimes longer, but it’s all worthwhile to the 122lb. prospect. “I do it in the pursuit of my dreams,” says the 22-year-old Diaz Determination hasn’t always been a big part of Diaz’s internal makeup, however. He picked up the sport at the age of 10 in Puerto Rico where his cousin Jonathan Gonzalez, now an unbeaten prospect as well, was making a name for himself. Diaz quit later that same year, discouraged because he didn’t feel he was as talented as the other fighters in his gym.

Not too long after, while sitting in a restaurant with his father in New Jersey, fate brought him back to the sport. “I was having breakfast after delivering some newspapers with my father. I was telling him how I wanted to box and this old guy overheard me and told me where the boxing gym was. The next day I rode my bike to the boxing gym.”

That bicycle ride took him to an 82-12 amateur career that consisted of Junior Golden Gloves and Under-19 National titles, along with runner-up honors in the PALs and National Golden Gloves tournaments.

There were troubled times to overcome along the way.

“Everything was good until I was 10. My father was in the Army so things were pretty good but my parents separated and everything was taken away. I was homeless for a little bit, my mother and I used to sleep in my mom’s car. I had to find my own meal money, my mom kind of lost her mind a little bit, my father was nowhere to be found.”

Diaz turned pro in late-2007 after being discovered by Sal Alessi at his last Golden Gloves appearance. Alessi brought Diaz to the attention of Pat Lynch, the manager that guided Arturo Gatti’s career, who agreed to comanage him. He was also introduced to his current trainer Michael Skowronski, who was a fixture in Gatti’s corner, and signed

by Pound for Pound Promotions. The new team immediately liked what they saw from him.

“I just admire his will to win, his competitiveness,” said Skowronski. “He hates to lose. He’s not the most talented fighter but his will to win and his work ethic is what sets him apart.”

Diaz’ shootout fighting style has earned him several spots on Top Rank-promoted shows at Madison Square Garden, including his biggest win, a sixth-round, oneFrancisco Companioni

punch knockout of former Cuban Olympic gold medalist Yan Barthelemy. The Barthelemy fight was arranged six days prior to the event after several opponents pulled out.

“That was a good experience,” says Diaz. “I wasn’t 100% for that fight. I got very sick two weeks before but I needed the payday because I was broke. My coach wasn’t around because he went overseas. If you see the fight you can see how slow and sluggish I was. I was skinny, I wasn’t even strong. I guess it just turned out my way.”

Diaz, now 13-0 (8), made his national TV debut winning a unanimous decision over 13-0 Alejandro Lopez on FoxSports.

Diaz put Lopez down in each of the first two rounds and looked on his way to a blowout win but inexplicably slowed down, allowing Lopez into the fight. Diaz closed the fight strong but admits he had a hard time dealing with the awkward mobility of the Mexico native.

“Diaz has lulls in the middle of fights that we can’t explain,” says Skowronski. “We’ve had spectacular wins against lesser opponents, but what do you learn from that? He still only had 12 fights going into that fight. He’s still learning how to pace himself. We’re going to make some changes, work on some different things. We’re definitely going to improve on his conditioning.”

The other issue that Skowronski sees with Diaz is his defensive liabilities. “It reminds me of someone else I worked with before for a long time,” he says, alluding to Gatti. “I do hold my breath because guys that are willing to exchange like that are the ones that either knock somebody out or get caught. He makes for exciting fights.”

“We want him to tone it down sometimes,” says Lynch. “He’s a great boxer, he has all the skills you could ever want. If he wants to have a long, successful career, he has to use his boxing skills more.”

Lynch says the plan is to continue to put Diaz on television while the “work in progress” continues to round out his game.

By then he hopes to have Diaz fighting on premium cable. “I’ve already mentioned him to [HBO Sports President] Ross Greenburg. He was present at one of his fights at Madison Square Garden. I happened to be sitting next to him and said, ‘I told you I’d be knocking on your door.’ He started laughing. I want Diaz on HBO’s radar screen.”

“I have no control of what’s going to happen in the future,” says Diaz. “I can promise that I will do my best, I will stay in the gym and make the necessary adjustments to prevail in the game.” –Ryan Songalia Jorge Diaz

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Sumio Yamada

HAYE RETIRES RUIZ David Haye [Eng.] W TKO 9 John Ruiz [U.S.] April 3, 2010 – M.E.N. Arena, Manchester, Lancashire, United Kingdom

Sumio Yamada

HEAVYWEIGHT

David Haye sent John Ruiz into retirement with a TKO9.

Vitali Klitschko systematically dissected Albert Sosnowski before knocking him out in round 10. letting his right hand go more often. In the 10th round, Klitschko landed a combination that downed Sosnowski in a corner, and referee Jay Nady stopped the bout without a count.

CRUISERWEIGHT GREEN MACHINE STOPS SIACA

David Haye, 24-1 (22), retained his WBA belt for the first time with a TKO9 (2:01) over John Ruiz, 44-9-1-1NC (30). Ruiz started aggressively but paid for it when Haye’s first right hand dropped him hard. Ruiz arose and once again stalked the champion, but while against the ropes, Haye’s punches found the back of his head and he took a knee. Referee Guillermo Perez gave Ruiz a count but deducted a point from Haye for the infraction as well. In round two, Haye established a distance with his jab and counter shots and maintained this pace for the ensuing rounds. Ruiz went down in rounds five and six, also from illegal blows behind the head, but neither time did the referee deduct any further points from Haye.

The champion’s speed was beginning to wear on the challenger and when Haye landed a staggering three-punch combination in the ninth, Ruiz’ corner threw in the towel.

VITALI SLAYS THE DRAGON Vitali Klitschko [Ger.] W KO 10 Albert Sosnowski [Eng.] May 29, 2010 – Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany Vitali Klitschko, 40-2 (38), retained the WBC title for the fourth time with a systematic TKO10 (2:20) over Albert Sosnowski, 453-1 (27). The champion started at his usual slow pace, probing jabs and keeping a distance, as Sosnowski tried his hardest to land meaningful punches, but only a few found their mark. Noticing the challenger was tiring, Klitschko started throwing in combination, 56

Danny Green [Aus.] W KO 3 Manny Siaca [P.R.] April 14, 2010 – Challenge Stadium, Perth, Western Australia, Australia Fighting for the first time since stopping Roy Jones Jr. in one round, Danny Green, 29-3 (26), defended his IBO cruiserweight title for the second time with a KO3 (1:55) over Manny Siaca, 22-7 (19). After chasing Siaca in the opener, Green caught the challenger with a right hook upstairs to floor him at the end of round two. A left-right combination then decked Siaca again in round three for the stoppage.

HUCK BREAKS DOWN MINTO Marco Huck [Ger.] W TKO 9 Brian Minto [U.S.] May 1, 2010 – Weser-Ems-Halle, Oldenburg, Niedersachsen, Germany

In the third defense of his WBO title, Marco Huck, 29-1 (22), stopped a slimmed down, but still durable Brian Minto, 34-4 (21), in nine frames. Minto was floored in the third round by a right hand and again in the fifth after an exchange. The challenger, although outgunned, continued to press forward, eating Huck’s leather. Once again, Minto hit the deck in the ninth and his corner stopped the bout before the start of the next round.

WLODARCZYK GRABS WBC CROWN Krzysztof Wlodarczyk [Pol.] W TKO Giacobbe Fragomeni [Italy] May 15, 2010 – Atlas Arena, Lodz, Poland

8

Former IBF titlist Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, 43-2-1 (32), picked up the vacant WBC crown with a TKO8 (0:44) over Giacobbe Fragomeni, 26-3-1 (10), who held that belt between 2008-’09. A right hand dropped Fragomeni in the sixth and a Wlodarczyk attack in the eighth downed the Italian again, leading referee Frank Garza to halt the contest. It was a rematch of their 2009 draw.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT BRAEHMER STOPS PLOTINSKY

Juergen Braehmer [Ger.] W TKO 5 Mariano Nicolas Plotinsky [Arg.] April 24, 2010 – Sporthalle, Alsterdorf, Hamburg, Germany

Southpaw Lucien Bute, 26-0 (21), easily disposed of Colombian power puncher Edison Miranda, 33-5 (29), at the 1:22 mark of round three, in the fifth defense of his IBF 168lb. title. To neutralize Miranda’s heavy hands, Bute pressured throughout and hurt the challenger with body shots. A picturesque left uppercut square on the chin floored a wide-open Miranda, and as he wobbled to his feet, referee Ernie Sharif waved the bout over.

STIEGLITZ RETAINS WBO 168LB. TITLE Robert Stieglitz [Ger.] W 12 [unan.]

Eduard Gutknecht [Ger.] April 17, 2010 – Bordelandhalle, Magdeburg, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany Robert Stieglitz, 38-2 (23), made the second defense of the WBO 168lb. belt with a UD12 (119-108, 117-111, 117-110) over Eduard Gutknecht, 18-1 (7). In an entertaining bout, Gutknecht was game but could not handle the champion’s pressure.

Sumio Yamada

KESSLER WINS BRAWL

Tom Casino/SHO

Mikkel Kessler [Den.] W 12 [unan.]

Carl Froch [Eng.] April 24, 2010 – MCH Messecenter Herning, Herning, Denmark

Juergen Braehmer [r.] scored a TKO5 over a defensive-minded Mariano Nicolas Plotinsky to retain his WBO light heavyweight title.

Southpaw Juergen Braehmer, 36-2 (29), retained the WBO light heavyweight title for the first time with a TKO5 (2:36) over Mariano Nicolas Plotinsky, 16-4 (8). Plotinsky was dropped in the first then went into a shell, while Braehmer pounded away for the next few rounds until referee Paul Thomas stopped the bout.

BUTE DESTROYS PANTERA

Whyne/FightWireImages.com

Lucien Bute [Can.] W TKO 3 Edison Miranda [P.R.] April 17, 2010 – Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Mikkel Kessler [r.] won a decision in a brawl to annex the WBC 168lb. belt from Carl Froch.

As part of Showtime’s “Super Six” tournament, Mikkel Kessler, 43-2 (32), won a UD12 (117-111, 116-112, 115-113) to take the WBC 168lb. title away from Carl Froch, 26-1 (20), in an exciting brawl. Looking much improved since his outing against Andre Ward, Kessler was the busier fighter, but Froch landed the more meaningful punches throughout. In the eighth, Kessler bloodied Froch’s nose but the Englishman retaliated by opening a cut over the Dane’s left eye. The final two frames featured blistering action, and it appeared Kessler was badly hurt and on the verge of going down, but he managed to stay on his feet, swinging punches in return until the bell sounded.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

MARAVILLA TAMES THE GHOST

Lucien Bute [r.] demolished Edison Miranda in Montreal, in defense of his IBF 168lb. belt.

Sergio Martinez [U.S.] W 12 [unan.]

Kelly Pavlik [U.S.] April 17, 2010 – Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States *SEE REPORT PAGE 29 57

FIGHTING FOR HAITI Andre Berto [U.S.] W TKO 8 Carlos Quintana [P.R.] April 10, 2010 – BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, Florida, United States

After winning the NABF belt in his last bout, Peter Manfredo, 35-6 (19), picked up the vacant IBO title at 160 pounds, with a TKO10 (1:19) over Angel Hernandez, 30-8 (17). With a consistent jab, Manfredo maintained a distance and was able to land counters against his charging opponent, building up a lead on the scorecards. In the 10th round, Manfredo landed a left hook that drove a fatigued Hernandez into the ropes, prompting referee Steve Smoger to call a halt to the bout.

Sumio Yamada

MANFREDO TAKES IBO BELT Peter Manfredo [U.S.] W TKO 10 Angel Hernandez [U.S.] May 22, 2010 – Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut, United States

DZINZIRUK IMPRESSES STATESIDE

Tom Casino/SHO

Sergiy Dzinziruk [Ger.] W TKO 10 Daniel Dawson [Aus.] May 14, 2010 – Chumash Casino, Santa Ynez, California, United States Andre Berto [l.] overwhelmed Carlos Quintana with his speed and power.

Andre Berto, 26-0 (20), stopped southpaw and former WBO welterweight titlist Carlos Quintana, 27-3 (21), inside eight frames to retain his WBC belt for the fourth time. Berto simply outworked the challenger with his speed and heavier hands. Quintana had a point deducted in round three for a rabbit punch. In the midst of a prolonged Berto barrage, referee Tommy Kimmons stopped the bout at 2:16. A portion of the ticket sales went to Haitian relief.

KING KHAN TAKES MANHATTAN

WBO 154lb. titlist Sergiy Dzinziruk [r.] used his southpaw style to outbox Daniel Dawson in his American debut.

In his first foray on American soil, southpaw Sergiy Dzinziruk, 37-0 (23), made the sixth defense of his WBO 154lb. title with a TKO10 (2:12) over late sub Daniel Dawson, 34-2 (24). Dzinziruk’s southpaw stance and jab dictated the fight as Dawson could not figure out how to combat the champion’s style. Referee Jose Cobian decided to end the contest in the 10th round, feeling the challenger had taken too much accumulated punishment.

COTTO AND A KNEE INJURY TAKE OUT FOREMAN Miguel Cotto [P.R.] W TKO 9 Yuri Foreman [U.S.] June 5, 2010 – Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, United States *SEE REPORT PAGE 32

LIGHTWEIGHT

SOTO DEFENDS LIGHTWEIGHT BELT Humberto Soto [Mex.] W 12 [unan.]

Ricardo Dominguez [U.S.] May 15, 2010 – Estadio Centenario, Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico In the first defense of his WBC lightweight title, Humberto Soto, 52-7-2-1NC (32), scored a UD12 (118-110 twice, 117-112) over Ricardo Dominguez, 31-6-2 (19). Soto was stronger and dominated the action throughout.

Takashi Uchiyama [Jap.] W TKO 6 Angel Granados [Ven.] May 17, 2010 – Super Arena, Saitama, Japan

ZAVECK OUTGUNS MARTINEZ 12

In the first defense of his IBF welterweight title, Jan Zaveck, 29-1-0-1NC (17), stopped the game-but-outgunned Rodolfo Martinez, 36-4-1-1NC (13), in 12 rounds. Zaveck’s speed and combination punching dominated the contest, until referee Ingo Barrabas mercifully saved Martinez from eating anymore leather.

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*SEE REPORT PAGE 42

EXPLOSIVE KO FOR UCHIYAMA

WELTERWEIGHT Jan Zaveck [Ger.] W TKO Rodolfo Ezequiel Martinez [Arg.] April 9, 2010 – Tivoli Arena, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Amir Khan [U.K.] W TKO 11 Paulie Malignaggi [U.S.] May 15, 2010 – Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States

Takashi Uchiyama, 15-0 (12), stopped Angel Granados, 18-9 (8), at 1:42 of round six, in the first defense of his WBA 130lb. title. It took a few rounds for Uchiyama to find the range against the five inches taller Granados, but the challenger did not employ his jab as much as he should have, making it easier on the shorter champion. While Uchiyama controlled the inside action in the third and fourth frames, Granados retaliated with his own inside game in the fifth. In the sixth, Uchiyama used feints to set up a devastating right hand that floored the challenger, who arose but was judged unable to continue by referee Silvestre Abainza.

Sumio Yamada

Orlando Salido, 34-10-2-1NC (22), won a split decision to dethrone Cristobal Cruz, 39-12-2-1 (23), and capture the IBF featherweight crown. Cruz was dropped twice in round two.

Salido gained his revenge, as his last loss came against Cruz via split decision in October 2008.

NISHIOKA OVERWHELMS YOUNGESTER

Once Takashi Uchiyama [l.] found the proper range against the much taller Angel Granados, he exploded to score a TKO6 to retain his WBA 130lb. belt.

Sumio Yamada

Toshiaki Nishioka [Jap.] W TKO 5 Balweg Bangoyan [Phil.]

April 30, 2010 – Nihon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan

TAJBERT AHEAD ON POINTS Vitali Tajbert [Ger.] W 9 [tech.]

Hector Velazquez [Mex.] May 22, 2010 – Stadthalle, Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany Vitali Tajbert, 20-1 (6), won the interim WBC 130lb. belt in his last fight, but was elevated to full champion status when Humberto Soto moved up to lightweight. In his first defense, Tajbert won a ninth-round technical decision (88-83, 88-82, 87-83) over Hector Velazquez, 51-15-2-1NC (35), when a cut suffered by the champion in round one, resulting from an accidental clash of heads, forced the bout to be halted at 1:35 of the ninth round.

MARTINEZ IMPRESSIVE Roman Martinez [P.R.] W KO 4 Gonzalo Munguia [Nic.] May 29, 2010 – Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez, Bayamon, Puerto Rico

In his third defense of the WBC 122lb. title, Toshiaki Nishioka [l.] stopped Balweg Bangoyan inside ve rounds.

Southpaw Toshiaki Nishioka, 36-4-3 (23), in his third defense of the WBC 122lb. title, stopped Balweg Bangoyan, 15-1 (6), 10 years his junior, inside five frames, at the 1:14 mark. Bangoyan threw leather recklessly which Nishioka was able to counter with his left hands. One of those lefts dropped Bangoyan in the fifth, and although he arose, Nishioka battered the challenger until referee Gelasio Perez Huerta halted the bout. Bangoyan had a point deducted in round four for repeated low blows.

KRATINGDAENGGYM KOS KIMURA

PRBBP Jose Perez

Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym [Thai.] W KO 4 Shoji Kimura [Jap.] May 20, 2010 – Borabue School, Maha Sarakham, Thailand Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym, 41-1 (29), scored a KO4 (2:23) over Shoji Kimura, 23-4-2 (9), in the second defense of his WBA 122lb. title.

PAPITO STOPS MR. LEFT HOOK

WBO 130lb. titlist Roman Martinez [r.] became the rst to stop Gonzalo Munguia with a TKO4.

Roman Martinez, 24-0-1 (15), stopped Gonzalo Munguia, 177-3 (13), via an impressive KO4 (1:48) to retain his WBO 130lb. title for the second time. Munguia had never been stopped before.

PRBBP Jose Perez

Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. [P.R.] W TKO 10 Zsolt Bedak [Ger.] May 29, 2010 – Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez, Bayamon, Puerto Rico

FEATHERWEIGHT SALIDO GAINS REVENGE

Orlando Salido [Mex.] W 12 [split] Cristobal Cruz [Mex.] May 15, 2010 – Estadio Tomás Oroz Gaytán, Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico

Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. [r.] took control over Zsolt Bedak in the second half of the bout to score a TKO10, in the rst defense of his WBO 122lb. title.

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In the first defense of the WBO 122lb. title, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., 19-0-1 (16), won a TKO10 (1:12) over Zsolt Bedak, 15-1 (5). Bedak was competitive early, but after getting rocked in the fifth round, Vazquez maintained control of the action until dropping his foe in the 10th round, prompting referee Jose Rivera to stop the contest.

Making the first defense of his IBF bantamweight belt, Yonnhy Perez, 20-0-1 (14), drew with Abner Mares, 20-0-1 (13), by scores of 114-114 twice and 115-113 in Mares’ favor. In an action-packed bout, both Perez and Mares shared the momentum, with Perez controlling the middle rounds and Mares taking over down the stretch.

BANTAMWEIGHT

NONGQAYI RETAINS VIA DRAW

MONTIEL UPSETS HASEGAWA

Sumio Yamada

Fernando Montiel [Mex.] W TKO 4 Hozumi Hasegawa [Jap.] April 30, 2010 – Nihon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan

Simphiwe Nongqayi [S.A.] D 12 [maj.]

Malik Bouziane [France] April 9, 2010 – Centre Omnisports, Massy, Essonne, France Simphiwe Nongqayi, 16-0-1 (6), retained his IBF 115lb. belt for the first time with a draw against Malik Bouziane, 13-1-1 (1), with scores of 114-114 twice and 115-113 for Bouziane. The fighters took turns trading rounds in this tactical affair. Although both fighters hit the deck, neither fall was ruled a knockdown.

CAZARES GRABS 115LB. TITLE IN REMATCH Hugo Cazares [Mex.] W 12 [unan.]

Nobuo Nashiro [Jap.] May 8, 2010 – Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka, Osaka, Japan

Fernando Montiel [l.] upset long-reigning WBC bantamweight titlist Hozumi Hasegawa by stopping him in four.

Fernando Montiel, 41-2-2 (31), upset Hozumi Hasegawa, 28-3 (12), who was making his 11th defense of the WBC bantamweight crown, with a TKO4 (2:59). Hasegawa had control early over the slow-starting Montiel, utilizing his speed and aggression.

However, he did not take into account the challenger’s countering skills and paid for it when Montiel landed left hooks that stung the champion as he backpedaled to the ropes. Montiel swarmed over the champion until referee Laurence Cole saved Hasegawa from further punishment.

RAGING BULL MOVES UP TO BANTAMWEIGHT Vic Darchinyan [Aus.] W 12 [unan.]

Eric Barcelona [Phil.]

May 20, 2010 – Leagues Club, Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia Vic Darchinyan, 35-2-1 (27), won a title in a third division as he moved up to bantamweight and grabbed the vacant IBO belt with a UD12 (120-103, 118-105, 116-108) over fellow southpaw Eric Barcelona, 51-18-4 (19). Barcelona was floored twice in round five and once in the 11th, and had points deducted in rounds six and 12.

EXCITING DRAW

Chris Cozzone/FightWireImages.com

Yonnhy Perez [U.S.] D 12 [maj.]

Abner Mares [U.S.] May 22, 2010 – Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, United States

Hugo Cazares, 31-6-2 (22), picked up the WBA 115lb. belt with a busier pace to earn a UD12 (117-111 twice, 115-113) in his rematch against Nobuo Nashiro, 13-2-1 (8). Their first contest, held last September, ended in a draw. Cazares previously held the WBO 108lb. title.

NARVAEZ HEADS THREE POUNDS NORTH Omar Narvaez [Arg.] W 12 [unan.]

Everth Briceno [Nic.] May 15, 2010 – Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina Longtime WBO flyweight champion Omar Narvaez, 32-0-2 (19), picked up the same belt three pounds north at 115 pounds, with a UD12 (118-107, 117-108 twice) over Everth Briceno, 32-6-1 (26). Narvaez’ southpaw left hurt Briceno on numerous occasions, and the frustrated challenger had a point deducted in round five for repeated head butts. A clash of heads in the seventh opened a cut above Narvaez’ left eye, and again in the 12th round, with a cut over the champion’s right eye. Briceno had two additional point deductions for the same infraction in rounds eight and 11.

FLYWEIGHT

SIXTH TIME’S A CHARM Luis Alberto Lazarte [Arg.] W 12 [split] Carlos Tamara [U.S.] May 29, 2010 – Club Once Unidos, Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina In his sixth attempt to win a world title, 39-year-old Luis Alberto Lazarte, 47-9-1-1NC (18), grabbed the IBF 108lb. title with a SD12 (116-112, 115-113 each way) over Carlos Tamara, 21-5 (15). An accidental head butt cut the champion over his left eye and it clearly bothered him for the rest of the fight. Tamara controlled the early going, keeping a distance, but the challenger closed in and took the momentum. Aside from dominating round six, in which Tamara switched to southpaw to do so, and other brief moments of aggression, Lazarte was able to dictate the action on both the inside and outside.

With the IBF bantamweight title on the line, Yonnhy Perez [r.] and Abner Mares fought to an exciting draw.

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135

Champion: Leonardo Zappavigna (Aus.)

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Champion: Wladimir Klitschko (Ukr.) 1. Nikolai Valuev (Rus.) 2. Ruslan Chagaev (Ger.) 3. Alexander Povetkin (Rus.) 4. Sam Peter (Nig.) 5. Eddie Chambers (U.S.) 6. Tomasz Adamek (Pol.) 7. Juan Carlos Gomez (Cuba) 8. Anthony Thompson (U.S.) 9. Denis Boytsov (Rus.) 10.Vladimir Virchis (Ukr.)

200

Champion: Danny Green (Aus.) 1. Steve Cunningham (U.S.) 2. BJ Flores (U.S.) 3. Ola Afolabi (GB) 4.Yoan Hernandez (Cuba) 5. Troy Ross (GUY) 6. Denis Lebedev (Rus.) 7. Enzo Maccarinelli (GB) 8. Matt Godfrey (U.S.) 9. Alex Frenkel (Ger.) 10. Wayne Braithwaite (GUY)

175

Champion: Chad Dawson (U.S.) 1. Bernard Hopkins (U.S.) 2. Zsolt Erdei (Hun.) 3. Glencoffe Johnson (U.S.) 4. Chris Henry (U.S.) 5. Jeff Lacy (U.S.) 6. Gabriel Campillo (Spain) 7. Adrian Diaconu (Rom.) 8. Roy Jones Jr. (U.S.) 9. Karo Murat (Ger.) 10.Yusaf Mack (U.S.)

168

Championship:Vacant

1. Carl Froch (GB) 2. Andre Dirrell (U.S.) 3. Arthur Abraham (Arm.) 4. Jermain Taylor (U.S.) 5. Sakio Bika (CAM) 6. Librado Andrade (U.S.) 7. Allen Green (U.S.) 8. Fulgencio Zuniga (Col.) 9. Eduard Gutknecht (Ger.) 10. Karoly Balzsay (Hun.)

160

Champion: Peter Manfredo (U.S.) 1. Kelly Pavlik (U.S.) 2. Anthony Mundine (Aus.) 3. Roman Karmazin (Rus.) 4. Matthew Macklin (GB) 5. Sergio Mora (U.S.) 6. Marco Antonio Rubio (Mex.) 7. Hassam Ndamnjikam (Cam.) 8. Koren Gevor (Arm.) 9. Sam Soliman (Aus.) 10. Gennady Martirosyan (ARM)

154

Championship:Vacant

1. Paul Williams (U.S.) 2. Antonio Margarito (Mex.) 3. Daniel Santos (U.S.) 4. Kermit Cintron (U.S.) 5. Alfredo Angulo (Mex.) 6. Joachin Alcine (Hai.) 7. Sechew Powell (U.S.) 8.Vanes Martirosyan (U.S.) 9. Ryan Rhodes (GB) 10. Cornelius Bundrage (U.S.)

147

Champion: Lovemore Ndou (RSA) 1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (U.S.) 2. Shane Mosley (U.S.) 3. Joshua Clottey (Gha) 4. Alfonso Gomez (Mex.) 5. Rafael Jackiewicz (Pol.) 6. Carlos Quintana (PR) 7. Isaac Hlatswayo (RSA) 8. Sebastian Lujan (Arg.) 9. Sebastian Lujuan (Arg.) 10. Joel Casamayor (U.S.)

140

Championship:Vacant

1. Joan Guzman (DR) 2. Paul Malignaggi (U.S.) 3. Juan Diaz (U.S.) 4. Marcos Maidana (Arg.) 5.Victor Ortiz (U.S.) 6. Nate Campbell (U.S.) 7. Kaizer Mabuza (RSA) 8. Kendall Holt (U.S.) 9. Lucas Matthysse (Arg.) 10.Vivian Harris (U.S.)

130

Champion: Wladimir Klitschko (Ger.)

1. Chris John (Ind.) 2. Malcolm Klassen (Rus.) 3. Cassius Baloyi (Rus.) 4. Jason Litzau (U.S.) 5. Rocky Juarez (U.S.) 6. Mzonke Fana (Rus.) 7. Juan Carlos Salgado (Mex.) 8. Jorge Linares (Ven.) 9. Jorge Solis (Mex.) 10. Takahiro Aoh (Jap.)

1. Alexander Povetkin (Rus.) 2. David Tua (Sam.) 3. Tomasz Adamek (Pol.) 4. Denis Boytsov (Rus.) 5. Ruslan Chagaev (Uzb.) 6. Samuel Peter (Nig.) 7. Nikolai Valuev (Rus.) 8. Alexander Dimitrenko (Ukr.) 9. Odlanier Solis (Cuba) 10. Chris Arreola (U.S.)

126

Champion: Jackson Asiku (UGA) 1. Rafael Marquez (Mex.) 2. Daniel Ponce (U.S.) 3. Cristobal Cruz (Mex.) 4. Israel Vazquez (Mex.) 5. Steven Luevano (U.S.) 6. Jhonny Gonzalez (Mex.) 7. Bernabe Concepcion (Phil.)

8. Ryoi Li Lee (Jap.) 9. Juan Carlos Burgos (Mex.) 10. Miguel Garcia (U.S.)

122

1. Poonsawat Kratingdandgym (Thai.)

2. Rendall Munroe (GB) 3. Ricardo Cordoba (Pan.) 4. Sandro Maludrottu (Italy) 5. Antonio Escalante (Mex.) 6. Akifumi Shimoda (Jap.) 7. Martin Castillo (U.S.) 8. Masaaki Serie (Jap.) 9.Victor Fonseca (P.R.) 10. Sod Kokietgym (Thai.)

118

Champion:Vic Darchinyan (Aus.) 1. Hozumi Hasegawa (Jap.) 2. Nehomar Cermeno (Ven.) 3. Joseph Agbeko (Ghana) 4. Cristian Mijares (Mex.) 5. Abner Mares (Mex.) 6. Alexander Munoz (Ven.) 7. Kohei Ohba (Jap.) 8. Eric Morel (U.S.) 9. Alex Valdez (Mex.) 10. Michael Domingo (Phil.)

115

112

168

Champion: Robert Stieglitz (Rus.) 1. Carl Froch (GB) 2. Andre Dirrell (U.S.) 3. Arthur Abraham (Arm.) 4. Kelly Pavlik (U.S.) 5. Allan Green (U.S.) 6. Paul Smith (GB) 7. Jean Paul Mendy (France) 8. Eduard Gutknecht (Kaz.) 9. Stas Kashtanov (Ukr.) 10. Jesse Brinkley (U.S.)

154

Champion: Sergei Dzindziruk (Ukr.)

1. Koki Kameda (Jap.) 2. Takefumi Sakata (Jap.) 3. Daisuke Naito (Jap.) 4. Denkaosaen Kaovichit (Thai.)

5. Milan Melindo (Phil.)

6. Julio C. Miranda (Mex.) 7. Luis Concepcion (Pan.) 8. Tomonobu Shimizu (Jap.) 9. Zolani Tete (RSA) 10. Richie Mepranum (Phil.)

1. Alfredo Angulo (Mex.) 2. Paul Williams (U.S.) 3.Vanes Martirosyan (Arm.) 4. Kermit Cintron (P.R.) 5. Ryan Waters (Aus.) 6. Lukas Konecny (CZE) 7. Joachim Alcine (Can.) 8. Dmitry Nikulin (Ukr.) 9. Sherzod Husanov (Ukr.) 10. Charles Whitaker (Rus.)

Champion: Hekkie Buddler (RSA)

105

1. Bernard Hopkins (U.S.) 2. Karo Murat (Ger.) 3. Nathan Cleverly (G.B.) 4. Gabriel Campillo (Spain) 5. Chris Henry (U.S.) 6. Aleksy Kuziemski (Pol.) 7.Vikapita Meroro (NAM) 8. Alejandro Lakatus (Spain) 9. Dmitry Sukhotsky (Rus.) 10. Soulan Pownceby (U.S.)

1. Daniel Jacobs (U.S.) 2. Dmitry Pirog (Rus.) 3. Gennady Golovkin (Kaz.) 4. Gennady Martirosyan (Arm.) 5. Fernando Guerrero (D.R.) 6. Maksym Bursak (Ukr.) 7. Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (Cam.) 8. Anthony Mundine (Aus.) 9. Avtandil Khurtsidze (Geo.) 10. Matthew Macklin (G.B.)

Champion: Cesar Seda Jr. (P.R.)

1.Yasatuka Kuroki (Jap.) 2. Raul Garcia (Mex.) 3. Katsunari Takayama (Jap.) 4. Florante Condes (Phil.)

5. Akira Yaegashi (Jap.) 6. Michael Landero (Phil.)

7. Juan Palacios (Nic.) 8. Juanito Hernandez (Mex.) 9.Yader Escobar (Nic.) 10. Manuel Vargas (Mex.)

Champion: Juergen Braehmer (Ger.)

Championship:Vacant

1. Nonito Donaire (Phil.)

2. Jorge Arce (Mex.) 3. Nobuo Nashiro (Jap.) 4. Roberto Vasquez (Pan.) 5. Draian Francisco (Phil.)

6. Kohei Kono (Jap.) 7. Jose Lopez (P.R.) 8. D. Saengmorakot (Thai.)

9. Malik Bouziane (France) 10.Victor Zaleta (Mex.)

Championship:Vacant

1. Denis Lebedev (GB) 2. Alexander Alekseev (Rus.) 3. Gregory Drozd (Rus.) 4. BJ Flores (U.S.) 5. Danny Green (Aus.) 6. Laudelino Barros (Braz.)

7. Steve Herelius (France) 8. Herbie Hide (GB) 9. Matt Godfrey (U.S.) 10.Yoan Pablo Hernandez (Cuba)

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Championship:Vacant

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200

Champion: Marco Huck (Ger.)

175

Championship:Vacant

1. Ulises Solis (Mex.) 2. Edgar Sosa (Mex.) 3. Omar Romero (Mex.) 4. Carlos Tamara (Col.) 5. Brian Viloria (U.S.) 6. Juan C. Reveco (Arg.) 7. Ryo Miyazaki (Jap.) 8. Munetsugo Kayo (Jap.) 9. Shigetaka Ikehara (Jap.) 10. Kazuto Ioka (Jap.)

1. Anthony Peterson (U.S.) 2.Vicente Escobedo (U.S.) 3. Juan Diaz (U.S.) 4. Jorge Barrios (Arg.) 5. Matt Zegan (Pol.) 6. John Murray (GB) 7. Henry Lundy (U.S.) 8. Daniel Dorrego (Arg.) 9. Aleksander Bajawa (Ind.) 10. Thai Tor Silachai (Thai.)

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Championship:Vacant

135

Champion: Juan Manuel Marquez (Mex.)

1. Michael Katsidis (Aus.) 2. Robert Guerrero (U.S.) 3. Ali Funeka (RSA) 4. Miguel Vazquez (Mex.) 5. David Diaz (U.S.) 6. Antonio DeMarco (Mex.) 7. Kevin Mitchell (GB) 8. Jorge Barrios (Arg.) 9. Anthony Peterson (U.S.) 10. Paulus Moses (NAM)

147

Champion: Manny Pacquiao (Phil.)

1. Kell Brook (GB) 2. Mike Jones (U.S.) 3. Rafal Jackiewicz (Pol.) 4. Saul Alvarez (Mex.) 5. Joshua Clottey (Ghana) 6.Vitaliy Demyanenko (KAZ) 7. Alfonso Gomez (Mex.) 8. Bethuel Ushona (NAM) 9. Luis Carlos Abregu (Arg.) 10. Diego Chaves (Arg.)

140

Champion:Timothy Bradley (U.S.) 1.Victor Ortiz (U.S.) 2. Cesar Rene Cuenca (Arg.) 3. Lucas Matthysse (Arg.) 4. Nate Campbell (U.S.) 5. Paulie Malignaggi (U.S.) 6. Ruslan Provodnikov (Rus.) 7. Andreas Kotelnik (Ukr.) 8. Demetrius Hopkins (U.S.) 9. Lance Gostelow (Aus.) 10. Lamont Peterson (U.S.)

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130

Champion: Roman Martinez (P.R.) 1. Ricky Burns (GB) 2. Terdsak Jandaeng (Thai.)

3. Eloy Perez (U.S.) 4. Ji Hoon Kim (S.K.) 5. Leva Kirakosyan (Arm.) 6. Sergey Gulyakevich (Bel.) 7.Vicente Rodriguez (Arg.) 8. Mzonke Fana (S.A.) 9. Rey Labao (Phil.)

10. Urbano Antillon (Mex.)

126

Champion: Juan Manuel Lopez (P.R.) 1. Rafael Marquez (Mex.) 2. Antonio Escalante (Mex.) 3. Daniel Ponce De Leon (Mex.) 4. Oleg Yefimovich (Ukr.) 5. Bernabe Concepcion (Phil) 6. Steven Luevano (U.S.) 7. Lorenzo Villanueva (Phil.)

8. Andreas Evensen (Nor.) 9. Matt Remillard (U.S.) 10. Jesus Cuellar (Arg.)

122

Champion: Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (P.R.) 1. Sod Looknongyangtov (Thai.)

2. Kenichi Yamaguchi (Jap.) 3. Rico Ramos (U.S.) 4. Zsolt Bedak (Hun.) 5.Victor Fonseca (P.R.) 6. Marvin Sonsona (Phil.)

7. Ricardo Cordoba (Pan.) 8. Jonathan Oquendo (P.R.) 9. Daniel Iannazzo (Aus.) 10. Kiko Martinez (Spain)

118

Champion: Fernando Montiel (Mex.) 1. Jorge Arce (Mex.) 2. Jason Booth (GB) 3. William Gonzalez (Nic.) 4. Alex John Banal (Phil.)

5. Chris Avalos (U.S.) 6. Pungluang Sor Singyu (Pan.) 7. Sahib Usarov (Rus.) 8. Joseph Agbeko (Gha.) 9. Paulus Ambunda (NAM) 10. Abner Mares (Mex.)

115

Champion: Omar Narvaez (Arg.)

1. Mavhuzo Nedzanani (S.A.) 2. Juan Alberto Rosas (Mex.) 3. Duangpetch Saengmorakot (Thai.)

4. Drian Francisco (Phil.)

5. Jose Cabrera (Mex.) 6. Jose Lopez (PR) 7. Takefumi Sakata (Jap.) 8. Roberto Domingo Sosa (Arg.) 9. Isack Junior (Ind.) 10. Angky Angkota (Ind.)

112

Champion: Julio C. Miranda (Mex.) 1. Andrea Sarritzu (Italy) 2. Jesus Jimenez (Mex.) 3. Rayonte Whitfield (U.S.) 4. Raul Martinez (U.S.) 5. Zolani Tete (S.A.) 6. Takuya Kogawa (Jap.) 7. Rafael Lozano (Spain) 8. Wilbert Uicab (Mex.) 9. Wandee Singwancha (Thai.)

10. Richie Mepranum (Phil.)

108

Champion: Ivan Calderon (P.R.) 1. Omar Nino Romero (Mex.) 2. Brian Viloria (U.S.) 3. Ulises Solis (Mex.) 4. Edren Dapudong (Phil.)

5. Samuel Gutierrez (Mex.) 6. Cesar Canchilla (Col.) 7. Ramon Garcia (Mex.) 8. Adrian Hernandez (Mex.) 9. Noknoi Sitthiprasert (Thai.)

10. Tommy Seran (Ind.)

105

Champion: Donnie Nietes (Phil.)

1. Carlos Buitrago (Nic.) 2. P. Muangchaiyaphum (Thai.)

3. Rammel Asenjo (Phil.)

4. Milan Melindo (Phil.)

5. Juanito Hernandez (Mex.) 6. Gideon Buthelezi (S.A.) 7.Yader Escobar (Nic.) 8. Florente Condes (Phil.)

9. Raul Garcia (Mex.) 10. Katsunari Takayama (Jap.)

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BUENOS AIRES – Estadio Luna Park – After making 16 defenses of the WBO flyweight title, southpaw Omar Narvaez, 116¾, 31-02 (19), Cordoba, moved up to bantamweight to take on Santiago Ivan Acosta, 118, 16-5-2 (7), La Plata, Buenos Aires, in a non-title bout, winning by UD10 (100-92, 100-91 twice).

Narvaez was the busier fighter throughout, upping the tempo during the middle rounds, throwing combinations upstairs and down.

(2-24-10)

BELGIUM MERKSEM, ANTWERPEN – Lotto Arena – Power-puncher Randall Bailey, 146¾, 41-7 (36), Miami, in his second fight at welterweight, earned another title shot, in an IBF eliminator against Jackson Osei Bonsu, 146½, 31-4 (24), Antwerpen, knocking his foe out inside one round. Bonsu was down twice, with Bailey’s left hook sending him to the mat for good.

(3-19-10)

LEVALLOIS-PERRET, HAUTS-DE-SEINE – Palais des Sport Marcel Cerdan – Souleymane M’baye, 146½, 39-3-1 (21), Levallois-Perret, who held the WBA 140lb. belt in 2006-’07, moved up to welterweight and won the interim WBA title with a UD12 (116-113 twice, 116-112) over Antonin Decarie, 146¾, 23-1 (7), Laval, Quebec, Canada. Decarie was down in round four.

(5-28-10)

GERMANY PRENZLAUER BERG, BERLIN – Max Schmeling Halle – In his fourth fight since becoming the IBF mandatory in early 2008, Alexander Povetkin, 223½, 19-0 (14), Moscow, scored a TKO5 (0:50) over Javier Mora, 257½, 22-6-1-1NC (18), Anaheim, CA. Mora was down three times, which prompted referee Daniel Van de Wiele to halt the bout.

(3-13-10)

Vorpommern, defended his interim WBC middleweight title for the second time with a UD12 (117-110, 116-111 twice) over Domenico Spada, 159¼, 30-3 (15), Rome.

Zbik’s speed, technique and finesse trumped Spada’s aggression. In round four, a clash of heads left a cut above Zbik’s left eye, and, as per the WBC’s rules, Spada was deducted a point. Their initial encounter last year was a close one as Zbik won by a point on all cards.

(4-17-10) ROSTOCK, MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN – Stadthalle – Returning from his loss to Wladimir Klitschko in June of last year, former WBA heavyweight titlist Ruslan Chagaev, 231, 26-1-1 (17), Hamburg, won an eliminator for that same belt with a UD12 (118-110, 117111, 117-112) over Kali Meehan, 230, 35-4 (29), Wyongah, New South Wales, Australia.

The southpaw was the busier fighter and showed good defense as well.

(5-22-10)

Sumio Yamada

ARGENTINA

CANADA QUEBEC CITY – Pesi Coliseum – Returning from his rematch loss to Lucien Bute, Librado Andrade, 169¼, 29-3 (22), La Habra, CA, scored a TKO8 over Eric Lucas, 169, 39-8-3 (15), Magog. Andrade was simply too busy for the 39-year-old former WBC 168lb. titlist to keep up. Lucas would suffer a bloody nose and cuts over both eyes before the bout was called off at the end of the eighth.

TV – ESPN2 (5-28-10)

FRANCE PARIS – Halle Georges Carpentier – In his second fight since moving up to heavyweight, former cruiserweight champion Jean-Marc Mormeck, 216¼, 35-4 (22), Pantin, SeineSaint-Denis, won a controversial UD10 (9695 twice, 96-94) over Fres Oquendo, 216¾, 32-6 (21), Chicago. Mormeck tried to fight inside but Oquendo’s right hand and uppercut counter shots kept him at bay. Round five was Mormeck’s best as he finally fought his way in to land to the head and body. But Oquendo regained control and was on the verge of a stoppage in the final frame.

(5-6-10) 62

Sebastian Zbik [r.] retained his interim WBC middleweight title with a decision over Domenico Spada in Germany.

DUSSELDORF, NORDRHEIN-WESTFALEN – ESPRIT Arena – In his fourth fight as a heavyweight, former cruiserweight title challenger Johnathon Banks, 224¾, 24-1 (17), Detroit, earned a TKO6 (1:51) over Travis Walker, 244¾, 34-4-1 (28), Houston, to pick up the vacant NABF belt. A right hand floored Walker for good.

(3-20-10) MAGDEBURG, SACHSEN-ANHALT – Bordelandhalle – In a rematch, Sebastian Zbik, 159¾, 29-0 (10), Schwerin, Mecklenburg-

GELSENKIRCHEN, NORDRHEIN-WESTFALEN – Veltins Arena – Johnathon Banks, 226, 241-1 (17), Detroit, fought to a split draw against Jason Gavern, 226, 19-7-4 (8), Kissimmee, FL, in defense of his NABF belt. In a bout filled with clinches, Gavern was deducted a point in the sixth round while Banks had a point taken away in the seventh. It appeared that Banks dropped Gavern in the eighth with a clean shot but it was ruled a slip. The judges had it 115-111 Banks, 114-112 Gavern and 113-113.

(5-29-10)

IRELAND His compatriot, super middle Luis Garcia, 172, 6-0 (4), easily outpointed Germany’s Alexander Sipos, 172, 19-10-2 (9), by 6054. Sipos often connected with strong left hooks to the head but Garcia, like Perez a resident of Cork, was never worried and gave a fine exhibition of skillful boxing and hard, accurate punching.

Cavan’s European and Irish lightweight champion Andy Murray, 137, 19-0 (10), had it easy when Cheshire’s Amir Unsworth, 137, 10-3-1 (1), retired at the end of the second round with a badly cut left eyebrow. Murray’s better boxing had him well in front at the conclusion.

Mayo cruiser Michael Sweeney, 179, 9-11 (5), was scheduled to meet Ian Tims for the vacant Irish cruiser belt but the Dubliner pulled out with illness and Sweeney went in with Belfast’s Tommy Tolan, 178, 3-3 (2), to win 40-35.

Sumio Yamada

LIMERICK – University Sports Arena – When local star southpaw Andy Lee, 162, 21-2 (15), climbed into the ring to face former European junior welterweight champion and WBA challenger Mamadou Thiam, 160, 46-9 (43), he knew he had to hand out a lesson to the talkative West African middleweight who promised to knock him out.

In doing so, Lee would also be answering the critics who have been claiming that his career has gone adrift after a promising start in the US. He got his message across in two rounds, though the ending was very unsatisfactory with Thiam retiring in his corner before the third with a sprained back after stumbling to the boards three times in the first. “Ok, it was an easy fight but I’ve had my share of tough ones too in the past,” said Lee, “but from here on, I want to get bigger names and move up the ratings, both European and world.”

Ruslan Chagaev [l.] maintained a busier pace, winning a decision over Kali Meehan in a WBA eliminator.

Certainly Andy had it easy against Thiam, who fired shots well out of range. When he got back to his corner after the second round, having lost both sessions, he said he had hurt his back and retired.

Limerick’s Jamie Power, 172, 7-2 (4), failed in his dream to win the vacant Irish light heavy title before his home fans when he was outpointed 97-91 by Mayo’s John Waldron, 173, 5-2 (2).

Cuban southpaw heavyweight Mike Perez, 227, 10-0 (8), made Irish boxing history by winning two bouts in the same night. Opening the card, he had a TKO in 48 seconds by disposing of Latvian Edgars Kalnars, 214, 2123 (12), who was dropped twice by rights to the head.

An hour or so later, Perez was back in the ring, but this time he had to go into the third before fellow southpaw, from the Czech Republic, Tomas Mrazek, 223, 4-28-5 (3), retired with a badly cut eye at 1:48. Perez, based in Cork, was always on top.

At super middle, Mullingar’s Paddy McDonagh, 168, 3-0, Ireland’s youngest pro at 18, had a 58-57 win over Belfast’s Ciaran Healy, 167, 10-15-1 (2).

In another close one, Waddington light middle Ryan Clark, 155, 1-11-2, had his second loss in 10 days when beaten 39-38 by Galway debutante Alan Donnellan, 156.

Promoter – Brian Peters Matchmaker – Mutley Announcer – Marty Morrissey At Ringside – Thomas Myler (5-15-10)

JAPAN TOKYO – Korakuen Hall – In his first bout back since losing his WBC flyweight title, Daisuke Naito, 115, 36-3-3 (23), Tokyo, moved up one division to KO5 (2:12) Liempetch Sor Veerapol, 114¾, 17-7 (10), Thailand.

(5-9-10)

MEXICO ENSENADA, BAJA CALIFORNIA – Explanada de Pueblo Antiguo – WBA 108lb. champion Giovanni Segura, 112, 24-1-1 (20), Bell Gardens, CA, took a non-title bout at flyweight against Colombian Ronald Ramos, 112, 28-8-3 (14), and stopped him after four frames. Ramos was floored in the fourth and sustained punishment for the round’s duration, opting not to come out for the fifth.

(3-27-10) MONTERREY, NUEVO LEON – La Explanada Del Palacio Municipal – Returning from a hiatus of over two years, Erik Morales, 147, 49-6 (34), San Ysidro, CA, last seen losing in a lightweight title bid, was now in a welterweight incarnation and incidentally took on another lightweight also venturing the welterweight waters for the first time in Jose Alfaro, 147, 23-6-0-1NC (20), Nagarote, Nicaragua. It was a war of attrition with many sustained exchanges, and Morales got the better of it, winning a UD12 (117-111, 116112 twice).

TV – PPV (3-27-10) CIUDAD OBREGON, SONORA – Centro de Usos Multiples – In an over-the-weight nontitle bout, WBO 115lb. titlist Jorge Arce, 119, 54-6-1 (41), Los Mochis, Sinaloa, scored a KO7 (0:58) over Cecilio Santos, 119, 24-14-3 (14), Mexico City. A flurry of punches downed Santos for the count.

(4-24-10) AGUASCALIENTES – Plaza Monumental – Under new trainer Robert Garcia, Antonio Margarito, 154, 38-6-1 (27), Tijuana, returned following his suspension from boxing for allegedly attempting to use tampered hand wraps against Shane Mosley in their January 2009 welterweight title fight, to win a workmanlike UD10 (100-88, 99-89, 99-90) over Roberto Garcia, 153, 28-3-0-1NC (21), Weslaco, TX. Garcia was dropped in round one, but was game throughout, despite being outworked by Margarito, who threw in combination. Garcia was deducted a point in the eighth for a head butt and another in the 10th round for a low blow.

In the first defense of his interim WBA 130lb. title, Jorge Solis, 130, 39-2-21NC (28), Guadalajara, easily dominated southpaw Mario Santiago, 130, 21-3-1 (14), Ponce, P.R., to win a UD12 (119-108, 118109 twice). Santiago was deducted a point in round nine.

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Craig Bennett/FightWireImages.com

Before ying out of the ring, Kermit Cintron [r.] gave a good account of himself against Paul Williams, despite losing the technical decision.

Urbano Antillon, 135, 28-1 (20), Maywood, CA, won a WBA lightweight eliminator with a UD10 (100-90, 99-91 twice) over Rene Gonzalez, 135, 27-2-1-1NC (21), Managua, Nicaragua. The game Gonzalez was floored in rounds one and seven, but otherwise was competitive in this exciting brawl.

Promoter – Top Rank TV – PPV (5-8-10) GUADALAJARA, JALISCO – Arena Tecate – Juan Carlos Burgos, 125, 25-0 (18), Tijuana, won a WBC featherweight title eliminator with an 11th round stoppage over Ricardo Castillo, 125, 38-8-1 (25), Mexicali. Burgos dominated the contest and Castillo would not rise from his stool at the start of the 11th round.

(5-29-10)

PANAMA PANAMA CITY – Arena Roberto Duran – In his second defense of the interim WBA flyweight title, Luis Concepcion, 112, 20-1 (15), Panama City, scored a TKO4 (2:05) over former WBC 108lb. titlist Eric Ortiz, 111½, 32-10-3 (21), Mexico City.

(4-22-10)

NEW ZEALAND AUCKLAND – The Trusts Stadium – David Tua, 239¾, 51-3-1 (43), South Auckland, continued his comeback with a UD12 (120-108, 119-109, 117-111) over Friday Ahunanya, 229½, 24-6-3 (13), Las Vegas.

Tua was busier, controlling the fight with power shots, but he never hurt his foe.

(3-31-10) 64

VENEZUELA LA GUAIRA – Polideportivo José María Vargas – In his first fight back since losing his WBA 130lb. title by a shocking TKO1, Jorge Linares, 130, 28-1 (18), Tokyo, won a MD10 (97-93, 97-94, 95-95) over Francisco Lorenzo, 129, 34-8 (15), Irvington, NJ. (3-27-10)

UNITED STATES CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES – Club Nokia – Southpaw Victor Ortiz, 143¾, 26-2-1 (21), Oxnard, CA, scored a TKO10 (0:51) over Hector Alatorre, 143, 16-9 (5), Tulare, CA. Ortiz started off establishing a distance with his jab and countering the aggressive Alatorre. In the middle rounds, Ortiz upped his tempo and targeted the body, but Alatorre was game. A left uppercut landed to drop Alatorre in round 10, and although he arose, he staggered to his own corner, prompting referee David Mendoza to stop the bout.

(2-25-10) TEMECULA – Pechanga Resort and Casino – While both fighters fought aggressively, Martin Honorio, 129, 28-4-1 (14), Mexico City, landed the more accurate shots on his way to a UD12 (120-106, 119-107 twice) victory over Wilton Hilario, 128½, 12-1-1 (9), St. Louis Park, MN. Hilario was down twice in round six. He arose and continued to be game until the end, which came well after the final bell had rung, as the two fighters continued trading shots.

Rico Ramos, 123½, 15-0 (9), Pico Rivera, CA, was just too fast for Cecilio Santos, 122¼, 24-13-3 (14), Mexico City, and dominated the action until landing a left hook to the liver to score a KO4 (1:19).

TV – SHO (3-5-10) ONTARIO – Citizens Business Bank Arena – In his third fight as a heavyweight, former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion, Tomasz Adamek, 217, 41-1 (27), Jersey City, won a MD12 (117-111, 115-113, 114114) over Chris Arreola, 250½, 28-2 (25), Escondido, CA. Adamek used his superior technique to control the majority of the fight, landing jabs and combinations from the outside, keeping Arreola off balance. Arreola, whose power kept him dangerous, was able to close the distance in the middle rounds, rocking Adamek on a few occasions, but the Polish fighter held on and even elected to trade punches at times.

Alfredo Angulo, 153¾, 18-1 (15), Coachella, CA, overcame the game efforts of Joel Julio, 153¼, 35-4 (31), Miami, who relied more on his boxing skill and footwork than his power, to retain the interim WBO 154lb. title for the first time with a KO11 (1:39). After being outboxed for the majority of the fight, little by little, Angulo’s pressure began to wilt Julio. In round 11, after closing in, a powerful right hand from Angulo decked and dazed Julio, who could not beat the count.

Promoter – Main Events, Goossen Tutor TV – HBO (4-24-10) CARSON – Home Depot Center – In a bizarre ending, Paul Williams, 152½, 39-1 (27), Augusta, GA, won a technical decision over Kermit Cintron, 154, 32-3-1 (28), Houston, after the two got their feet tangled up and tripped early in round four, with the latter falling through the ropes onto the floor, unable to continue. In round one, the southpaw Williams picked his shots from the outside while Cintron looked for counters.

The following two frames were tame. The fourth round saw a brief exchange before the fall. Cintron stayed still in one position on the ground, as ringside physicians attended to him. As Cintron was carried out on a stretcher, the scorecards were announced at 40-36 each way and 39-37 for Williams, as per California rules, a “no contest” was not rendered. Cintron claimed the fall knocked the wind out of him and that he was willing to continue but the ringside doctor held him down, concerned that he may have cracked a rib. However, Dr. Paul Wallace contended that Cintron twice said that he could not continue.

Argenis Mendez, 130, 16-1 (9), Brooklyn, won a controversial MD12 (116-112 twice, 114-114) over Martin Honorio, 130, 28-5-1 (14), Mexico City, who appeared to control the fight with a busier work rate. Mendez was content to land counter shots.

TV – HBO (5-8-10)

Manuel Perez/HoganPhotos.com

Continuing his heavyweight campaign, Tomasz Adamek [l.] dominated the dangerous Chris Arreola over the distance.

CONNECTICUT UNCASVILLE – Mohegan Sun – Peter Manfredo Jr., 159¾, 33-7 (18), Providence, RI, put on one of his career-best performances against Matt Vanda, 159¾, 42-10 (22), St. Paul, MN, to earn the vacant NABF middleweight title by scores of 100-89 (twice) and 99-90. Working behind a steady jab to set up combinations, Manfredo was simply too busy and too sharp for Vanda, who always gives a solid effort. Manfredo dropped his foe with a left to the body in the sixth round, but the tough Vanda weathered the storm to hear the final bell.

It turned out to be repeat, not revenge, in an NABF featherweight title fight between champion Matt Remillard, 124¾, 21-0 (11), Manchester, CT, and Rafael Lora, 125¾, 11-2 (5), Irvington, NJ. Once again, Remillard stopped Lora, only this time there was no controversy. Back in September, Remillard won by TKO4, but Lora claimed the punch before the final flurry was a low blow.

Lora was the busier fighter over the first two rounds, while Remillard got off to a quicker start in the third, landing solid lefts downstairs and catching Lora with right uppercuts to the head. With less than a minute left in the stanza, an offensive burst from Remillard sent Lora’s mouthpiece flying, then he blasted the body to close the frame.

Lora was holding his left side while on his stool between rounds three and four, and his cornermen threw in the towel, citing two broken ribs.

Rachel Clark, 137¾, 5-3-1 (3), Fayetteville, NC, used her longer reach to effectively outbox Adelita Irizarry, 143½, 6-4 (2), Hartford, CT, to earn a SD6 (58-55, 57-56 each way). A straight left hand dropped Irizarry near the end of the fourth.

Joseph Perez, 132, 3-0 (2), Hartford, used a pressure attack and combination punching to MD4 (39-37 twice, 38-38) Luis Quezada, 131¼, 1-2, Caguas, Puerto Rico. Quezada had heart and let his hands go, but Perez’

UNCASVILLE – Mohegan Sun Casino – Former world champion Steve Forbes, 142, 34-8 (10), Las Vegas, NV, didn’t get the nod on a single judge’s card in an eight-rounder against unheralded Harrison Cuello, 142, 1912-3 (14), Bronx, NY, that ended up being the night’s walkout bout. Cuello, who entered the bout winless in his last five outings, was quicker and simply out-hustled the “The Contender: Season 2” finalist, fighting off the back foot while landing more punches. Forbes picked up the pace in the last two rounds. The scores were 78-74, 77-74 and 76-76.

Manuel Perez/HoganPhotos.com

LOS ANGELES – Staples Center – With both returning from long layoffs, Rafael Marquez, 125½, 39-5 (35), Mexico City, evened the score in his four-fight rivalry against Israel Vazquez, 125½, 44-5 (32), Huntington Park, CA, to earn a KO3 (1:33). After three brutal fights in a row over the course of a year from 2007-’08, each had one interim bout in 2009, Marquez in May and Vazquez in October.

As their fourth bout commenced, the pair met each other on the inside, with Marquez the busier and more accurate of the two, opening a cut over Vazquez’ left eye with his right hand. Vazquez had a better second round, landing his own rights, but was then cut over his right eye in the third after an accidental head butt. Despite the cuts, Vazquez continued fighting aggressively, but Marquez landed a right upstairs that floored his wounded foe. Vazquez arose but was met with a barrage of punches that prompted referee Raul Caiz Jr. to stop the bout.

TV – SHO (5-22-10)

punches landed with much more authority.

Arash Usmanee, 130¼, 5-0 (2), Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, won a technical decision (50-45, 49-45 and 4847) over Jorge Ruiz, 135, 7-11-2, Miami, FL, after the bout was stopped in the fifth due to a cut Ruiz sustained on the top of his head from an accidental head butt. Usmanee often fell short with his long jab—Ruiz had decent head movement—and his opponent was more than stingy with his punch output.

J’Leon Love, 165¼, Detroit, MI, showed no love to Vince Burkhalter, 163¼, 0-3, Philadelphia, PA, dropping him twice in the opening round with right hands. Burkhalter never got off his knees to beat the count after the second knockdown, at the 1:33 mark.

Joseph Elegele, 144, 3-0 (2), Melbourne, FL, stopped Chris Russel, 142, 1-1, Shaddock, OK, at the 1:26 mark of the first round with a left to the body.

Promoter – TKO Boxing Promotions At Ringside – Kirk Lang (1-29-10)

Alfredo Angulo [l.] came from behind to KO Joel Julio in the 11th round, retaining his interim WBO 154lb. title.

65

Tom Casino/SHO

In one of the modern era’s greatest rivalries, Rafael Marquez evened the score against Israel Vazquez, stopping him in three.

Former WBC cruiserweight champion Wayne Braithwaite, 200, 24-4 (20), Brooklyn, NY, scored a KO1 (2:59) of Adam Harris, 194, 10-3 (7), Worcester, MA. Two straight lefts and an uppercut sent Harris to the canvas.

Derric Rossy, 236¼, 25-2 (14), Medford, NY, won a less-than-spectacular UD12 (120107, 118-109, 117-110) over 36-year-old Zack Page, 208, 20-28-2 (7), Warren, OH. The fight was a rematch of an eight-rounder Rossy dominated in August 2007. The taller Rossy won again, largely with the jab, but occasionally fired nice bursts of punches.

Page was down in the sixth from a right uppercut.

Ryan Coyne, 191, 14-0 (4), St. Louis, MO, remained undefeated with a UD8 (78-74, 7775 twice) over Paul Jennette, 194, 11-3 (8), Greensboro, NC. James Hope, 142, 5-4 (4), Rock Hill, SC, defeated Andres Navarro, 136¼, 4-3-1 (4), Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, by scores of 40-36 on all cards. Hope may have swept the rounds, but Navarro’s willingness to trade punches at close quarters made it entertaining.

Antonio Sanchez, 142, 1-0-1, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, and Calvin Pritchard, 139¼, 0-12, Toldeo, OH, fought to a four-round draw (39-37 each way, 38-38).

Angel Santana, 144, 8-0 (5), Miami, FL, scored a TKO4 (2:59) over Darien Ford, 147¼, 11-19 (4), New Orleans, LA. Santana scored two knockdowns in the third round and one in the fourth before referee Arthur Mercante Jr. ended the one-sided affair.

Promoter – Don King Ring Announcers – Michael Buffer, Marc Lichtenfeld TV – HBO At Ringside – Kirk Lang (3-6-10) 66

MASHANTUCKET – Foxwoods Resort Casino – Tony Grano, 222, 17-1-1 (13), Hartford, looking to avenge his only pro defeat, fought a much more disciplined fight in his second go against Mark Brown, 231, 15-3 (7), Salem, NJ, and won a UD10 (98-91, 97-92 twice).

He fought at a measured pace and used the jab to great effect to set up impressive combinations. Brown hardly ever threw a punch in return, until the final frame, landing a right that decked Grano. However, when Grano arose, Brown failed to capitalize.

Mike Oliver, 120, 23-2 (8), Hartford, registered a KO3 (2:19) of Kermin Guardia, 120, 37-12 (21), Miami, FL. Oliver launched a half hook-half uppercut right hand that put Guardia on the canvas for a full count.

2008 Olympian Sadam Ali, 145, 6-0 (3), Brooklyn, NY, looked like a future star en route to a KO3 (1:32) over Jose Duran, 145, 6-5-2 (3), Sarasota, NY. After hurting Duran with a left hook early in the third, Ali ended matters with a right hand-left hook combination that snapped Duran’s head back and sent his mouthpiece flying before his body hit the canvas for a full count.

Joe Smith Jr., 175, Long Island, NY, needed 43 seconds to dispose of Carlos Adams, 177, Memphis, TN. A left hook from Smith put Adams on the mat about 20 seconds in, then a follow-up barrage ending with a right upstairs dropped Adams again.

Returning from a year layoff due to hand injuries, Manuel Antonio Lopes, 166, 5-0-2 (1), Marshfield, MA, barely kept his unbeaten record intact with a majority draw (39-37, 38-38 twice) against Greg McCoy, 166, 0-11, New Haven. Lopes controlled the first two frames with better technique, but McCoy used his pressure and body attack to take the next two rounds. In the fourth, McCoy landed

a huge right uppercut then rained punches on Lopes.

David Bauza, 158, 4-0 (3), Hartford, looked like he was going to have an easy night against Erix Quintros, 157, 2-4 (1), Atlanta, GA, wobbling his foe in the opening seconds with a left hook and two right hands, but Quintros weathered the storm and gave a credible account of himself, to lose on the cards, 40-36, 39-37, 38-38.

Edwin Soto, 141, 3-0 (2), New Haven, dominated Joey Ortega, 141, 3-17 (1).

Lowell, MA, en route to a TKO2 (2:31).

Promoter – CES Boxing Announcer – John Vena At Ringside – Kirk Lang (3-12-10) UNCASVILLE – Mohegan Sun Arena – USBA welterweight champion Delvin Rodriguez, 146¼, 25-4-2 (14), won a UD12 (119-108, 118-109, 117-110) over Mike Arnaoutis, 146¼, 22-5-2 (10). It was Rodriguez’ consistent output of jabs and straight rights against Arnaoutis’ perhaps more eyecatching, but less frequent, power punches.

Rodriguez dominated the action over the first third of the fight with steady jabs and stiff right hands that prevented the smaller Arnaoutis from getting inside. Arnaoutis started to experience some success in the fifth, landing telling shots, albeit sporadically.

After a close sixth round, the seventh saw Arnaoutis do some good work but it was all negated when he had a point taken away for a low blow. Rodriguez opened up a cut around Arnaoutis’ left eye early in an exciting 11th round.

Behind a solid jab that set up rapid-fire flurries, southpaw Demetrius Andrade, 10-0 (7), showed off his skill set against Geoffrey Spruiell, 8-9 (2), to win a UD6 (all 60-54).

Switching to an orthodox stance in round four, a right to the body prefaced some great work upstairs from Andrade, most notably two stiff rights to the head. Spruiell was forced to the ropes, where Andrade continued to tee off on him. Spruiell let his hands go in the fifth, but Andrade stunned him with a right uppercut at the end of the round.

Yan Barthelemy, 121¾, 10-2 (2), a 2004 Olympic gold medalist for Cuba, registered a TKO4 (1:16) of 2004 US Olympian Roberto Benitez, 120¼, 6-1 (3), Bronx, NY. Benitez pressed the action in the opening frame and hurt Barthelemy in the second. However, the Cuban, now based in Miami, FL, came to rock Benitez with a right hook in round three. A cut along Benitez’ left eyebrow caused by a punch is what halted the fight.

Southpaw Joe Greene, 162½, 22-0 (14), Queens, NY, won a less-than scintillating unanimous eight-round decision (79-73, 7874, 77-75) over Chris Gray, 162¼, 12-12 (1), Baton Rouge, LA. Yathomas Riley, 172¼, 8-0-0-1NC (6), Bronx, NY, dropped Walter Foster Jr., 175, 4-2 (4), St. Louis, MO, three times en route to a TKO2 (1:20). Rights to the body were responsible for the first two knockdowns, but

Foster’s third and final trip to the canvas was the result of a big left to the head.

Shqiprim Muriqi, 164¼, 3-0 (2), Yonkers, NY, scored a TKO3 (2:08) of Fasika Bezabeh, 165¾, 0-4, New York, NY. Muriqi stunned Bezabeh with a left hook in the second round and was unleashing power shots with Bezabeh backed against the ropes when the one-sided affair was halted.

Promoter – Star Boxing TV – ESPN2 At Ringside – Kirk Lang (4-2-10)

DELAWARE DOVER – Dover Downs – Michael Stewart, 147, 45-7-2 (24), New Castle, scored a TKO5 (1:35) over Brandon Baue, 146½, 12-4 (10), Troy, MO. The mayhem started immediately, with a spirited attack by the intruder who had Stewart against the ropes when a lash-back left hook scored a flash knockdown. Baue bounced up, but with a badly cut left eye.

Brandon got right back into the fight, and by the next round once again had the favorite on the run. Bleeding like the fabled stuck pig, the underdog attacked relentlessly, while the favorite took a more relaxed course. It ended with a left hook counter that Stewart had been looking to land.

Mike Tiberi, 163½, 12-1 (5), Smyrna, gained a fairly routine UD6 (60-54, 59-55 twice) from spoiler Michael Rayner, 164, 6-15 (5), Fayetteville, NC. The southpaw visitor’s principal tactic was having the corner yell about holding. In the fourth, he stepped away from a flurry and got rocked by a right, but escaped. The final was the only all-action round, with Rayner enjoying an edge.

Anthony Caputo (Smith), 176, 3-0 (2), Kennett Square, appeared to be fed a fish in Jason Johns, 172, 0-2, Danville, VA, but not so. Caputo quickly rocked the underdog with a right, then followed with a left hook to send him down. Johns fought back well until a right sent him down again in round two. In the third, Jason was down three more times, first from a right and then twice from wild misses and exhaustion, which de Wysocki counted as knockdowns, ending the bout at 2:57.

Popular Dan Biddle, 195, 3-1 (3), Hockessin, wowed fans by stopping hardluck Eddie Otts, 193, 0-6-1, Salisbury, in 2:04 of an explosive first. Biddle scored at will with full swings from long range, and just as Otts began to find his groove, buried him with a right-left.

David Hopkins, 143, 4-0 (1), Roanoke, battled to a deserved majority win (39-37 twice, 38-38) over hard-luck Mike Denby, 142½, 2-4-3 (2), Felton, DE. The slippery Hopkins “ran” and countered sharply to take the first two from the wide-open aggressor Denby. Mike’s tactic started to click in the third when he began to corral D-Hop and jarred him with a right. Round four was a war.

Julias Edmonds, 142, 6-6, Philadelphia, applied effective pressure against the slick

southpaw Mondre Pope, 143, 3-1-1, Norfolk, as both smoked the body. Mondre landed solid counters, but Julias also smothered many of them, and overwhelmed Pope on the inside to earn a UD6 (59-55, 58-56 twice).

Ronica Jeffrey, 123, 3-0 (1), Brooklyn, TKO’d Angel Gladney, 122½, 6-1-1 (5), Columbia, SC, in 1:10 of the second. Gladney tried to swarm, but Jeffrey was too big and strong, jarring Gladney repeatedly with short counters. Gladney was down twice from right hands, then rocked on the ropes to prompt referee Steve Smoger to stop it.

In a pleasing slugfest, John Colvin, 158½, 3-8 (3), Pennsboro, WV, scored a mild shocker by stopping Bernard Miller, 162½, 3-2-1, Lewes, at 1:44 of the second, with a straight right and left hook.

Promoter – Ed Sutor (Dover Downs) Matchmaker – Nick Tiberi Commissioner In Charge – Greg Sirb At Ringside – J. R. Jowett (2-26-10)

FLORIDA FORT LAUDERDALE – War Memorial Auditorium – Former lightweight titlist Paul Spadafora, 44-0-1 (18), Pittsburgh, fought as a junior welter to beat the pulp out of Italy’s Ivan Fiorletta, 24-6-2 (7). Spadafora has won eight times since leaving lightweight, and against Fiorletta, demonstrated his superior defensive technique, with new trainer Pernell Whitaker in his corner. Fiorletta was so frustrated by trying to land a clean punch that he attempted to knee Spadafora to the body during round seven, leading to a point deduction. With Fiorletta bleeding on the left side of his face, swollen from his cheekbone up to his eye, the fight was stopped in the eighth round.

At Ringside – Kenneth W. Ogilvie (3-12-10) KEY WEST – Mallory Square – 2004 Olympic gold medalist and Cuban heavyweight hopeful Odlanier Solis, 268½, 16-0 (12), Miami, earned a TKO3 when Carl Davis Drummond, 228½, 26-3 (20), Limon, Costa Rica, would not leave his stool for round four, after sustaining a beating over the three completed heats.

Jorge Diaz, 124, 13-0 (8), New Brunswick, NJ, won a UD8 (all 76-74) over Alejandro Lopez, 123½, 13-1 (2), Tijuana.

Promoter – Top Rank TV – Fox Espanol (3-20-10) SUNRISE – BankAtlantic Center – Welterweight prospect Antwone Smith, 146¾, 18-1-1 (10), Miami, scored a KO3 (2:40) over Franklin Gonzalez, 146½, 13-5 (9), D.R., on the Berto-Quitana undercard.

(4-10-10)

ILLINOIS CHICAGO – UIC Pavilion – Marcus Johnson, 167, 19-0 (14), Houston, controlled the pace of the bout to score a UD10 (98-92 twice, 97-93) over Derek Edwards, 168, 25-1 (13), Winston-Salem, NC, who could not keep up and tired down the stretch.

In an entertaining scrap, Don George, 167, 20-0-1 (17), Chicago, won a UD8 (79-72, 77-74, 76-75) over Osumanu Adama, 167, 17-2 (13), Miami. George weathered Adama’s speed and work rate to score a knockdown in round seven.

Edwin Rodriguez, 169, 15-0 (11), Worcester, MA, used a sustained attack to weaken Kevin Engel, 170, 17-3-0-1NC (14), St. Louis, MO, until he succumbed to a right to the body, which floored him for the count in round six at 2:35.

TV – SHO (4-30-10) CHICAGO – UIC Pavilion – An unintentional head butt in the first round resulted in a severe gash under the left eye of Gabriel Martinez, 149, 24-1-1-1NC (13), Empalme, Sonsora, MX, leaving him unable to continue against Jesus Soto Karass, 149, 24-4-3-1NC (16), Los Angeles. The bout was ruled a nocontest.

(5-29-10)

MARYLAND GLEN BURNIE – Michael’s 8th Avenue – The top bout ended in the fifth-round disqualification of Fred McClinton, 192½, 2-2-1 (1), Winston-Salem, after an ugly but rousing struggle against Venroy July, 198½, 4-0-1 (2), Suitland. Bad blood started in the first, as the visitor wanted to circle and counter while the southpaw favorite wanted to mug him on the inside. During a mauling clinch, McClinton paid July back with a low blow, and later, lifted him and applied a head-first pile driver into the canvas. The second was a good action round, but in the third, July went to the canvas after missing a punch and McClinton took a swipe at him (and missed) while down. July was getting the better of the action, but vigorous holding and grappling escalated into the fifth, when McClinton delivered another low blow. After being warned by the ref, Fred immediately stepped in, tied Venroy up and began rabbit punching, leading to the disqualification at the 1:00 mark.

The much bigger Lenwood Dozier, 142, 5-2-1 (2), Laurel, wanted to circle and box while the busy Julias Edmonds, 142½, 7-6, Philadelphia, swarmed on the inside to earn a UD6 (58-55, 57-56 twice). Dozier fought back 67

relentlessly at close quarters, and every round was tight, but the visitor was setting the pace and making the favorite fight his fight. A left-right in the first caused Edmonds to lose his balance and touch his glove on the canvas for a knockdown call.

Daniel Kooij, 195½, 7-0 (3), Vero Beach, FL, won a UD6 (all 60-53) over Robert McConnell, 197, 4-3-1 (2), Ellicott City.

McConnell couldn’t deal with Kooij’s reach, and got rocked repeatedly by long rights behind the ear. In the second, he was hurt and stumbled down twice, but Camponeschi ruled slips. In the final round, Robert was at last dropped officially.

In a sloppy but rousing scheduled four, Nick Kisner, 201, 3-0 (2), Glen Burnie, KO’d Octavius Davis, 236½, 2-6-1 (1), Wilson, NC, at 1:05 of the second. Davis flailed like a rank amateur while the switch-hitting favorite placed punches well. A straight left from the southpaw finished it.

In a slow paced and crude four, Dwayne McRae, 254, 7-2 (4), Columbia, MD, TKO’d an unhurt but exhausted Corey Winfield, 301, 3-6 (2), Winston-Salem, at 1:59 of the final.

Winfield lost a point in the fourth for holding.

Promoter – Michael and Scott Wagner (Ballroom Boxing, Inc.) & Chet Koerner (TKO Boxing Promotions) At Ringside – J. R. Jowett (4-2-10)

MASSACHUSETTS BOSTON – The Roxy – “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy, 136, 17-0-1 (10), Providence, RI, fought to a SD10 over former Cuban amateur standout Richard Abril, 134, 12-2-1 (6), Miami, FL. Scores were 98-91, 96-94 for Lundy, and 95-94 for Abril. It was battle of two counterpunchers that resulted in not a lot of pop. Abril was credited with a knockdown in the sixth round when an off-balance Lundy, hit with a jab, slipped and his glove touched the canvas. Abril fought well off the back foot throughout the 10 rounds, not giving Lundy an easy target, but the judges clearly favored Lundy’s aggressiveness.

Chris Traietti, 168, 8-2 (5), Quincy, MA, got stopped in two rounds by Eddie Caminero, 166, 6-3 (6), Lawrence, MA. Traietti couldn’t figure out a way to avoid Caminero’s thudding overhand rights in the opening round, and a left hook put him on the canvas. Caminero stunned Traietti in the first 15 seconds of round two with a crisp right hand and then proceeded to bomb away, before the bout was halted at the 1:15 mark.

Ryan Kielczewski, 133, 7-0 (2), Quincy, MA, won a UD6 (58-55, 58-52, 57-55) over Francisco Palacios, 137, 4-10-5 (1), 68

Stamford, CT. The taller Kielczewski began the bout keeping Palacios at bay with his jab and movement. Palacios applied more pressure in the second round but was ineffective.

Kielczewski continued to dominate the action in the next round and spiced things up putting more power shots together and closing the round with two bolo-type half hook-half uppercuts. Palacios dropped Kielczewski with a right hand in the fourth, but the Pole retaliated with a crippling body attack, then countering his foe’s wild attack with educated boxing. Palacios controlled the sixth, as Kielczewski tired.

In a fight that featured far too much holding, Simeon Dunwell, 143, 11-1 (3), Peabody, MA, won a UD6 (60-54, 58-56 twice) over Josh “Bam Bam” Beeman, 142, 4-6-3 (2), Providence, RI. Maceo Crowder, 168½, 2-0 (1), Boston, MA, older brother of 2008 Olympian Demetrius Andrade, defeated debuting Greg McCoy, 163½, New Haven, CT, by UD4 (3936, 39-35 twice). Crowder dropped his foe about two minutes into the fight with a right hand, and dropped him again in the third, just as McCoy was mounting a nice attack.

Promoter – CES Boxing (Jimmy Burchfield) At Ringside – Kirk Lang (1-22-10)

MICHIGAN DETROIT – Joe Louis Arena – Once he came to, people kept trying to tell Andre Dirrell he had won, but he wasn’t sure he believed them. The last thing he remembered he was in the midst of administering a boxing lesson to Arthur Abraham; now he was reviving from a deep sleep and he had no idea how he’d gotten there.

Fighting before a home-state crowd, the Flint super middleweight was awarded an 11th-round disqualification after the previously undefeated German nearly took his head off with an intentional foul—a right hand delivered with Dirrell, 19-1 (13), whose feet had slipped after encountering a wet spot on the ring mat, sitting on the canvas with his legs tucked beneath him.

Dirrell, who seemed comfortable switching from southpaw to orthodox and back, had affected a masterful game plan against Abraham, 168, 31-1 (25), whom he kept on the defensive for most of the evening. Unlike most of Abraham’s previous opponents, who had found the German’s peekaboo style frustrating, Dirrell used it to his advantage, and kept firing away with jabs and one-two combinations.

Dirrell, 167½, scored a knockdown in the fourth when he parried an Abraham charge by shoving the German’s arm aside to land a chopping left to the top of the head that sent his opponent down for the first time in his career.

Both contestants had to overcome some fairly shoddy work by referee Laurence Cole, who appeared to blow the call on at least one knockdown by each man, as well as the inexperience of other Michigan ring officials.

Early in the sixth, Cole let Abraham bully him into calling time for a questionable low blow, even though the referee had made no call when the belt-high punch landed.

Dirrell opened up a cut above Abraham’s right eyelid in the seventh. Two rounds later, when Cole halted action and let the visitor be examined by the ringside physician, Dr. Hicham Ahmed whipped out a gauze pad and applied pressure to the wound for an unbroken stretch of 40 seconds, effectively turning himself into Abraham’s cutman.

Having fought at such a high-energy pace for most of the night, Dirrell seemed to be flagging somewhat down the stretch, and Abraham fought with increasing desperation.

He floored Dirrell in the 10th, only to have Cole disallow the knockdown on the grounds that the fighter’s feet had been entangled.

Abraham had aggressively driven the American there in the first minute of the 11th round when Dirrell, looking as if he had just stepped on a banana peel, went into his ungainly swoon. He was not only sitting atop his legs, but both gloves were down from his attempt to ease the crash when Abraham teed off on him with the right hand.

The German would later claim that he hadn’t realized Dirrell was on the floor when he threw the punch. Since the taller man’s head was now two feet lower than his own, this contention was almost absurd as the one voiced later (by both the boxer and his German promoter Wilfred Sauerland) that Dirrell had been “acting” when he twitched, unconscious, on the canvas.

Although confusion reigned in the ring for several minutes following the pivotal foul, Cole in the end got this one right when he invoked the disqualification. Dirrell had an almost insurmountable lead on the scorecards (98-92, 97-92 twice). Frustrated by his split decision loss to WBC champion Carl Froch in their Stage One bout in England, Dirrell inserted himself right back in the thick of the Super Six series with the win.

Ronald Hearns’ connections weren’t taking many chances when they tabbed Carolina journeyman Marteze Logan, 157¾, 26-43-2 (6), to face “The Chosen One” in the six-round co-feature, and Hearns, 158½, 24-1 (18), did his part, breezing to a UD6 (all 60-54).

Appearing before an American audience for the first time, Sauerland’s 22-year-old middleweight Dominik Britsch, 158½, 18-0 (7), stopped his West Virginia opponent Matt Berkshire in less than five minutes of fighting.

Britsch put Berkshire down with a pair of hard left hooks to the body in the second round, and while the West Virginia fighter, 158½, 10-2-1 (5), made it to his feet and took a mandatory-eight from referee Ansel Stewart, he then signaled his distress by bending over, which was all Stewart needed to stop the fight at the 1:52 mark.

NEVADA LAS VEGAS – Hard Rock Hotel and Casino – Marcos Rene Maidana, 140, 28-1 (27), Buenos Aires, Argentina, retained the interim WBA 140lb. title for the second time with a KO6 (1:38) over Victor Manuel Cayo, 140, 241-0-1NC (16), Santo Domingo, D.R. Although he was decked by a left hook in round two, for much of the bout, Cayo outboxed Maidana and traded equally with him during the exchanges. Maidana surged back to tear into Cayo’s body until one of those shots put him on the canvas for good in the sixth.

With the vacant IBF lightweight title on the line, Joan Guzman, 144, 30-0-1 (17), Brooklyn, once again came in heavy, leaving the belt only available for his opponent Ali Funeka, 135, 30-3-3 (25), East London, South Africa, to win, in their rematch. In

Tom Casino/SHO

Minnesota-based Vincente Alfaro, 121, 2-0, a late substitute, upended Dirrell’s Athens teammate Ron Siler. The star-crossed Siler, who has spent more time in custody since the 2004 Olympics than he has in the gym, was almost 30 by the time he made his oft-delayed debut in the prize ring, and was fighting as a pro for just the second time.

Alfaro decked Siler, 121, 1-1 (1), in the fourth en route to a UD4 (39-36 twice, 38-37).

Lateef Kayode, 198½, a Nigerian cruiserweight, extended his unbeaten mark to 11-0 (10) with a fourth-round stoppage of Chris Thomas, 193, 17-10 (14). Two solid rights put Thomas down, but after watching referee Ron Cunningham administer the mandatory count the opponent’s corner waved a towel in surrender at 1:43 of the round.

Purnell Gates, 18-1 (13), a 156-pound middleweight from Grandville, struggled to win a split decision in his fight against Grand Rapids journeyman Chis Grays, 160, 9-19 (2).

Stunned in the first round, Keego Harbor (Mich.) heavyweight Rich Power, 229, 11-0 (8), had to climb up off the floor to stop his cross-state opponent, Holland’s Ray Lopez, 226½, 1-1, in the third.

Detroit super middle Darryl Cunningham, 166, 19-2 (9), had a somewhat less than arduous task in winning all four rounds against Illinois veteran Pat Coleman, 2917 (20), who at 165 was a good 18 pounds above his optimal fighting weight.

Detroit welter Vernon Paris, 140, 20-0 (13), didn’t lose a round against Floridabased Colombian Oscar Leon, 144¾, 28-12 (18).

Brian Mihtar, 158, Yemen-born but now domiciled in Detroit, ran his pro log to 13-1 (10), as he handily outpointed Ugandan journeyman Robert Kamya, 156, 17-11 (4), without losing a round.

Promoter – Gary Shaw Promotions in association with Sauerland Events Matchmaker – John Beninanti TV – SHO At Ringside – George Kimball (3-27-10)

Marcus Johnson, a 168lb. prospect, was showcased in Chicago, winning a UD10 over Derek Edwards. addition, Guzman was fined a sizable portion of his purse for coming in nine pounds over the limit. However, Guzman was much improved from his performance in their initial encounter which ended in a draw. Guzman continually landed accurate pot shots until one right hand dropped Funeka in round six.

Funeka increased his punch output over the second half, but Guzman then slowed him down with body shots, en route to winning a SD12 (116-111, 114-113 each way).

Daniel Jacobs, 166½, 19-0 (16), Brooklyn, earned a TKO1 over Jose Miguel Rodriguez Berrio, 164½, 20-5 (12), Caracas, Venezuela, after dropping him twice in the round, then having referee Jay Nady halt the bout in between frames.

(3-27-10) LAS VEGAS – Hard Rock Hotel and Casino – Cuban defect prodigy Erislandy Lara, 156½, 11-0 (6), Miami, boxed his way to a UD10 (all 99-91) over Danny Perez, 155½, 34-7 (17), Carlsbad, CA. The Cuban southpaw utilized his footwork and long reach to keep the stalking Perez at bay, where he could safely land counter lefts.

Promoter – Golden Boy Promotions TV – SHO (4-2-10) LAS VEGAS – Mandalay Bay – What may have been a compelling rematch eight or nine years ago turned out to be a dull, foulfilled affair between two aging greats, when Bernard Hopkins, 175, 51-5-1-1NC (32), Philadelphia, got his revenge in winning a UD12 (118-109, 117-110 twice) over Roy Jones Jr., 175, 54-7 (40), Pensacola, FL, who had beaten the “Executioner” back in 1993.

What made this bout even more ridiculous

is that Jones was coming off of a one-round TKO loss to Danny Green, and in the rematch, Hopkins demonstrated that although both are considerably past their primes, he, at 45, had more left in the tank than Jones did, at 41 years of age.

Hopkins controlled nearly every round with his tactical pace and placement of precision punches, while Jones rarely put together a sustained offense. In fact, the most exciting exchange in the fight came as a result of a foul in round six. After being hit by a Jones’ left hook rabbit punch and taking his allotted recovery time, Hopkins rushed at his adversary in a rage as the pair traded furiously, well after the bell. When the seventh frame commenced, the contest resumed its slow, lulling pace.

Hopkins would go down twice more, although, both times from fouls, in round eight from another rabbit punch and in round 11 from a low blow. In the end, both fighters went to the hospital, Hopkins for collapsing in his dressing room feeling pain in the back of his head, and Jones to sew up a cut over his left eye.

Light heavyweight prospect Ismayl Sillakh, 175, 12-0 (11), Simi Valley, looked impressive easily dispatching southpaw Daniel Judah, 175, 23-5-3 (10), Brooklyn, via TKO2 (0:49).

Judah would drop twice from left hooks.

Former WBC 154lb. titlist Sergio Mora, 161, 22-1-1 (6), Los Angeles, returned for the first time since losing his belt to the late Vernon Forrest in September 2008, and looked like he hadn’t lost a step while earning a TKO7 (1:50) over the tough Calvin Green, 161, 21-5-1 (13), Baytown, TX. Mora used his footwork and combination punching, often digging to the body, to counter Green’s aggression. Referee Russell Mora halted the contest in round seven after he felt Green had taken too much punishment.

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Chris Cozzone/FightWireImages.com

Marcos Maidana [l.] looked impressive in knocking out Victor Cayo in six, in defense of his interim WBA 140lb. title.

Jason Litzau, 129, 27-2 (21), may have received a gift technical decision victory (6865, 67-66 twice), when he abruptly stopped fighting against Rocky Juarez, 130, 28-6-1 (20), Houston, due to a laceration he suffered under his left eye. As usual, the typically slowstarting Juarez fell behind on the scorecards early on, as Litzau use his jab to set up rights upstairs and down. However, once Juarez closed the distance he started landing his own right that seemed to buzz Lizau, and appeared to be able to turn the fight in his favor. Before the start of round eight, ringside physicians deemed Litzau’s cut to be too severe for him to continue, and because referee Jay Nady ruled the cut was caused by an accidental head butt, the bout went to the scorecards.

There was debate whether the cut was caused by a punch, in which case, Juarez would have won by TKO. Ray Nahr, 139, 24-1 (21), Pittsburgh, PA, dropped Angel Hernandez, 144½, 14-5 (11), Gary, IN, three times en route to a TKO2 (2:59). A left hook downstairs dropped Hernandez first, then a straight right resulted in the second knockdown, while an uppercutright hook combination caused the third fall.

Craig McEwan, 159, 18-0 (10), outworked fellow southpaw opponent, Kris Andrews, 157½, 15-9-2 (4), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to win a TKO8 (2:11). With Andrews attempting to land, he left himself open to a right hand that stunned him in the eighth, leading to an ensuing barrage that referee Joe Cortez used as reason to halt the contest.

A more-aggressive-than-usual James McGirt Jr., 169, 22-2-1-1NC (11), Vero Beach, FL, crushed John Mackey, 166, 11-52-1NC (5), Montgomery, AL, at 2:58 of round two with a right hook.

Yaundale Evans, 130, 6-0 (4), Cleveland, landed a right hook to score a TKO2 (2:08) over Juan Baltierrez, 134, 2-2-2 (1), Minneapolis.

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Former amateur star Frankie Gomez, 140, Los Angeles, turned pro with a TKO3 (2:45) over Clayvonne Howard, 143, 2-4 (1), Palm Beach, FL. In the third round, Howard was dazed by a right hook then stopped when Gomez landed a follow-up volley.

Promoter – Golden Boy Promotions, Square Ring Promotions At Ringside – Sean Sullivan (4-3-10) LAS VEGAS – Thomas and Mack Center – After taking 2009 off, 47-year-old former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, 220, 43-10-2 (28), Atlanta, scored a TKO8 (0:55) over Frans Botha, 250, 47-5-1-1NC (28), Newport Beach, CA, with the vacant WBF title on the line. For nearly six rounds, the rust showed on Evander as Botha outboxed him then stifled any offense his foe had by using effective clinching. Then suddenly a left hook from Holyfield stunned Botha to start round six and the momentum shifted, as he dominated the seventh frame with power shots. In round eight, an overhand right to the chin dropped Botha hard, but he arose, only to succumb to Evander’s follow-up barrage, which forced referee Russell Mora to stop the bout.

Promoter – Crown Boxing Inc. Matchmaker – Frank Luca TV – PPV At Ringside – Kenneth W. Ogilvie (4-10-10) LAS VEGAS – Tropicana Hotel and Casino – Former three-time world champion Robert Guerrero, 135, 26-1-1 (18), returning to the ring after putting his career on hold to care of his wife Casey, who is battling Leukemia, stepped up to the lightweight division and dominated Robert Arrieta, 134, 35-16-4 (16), Santa Rosa, Argentina, en route to an TKO8 (0:29). Guerrero won the IBF 130lb.

title in his previous fight back in August but relinquished the belt in February, a little more than a week after his wife underwent a bone marrow transplant. The southpaw from Gilroy, CA, won every round and scored three knockdowns before referee Jay Nady called a halt to the one-sided contest. A straight left downed Arrieta in round two and Guerrero used the same punch to knock his foe into the ropes as the frame ended. Guerrero worked the body in round three to bring the guard down then landed jab-straight left to score the second knockdown. It was this same punch that felled Arrieta for the third time in round eight. A dazed Arrieta arose but began to hold, while Guerrero tried to finish him off and referee Jay Nady halted the bout.

Deontay Wilder, 218, 10-0 (10), Tuscaloosa, AL, the 2008 Olympic US heavyweight bronze medalist, got caught with more punches than he should have against the shorter Alvaro Morales, 291, 4-8-5, Las Vegas, NV, but he ultimately registered a TKO3 (1:23). The 6’7” Wilder didn’t keep a proper distance in the opening round against Morales, but he made some adjustments in the second frame.

Wilder upped the aggression in the third and landed a right hand-left hook combination that hurt Morales. However, there was a push that came into play before Morales hit the canvas and so referee Jay Nady failed to rule it a knockdown. Alvaro Morales took at least 30 seconds to get up from the mat and when he did, his corner, believing he hit his head hard when he went down, decided to stop the fight.

Eighteen-year-old Frankie Gomez, 140, 2-0 (2), East Los Angeles, CA, the 2009 US national champion and the silver medalist at the 2009 AIBA world boxing championships, put on an impressive showing against Ricardo Malfavon, 143, 0-2, Santa Ana, CA, to register a TKO2 (1:06). Gomez doesn’t really believe in an active jab but when he attacks, but he makes up for it with rapid-fire combinations, dropping his foe with a right then ending matters with a barrage.

Abner Cotto, 133, 7-0 (4), Caguas, Puerto Rico, cousin of Miguel Cotto, took a UD4 (all 40-36) over Juan Sandvoal, 131, 1-3 (1), San Bernardino, CA. Juan Velasquez, 126, 10-1 (5), Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, dominated Robert Guillen, 124, 5-7-3 (1), Glendale, AZ, to win a UD4 (all 4036). The taller Velasquez did a great job of keeping Guillen at the end of his punches.

Toddy Junior, 129, 2-0-1, Las Vegas, NV, came out on a tear in the opening round against Rene Torres, 129, 0-1-1, Los Angeles, CA, and closed the show strong in the fourth round, but his lack of effort in the middle frames resulted in the bout being a majority draw (39-37 Torres, 38-38 twice) Promoter – Golden Boy Promotions TV – Telefutura At Ringside – Kirk Lang (4-30-10) LAS VEGAS – MGM Grand – Highly touted Saul Alvarez, 150, 32-0-1 (24), Juanacatlán,

PRIMM – Buffalo Bills’ Star Arena – Julio Diaz, 140, 37-6 (26), Coachella, CA, used his footwork and ring generalship to win a UD10 (99-91, 97-93 twice) over Herman Ngoudjo, 140, 18-4 (10), Montreal. From a distance, Diaz kept the wild-swinging Ngoudjo grounded with precise combinations.

(5-14-10)

NEW JERSEY ATLANTIC CITY – Ballys Park Place Hotel Casino – Kaizer Mabuza, 140, 23-6-3 (14), Temba, South Africa, upset Kendall Holt, 139, 25-4 (13), Paterson, NJ, via TKO6, in an IBF 140lb. eliminator. Holt had success early with his jab and counter shots, but Mabuza was then able to maneuver Holt against the ropes and punish him to the body. As this continued over the next few rounds, Holt was stunned by a left uppercut and right hand as the bell concluded the sixth frame. Holt’s corner pulled their fighter out prior to the start of round seven.

continued to land his right hand to keep the rounds close on the cards.

Normally more aggressive, welterweight prospect Mike Jones, 146¾, 20-0 (16), Philadelphia, utilized his boxing skills to earn a UD10 (98-92 twice, 97-92) over Henry Bruseles, 147, 28-4-1 (15), Gurabo, P.R. Jones tried his best to keep Bruseles at bay with his jab and follow-up shots, but occasionally the Puerto Rican would find his way inside and bang to the body. Bruseles was hurt in round seven but Jones could not finish him off.

(2-27-10) ATLANTIC CITY – Tropicana Hotel, Casino – Southpaw Shamone Alvarez, 147½, 21-2, Atlantic City, stopped Alexis Camacho, 147½, 17-3, Austin, TX, at 1:30 of the seventh round. The action was competitive including a furious second round but the straight left hand of Alvarez, often hurting Camacho, Chris Cozzone/FightWireImages.com

Jalisco, Mexico, overcame some early adversity in his sternest test to score a TKO9 (2:51) over Jose Miguel Cotto, 149, 31-2-1 (23), Caguas, P.R. Cotto came out aggressively and staggered Alvarez into the ropes as he threw a barrage of punches.

However, Alvarez recuperated and boxed from a distance to land a right uppercut that caused Cotto to lose his balance, leading to a knockdown call. With the exception of the sixth and seventh rounds, Alvarez was able to fend off the pressing Cotto with his own power punches. Cotto was throwing less and less and by the ninth round, as Alvarez landed a few right hooks, referee Tony Weeks stopped the bout.

Daniel Ponce de Leon, 125, 39-2 (32), Huntington Park, CA, was busier and attacked from the outside to win a UD10 (97-93, 96-94 twice) over fellow southpaw Cornelius Lock, 125, 19-5-1 (12), Detroit. Lock had some success in the middle frames but really turned on the aggression, landing his left in the final two rounds, stunning Ponce de Leon.

In a wild candidate for “Round of the Year,” Said Ouali, 146, 27-3 (19), Las Vegas, came back from a hard knockdown to drop Hector David Saldivia, 147, 33-2 (26), Comodoro Rivadavia, Chubut, Argentina, twice with left hooks to score a TKO1 (1:47).

Eloy Perez, 129, 17-0-2-1NC (4), Salinas, CA, worked hard against the taller Gilberto Sanchez Leon, 130, 29-7-2 (9), Mexicali, to earn a MD10 (97-93, 96-94, 95-95). Each fighter had their moments, with Leon working his jab from the outside, and Perez pressing his way inside.

Jesse Vargas, 142, 10-0 (5), Las Vegas, outworked Arturo Morua, 141, 25-14-1 (14), Guadalajara, and kept him off balance with punches from all angles, including body shots. A wilting Morua succumbed to a left hook-straight right combination, forcing referee Tony Weeks to call a halt to the bout at 1:20 of round six.

Southpaw Luis Ramos Jr., 136, 15-0 (8), Santa Ana, CA, used his jab-straight left to score a TKO2 (0:55) over Allen Litzau, 138, 13-5 (7), St. Paul, MN. That combination dropped Litzau early in round two, and then staggered him when he arose, prompting referee Russell Mora to stop the bout, to the St. Paul resident’s extreme displeasure.

Litzau, irate by the stoppage call, began screaming, pounding his fists against the corners and throwing himself onto the canvas.

Dion Savage, 168, 8-0 (5), Flint, MI, pounded on Tommie Speller, 166, 5-4 (3), Philadelphia, with wide, swinging hooks, earning a UD8 (all 80-72).

A pair of Las Vegas-based boxers debuted against one another with Daniel Reece, 136, winning a UD4 (all 39-37) over Angel Soto, 137.

Promoter – Golden Boy Promotions, Mayweather Promotions TV – PPV At Ringside – Sean Sullivan (5-1-10)

In his rematch against Ali Funeka, Joan Guzman was much improved in his performance winning a split decision, but came in nine pounds heavy and was ineligible to win the vacant IBF lightweight belt.

Gabriel Rosado, 153½, 14-4 (8), Philadelphia, won a SD10 (96-94 twice for GR, 97-93 SR) over the more experienced Saul Roman, 155, 32-6 (27), Tijuana. Roman had success early, setting up combinations with his jab, but Rosado began landing left hand counter shots. After a heated fifth, it was Rosado’s right hand that stunned Roman in the sixth, however, during the frame, an accidental head clash left a cut over the left eye of Rosado, which bothered him for the rest of the fight. The head butt did also cut Roman, but on his forehead. Rosado

proved to be the difference. In the sixth, Camacho got a little too close and Alvarez landed the left squarely that put Camacho down and out.

Vinny Maddalone, 232½, Flushing, NY, improved to 33-6 with a TKO5 (1:09) over Dominique Alexander, 225½, 19-8-1, Topeka, KS. Alexander was down in the second and twice in the third. Maddalone took advantage of his opponent’s lack of mobility and pounded him along the ropes until referee Sammy Viruet stopped it.

Chuck Mussachio, 172½, 15-1-2, 71

Ray Kasprowicz

At 47 years old, Evander Holyeld overcame early adversity to stop Frans Botha in eight rounds.

Wildwood, NJ, won a close but UD6 over Richmond Dalphone, 176, 2-6-3, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia heavyweight Joey Dawejko, 225½, 3-0, won all four rounds in a decision over Kimani Cunningham, 236, NYC, 0-3.

In his debut, Ishmnel Garcia, 151, Millville, NJ, handed Josh Mercado, 149, 3-1, Cape May, NJ, his first loss with a UD4.

Promoter – Star Boxing (Joe Deguardia) Matchmaker – Ron Katz Timekeeper – Fred Blumstein At Ringside – George Foglia (3-6-10) NORTH BERGEN – Schuetzen Park – Danny McDermott, 135, 8-2-1 (3), Jersey City/N. Bergen, and Brian Miller, 134½, 8-0-3 (3), Schenectady, battled away at full tilt every round in a slugfest, that Miller won by SD8 (79-74, 78-74 for BM, and 77-75 for DM).

The stocky invader bored inside with piston punches, raising the favorite’s head with uppercuts. Unable to keep Miller at bay, McDermott traded at close range, with his longer arms. After Danny took the first, Brian began to find the range in a hotly-contested second. Miller dominated the third in Danny’s chest, but McDermott came back in the fourth with body shots. McDermott got nailed by a big right in round five, but regrouped to regain control of the rest of the frame. In the sixth, Miller never stopped throwing, and connecting, at short range until McDermott unleashed a torrent of sweeping punches. Fighting with a closed left eye, Danny retreated and opened a distance in the seventh. Miller chased him as their styles alternated command through two desperate rounds of high-tension action to the final bell. Miller had the work rate, McDermott the more visible blows.

Jason Escalera, 169, 8-0 (7), Union City, had little in front of him despite the undefeated record of Jesus Torres, 173, now 5-1-1 (4), Miami Beach. Torres hadn’t fought in 10 years and offered nothing but a mad 72

scramble for the exits. After he stumbled past Escalera, a right behind the ear sent him down. During the subsequent panic, a combination of slipping and mauling sent him to the canvas three more times before a second official knockdown when Torres took a knee to escape being hit. Finally, Jason rode him down with a forearm on the back of the neck, and referee David Franciosi had seen enough, at 2:47 of round one.

Eilon Kedem, 122, 11-3-4 (7), Herzelia, Israel, via Queens, gained a deserved UD6 (60-54, 59-55, 58-56) over no bum in Pedro Antonio Salcedo, 122, 3-3 (2), Yauco, PR. The diminutive Kedem was tormented by counters from the bigger Salcedo, but got the contest under control by increasing the pressure and going to the body from the third.

Christian G. Martinez, 143, 3-0 (3), Rio Piedras, PR, via Bronx, got a good fight from debuting Hector Collado, 145, Union City, before stopping him at 1:09 of round three. Collado took a spurious knockdown to start, but was beaten to the punch by rights and rocked twice in round one. Hector was then decked by a crushing left hook off an exchange in the third.

Steve Martinez, 154, 4-0 (4), Bronx, didn’t get much from debuting southpaw Michael Ransom, 159, Greenville, NC. A grazing left hook sent a cowering Ransom to his knees before a solid left hook-straight right floored him a second time for a TKO1 (1:59).

In a crude but hotly contested four, Todd Eriksson, 167, 1-3-1 (1), Dover, finally got a win, stopping Eddie Edmond, 161, 1-1-1, Newark, at 0:59 of round three. In the third, Edmond walked into a booming right, got up but wobbled, and referee Lee stopped it.

Promoter – John Lynch (Pound For Pound Promotions) Matchmaker – Nick Tiberi Timekeeper – Art Spell Announcer – Henry Hascup At Ringside – J. R. Jowett (3-25-10)

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP – Hamilton Manor – Omar Sheika, 181½, 29-9 (20), Paterson, returned in a tough match against Garrett Wilson, 181, 7-4 (2), Philadelphia. Wilson roared out behind a battering jab to storm the first, and it wasn’t until late in the second that Omar got into the fight, and action continued tight into the fourth. Wilson forced a wideopen trading session but paid for it when he was sent reeling from a solid left hook.

Omar poured it on, but Wilson bobbed his way out of that fix. Sheika stayed after him, continuing to land heavy punches until a right sent Garrett reeling against the ropes, and the bout was stopped at the 1:32 mark.

Ahmad Kaddour, 154, 22-2-1 (9), Trenton, won a UD8 (80-72, 79-73 twice) over a clowning and careless Jarome Ellis, 155, 1211-2 (10), Nassau, but had to dodge a bullet in the last round. After getting rocked by a left hook in the first, for the next six rounds, the underdog propped himself on the ropes and covered up while Ahmad tried to find ways to reach him. Trying to finish Ellis off, Kaddour was caught and dazed by a counter left hook.

In a tame contest of lefties, Terrance Cauthen, 148, 34-6 (9), Trenton, won a UD8 (79-73, 78-74, 77-75) over Isam Khalil, 148, 15-2-2 (9), Stockholm. With a wide stance, the rugged Khalil followed the slippery Cauthen around the ring, unable to corral him, while Terrance tagged him with just enough counter rights to control the scoring.

In the seventh, Isam had Terrance grabbing and running, with a long left spinning Cauthen to the canvas with a glove touching before he righted himself, but no knockdown was called.

Rangy David Brown, 170, 1-1 (1), E. Orange, spoiled the debut of touted Alando Swain, 165½, Trenton. Swain couldn’t deal with the height and reach of Brown. Alando took a flash knockdown in the first exchange, and by the second was being routed. He careened face first into a turnbuckle for a standing count, then went to a knee as Brown attacked, for the stoppage at 1:36 of the second.

Joe Njau, 175½, 1-3 (1), Somerset, beat up returning William Salser, 176, 3-1 (2), Mansfield, OH, to win a UD4 (all 40-34).

Salser was decked hard in the first by a right, then again in the second by a right uppercut.

Osnel Charles, 137, 2-2, Atlantic City, was too fearless and aggressive for shifty Marcus Smith, 136, 0-2, Trenton, to win a UD4 (40-35, 39-36, 38-37). Smith circled and countered, but would lose his advantage when rocked by bombs. In the fourth, he fell against the ropes and was dropped by a straight right.

Jason Sosa, 133, 2-0 (1), Camden, had all he wanted from Ramon Ellis, 136½, 0-4, Philadelphia, to win a UD4 (40-36, 39-37 twice). After failing to take Ellis out with an opening blitz, Sosa got two rounds of hectic infighting before putting on a strong finale.

Southpaw Francisco Ortiz, 123, Bayamon, PR, boxed cautiously, shook off an occasional jarring right from Marcos Garcia, 127, Camden, and gained a MD4 (40-36, 39-37,

38-38) in a debuting bout for both.

Promoter/Matchmaker – Nedal Abumahoud At Ringside – J. R. Jowett (3-26-10)

ALBUQUERQUE – Isleta Casino and Resort – Accomplished Cuban amateur Yordanis Despaigne, 173¼, Coral Gables, FL, scored his sixth pro victory without a loss, including four stoppages, with a UD10 (all 100-90) over southpaw Richard Hall, 174¼, 29-8 (27), West Palm Beach, FL. Despaigne displayed an impressive variety of punches in dominating Hall over the distance. As an amateur, Despaigne had over 400 contests and acquired several medals along the way.

(5-7-10)

NEW YORK MANHATTAN – B.B. Kings – In an upset, prospect Joel Torres, 138, 11-1-1 (7) Guaynabo, P.R., was stopped in the eighth round by journeyman Leo Martinez, 133, 15-

mostly short and straight.

Phillip Jackson-Benson, 169, 5-1 (4), Brooklyn, NY, won a UD4 (all 40-35) over Victor Paz, 172, Bronx, NY. Paz was down in the third.

Keisher McLoad-Wells, 113, 3-1 (1), Brooklyn, outfought Laura Gomez, 115, 3-1, Mexico, to win a UD4 (all 40-36).

Denis “Momma’s Boy” Doughlin, 156, 8-0 (4), Morganville, NJ, need just 87 seconds to stop trial horse Chad Greenleaf, 154½, 1215-1 (5), Parkersburg, WV, as they brawled along the ropes.

Promoter – DiBella Entertainment At Ringside – Jerry Glick (3-31-10) MANHATTAN – Roseland Ballroom – Will Rosinky, 176¼, 11-0 (6), Queens, NY, out-

Tom Hogan/HoganPhotos.com

ATLANTIC CITY – Boardwalk Hall – Mike Jones, 146, 21-0 (17), Philadelphia, earned a TKO5 (2:03) over Hector Munoz, 146, 183-1 (11), Albuquerque, NM. Jones’ speed was a factor early as he set up combinations with his jab. Jones continued to batter his outgunned foe for the next few rounds, until a right-left hook combination backed Munoz into the ropes in round five. The Philadelphian landed a few more combinations until Munoz’ corner called to have the bout stopped.

Southpaw Matt Korobov, 160, 11-0 (8), St. Petersburg, FL, earned a workmanlike UD8 (79-73, 78-74 twice) over Joshua Snyder, 159½, 8-5-1 (3), Berlin, MD. Snyder pressured the entire fight, appearing to tire Korobov at the midway point, but the Russian landed his left to the head and body to dictate the action.

Ronald Hearns, 156, 25-1 (19), Southfield, MI, used his sharp jab-right hand combination to score two knockdowns en route to a KO1 (1:47) over Delray Raines, 157, 17-8-1-3NC (12), Paris, AR. Dominick Guinn, 229½, 33-6-1 (22), Hot Springs, AR, earned a TKO7 over Terrell Nelson, 252, 8-10-0-2NC (5), Plainfield, NJ. Guinn started aggressively, flooring Nelson in the first minute of the bout with a right hand, but then fell into his usual lackadaisical pattern. Nelson was hurt by a series of rights at the end of the seventh and opted not to come out for the eighth round.

Vincent Arroyo, 142, 10-1 (7), Amherst, NY, scored an upset KO8 (1:43) over Jeremy Bryan, 142, 13-1 (6), Paterson, NJ. Early on, Bryan had the upper hand in exciting exchanges, knocking Arroyo’s mouthpiece out in round three with a right. A left hook hurt Arroyo in round six and sent him to the ropes, with Bryan unloading combinations.

Both fighters began to tire down the stretch, and Arroyo would lose his mouthpiece twice more in round seven. In the final frame, Arroyo hurt Bryan with rights and drove him to the ropes where he landed a left hook-right uppercut combination, and Bryan fell to the canvas for the full count.

Glen Tapia, 152, 6-0 (4), Passaic, won a UD4 (all 40-35) over James Winchester, 153½, 10-4-0-1NC (3), Greensboro, NC. A left hook floored Winchester in round two, but he arose and was game the rest of the way.

Chris Hazimihalis, 136, 2-0 (2), Youngstown, OH, scored a TKO1 (1:28) over Ramon Ellis, 138, 0-5, Philadelphia.

Hazimihalis landed a counter right to floor Ellis, who arose but could not weather the follow-up barrage.

Promoter – Top Rank, DiBella Entertainment TV – HBO At Ringside – Sean Sullivan (4-17-10)

NEW MEXICO

Staying on his toes, Victor Ortiz [r.] cautiously dominated Nate Campbell in a shutout.

12 (7), Columbus, OH, who used experience to overwhelm Joelo. The busier Martinez pressured his touted foe and fired punches from all angles, while Torres unwisely obliged by trading with him. A weary Torres was stunned in round seven then knocked down against the ropes by a left hook in the next round. Struggling to arise, referee Steve Willis stopped the bout for a TKO8 (1:23).

Tor Hamer, 220, 11-0 (8), New York, NY, appeared to be trying too hard to KO Alexis Mojias, 233, 10-4 (4), Puerto Rico, via the Bronx, NY. He never got the knockout but he did damage his foe’s left eye, as well as deck him in the third with a straight right, en route to a UD6 (60-54, 60-53, 59-54).

Gabriel Bracero, 141, 9-0, Brooklyn, overcame a cut under his right eye in the second round to win a UD6 (all 59-55) over Winston Mathis, 140, 6-1 (2), Rochester, NY. Bracero dominated with counter shots,

fought tough journeyman Ariel Espinal, 177, 8-13-3 (3), Brooklyn, NY, to win a UD8 (all 80-72). Rosinsky came out fast tossing both hands at Espinal, but was unable to hurt him until the later rounds, when he trapped him against the ropes.

Robert Hawkins, 238, 23-15 (7), Philadelphia, PA, got off to a fast start against Maurice Harris, 235, 23-14-2 (10), Newark, NJ, attacking him with shots to the head and body, before Harris, who towered over Hawkins, got his jab going and used left hooks to keep Hawkins from getting too close, earning a UD8 (80-72 twice, 78-74).

Elton Dharry, 121, 4-5-1 (1), Brooklyn, NY, out-fought Eilon Kedem, 120, 10-3-4 (6), Brooklyn, en route to a MD6 (59-54, 59-55, 57-57). Dharry was busier and landed the harder punches.

Ramadan Yasser, 204, 2-0 (2), New York, NY, via Egypt, dominated Patrick 73

Johnson, 196, 0-3, Kokomo, IN, when he landed hard, but awkward punches that Johnson had trouble avoiding. Johnson was down twice, first by a left hook then by a right, which prompted referee Kelly to halt the contest at 2:16 of the first.

Promoter – Jed Weinstein At Ringside – Jerry Glick (4-15-10) HUNTINGTON – Oheka Castle – Byron Mitchell, 174½, 28-6-1 (21), Dothan, AL, dominated the early rounds against journeyman Otis Griffin, 173¼, 22-6-2 (9), Sacramento, CA, until the third frame when Griffin began to outwork Mitchell on the inside. The action got a little sloppy, but slowly Griffin began to wear Mitchell down as he landed hard rights, until finally in the eighth round Mitchell appeared hurt when he absorbed five rights without the slightest effort to block any of them, or return punches. Referee Wayne Kelly stepped in to stop it at the 2:05 mark.

Heavyweight Michael Grant, 261½, 46-3 (34), Blue Bell, PA, dropped Kevin Burnett, 277, 13-4-1 (8), Atlanta, GA, with a long right hand upstairs in the first. Grant charged in firing punches until referee Pete Santiago waved it off at 0:48.

Emmanuel Taylor, 146½, 7-0 (6), Edgewood, MD, used his faster hands to wear down and stop Avi Bruce, 147, 8-2 (6), Silver Springs, MD, at the end of the third round.

Taylor hurt Bruce late in the second frame and he never fully recovered. Finally he ran out of gas in the next stanza and after a series of punches a spent Bruce just bent over at the waist, prompting a ringside physician examination and stoppage.

Southpaw Ashantie Hendrickson, 156, 2-6, Medford, NY, upset Stephen Scott, 152½, 2-1, Albany, NY, winning a UD4 (all 39-37). Hendrickson got off first with his punches and out-fought Scott in most of the exchanges.

For four rounds it certainly looked like James Hope, 137, 6-5 (4), Albany, NY, was on his way to a dominant victory over Bryan Abraham, 137, 2-3-1 (1), Schenectady, NY. He landed more punches, and bloodied his foe’s nose. Then just as the bell rang at the end of the fourth and final round, Abraham threw a left-right that laid Hope out for a full count.

Josh Harris, 198½, 6-3-1 (5), Providence, RI, staggered Elvin Sanchez, 194¼, 3-1 (3), Paterson, NJ, in the opening frame then finished him off in round two after Sanchez went down for the second time from two left hooks, prompting a stoppage at 0:51.

Promoter – X-Cel Worldwide At Ringside – Jerry Glick (5-7-10) 74

BRONX – Paradise Theater – Adrien Broner, a 15-0 (12) lightweight from Cincinnati, proved much too tough for Rafael Lora from New Jersey, now 11-3 (5). Broner came out throwing hard power shots to the head and body grunting with each one. Near the end of the round Lora went down from the accumulation of punches, staying down just long enough to miss the count, being counted out at 3:08.

The co-main event was more competitive with Newark’s Mike Perez, 8-0-1 (3), gaining a UD6 over Francisco Reyes, 5-1 (2), Seattle.

This junior welterweight bout was hardfought and close with Perez being just a bit better and additionally scoring knockdowns in rounds two and six.

The most exciting fight of the night was a four-rounder between two young undefeated junior featherweights, both entering at 3-0.

Local Bronx favorite Raul Lopez, all of whose wins came via KO, started out confident with strong punches to the body of Danny Aquino, Connecticut, who withstood the early onslaught. The rest of the thrilling fight was an action-packed thriller with Aquino pulling out a very close majority decision (39-37 twice, 38-38).

In a female junior lightweight contest, local favorite Maureen Shea, 13-2 (7), coming off two recent TKO losses, totally dominated Puerto Rico’s Norma Faris, 3-3. This very one-sided bout was mercifully stopped at 2:59 of the third round.

Shqiprim Muriqi, 3-0 (2), an Albanian from Yonkers, clearly won a UD4 over Brooklyn’s Rondu Campbell, 2-4-1, in a super middleweight contest.

The closing cruiserweight contest saw hometown Ahmed Samir, 8-0 (2), win on all cards over Brooklyn’s John Douglas, 7-133 (3), in a bout marred by six rounds of clinching, bouncing off the ropes, and falling to the canvas.

At Ringside – Dr. Ralph Bohm (5-14-10) MANHATTAN – Madison Square Garden Theater – Nate Campbell, 139, 33-6-1 (25), Jacksonville, FL, looked like a gun with no trigger. At 38 years old, it seemed that he had trouble getting his punches off and would walk in very fast as though he wanted to engage Victor Ortiz, 140, 27-2-1 (21), Ventura, CA, but instead kept his hands up in a defensive position and was most often out-punched by the younger man.

At the end of a close first round, Campbell was hit by a right that spun him around causing him to touch the canvas for a knockdown call. Campbell fought in spurts, but Ortiz threw the harder more accurate punches more often. In almost every round it was Campbell chasing, but it was Ortiz punching and moving out of harm’s way, to win a UD10 (100-89 twice, 99-90).

Daniel Jacobs, 160, 20-0 (17), Brooklyn, NY, had another soft touch in front of him.

Anything he threw hurt Juan Astorga, 164½, 14-5-1 (9), Brownsville, TX. Astorga went down twice from right hands in the opening frame. Referee Steve Willis halted the bout at 0:51 of round two, when Jacobs dropped his foe with left hooks to the body.

Amir Khan’s lone conqueror, Breidis Prescott, 140½, 22-1 (18), had little trouble with Jason Davis, 144½, 11-7-1 (3), Vancouver, WA. He stopped him in the third round when he landed rights to his side that dropped Davis in obvious pain twice. Referee Benji Estevez stopped it at 1:11 when Davis complained of a hip injury.

Kelvin Price, 243, 7-0 (4), Pensacola, FL, scored an upset when he won a close hardfought UD6 (58-55 twice, 57-56) over Tor Hamer, 230, 11-1 (8), New York, NY. Hamer went down in a corner from a left hook in the second round. Price was awkward and tall giving Hamer a few problems. Much of the fighting was done inside.

Denis “Momma’s Boy” Douglin, 156, 9-0 (5), Morganville, NJ, crushed Joshua Onyango, 157, 13-19-1 (11), Trenton, NJ, stopping him at 1:10 of round two. Onyango went down from a left, and was hammered by a right when he got up.

Irish amateur star Jamie Kavanagh, 139½, 1-0 (1), was stunned by William Ware, 141, 1-3 (1), Augusta, GA, early in the first frame but Kavanagh fought back to deck Ware late in the round, then dropped him two times with right hands to stop him at 1:39 of the second.

Promoter – Golden Boy Promotions, DiBella Entertainment At Ringside – Jerry Glick (5-15-10) MANHATTAN – Capitale – Twenty seconds and it was over. Shannon Briggs, 258, 50-5-1 (44), Brooklyn, NY, needed all of two punches to stop Dominique Alexander, 228, 19-9-1 (9), Topeka, KS. Briggs came out of his corner and landed those two punches to Alexander’s side and he crumbled to the canvas where he was counted out.

Lightweight prospect Michael Faragon, 136¼, 11-0 (5), Guilderland, NY, stopped rugged but crude Francisco Palacios, 137, 4-11-5 (1), Stanford, CT, after the bell ended the fourth round because of a damaged left shoulder. He refused to quit after the third stanza but was given no choice after the next round. They fought at close range, but Faragon was landing the cleaner shots and was in control.

Bowie Tupou, 254, 19-1 (15), Las Vegas, NV, got off the canvas at the end of the first round to stop Alexis Mejias, 238, 10-5 (4), Bronx, NY, during the one-minute rest between the second and third stanzas because Mejias injured his left wrist. The fight officially ended in the second round.

They were trading punches fairly evenly when Tupou suddenly went down. He was up quickly and did not appear to be hurt.

Hastings Bwalya, 149¼, 3-0 (2), Las Vegas, NV, by way of Zambia, learned a lot by having sparred with Floyd Mayweather Jr. He used unorthodox skills, fast combinations and unusual angles to control the action, winning a UD6 (59-55, 58-56 twice) by landing far more significant punches than Ashantie Hendrickson, 148, 2-7, Medford, NY. Sadam Ali, 151, 7-0 (3), Brooklyn, NY, used an educated left jab, fast combinations and lateral movement to thoroughly outbox and outpunch Martinus Clay, 154, 13-26-4 (5), Norristown, PA. Sean Monaghan, 173½, 1-0 (1), Long Beach, NY, knocked out Simeon Trigueno, 167, 0-4, Brooklyn, NY, in the opening round.

He had his foe on the run from the start with his aggressive, brawling style, scoring two knockdowns, first with a left hook then with a right. Before the bell for round two, the ring physicians took a close look at Trigueno, decided that he had had enough called a halt to the fight.

Angel Concepcion, 179, 1-0, Newark, NJ, won a UD4 (all 40-35) over Charles Wade, 180, 1-5 (1), Chicago, IL, after he outgunned him, decked him in the first and bloodying his nose in the second frame.

Promoter – Empire Sports and Entertainment At Ringside – Jerry Glick (5-21-10) BRONX – Yankee Stadium – Freddie Roachtrained Vanes Martirosyan, 153¾, 28-0 (17), Glendale, CA, earned a hard-fought UD10 (98-91, 96-93 twice) over Joe Greene, 151½, 22-1 (14), Jamaica, NY. The bout featured exciting exchanges, with Greene’s southpaw left finding its mark against Martirosyan’s right, leading to swelled eyes on both fighters.

A Martirosyan right behind the ear resulted in a knockdown call against Greene.

Pawel Wolak, 156, 27-1 (17), Mt. Arlington, NJ, controlled the action to win a UD10 (9793 twice, 96-94), but James Moore, 155½, 17-3 (10), New York, NY, remained game all the way. Moore landed his share of hard shots, but Wolak was busier and hurt Moore on a few occasions.

Terry Baterbaugh, 145½, 6-3-1 (3), Colorado, stayed busy and outworked a tiring Tommy Rainone, 147, 13-4 (4), New York, NY, to earn a UD6 (60-54, 59-55 twice).

Miguel’s cousin, Abner Cotto, 133¼, 8-0 (4), Caguas, P.R., used his jab and a nice defense to win a UD6 (59-55 twice, 58-56) over Edgar Portillo, 134, 6-5-1 (4), Midland, TX. Jorge Diaz, 125½, 14-0 (9), New Brunswick, NJ, won a TKO6 (1:54) over Jae Sung Lee, 126½, 10-3-1 (7), New York, NY, after referee Sparkle Lee felt the South Korean was taking too much punishment. Lee was down in round one.

Juan Gonzalez, 132½, 8-0 (7), Caguas, P.R., UD4 (40-36, 39-37 twice) Juan Lucio, 132¼, 4-1-1 (2), Pharr, TX. In what will go down as the very first fight to take place in the new Yankee Stadium, Christian Martinez, 141, 4-0 (4), New York, NY, scored a TKO4 (1:18) over Jonathan

Cuba, 141, 2-2 (2), New York, NY. Cuba was down once in round three and twice in the fourth.

Promoter – Top Rank At Ringside – Jason Gonzalez, Sean Sullivan (6-5-10)

OKLAHOMA DURANT – Choctaw Gaming Center – Sechew Powell, 152, 26-2 (15), Brooklyn, got revenge and a title opportunity when he won an IBF 154lb. eliminator with a MD12 (117-111, 116-112, 114-114) in a rematch over fellow southpaw Deandre Latimore, 153¾, 20-3 (16), Las Vegas. When they last fought in June 2008, Latimore scored a TKO7.

TV – ESPN2 (3-19-10)

PENNSYLVANIA PITTSBURGH – WarBash – Rayco Saunders, 18-12-2 (7), Pittsburgh, won the vacant WBF light heavyweight title with a eight-round split decision over Demetrius Davis, 19-17-5 (7), Washington, D.C. Promoter – Square Ring, TNT Fight Promotions At Ringside – Kenneth W. Ogilvie (1-22-10) ASTON – CHESTER TOWNSHIP – Tri-State Sports Complex, The Sun Center – Three years ago, Jamie Campbell won a controversial majority decision over Dan Mullarkey in a four-round main event here. But devilish logistics getting the camps together plus a high price tag kept the much-needed rematch from occurring, until now. Mullarkey, 238, 5-3-1 (4), Upper Darby, opened with a shifty style and precision punching. Campbell, 247, 2-1 (1), Ridley Park, looked a bit off guard to start, but when Mullarkey tried to come inside out of a crouch, Jamie nailed him with a short right that sent him reeling back.

Campbell followed with the same punch and Mullarkey fell against the ropes, with the strands holding him up. Jamie was on him with a frenzied volley and as Dan began to sag with arms dropped, referee Gary Rosato had to grab the excited Campbell from behind and hurl him to one side. The dazed Mullarkey lurched toward his corner with arms down as a frantic cornerman mounted the apron. The bout was over almost before it began, at 0:54, with Rosato quickly restoring order.

Melissa Hernandez, 126, 12-1-2 (4), Bronx, took the measure of tough Ella Nunez, 134, 9-6-1 (2), Jamestown, NY, by UD6 (60-54, 5955 twice). Though at a size disadvantage, the shifty Hernandez gave too much movement and sharp countering for the flat-footed Nunez. Melissa finished off the crackling exchanges and got away, but in the second, a swiping right rocked her. Ella tried to finish

her in a wild third. A clash of heads seemed to stun Hernandez, but she recouped and rallied. Another clash opened a bad cut on Ella’s forehead in the fourth, and she faded as Hernandez dominated the late rounds.

Delen Parsley, 155, 2-0 (2), NYC, won a hard-fought TKO3 from John Terry, 158, 2-16-3 (1), Portsmouth, VA, at the 3:00 mark.

Terry was willing, but his attack consisted of blocking and trying to set up the home run, which allowed Delen to tee off at will. A left hook landed as the bell ended the third, with Terry sinking to a knee. Ref: Rosato.

Promoter – Al Thompson (Football Stories, Inc.) Matchmaker – Joe Cohen Commissioner In Charge – Dave Benglian At Ringside – J. R. Jowett (2-19-10) ALLENTOWN – Rodeway Inn – Local heavyweight favorite Travis Kauffman, from nearby Reading, got in much needed work en route to a UD6 over Mike Miller, 6-16, Akron, OH. Most of the contest saw both of the fighters leaning on each other, but Kauffman, 19-1, was the busier of the two.

Super middleweight Farrah Ennis, improved to 12-0 by landing a devastating body shot at the end of the third round against southpaw Emmanuel Gonzales, 9-7, San Juan.

Junior welterweight Jason Cintron, 12-1, Reading, had Maruice Chalmers, 7-10, down in the first from a perfectly placed right hand en route to a UD6.

Southpaw Derrick Webster, 5-0, Glassboro, NJ, stopped outmatched Pete Guthy, 2-8, Myrtle Beach, SC, at 0:27 of the fourth round in a super middleweight bout.

Philadelphia southpaw Coy Evans, 7-0-1, earned a UD6 over Robert DaLuz, 12-25-3, Providence, RI, in a featherweight bout. Ref: Bayliss.

Southpaw Eliud Torres, 3-1-2, Allentown, stopped John Willoughby, 1-3, Atlanta, GA, at 1:12 of the third round.

Promoter – Kings (Marshall Kauffman) Matchmaker – Renee Aiken Timekeeper – Fred Blumstein At Ringside – George Foglia (2-27-10) PHILADELPHIA – “Legendary” Blue Horizon – Derrick “Pooh” Ennis, 157, Philadelphia, improved to 21-1-1 with a 10-round majority decision (98-92 twice, 95-95) over Jose Gonzalez, 155, 13-7-1, Garden City, KS. The switch-hitting visitor came to fight and didn’t back down. Although Ennis was dropped in the second, he responded with a series of combinations and vicious uppercuts.

Gonzales answered with his own nonstop 75

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION (REQUIRED BY 39 USC 3685)

Chris got up shaking his right foot then was quickly bowled over by a right that landed under his left arm. Arising again, he was met by a clean right, and referee Gary Rosato gave him the thumb at 1:19.

Van Oscar Penovaroff, 136, 5-0-1 (4), Reading, KO’d game but overmatched Travis Thompson, 136, 3-7-1 (2), Pottstown, at 0:38 of the third. Despite the weight parity, the compact Thompson gave up too much reach and was unable to penetrate the

Thierry Gourjon

punching. Round three was furious and the frenetic pace continued for the rest of the contest. Lynne Carter had it 95-95 while Dewey La Rosa and Robert Grasso saw it 9892. Ref: Gary Rosato.

Farrah Ennis, 169, 13-0, Philadelphia, stopped a soft Frankie Santos, 173, 17-9-4, Salinas, P.R., at the end of the second round.

After being on the receiving end of a series of right crosses, Santos went down for the full

Vanes Martirosyan outworked Joe Greene at Yankee Stadium. count just as the second round was closing.

Clemente Bethea, 139½, Camden, NJ, won a UD4 over southpaw Jason Sia, 139, Philadelphia. Sia was down in the fourth on a delayed reaction from a body shot.

Bryant Jennings, 221, 2-0, Philadelphia, unloaded a lethal right uppercut near the end of the third to stop John Bolden, 237, 1-1, NYC. Duane King, 154, Reidsville, NC, scored a four-round majority decision over Kamel AlOlabi, 159, Saudi Arabia. Ref: Talmadge.

Jose Ortiz, 129, Jersey City, NJ, won a UD4 over southpaw Luis Esquilin, 126, Philadelphia, PA. Ref: Rosato.

Promoter – Blue Horizon Boxing Promotions, Vernoca Michael Matchmaker – Don Elbaum Judges – Dewey La Rosa, Robert Grasso, and Lynne Carter Timkeeper – Fred Blumstein At Ringside – George Foglia (4-2-10) READING – Sovereign Center – Travis Kauffman, 224, 20-1 (16), Reading, wasted little time getting rid of Chris Koval, 258, 24-7 (18), Youngstown. The smiling underdog tried playing possum and setting Travis up for sneak right counters. But Kauffman foiled that tactic by going southpaw, then rocked Koval with a right to the head and poured it on until the bell ended the first. Still boxing southpaw in the second, Kauffman landed a right behind the ear to send Koval down.

76

rangy favorite’s sweeping blows. A left hook wobbled him in the first. Van Oscar began hurting him to the body in the second before wobbling him with a right to the head. A combination right to head, right to body, left hook to head finally poleaxed Thompson to the canvas.

Two debutees, William Miranda, 217, Allentown, and Hassan Lee, 209, Philadelphia, put on a good contest, with Miranda gaining a fair SD4 (all 39-37). After conceding the first to Lee’s counters, the lumbering Miranda turned the contest with a sneak right in the second that buckled Hassan’s knees and took him out of the fight. Lee got back into it in a close third, but Miranda was landing the heavier blows and got on a roll to the bell. After a big volley opened the fourth for William, both were tired and floundered to the finish.

Six lively amateur bouts opened the show.

Promoter – Marshall Kauffman (King’s Promotions) Matchmaker – Renee Aiken At Ringside – J. R. Jowett (5-22-10)

RHODE ISLAND LINCOLN – Twin River Events Center – 2008 Olympic alternate Danny O’Connor, 142, 11-0 (3), pitched a shutout UD8 (all 80-72) over Brooklyn, New York’s Franklin Gonzalez, 143½, 13-4 (9). After taking the first round with a busy jab, O’Connor began to open up with an attack to Gonzalez’ body with right

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hooks and straight lefts.

The normally aggressive and effective Jaime Clampitt, 139½, 21-4-1 (7), Warwick, RI, received a hometown MD6 (59-55 twice, 57-57) over southpaw Jill Emery, 141, 9-3 (3), New York, NY, who appeared to be the busier more effective fighter.

Former USBA 122lb. champion Jason Pires, 144½, 22-3-1 (9), overcame two knockdowns in the second round to earn a six-round majority draw with John Revish, 144½, 10-1-1 (8), Gold Meadow, LA. Revish out-hustled the slower Pires in numerous rounds but the determined Pires, a police

officer in New Bedford, MA, rallied in spots, especially the final frame.

Jessie Barboza, 229, 3-0 (3), Branstable, MA, scored a TKO2 (1:45) over Richard Mason, 211, Long Island, NY. Barboza dropped the debuting Mason with a straight right-left hook combination.

Keith Kozlin, 167, 5-0 (3), Warwick, RI, dropped Roberto Burgess, 168, 4-3 (3), Philadelphia, PA, twice in the first round before referee Charlie Dwyer ended the mismatch at the 1:59 mark.

Nephew and protégé of Micky Ward, Sean Eklund, 138, 7-4 (1), Lowell, MA, avenged a February 2009 loss to Eddie Soto, 137, 12-1 (4), Pawtucket, RI, with a UD6 (59-55, 5855 twice). After a slow start, Eklund stepped it up in the third and scored the bout’s only knockdown, via a left to the body, near the end of the fifth frame.

Joey McCreedy, 166, 11-4-2 (6), Lowell, MA, and Dhafir Smith, 170, 22-19-7 (4), Upper Darby, PA, fought to a six-round draw (59-55 DS, 59-56 JM, 57-57).

Promoter – CES Boxing Announcer – John Vena At Ringside – Kirk Lang (3-19-10)

TEXAS

Claudia Bocanegra

EL PASO – Don Haskins Convention Center – In the toughest fight of his career, Danny Garcia, 141, 16-0 (10), Philadelphia, won a SD10 (96-94, 95-94 each way) over Ashley Theophane, 140¾, 25-4-1 (7), London.

Theophane found success landing his right throughout the contest. Garcia got busy in the middle rounds, mixing up his attack, but Theophane absorbed the leather well. Referee Robert Velez noted that Garcia landed a low blow in round nine, however he wasn’t clear if it was an infraction. Two judges took Velez’ signal to mean a point should be deducted, while a third simply thought it was a warning.

Antonio Escalante, 126, 23-2 (14), El Paso, struggled to win a UD10 (97-92, 96-93 twice) over Miguel Roman, 126, 28-7 (21), Ciudad Juarez, in a “Fight of the Year” candidate. Roman was the aggressor throughout, throwing in combination and rocking Escalante with left hooks. Escalante seemed to gain control in round six, utilizing his boxing skills, but he was again stunned by Roman’s power shots. However, a barrage of

punches floored Roman in the eighth. Roman came back to hurt his foe in the ninth, but the 10th round belonged to Escalante.

TV – ESPN2 (2-26-10) LAREDO – Laredo Energy Arena – Ji Hoon Kim, 132½, 21-5 (18), Goyang City, South Korea, landed a big right hand to score a TKO1 (2:59) over Ameth Diaz, 135, 27-10-01NC (19), Panama City. Diaz arose from the knockdown but referee Robert Gonzalez felt he could not continue.

Ruslan Provodnikov, 141½, 16-0 (11), Ekaterinburg, Russia, defeated late-sub Emanuel Augustus, 143¾, 38-32-6 (20), Sydney, Australia, via TKO9 (1:50). Augustus was down in the fifth and twice in round nine.

TV – ESPN2 (5-21-10)

VIRGINIA FAIRFAX – George Mason Patriot Center – Although aggressive, Jimmy Lange, 150, 314-2 (21), Great Falls, VA, lacked the normal thump he usually shows with his punches.

By the end of his WBC USNBC 154lb. title fight with Chase Shields, 151, 30-3 (14), Houston, Lange was gassed, and he suffered a brutal beating in the 11th round, including two knockdowns, losing his belt by a UD12 (all 115-111).

“We stunk the place up tonight,” Lange’s father and manager, Johnny Lange, said at the post-fight press conference. “If we can’t beat Chase Shields, we can’t beat anyone.”

The switch-hitting Shields, who works at Wal-Mart full time, opened fast, pot-shotting Lange easily with both hands in the first two rounds. Lange then adjusted his strategy in the third, ripping body shots. Shields had his moments, such as a tremendous right uppercut and straight left near the end of the fourth, but Lange appeared heavy-handed and in control. In the sixth, Lange landed brutal shots along the ropes as Shields desperately tried to hold his ground.

A big change in the momentum may have come in the ninth, when the lights went out in the arena, save for those on backup. For eight

minutes, the two boxers stood testily in the ring waiting for the fight to resume.

In the 10th round, Lange charged at Shields to attack the body, but Shields threw him to the canvas. A right hand at ring center in round 11 dropped Lange, who put one glove on the canvas to keep from going down. Shields sought a knockout and a rubber-legged, disoriented Lange collapsed under punches later on and referee Joe Cooper could have stopped the fight there.

Rising star Bayan Jargal, 141½, Arlington, VA, improved to 15-0-2 (10), with a TKO1 (2:52) of Louie Leija, 143, 21-15-1 (15), San Antonio. Referee Billy Johnson stopped the bout with Leija not answering volleys of head shots.

In an upset, Ikem Orji, 138, 6-2 (2), Laurel, MD, took out Andrew Farmer, 138¼, 13-2 (7), Fort Valley, VA, with a big right hand in the fourth that left Farmer defenseless on the ropes. Farmer, who easily won the first three rounds, was dropped moments earlier by a huge right hand in an exchange, banging the back of his head on the canvas.

Juan Rodriguez, 143, 4-0 (4), Haymarket, VA, blew out Damien Butler, 145, 0-3, Glenarden, MD, with a TKO1 (2:10).

Butler took a knee in the middle of a freeswinging war, and though he got up, another combination knocked his mouthpiece out, and he told the referee he’d had enough.

Lawrence Jones, 152, 3-2-1 (1), Reston, VA, scored a UD4 (all 39-37) over lefty Vincent Batteast, 150, 1-2-1, Severn, MD. Batteast sustained a cut over his right eye.

Both fighters fought well in spurts.

Robert McConnell, 189, 4-3-1 (2), Ellicott City, MD, and Patrick Budd, 187, 2-1-1 (1), Dumfries, VA, fought to a four-round draw (39-37 RM, 38-38 twice).

Dwayne McRae, 253, 6-2 (3), Laurel, MD, won a lumbering punch-out with Theron Johnson, 221, 3-3, Chicago, over six rounds, via SD6 (59-55 twice for DR, and 58-56 for TJ).

Sergey Kovalev, 178, 6-0 (6), Chelyabinsk, Russia, scored a KO2 (2:23) of Francois Ambang, 176, 2-6-1, Richmond, VA. Promoter – Jackie Kallen At Ringside — John Scheinman (3-6-10) NORFOLK – Norfolk Scope Arena – Fighting for the second time in a week, comebacking Shannon Briggs, 266, 51-5-1-1NC (45), Brooklyn, needed just 98 seconds to dispose of Rob Calloway, 212, 70-12-2 (57), St. Joseph, MO. Calloway was down three times.

(5-28-10) In an exciting slugfest, Derrick Ennis [r.] earned a majority decision over Jose Gonzalez at Philadelphia’s Blue Horizon.

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Boxing Digest Travels the Globe to Cover the Latin Boxing Scene in Spanish.

El Pabellón del Deporte de Puerto Rico Por Arturo Santiago Rubero

Arturito y Wilfredo Benitez posando ante un gigantesco ache del excampeón durante sus días de gloría.

P

Sixto Escobar fue el primer campeón de Puerto Rico.

uerto Rico cuenta con un Pabellón de la fama del Deporte; ahí se honra, entre otros deportistas, al legendario campeón del boxeo Sixto Escobar. Se materializó el sueño de su vida para el ilustre y ya fallecido don Emilio Huyker.

El pasado 18 de marzo de 2010, abrió sus puertas el Pabellón del Deporte puertorriqueño. Este incluye una biblioteca tambien dedicada al deporte. Dicho plantel esta ubicado en el Estadio Sixto Escobar en Puerta de Tierra, San Juan de Puerto Rico.

Según el gerente general del complejo, el señor José Álvarez, “Pese a los percances que pasamos, al f ín se hizo realidad el projecto.”

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En dicho museo se puede apreciar una estatua en bronce del legendario Sixto Escobar. También se encuentran ilustraciones gigantes laminadas de diferentes figuras deportivas. Además, hay placas gravadas, sobre una pared de marmol, de aquellas figuras que aportarón al deporte.

Días más tarde, el 22 de marzo de 2010, se conmemoraba el natalicio de Sixto Escobar, quien fuera el primer campeón mundial de boxeo puertorriqueño. Dicho festejo se llevó a cabo en el Pabellón, ante un nutrido público.

Entre los presentes figuraban, los excampeónes Wilfredo Benítez, Julian Solís, Alfredo Escalera, el olimpico Saulo Hernández, y el medallista de oro Panamericanco, Alberto Mercado. También asistió la hija de la leyenda, la señora Carmen Escobar.

Como dato adicional, se conmemoraba el Día del Boxeador puertorriqueño, proyecto aprobado por el senado de Puerto Rico, el 12 de agosto de 1995.

Items for Collectors Corner must be accompanied by a check (U.S. funds) for $15.00 for the first month and $10.00 dollars for each additional issue in which the item would appear. Make checks payable to International Sports Ltd. (Please put “Collectors Corner” in the lower left hand corner of your check.)

Mail all entries to: Collectors Corner, BOXING DIGEST, 16 East 40th Street, Suite 700, New York, N.Y. 10016

FOR SALE Boxing DVDs – High Quality. Looking for Boxing DVDs? Find fighters from every era. Over 20,000 high quality fights on DVD at wholesale prices. Huge selection of career sets available for most boxers. All orders are shipped out within 24 hours by Priority Mail (2-3 days). Friendly customer service open 7 days a week until 9pm PT, 1-800-659-3607 or visit our website at www.BoxingWholesale.com.

Boxing matches on DVD or VHS. All the classics and all the legendary champions, Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Gene Tunney, Sugar Ray Robinson, Kid Gavilan, Dick Tiger, Carmen Basilio, Vicente Saldivar, Joey Giardello, Emile Griffith, Carlos Monzon, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and 7,000 more. Specializing in rare, hard to find 1950-1980 fights. Write for a free 100 page catalog to: Gregg McClelland, 4040 North Creek Road, Girard, PA 16417. Call (814) 774-8049 or email for a list at greggmccle@aol.com.

High Quality Boxing DVDs – We are the Original source for High Quality Boxing DVDs and Career sets. Sets come with motion menus, chaptered rounds and custom DVD cases. Huge selection of High Quality career sets available for boxers of all eras. All orders are shipped out within 24 hours by Priority Mail (2-3 days). International shipping available. Friendly customer service (860) 966-9313 open 7 days a week or visit our website at www.CUSTOMIZEDVDS.com. #1 Rated Boxing DVD Website.

Boxing on DVD and VHS. The largest collection of high quality fights available. Over 25,000 fights to select from.

Send $5 for my catalogue: Jeff Comastro, P.O. Box 8631, Rolling Meadows, Illinois 60008, or call (847) 526-5115.

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Telephone: (612) 922-9420, Email: Kurtboxing@aol.com Visit my website at: www.ringwise.com Muhammad Ali/Larry Holmes/ Sugar Ray Leonard The ABSOLUTE BEST QUALITY Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, and Sugar Ray Leonard DVD’s you will ever see!! Have great career sets, selling individual ALI fights, selling other Ali/ Holmes/Leonard by Disc#. See my website: aliboxingdvds. bravehost.com. I have spent over 25 years looking for the best quality there is, have spent thousands to do it – HERE THEY ARE!! I don’t put just anything out there, I only put out QUALITY!!

Shawn Murphy. PO Box 147. Potomac, Illinois. 61865. USA smm1@advancenet.net Buy from others for CHEAP, contact me when their stuff has lines running through it, is snowy, or is just not pleasant to view. You won’t get that from me…

Boxing Legends T-Shirts Stylish heavy cotton boxing T-shirts of all the greats. Marciano, Louis, Ali, LaMotta, Robinson, Zivic, Tyson and many more...

Limited edition with all colors and sizes available! LOWEST PRICES! Excellent for ALL OCCASIONS. HIGHEST QUALITY SELECTION to choose from.

Contact Pete @ (201)562-8393 for more info.

Signed photo of Bruno Sammartino (wrestling), “Thrilla in Manila” programs ($15 each) Signatures and photos of: Joe Frazier, Joey Giardello, Beau Jack, Vito Antuofermo, Bill Cayton, Billy Soose, Don Dunphy, Irving Rudd, Ray Arcel, George Foreman, Willie Pep, Roy Jones Jr., Don King book Only In America. For information call (914) 664-4571.

Boxing Photos: World’s largest selection of 8” x 10” boxing photos, both B&W and color from the 1890s to today.

Also, all other sports, celebs and girlie. Prints as low as $2.50. Send $2.00 cash for an illustrated catalog to: S L P, Box 2008, Hallandale, FL, 33008. Dealers, free wholesale catalog with proof of dealership.

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Boxing Matches on DVD Felix Nance 35283 Amatista Avenue, Wildomar, CA 92595 Boxingstars Looking for yesterday’s and today’s superstars in DVD? Look no more, as we carry thousands of fights on DVD. We sell career sets and trilogies from stars such as Ali, Frazier, Chavez, Sanchez, Gomez, Benitez, Sugar Ray, Trinidad, De La Hoya, Gatti, Wright, Jones Jr., Cotto, Prince Hamed, Hopkins, Lewis, etc. Great prices - the best in town.

We carry posters, hats, and t-shirts. Please call Henry Bedoy at (323) 582-9858 or email us at boxingstars@hotmail.com We are open 7 days a week and accept money orders and paypal.com, so look no more and call as we customize on DVD’s…

Boxing on DVD & VHS: Over 20,000 fights to choose from. All original mint quality. Buy any 2 tapes or DVD’s and you get the third free. From 1900’s to present, everything you can imagine. Send $5.00 for huge 100 page list. Richard DiFrenna, 66 Washington St., Apt. 1, Bristol, RI 02809, or call (401) 253-9151.

30yrs. of Boxing Illustrated, Ring Magazine, Boxing Today, Boxing Digest, International Boxing, etc. Mostly from the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, over 1000 magazines. Also Ring Classics – The Greatest Moments in Boxing History on 8mm film.

Dempsey, Louis, Marciano, Ali and more – For Sale. Call 225-343-2369 or email Liddellnewsh@aol.com.

Kid Gavilan Memorabilia Ferdie Pacheco “The Fight Doctor”, “Making Weight” limited edition print, 16x20 inches, signed by artist Ferdie Pacheco and Hall of Famer Kid Gavilan Price: $140, Shipping/Handling: $10 Kid Gavilan, 8x10 Photos, Hand signed by Hall of Famer Kid Gavilan, Price: $45, Shipping/Handling: $8 “Latin Legends” official movie poster, Hand signed by Hall of Famer Kid Gavilan, Price: $125, Shipping/Handling: $10 Craig Familier, PO BOX 755, Englewood, FL 34295 Boxing on VHS & DVD. Great selection and quality. Honest and courteous to customers. Very reasonable prices. You can view the fight list by logging onto www.knockoutprom. com and can order with a credit card or by sending a check or money order to Knockout Promotions, 388 Parsippany Road, Apt. 1A, Parsippany, NJ 07054. Call Danny Plunkett at (201) 428-7710 to discuss fights or place an order. Email address: knockoutprom@aol.com.

Boxing’s greatest fights on DVD - Perfect Quality.

Arturo Gatti vs. Micky Ward Trilogy – 2 DVD set $39.99, Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier Trilogy – 2 DVD set $39.99, Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Duran Trilogy - 2 DVD set $39.99, Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Erik Morales Trilogy – 2 DVD set $39.99. Sugar Ray Robinson amazing RARE fight compilation of DVD only $29.99. Many more MINT fights on high quality DVD recorded in real time. Visit our website at www.sweetfights.com or email: sweetfights@rogers.com All the best of legendary great fighters Charley Burley, Emile Griffith, Carlos Monzon, Joe Louis, Larry Holmes, Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, Evander Holyfield and many more.

Boxing Greats on DVD Past and current boxing greats – specialize in career sets.

Guaranteed lowest prices. Simply present a bona fide offer from any other collector or even Ebay and I will beat it. Best price, best quality, best selection. That’s a combination punch that no one can match. Alan Markowitz, 4110 Portsmouth Ct., Bensalem, PA 19020. cmarkos@comcast.net (215) 964-1773.

Fights on DVD or VHS. All fighters from every era. Fighters recorded on high quality format for best picture. Fast service. Lowest prices around. Affordable to add to your collection. Call Jose for more info at (956) 583-3119 or write at: PO Box 5764, McAllen, TX 78502 Does your opponent pull your head down? Pull back from your hooks? Block/connect more punches than you would like him to? No problem. I have on video lots of moves, punches, combinations plus 5 major techniques that will help you create more punching angles and new strategies. Guaranteed. www. boxingimprovement.20m.com First edition “The Ring Magazine” dated February 15, 1922, in great condition.

Please e-mail offers to rj_lyke@comcast.net.

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Boxing techniques rarely taught that will improve your fighting and/or any fighter’s style. (3 instructional videos – 14 hours) (since 1999) – Boxing Techniques Rarely Taught: www. boxing-manual boxeo.com/instructional.html Boxing on DVD or VHS. Over 1800 bouts for sale. Good prices and fast service. Call, email or write. Pat Dwyer 118 Pasbehegh Drive, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185 or call: (757) 253 –5880, sop@widomaker.com or view list online at www.widomaker.com/~sop/

WANTED MEMORABILIA WANTED Posters, Programs, Tickets, etc.

Ali, Duran, Monzon, Salvador Sanchez, etc. 60s, 70s, Early 80s. Cash Payment. Contact Phillip (201) 969-0587 Pacatricky@aol.com Complete training sessions of fighters from all eras.

Stretching, shadow boxing, heavy bag, speed bag, light bag, jumping rope, exercises, sparring, etc. All of it. Contact me by mail: Rick D’Amico, 518 Greenhill Drive, Boothwyn, PA 19061, or by email at vicdakin@verizon.net.

Wanted – Video Camera version of the Joe Frazier-Manuel Ramos championship fight on 6/24/68 with Don Dunphy announcing. Portions of this were shown on Joe Frazier: Beyond the Glory, so it does exist. Also seeking any version of the Jerry Quarry-Buster Mathis fight on 3/24/69 and Joe FrazierDoug Jones 1967. G.W. Sears, 76 Hill Street, Bloomfield, NJ 07003. 973-429-0888.

Bobby Scanlon Memorabilia My oldest brother was Bobby Scanlon, Lightweight 19541966 from Buffalo, NY and San Francisco. He was a stablemate of Joey Giambra and Rocky Fumerelle who were both middleweights. He was a contender who fougth Lauro Salas, Wallace Smith, Paolo Rosi, Joey Lopes and Eddie Perkins. I am looking for his fights films, magazines and pictures. I am also looking for Rocky Fumerelle material. If you are a fan of Bobby’s career, please call me at 716-537-2463 or email me at Ron.Ashburn@fisher-price.com. Ron Ashburn, P.O. Box 535, Holland, NY 14080 Wanted—Song Writer to collaborate with lyricist.

If you think you have a hit song inside you, please contact us!

We are looking to write, record and distribute—worldwide—a unique 12-song, boxing-themed CD. The style of music is open to discussion. Please contact Saul at: (914) 522-9955 or by email at: RingsideBooks@aol.com. Song demos can be sent to Ringside Books, PO Box 321, Bronx, NY 10471.

MIXED BAG Buying, selling boxing film footage, autographs, old programs etc. for sale. Rocky Marciano autograph, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams etc…dogs162002@yahoo.com Learn to be a Professional Cutman Now for the first time, learn the closely guarded secrets of being a successful cutman. Big George, one of the top cutmen in the business will be accepting a limited number of sincere people in the Boxing and Martial Arts business who desire to be a cutperson. Course will include all necessary materials to get started and also to be part of Big George’s growing network of clients. Call George at 516-586-5405 or e-mail at Biggeorge67@optonline.net.

Are you a U.S. Heavyweight? Do you think you have great potential? Do you want the financial backing to be able to spend all your time training and get one-on-one training? We have the money and the training expertise IF you have the talent. Please mail your information to: D. Mougdis, 4466 S.E. Federal Hwy., Stuart, FL 34997; or email us at: polidamas26@yahoo.com.

My name is George Nelson. I am a candidate for Congress, in the 45th District, against Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack, in California. We must stop the free handouts we give to illegal aliens. Stop illegal aliens also from coming to our country.

Contact: Nelson for Congress, Bishop David Wade, Campaign Chairman, National Freedom Party, 24762 Alessandro Blvd., Moreno Valley, CA 92553.

Do you know someone serving overseas? Call 1 (800) 966-7787. Ask for Boxing Digest’s Military Awards program and the special combat subscription rate.

Be prepared to give the name, rank and APO or FPO address.