Boxing Blog – TSS Tidbits

Rivera Promotions, the newest boxing promotion company in New England, will launch its first show Sept. 21 at the National Guard Armory in Worcester with an exciting card featuring two local heavyweights making their professional debuts.
The main event will feature Todd Poulton, a resident of Pittsfield who his accomplishing his lifelong dream to box in a professional match. Poulton is also fighting for charity, hoping the event will raise awareness of the stresses of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, an ailment that he has suffered throughout his adult life.
Also, West Boylston heavyweight Keith Bianchini, 26, will make his professional debut after a stellar amateur career. Bianchini, who won by knockout only 30 seconds into his last match, is also following his dream of turning professional.
“He’s a tough kid who is ready to step to the next level,� said Sean “The Irish Express� Fitzgerald, a former professional fighter who trains Bianchini.
The card will also include Chuck Shearns, an Auburn supper middleweight appearing in his second professional fight. Shearns won in his debut in March via a fourth-round knockout.
Other exciting fights will be announced at a later date.
“Rivera Promotions’ goal all along was to showcase the local boxing talent and the spirit of boxing in Massachusetts, and we’re proud to say we’re doing just that in our first show,� said three-time world champion José Antonio Rivera, president of Rivera Promotions.
“Fans can expect the best in boxing entertainment in a professional forum run by dedicated people,� Rivera said. “This is going to be a momentous first show.�
Rivera, a veteran of the sport and active professional boxer, formed Rivera Promotions earlier this year with the goal of guiding the careers of local, committed boxers and rebuilding the sport of boxing in the New England area.
The National Guard Armory is located at 701 Main St. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the first bought is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the event are $25 and are available at Camp Fitzy’s boxing gym, 70 Webster St., Worcester, or by calling (508) 579-5167.

Polish power-punching middleweight prospect Pawel “Raging Bull� Wolak takes on �Flawless� Dan Wallace (9-1, 3 KOs) in the 10 round main event for the IBA Americas middleweight championship, headlining a pro boxing show promoted by Frankie “G� Productions and Ring Promotions, Friday night (September 14) at the Huntington Hilton Hotel in Melville, Long Island.

The Polish-born Wolak (16-0, 11 KOs), now fighting out of Brooklyn, is the reigning New York State middleweight champion, as well as a graduate of Berkley College in Manhattan. The immensely popular Wolak’s exciting straight ahead style of attack quickly has made him into one of the hottest young fighters on the East Coast. He is rated No. 11 by both the NABF and NABO.

“Pawel Wolak is New York City’s new rising star,� promoter Bob Duffy said. “He’s one of the hottest boxers around and his following, especially in the Polish community, grows with each fight. His action-packed fights and passionate fans give shows a festival atmosphere.�

Two unbeaten light heavyweights clash In the six-round co-feature – multiple European and Irish amateur champion Alo Kelley (2-0, 1 KO) versus Reggie “Concrete� LaCrete (4-0, 3 KOs), managed by the famed Jackie Kallen (her life story was made into the movie Against the Ropes starring Meg Ryan).

Ireland-native Kelley is an Irish Ropes stablemate of middleweight sensation “Ireland’s� John Duddy. “We think a lot of Alo,� Irish Ropes president Eddie McLoughlin noted. “We’re moving up the bar faster than we did with Duddy because of Alo’s age (29). I’ve always been confident in Alo’s ability and we’re already putting him in defining fights, starting with LaCrete, who is 4-0 with three knockouts.�

Long Island welterweight Mike Ruiz (3-2, 2 KOs) fights fellow New Yorker Jessie Gomez (1-3) in a six-round bout.

Former Irish National Senior amateur champion Henry “Western Warrior� Coyle (2-1, 1 KO) is scheduled to fight an opponent to be determined in a four-round bout. Also on the undercard, all in four-round bouts, is local favorite and unbeaten welterweight 2-time New York Golden Gloves champion Nagy Aguilera (1-0, 1 KO), of Newburgh (NY), versus Bronx heavyweight Rubin Bracero (2-5, 1 KO), Shirley (NY) featherweight Kristian “K-Smooth� Vasquez (1-0, 1 KO) takes on Jose Ortiz (1-0, 1 KO), 2007 New York Golden Gloves champion Joseph Llovet, of Bayshore (NY), makes his pro debut against Leon Williams (0-2), Russian light heavyweight Sergie Kravencho (3-0, 3 KOs), trained by Don Turner, faces Brooklyn’s pro debuting Borngod Williams, Long Island super middleweight Issac Holden makes his pro debut against New Jersey’s Rafal Jastrewbski (0-4).

Tickets are on sale and priced at $1,700.00 for a VIP Ringside table that includes a one-hour cocktail party and full course dinner served at ringside (all beverages included), $100.00 (golden ringside), $75.00 (ringside) and $40.00 (general admission. To purchase tickets or for additional information call Academy of Boxing (631.673.3520), Frankie G (631.334.4862), Bob Duffy (516.313.2304) and Music Planet in Brooklyn (718.383.2051). The first bout is slated for 7:30 PM/ET.

The second wave of the latest Spanish armada is set to hit Irish shores next month when Pablo Navascues looks to upset John Duddy’s European and World title ambitions.

Navascues’ compatriot Kiko Martinez left Irish fight fans reeling with his smash and grab raid on Bernard Dunne last month and now its Duddy’s turn to repel the Spanish invasion.

The two men clash on the next Hunky Dorys Fight Night at the National Stadium, Dublin on Saturday, October 20th on the night of the “Celtic Tigers�.

Duddy – Navascues will headline the event with support from Irish middleweight champion, Matthew Macklin and undefeated light welterweight Paul McCloskey.

Navascues is the reigning Spanish light middleweight champion and has an excellent record of 25 wins and just one defeat. With 18 of his 25 wins coming via the short route he is clearly a major threat to the unbeaten Duddy.

The Madrid’s native sole reversal came back in 2000 on a cuts defeat and his winning run since then has seen him surge into the European ratings. The 31-year-old believes a win over Duddy could be his ticket to major title contention.

Speaking from his training camp Navascues said, “I want to fight prestigious boxers like Duddy because I don’t have time to waste in my career. I would like to fight for a major title early next year and this fight can help to get me there.�

Navascues has followed Duddy’s career Stateside but feels that his time on the European scene will be less fruitful. “Duddy is a good boxer with a lot of power in both hands. I admire what he has achieved in his career in the U.S. but Europe is different. Our records are similar and I’m sure that both of us will be at our best. I also think that our styles are quite similar and it will be an honour to beat him!”

The atmosphere at the National Stadium for Duddy’s Irish professional debut in July was white hot and it’s sure to be just as electric next month and Navascues is relishing the prospect.

“My only fight abroad was in Russia a long time ago and I won that by a second round knockout. I actually enjoy fighting away because I don’t have the pressure of fighting in front of my own supporters.â€?

Navascues country man Kiko Martinez stunned Irish fight fans last month and he says Duddy could be in for a similar shock. “I think Kiko Martinez was lucky because Dunne is a good boxer with a great future. I plan on the same outcome as Martinez but I won’t need luck to do it, I will prove my ability against Duddy.â€?

Tickets for the “Celtic Tigers� Hunky Dorys Fight Night at the National Stadium, Dublin on October 20th are priced from €50 and are available from Ticketmaster.ie and all usual outlets.

For more information about John Duddy go to www.irishropes.com

WBC Lightweight World Champion David Diaz is spending the last couple of weeks of the Chicago summer with his family, cheering on his beloved first place Cubs and staying in shape for his next bout.

This coming weekend Diaz will celebrate Mexican Independence Day with two Chicagoland appearances both of which have special meaning to him.

On Friday night, September 14th, Diaz will walk super bantamweight prospect Francisco Rodriguez to the ring for his SOLO BOXEO debut as he faces Ivan Rodriguez in the co-main event of PRIDE, an action packed professional boxing card presented by Chicago’s 8 Count Productions at the Congress Theater.

On Saturday afternoon, September 15th, Diaz will be given the honor of Grand Marshal at the Cicero Mexican Independence Day Parade. The parade starts at 12 noon at the corner of Cermak and Austin and runs eastbound on Cermak to 50th Avenue.

Said Diaz about the weekend, “I’m proud to be a Mexican American and I know how it important this weekend is. Francisco is a friend of mine and I’m happy to support him in the first of hopefully many SOLO BOXEO televised fights.

The people of Cicero have been very supportive of my career, particularly when I beat Cristian Favela at Cicero Stadium last summer for the IBA title. I’m honored to be the Grand Marshal of their parade.�

About the rest of the summer the Chicago sports fan stated, “I’m just enjoying the beautiful weather we’re having in Chicago with my family and rooting for the Cubs, Bears and Fire. All of the guys on the teams in Chicago have always been very supportive of me throughout my career.

The Cubs won today so they’re staying in first place and the Bears open up tomorrow afternoon against San Diego so it’s a very exciting time for Chicago sports fans.”

Speaking about his future plans, Diaz said, “I’m running to stay in shape, just waiting for some fights to happen and see how things shake out. When its time to get back to in the ring I’ll be ready.�

Due to an injury suffered in training camp by WBC Super Featherweight World Champion Juan Manuel Marquez, the September 15 “Fireworks” Pay-Per-View show promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and scheduled for MGM Grand in Las Vegas has been cancelled.

Marquez, who was scheduled to fight Rocky Juarez in the evening’s main event, suffered a cut on his right hand which developed an infection. As a result, severe swelling occurred and forced him to withdraw from the bout.

“The safety of our fighters comes first and it’s too bad that Juan Manuel got hurt after training so hard for this fight,� said Oscar de la Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions. “We are having him come to Los Angeles this weekend for further evaluation and treatment by a specialist.�

Subsequently the entire show, which also was scheduled to feature Kassim Ouma against Sergio Mora, the IBF world featherweight title bout between Robert Guerrero and Martin Honorio as well as Francisco Bojado against Steve Forbes, was cancelled.

De La Hoya continued, “We are committed to brining excellent shows to our fans and with the unfortunate injury to Marquez, at this late stage our only option was to call off the show.�

Tickets purchased for this event may be refunded at the original point of purchase.
–Golden Boy press release

Junior Witter retained his WBC light welterweight title with a KO win over Vivian Harris in Doncaster, England on Friday evening.

Witter, 33, kayoed Harris in the seventh after knocking him to the deck in the fourth, in what was called a slip, the BBC reported.

“I’m absolutely esctatic,” Witter said afterwards to the BBC. “But what a fighter Harris is. I connected with some really big punches but he kept coming back but in the end I was able to finish him off. I landed extremely devastating power out there. I had a lot of niggling injuries coming into the fight so it was very pleasing to win it like this. I’ve been in with seriously good fighters and beat them, I’ve had world titles and still people don’t give me credit. But I am the best 140lb fighter around. I am the man.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Promoter Don King, in association with Maloof Sports and Entertainment, will present a highly anticipated world championship battle of the undefeated at ARCO Arena on Saturday, Sept. 29, when World Boxing Council light heavyweight champion “Bad� Chad Dawson takes on WBC No. 1-ranked mandatory challenger Adrian “The Shark� Diaconu, from Romania now fighting out of Montreal, Canada.

Tickets priced at $30, $50, $75, $100 and $250 will go on sale Saturday (Sept. at 10 a.m. PT. The quickest and most convenient way to purchase tickets is by calling Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone at (916) 649-TIXS or by visiting their Web site at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available for sale at the ARCO Arena Box Office and at all Sacramento-area Ticketmaster outlets. The main event will be televised on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

“I couldn’t be more excited to be promoting this light heavyweight championship with the Maloofs at ARCO Arena on Sept. 29,� an ebullient Don King said. “We are looking forward to bringing World Championship Boxing to a region with such rich boxing heritage.�

“The Maloof family loves the sport of boxing going all the way back to my father,� Gavin Maloof said. “We are proud to be bringing Don King to Sacramento to promote this world championship card at ARCO Arena. It will be a great event for boxing fans in Sacramento.�

Dawson (24-0, 16 KOs), from New Haven, Conn., possesses the WBC 175-pound title Roy Jones Jr. held from 1997 to 2004. Dawson won the title in a magnificent display of boxing, pounding on then-previously undefeated champion Tomasz Adamek (31-0). Both fighters tasted the canvas on Feb. 3 in Kissimmee, Fla., but Dawson built a strong scorecard lead, survived his knockdown and won a 12-round decision.

Diaconu (24-0, 15 KOs) earned the WBC No. 1 ranking and became mandatory challenger to Dawson by scoring a third round technical knockout over Rico Hoye in an elimination bout staged in Montreal on May 9. Possessing knockout power in both hands, Diaconu will certainly be looking to test Dawson’s chin in the hope of gaining his title.

Promoter Art Pelullo/Banner Promotions will present a sensational fight card on Sunday, September 16, 2007, in the Pend O’reille Pavillion at Northern Quest Casino, located at North 100 Hayford Road in Airway Heights, Washington.

In the 10-round jr. lightweight main event, former two-time WBA featherweight world champion Fred “Lil’ Hagler� Norwood, 41-1-1 with 22 knockouts, of St. Louis, Missouri, will fight Shamir Reyes, 18-5-2 with 7 knockouts, of Brooklyn, New York.

Norwood, now 37 years old, returned to the ring in June, 2006, after almost six years off and has won four straight fights since then. Nicknamed “Lil’ Hagler� for his lefthanded “seek and destroy� style reminiscent of former middleweight world champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Fred is looking to regain the form that he had when he fought the best in the division in his world championship days. From May, 1999, to September, 2000, he fought five current, former, or future world champions in a row, all in featherweight world title defenses, going 4-1 in those fights – Antonio Cermeno (W12), Juan Manuel Marquez (W12), Takashi Koshimoto (KO9), Julio Pablo Chacon (W12), and Derrick Gainer (TKOby11).

26 year-old Reyes is a nine-year professional veteran and tough lefthander, as well, and is ready for the biggest challenge of his pro career.

Also: 6 ROUNDS, HEAVYWEIGHTS

SHANE ANDREESEN, 7-0, 4 KOs, Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, vs MIKE MONCRIEF, 1-4-1, 1 KO, Las Vegas, Nevada.

6 ROUNDS, FEATHERWEIGHTS

ANDREW CANCIO, 5-0, 5 KOs, Blythe, California, vs TBA.

4 ROUNDS, JR. WELTERWEIGHTS

RUSLAN PROVODNIKOV, 4-0, 3 KOs, Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, vs TBA.

6 ROUNDS, MIDDLEWEIGHTS

MAXIM VLASOV, 8-0, 1 KO, Samara, Russia, vs SAM HAYNES, 5-2, 4 KOs, Portland, Oregon.

4 ROUNDS, HEAVYWEIGHTS

JONTE WILLIS, Debut, Tacoma, Washington, vs TBA.

HBO Sports is presenting a thirty- minute special analyzing the upcoming middleweight title fight between reigning champion Jermain Taylor and fast-charging challenger Kelly Pavlik. The highly anticipated 160-pound bout is set for Saturday, Sept. 29 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and will be carried live on HBO in one of the network’s signature broadcasts of the year. The fight is an intriguing match-up between the division’s most acclaimed competitors.

The special “COUNTDOWN TO TAYLOR-PAVLIK, ” which will feature fighter profiles, expert analysis and forecasts for the showdown in Atlantic City, will premiere on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Jermain Taylor (27-0-1, 17 KOs) of Little Rock, Ark., is one the sport’s most accomplished stars. Two years ago he upset reigning middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins to take his place atop the 160-pound division. Kelly Pavlik (31-0, 28 KOs) of Youngstown, Ohio, is a fast-rising power puncher who is hoping to replace Taylor as the division’s top act.

The countdown special will also be available to HBO ON DEMAND subscribers 24 hours a day from Monday, Sept. 24 thru Monday, Oct. 8.