Boxing Blog – TSS Tidbits

BELLEVUE, Washington (December 11, 2008) – Former Kazakhstan Olympian Beibut “The Beast” Shumenov (6-0, 5 KOs) has a new opponent for Saturday night’s 10-round main event, Epifanio “Diamente” Mendoza, after former world cruiserweight champion Kelvin Davis pulled out of their scheduled fight in Bellevue, Washington.

Shumenov’s new KZ Event Promotions presents Saturday’s show at Meydenbauer Center. He has already captured three titles – WBC Asian Boxing Council, WBO Asia Pacific and PABA Interim light heavyweight championships. His last fight was a one-sided victory by 12-round decision against former WBC title-holder Montell “Ice” Griffin (50-8, 30 KOs).

Two fights ago, Columbian knockout artist Mendoza (28-5-1, 24 KOs) lost to Chad Dawson for the WBC light heavyweight title. Mendoza has won several regional titles including the WBC Fecarbox, WBC Latino, WBA Fedecentro, WBC Latin American and NABA belts.

GEORGE FOREMAN DID IT AT 45; CAN JAMES TONEY DO IT AT 40?
YOU MAKE THE CALL

December 10 (Los Angeles, CA) – James “Lights Out” Toney is fighting mad and determined to earn one last chance at achieving his goal of becoming one of the oldest fighters to ever win the World HeavyweightChampionship. Big George Foreman started his career in 1969 and ended it nicely in 1997 after losing to Jimmy Young. Ten years later, he returned to the ring in 1987. And in a spectacular moment in boxing history, he knocked out Michael Moorer in 1994 when he was 45 years old becoming the oldest Heavyweight world champion in history.

This Saturday, December 13 at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa and televised on VERSUS, James Toney (70-6-3, 43 KOs) takes that next step toward history against Fres “The Big O” Oquendo, a heavyweight with 29 victories and only 4 defeats, three of them to world champions (Evander Holyfield, Chris Byrd and John Ruiz) and the other to David Tua.

Three questions remain about the 40-year old Toney and his future:

1) His fighting shape is determined by his weight. Will he weigh-in the 220’s, 230’s or 240’s or will he come in his lightest weight since the Evander Holyfield fight (217 lbs)?

2) Is Toney the next in line of the recent Hall of Fame fighters to go down at the hands of a younger, hungrier fighter, ala Oscar De La Hoya and Roy Jones, Jr. and advised to retire?

3) Or will he emulate the performance of the “old” Bernard Hopkins against Kelly Pavlik and get a convincing victory over Oquendo and continue on his mission to the world heavyweight championship targeting champions Wladimir and his brother Vitali Klitschko, along with Nicolai Valuev?

You make the call on whether or not James Toney can beat Oquendo, and move forward and compete against any of the reigning champions on this Saturday’s broadcast on VERSUS starting at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT. On the same day, the Wladimir Klitschko vs. Hasim Rahman world championship bout telecast on HBO starts at 4:45 PM ET/1:45 PM PT. The following week Valuev defends his title against Holyfield.
Is it “Lights Out” for Toney, or will he make history?

The VERSUS broadcast starts with a 4-round Super Middleweight bout between 2008 US Olympian Shawn Estrada (1-0, 1 KO) of East LA against Shaun Spaid (3-2, 2 KOs) of Charleston, SC.
In a 10-round “Special Attraction” bout, 2004 US Olympic Gold Medalist Andre Ward (16-0, 11 KOs) takes on Estaban Camou (23-4, 19 KOs) followed by the 12-round Toney-Oquendo bout.

In Los Angeles, the VERSUS network is televised on Direct TV, channel 603 and for Time Warner cable, channel 267.

Ring 8 awards dinner Dec. 21 in NYC

NEW YORK (December 10, 2008) – The annual Ring 8 holiday party, featuring an awards dinner and live music, will take place Sunday, December 21 (1 PM/ET) at Tony Mazzarella’s Waterfront Crabhouse (2-03 Borden Ave.) in Long Island City, New York.

Ring 8 award winners this year include Champion of the Year: Paulie Malignaggi; Uncrowned Champion: Brian Adams; Promoter of the Decade: Cedric Kushner; Lifetime Achievement Award: Melvina Lathan, NYSAC Chairperson; Writer of the Year: Sean Sullivan; Ringside Physician Award: Dr. Richard Istrico; Kid Gavilan Humanitarian Award: Bill Tate.

MARGARITO and MOSLEY

COLLIDE IN WORLD TITLE RUMBLE!

Saturday, January 24 at STAPLES Center

Live on HBO World Championship Boxing

Tickets Go On Sale This Friday!

LOS ANGELES (December 9, 2008) – The welterweight division’s two most exciting fighters, three-time welterweight champion ANTONIO MARGARITO and three-division world champion SUGAR SHANE MOSLEY, plan to open 2009 with an explosive world championship fight. Margarito’s World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title defense against Mosley, one of the era’s top pound-for-pound fighters, will take place on Saturday, January 24 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be televised live on HBO’s World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT.

Margarito vs. Mosley is promoted by Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate. Tickets priced at $300, $150, $75 and $50, go on sale This Friday! December 12 at 10 a.m. PT at all TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 213-480-3232 and online at www.ticketmaster.com. STAPLES Center Box Office will begin selling tickets on Saturday, December 13, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. PT.

“I have being looking for the biggest fights for a long time, and this one against Mosley is one of them,” said Margarito. “As I proved with Miguel Cotto, I have never ducked anyone in my career and I’m looking forward to showing the fans again why I am the best welterweight in the world. I fear no one. This fight will be my moment to shine and I will not let it pass by.”

“I’m glad Margarito decided to step up to the plate and fight me,” said Mosley. “If Margarito thinks he is the bigger puncher than I, he is delusional. I will definitely win this fight, especially with the type of fighter he is. He is going to end up getting knocked out because he’ll come right at me and I’ll catch him.”

“In his memorable fight against Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito proved his courage, ability and demonstrated that he is a true champion. His next test is against the dangerous future Hall of Fame champion Sugar Shane Mosley. We at Top Rank are convinced that Antonio will do well in this new challenge,” said Bob Arum

“I always say that great fights happen when the best fight the best,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer. “In Margarito vs. Mosley we are expecting a great fight because we have the two best welterweights in the world facing each other. Making a great fight even greater is the fact that it will take place in Los Angeles where both fighters have huge fan bases and that it will be broadcast on HBO rather than pay-per-view.”

“Margarito vs. Mosley is an exciting way to kick off a new season of World Championship Boxing on HBO,” said Kery Davis, senior Vice President of programming for HBO Sports. “It’s an action-packed showdown between two of the sport’s best fighters.”

“This world championship fight card features two great champions with strong ties to southern California, making it an ideal match-up for STAPLES Center,” said Dan Beckerman, Chief Financial Officer, AEG. “Hats off to Richard Schaefer and Bob Arum for putting together a fight that the fans have been asking for and that they deserve.”

Antonio Margarito (37-5, 27 KOs), from Tijuana, Mexico, returns to the ring on the heels of his career-defining victory over Miguel Cotto on July 26, 2008. Considered a major underdog when it was announced that he’d be challenging the undefeated WBA welterweight champion Cotto, Margarito withstood a firestorm of punches from the Puerto Rican superstar while retaliating with his own barrage of nuclear-like arms, stopping Cotto in the 11th round. The victory not only produced his third world championship belt in the welterweight division, but it also solidified his position as one of boxing’s top pound-for-pound fighters. Margarito’s first world title reign began in 2002, when he stopped Antonio Diaz in the 10th round to capture the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight championship belt. He successfully defended it seven times during his five-year term, including victories over current world champion Joshua Clottey, former world champion Andrew Lewis and top contenders Kermit Cintron and Danny Perez. He captured the International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight title on April 12, 2008, by knocking out defending champion Kermit Cintron in the sixth round. Margarito vacated that title in order to challenge Cotto and now looks to further solidify his spot in boxing history with a win over Mosley on January 24.

Sugar Shane Mosley (45-5, 38 KOs) of Pomona, Calif. is arguably the most accomplished fighter of his era and certainly a shoo-in first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee. He returns to the ring fresh from his 12th-round knockout victory of former world junior middleweight champion Ricardo Mayorga on September 27, 2008. Mosley, who has won six of his last seven bouts since 2005, boasts victories over world champions Mayorga, Fernando Vargas (twice) and Luis Collazo during that streak. Mosley first came to prominence when he defeated defending IBF lightweight champion Philip Holiday in 1997 to claim his first world title. He successfully defended that title eight times, all by knockout, before vacating the title to move up to welterweight two years later. In 2000, Mosley won an exciting 12-round split decision over WBC welterweight champion Oscar de la Hoya to claim his second world title in as many divisions. Mosley successfully defended his new crown three times before losing it 18 months later to Vernon Forrest in 2002. Just a year later, in 2003, Mosley once again moved up in weight and captured the WBC/WBA super welterweight titles in a rematch with De La Hoya, this time winning a unanimous decision. In addition to becoming a three-division world champion, he also became the only man to claim two professional victories over the legendary “Golden Boy.”

TOTOWA, NJ (December 9, 2008) – Undefeated World Boxing Council (WBC) super lightweight champion TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY will be in Atlantic City this weekend to scout out his next opponent. Bradley will be ringside watching World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior welterweight champion Kendall Holt defend his title against undefeated contender Demetrius Hopkins this Saturday night. The fight will be televised live on SHOWTIME from Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall.

“I want fights. LOTS of fights,” said Bradley who will make his next title defense in the first quarter of 2009 against the winner of the Holt-Hopkins rumble. “I have a lot of respect for Holt and Hopkins which is why I’m getting an up-close-and-personal look at both men from a ringside seat. I think an even better fight would be for the winner of our fight to defend the title against Manny Pacquiao.”

“Bob Arum and I have discussed making a 140-pound mini tournament to determine the best fighter in the division,” said Gary Shaw, Bradley’s co-promoter. “If Manny wants to go down to 140 pounds, Bob and I think the best opponent would be the legitimate world champion of the division — the winner of a battle between WBC and WBO champions. It would be the division’s most meaningful fight Let’s see how Manny does when he takes on someone under 30.”

Bradley, 25, from Palm Springs, Calif., captured the WBC super lightweight title in May, scoring a 12-round split decision victory over defending champion Junior Witter. It was a close and exciting fight highlighted by Bradley’s knockdown of Witter in the sixth round. Bradley (23-0, 11 KOs), successfully defended his title in September, winning a lopsided unanimous decision over Edner Cherry. He is co-promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and Thompson Boxing Promotions.

NEWARK, N.J.—Boxers preparing for the International Boxing Federation world-championship doubleheader on Thursday at Prudential Center—the first title card in Newark in 60 years (VERSUS 8 p.m. ET/PT)—participated in a media workout today.

IBF cruiserweight champion Steve “USS” Cunningham (21-1, 11 KOs), from Philadelphia, said his Polish-born opponent Tomasz Adamek shouldn’t place too much emphasis on the fact he was able to defeat former undisputed cruiserweight world champion O’Neil “Supernova” Bell in April.

“Tomasz Adamek didn’t beat O’Neil Bell. O’Neil Bell quit. If Adamek has a false sense of hope because of that win, he needs to know there’s no quit in me. I haven’t put in all this work and become world champion to go out on my stool. The only way I go out without my belt is if they carry me out.”

“I still live in the hood in Philadelphia as a world champion. I’m still trying to get out of the hood. That’s motivation enough for me to win right there.”

Former World Boxing Council light heavyweight champion Adamek (35-1, 24 KOs) Adamek, who did not participate in the today’s media workout, was reached by phone.

“I prefer to spend the last few days of training alone,” Adamek said. “I’ll see Cunningham on Thursday night. I expect this match to go the same way as the Bell fight where nothing surprised me and I was able to dictate the pace of the fight.”

The co-feature pits IBF bantamweight champion Joseph King Kong Agbeko (25-1, 22 KOs), from Accra, Ghana, against his mandatory challenger, IBF No. 1-ranked William “Chirizo” Gonzalez (21-2, 19 KOs), from Managua, Nicaragua.

“I saw Agbeko defeat Luis Perez to become champion but I didn’t see anything special in him,” Gonzalez, making his first world-title appearance, said. “I don’t think he’s special. I am very confident. This match is very important to me and my future, but I’m trying to not think of that right now, only about Agbeko and his championship. I will defeat him and win his belt.

When told of the challenger’s boasts, Agbeko was undaunted.

“I’m glad Gonzalez is confident,” Agbeko said. “He will need his confidence to stay in the ring with me. I know he’s 21 and 2, but he’s never been in the ring with King Kong.”

PHILADELPHIA’S DEMETRIUS HOPKINS STEPS IN

TO FACE KENDALL HOLT FOR WBO Jr. WELTER TITLE

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, Dec. 13, 2008 From Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey

Special Edition of ShoBox: The New Generation

Live on SHOWTIME, 11 p.m. ET/PT

NEW YORK (Dec. 8, 2008) – Undefeated junior welterweight challenger Demetrius Hopkins (28-0-1, 11 KOs) will step in to face WBO 140-pound champion Kendall Holt (24-2, 13 KOs) in the main event of Saturday’s special edition of ShoBox: The New Generation, live from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ, (SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).

Holt was originally slated to face former 140-pound champ Ricardo Torres in a rubber-match, but Torres withdrew from the fight on Monday.

“Torres really wanted to fight but he was ill during camp, missed some training and was not in the condition he needed to be in for a war like this,” said Bruce Trampler, chief matchmaker for Top Rank.

Now, Holt will have his hands full with the undefeated Hopkins, the nephew of former middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins. The 28-year-old Hopkins is in peak condition as he was originally scheduled to fight Germaine Sanders on the undercard of Saturday’s bout. When he learned Torres pulled out, he jumped at the opportunity to fight for his first world title.

According to manager Cameron Dunkin, Hopkins, upon accepting the fight, went immediately into an intense, all-day training session and was unavailable for comment.

Dunkin said, “Demetrius had been training hard for his fight with Germaine, and he has redoubled his efforts. He knows he needs to lose three more pounds but he will be on weight by Wednesday. He has completely devoted himself to being ready for this fight.

“This is a fight that he has wanted for a long time,” the manager continued. “His first world title fight; we have wanted this for a long time. I am excited and proud that he will get the chance on Saturday. This is what we’ve been waiting for.”

A top contender at 140-pounds, Hopkins holds key victories over Steve Forbes, Ernesto Zepeda and Jesse Feliciano. With Hopkins hailing from Philadelphia, and Holt from Paterson, N.J., it is essentially a home-game for both fighters.

Remaining tickets are on sale for the event, which is promoted by Top Rank, Inc., for Boardwalk Hall in. Tickets at $200, $100 and $50 are available on www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-736-1420, or at any Ticketmaster outlet nationwide.

East Rutherford, NJ-Legendary boxing figure Donna Duva-Brooks has joined the Darwish Brothers Knockout Promotions team. The New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Duva-Brooks will perform the functions of matchmaker and site coordinator for the Darwish Brothers, starting with the January 22, 2009 boxing card entitled “Knockout Night at the Meadowlands”. The card will be the first boxing event to take place at the Sheraton Hotel in East Rutherford, NJ.

“It’s an honor to be working with the Darwish Brothers,” says Duva-Brooks. “This is what I love to do, boxing is in my blood. Bringing more boxing cards to North Jersey will only enhance the sport’s visibility. I think it’s a great idea to have the fight at the Meadowlands. This will be a great opportunity to highlight young talent in the region.”

Bout information will be announced shortly. Tickets, priced $100 for Ringside and $50 for Reserved, will go on sale December 9, 2008. For ticket purchase information and other inquiries, call (973) 339-9611.