Boxing Blog – TSS Tidbits

LORRAINE CHARGIN’S REQUEST FOR SUPPORTERS

Cambria CA, March 19, 2010 – After having been involved within the “sweet science” for over five decades and having seen hundreds of prize fighters battle their way to the top of the boxing world, Lorraine Chargin’s career within the sport is coming to an end due to a terminal battle with cancer.

It’s been an ongoing struggle that has undoubtedly taken its physical toll on the woman known as “boxing mom” by some and “dragon lady” by others. While the physical pain endured in fighting cancer has been excruciating to say the least, Lorraine’s spirit has remained assuredly strong throughout the process.

Lorraine states, “Yes there’s been a lot of pain involved in this process but that’s life. Life can be cruel at times but we just have to learn to deal with it. I very much appreciate all the support we’ve received through this tough time from people I didn’t even know might show it. While the flowers and cards are extremely lovely and very much appreciated, I’m requesting that any would-be senders instead make a donation of any amount to the Connecticut Junior Republic.”

Lorraine continues, “My mother and I have supported this charity for years and have seen the many positive effects of the organization. It’s a non-profit company that helps troubled youths become positive contributors to their communities. We must remember that many fighters have come from troubled backgrounds that merely needed some guidance to shape their lives positively, so giving back to this organization is very important to me. I appreciate the very kind gestures by the public, but would like to see any potential future gifts to be presented to this organization.”

Here is a very brief bio on Lorraine Chargin and her involvement within boxing:

As a teenager growing up in New Haven, Connecticut, Lorraine Chargin was warned by her father never to walk down Church Street. This street was where the local boxing gym was located and he had many concerns about her somehow becoming involved in the sweet science or a practitioner of thereof. Little did he know that not only would she become intimately involved in the sport he was fearful of, she would ultimately contribute a lifetime of achievement to this tumultuous sport.

Growing up in the Depression era as one of fourteen siblings, Lorraine developed a work ethic that would carry over for decades upon decades within boxing. She started working when she was a mere 8 years old and hasn’t stopped ever since.

Lorraine first met her husband and future hall-of-fame promoter Don “War-a-Week” Chargin in 1957. He proceeded to invite her to a fight card he had produced at Oakland, California. While Don offered to purchase her ticket and treat her as a special guest, Lorraine stated, ‘No thank you. I’ll purchase my own ticket, Don. Nothing in life is for free.’ It’s been an exciting and fulfilling marriage ever since.

Lorraine’s first experience becoming involved in the logistics of boxing promotions was in the Gene Fullmer-Dick Tiger bout which took place in 1962 in San Francisco, California. When Don caught wind that he’d need a strong, stern woman in order to deal with the stress, he immediately employed Lorraine in order to perform the publicity work.

In the late mid-60’s through the mid-80’s, Lorraine not only worked at the Olympic Auditorium as building manager, she also served as the lead promoter for the various Sacramento shows that took place. Being competitive by nature, at times Lorraine would borrow fighters from her husband Don in Los Angeles, in order to produce the most compelling match-ups possible in Northern California.

With a staff comprisied of virtually just two people in Don and Lorraine, it was an extremely busy time for the promotional firm and had ultimately taken it’s toll on Don in 1972, in which he suffered a heart attack.

“I had thoughts of giving up the business altogether. The Olympic had us working virtually 24 hours, 7 days a week. Don threatened to quit following his heart attack, but I said ‘no’ because it was his passion. It was at this point that I really became immersed in boxing.

Following the closing of the Olympic Auditorium, Lorraine delved into real estate, although she was still intimately involved in boxing, assisting in the “nitty gritty” of the sport, as she likes to call it. All press passes, ticket sales, documentation, and paperwork needed to go through Lorraine for each and every Chargin produced show.

As for her proudest moment in boxing, Lorraine states, “That’s easy. When Loreto Garza became a world champion, I wept. I believe that to truly become a champion you must carry yourself as such both inside and outside of the ring. He was just such a sweetheart.”

While the show continued on from Las Vegas to Sacramento for Lorraine Chargin, she’s never lost sight of what’s the most important aspect of her life.

Lorraine states, “It’s all about us, our lives together and our marriage. The strongest thing is the life both Don and I live together. We each come from families that are very family oriented. If there’s no love, there’s no family. We’ve seen so many people come and go in boxing. It has been a great trip. Don and I are so different, being that our egos aren’t so great. You have to put your life in proper perspective.

As for her outlook on boxing today: “I think boxing today is good. I see a future for it. It’s different. The people in boxing that feel that there’s no future are very self absorbed. There’s been people before us and people after us.”

As for her peers within the sport: “I know what people say about me, the only thing that counts is that as long at the end of the day they respect me.”

It will unquestionably be a tough pill to swallow when Lorraine’s battle with cancer claims one of boxing’s classiest individuals. Her contribution to the sport will be an extremely difficult act to duplicate as she was an extremely, dedicated hard-worker by nature and a fighter at heart.

Boxing is not only a better sport because of Lorraine, but at it’s core, simply a better place because of Lorraine Chargin.

Here is the information to make donations to the Connecticut Junior Republic:

Connecticut Junior Republic

550 Goshen Road

P.O. Box 161

Litchfield, Connecticut 06759

http://www.ctjuniorrepublic.org/

Hedy Barton, Director of Development

Ph: 860-567-9423

LINCOLN, Rhode Island (Mar. 19, 2010) – Unbeaten light welterweight prospect Danny O’Connor celebrated St, Patrick’s Day a few days late as he pitched a complete shutout against Franklin Gonzalez, headlining tonight’s (Friday) “ShamRock’d” card in front of a packed house at Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island.

O’Connor’s (11-0) steady body attack allowed the 2008 US Olympic Boxing alternate to dominate fellow southpaw Gonzalez (13-4) from start to finish. O’Connor won very round on all three judges’ scorecards in his first 8-round bout.

“It was a great night of boxing,” CES president Jimmy Burchfield said. “We had our second sell-out in a week. All of the boxers gave everything and the fans responded with tremendous support. Micky Ward is turning into as good a trainer as he was a fighter.”

In the co-feature, 4-time world champion Jaime “The Hurricane” Clampitt (21-4-1, 7 KOs) outworked junior welterweight Jill Emery (9-3), a former IFBA titlist, to take a 6-round decision.

“Irish” Joey McCreedy and super middleweight Dafir “No Far” Smith battled to a 6-round draw.

In the opening 3-minutes of what could easily be the Round of the Year, Jason “Schoolboy” Pires (22-3-1) got off the canvas to rock John “The Renegade” Revish (10-1-1), who on wobbly legs decked Pires again right before the bell sounded. The resilient Pires, former USBA title-holder and active New Bedford (MA) police officer, came right back to bust-up Revish in an all-out welterweight war. The non-stop action continued right to the final bell and the result was a 6-round majority draw.

Cape Cod heavyweight Jesse “Bad News” Barboza (3-0), 3-time New England Golden Gloves champion, kept his perfect record intact with his third straight win by knockout, starching pro-debuting Richard Mason with a vicious left hook in the second round.

Sean Eklund (7-4), trained by his uncle “Irish” Micky Ward, dealt Eddie Soto (12-1) his first loss. Eklund avenged his loss last year to Soto by outworking his opponent, who hit the deck in the fifth round, by a unanimous 6-round decision for the vacant EBA New England super lightweight title.

Unbeaten super middleweight Keith Kozlin (5-0) battered Roberto Burgess around the ring, flooring the Philadelphian twice, until referee Charlie Dwyer stopped the action at 1:59 of the opening round.

RESULTS FROM RHODE ISLAND

Lincoln, Rhode Island

Mar. 19, 2010 – “ShamRock’d”

HEAVYWEIGHTS

Jesse Barboza (3-0, 3 KOs), Barnstable, MA WKO2 (KO2 – 1:45) Richard Mason (0-1), Long Island, NY

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Joey McCreedy (11-4-2, 6 KOs), Lowell, MA D6 (59-56, 55-59, 57-57) Dhafir Smith (22-19-7, 4 KOs), Upper Darby, PA

Keith Kozlin (5-0, 3 KOs) WTKO1 (1:59) Robert Burgess (4-3, 2 KOs), Philadelphia, PA

WELTERWEIGHTS

Jason Pires (22-3-1, 9 KOs), New Bedford, MA MD (56-56, 56-56, 55-56) John Revish (10-1-1, 8 KOs), Baton Rouge, LA

FEMALE WELTERWEIGHTS

Jaime Clampitt (20-5-1, 7 KOs), Warwick, RI WDEC6 (59-55, 59-55, 57-57) Jill Emery (9-3, 3 KOs), New York, NY

LIGHT WELTERWEIGHTS

Danny O’Connor (11-3, 3 KOs), Framingham, MA WDEC8 (80-72, 80-72, 80-72) Franklin Gonzalez (13-4, 9 KOs), Brooklyn, NY

Sean Eklund (7-4, 1 KO), Lowell, MA WDEC6 (59-55, 58-55, 58-55) Eddie Soto (12-1, 4 KOs), Pawtucket, RI

(Eklund wins vacant EBA super lightweight title)

Promoter: Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc.

(Antwerpen, Belgium – March 19, 2010) New weight class, same result.

After 13 years and 46 fights in the junior welterweight division, Randall “The Knock Out King” Bailey cemented his spot as a top contender just two fights into his welterweight campaign on Friday night in Belgium, demolishing local favorite Jackson Bonsu (31-4, 24 KOs) in one round in an IBF eliminator.

Bailey (41-7, 36 KOs) made his welterweight debut December 12, 2009 in Chicago, dropping long time contender Germaine Sanders three times en route to an eight round decision.

“Randall is the biggest puncher in boxing today and demolished a world class welterweight,” said Bailey’s promoter, Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “His run of fights in the last few years has been awesome from an offensive standpoint. In the welterweight division, Randall Bailey is the scariest guy on the block.”

With the win, Bailey now finds himself #2 in the IBF rankings, and will await a shot against title holder Jan Zaveck or prepare himself for the other big names in the division.

“He’s got a big name in the United States and he’s got the biggest punch in the world. Our plans are to pursue a title or the biggest money fight possible,” said DiBella.

NEW YORK (Mar. 19, 2010) – Chicago heavyweight Mike Mollo (19-3, 12 KOs) has signed an exclusive promotional contract with Boxing 360, it was announced today by the New York City-based company.

The 30-year-old Mollo’s most notable victories to date have been against former Olympians, Mike Tyson-conqueror and former Irish heavyweight champion Kevin McBride (TKO2), and Canadian Art Binkowski. Mollo has also extended multiple world title challengers Andrew Golota and Jameel McCline the full 12-round distances, respectively, in their WBA Fedelatin and WBC Eliminator fights.

“We’re excited to add Mike Mollo to our growing Boxing 360 stable of world-class fighters,” Director of Boxing Operations Bob Duffy said. “Mike has been training with Pete Brodsky for the past few months and he looks like an entirely different fighter. Mike gives people what they want – knockouts – but he’s becoming a much more complete fighter. He is a popular Italian-American fighter with a lot of upside. The heavyweight division is wide open right now and we’re expecting big things from Mike.”

Molllo’s Boxing 360 debut, as well as his first fight since November, 2008, is scheduled for March 26 against veteran Billy Zumbrun (23-11-1) at UIC Pavilion in Chicago.

“Boxing 360 is a new company that offered me a contract that was exactly the same deal I was looking for to get back in business,” Mollos said from his Palm Beach training camp. “They want to move me right and keep me busy. That’s what I want. Everything made sense for me to sign with Boxing 360 and make my comeback. I wasn’t handled well in the past and I made some bad decisions. Now, I have en entirely new team from top to bottom. I’m going to get a few wins and be right back in the heavyweight picture.

“I can’t wait to get back in the ring March 26th and it’s always great fighting at home. I know there’s going to be a packed house there rooting for me.”

Road To Mayweather-Mosley Bracket-Who R U Picking? Vote Now!

Just as millions fill out their brackets and guess who will make a run to the championship in the college basketball tournament which tips off today, fans have already begun to debate the winner of Mayweather vs. Mosley: Who R U Picking? set forSaturday, May 1 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas and live on HBO Pay-Per-View®. And while it will take mere weeks to determine which one of the top 65 men’s college basketball teams is the best, it has taken superstar and six-time World Champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather, and welterweight mega-star, five-time World Champion and current WBA Welterweight World Champion Sugar Shane Mosley a lifetime of dedication to finally reach what will be the biggest fight of their respective careers.

The path to Mayweather vs. Mosley has been a long and hard fought one. They have both paved Hall of Fame roads by fighting the biggest and best in the boxing. Below please find the bracket which shows the paths that Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Sugar Shane Mosley have taken to get to this mega-fight. Now it is your turn to complete the bracket and vote for who you believe will be victorious on May 1. Fill out your bracket and vote now at www.WhoRUPicking.com or at www.hbo.com/boxing.

NEW YORK (Mar. 18, 2010) – Unbeaten middleweight sensation Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin will headline a Jed Weinstein-promoted show April 15 at the famed Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan.

Quillin (21-0, 15 KOs), fighting out of New York City, faces an opponent soon to be announced in the 10-round main event. Last month, “Kid Chocolate” returned after an 18-month layoff to decision veteran Fernando Zuniga.

“I believe it’s important for fighters to fight regularly, especially those that are looking to establish themselves,” said Quillin’s promoter, Gotham Boxing president Ced Kushner. “I don’t think Pete’s 18-month layoff has hurt him with his fans given his popularity, particularly in the Tri-State area. However, I am going to make sure that he remains highly active so that he gets the opportunity in the near future to fight on one of the major networks, which will give the opportunity to display his skills to a national audience. We’re fortunate to be able to put him on the top of Jed’s show at the Roseland Ballroom, where ‘Kid Chocolate’ has fought a number of times (3). We plan to keep Pete busy and get him back into the ratings.”

Quillin was rated as high as No. 5 by the IBF before a series of misfortunate circumstances cost him 18-months of his career. First, he was shutdown for eight months due to a broken right hand suffered in his last fight prior to returning last month on the Tomasz Adamek-Jason Estrada show in Newark, New Jersey. After getting back into training, Peter suffered a hairline fracture of the eye socket and, when that healed and he was ready to fight again, he suffered an emergency appendectomy.

“I gave myself a B- grade for my fight against Zuniga,” Quillin offered. “I couldn’t expect much more after a 1 ½ year layoff. I nearly swept every round on all three judges’ scorecards (100-90, 100-90, 98-92). But that’s what I do – knockout my opponent or completely dominate them. All I want to do is win big.

“I need fights like the one in New Jersey and on April 15th to get me going again. It’s always great fighting near home. Some of my fans who couldn’t make it to Newark will hopefully be at this fight. I’m looking for bigger and better things this fight and then beyond. I want to thank my promoter, Cedric, and manager, John (Seip), for keeping me busy and getting me back-to-back fights. I’m very happy that they could work a deal with promoter Jed Weinstein to feature me on the card.”

Quillin is one of the most entertaining, young (26 years old) boxers — before, during and after his fights. Fans can’t wait for him to toss chocolate kisses candies into the crowd as he leaves the ring, which has fast become a popular tradition for the son of a Cuban father.

“There’s nothing better than to get Pete back in action after his unfortunate layoff that was unavoidable,” Seip noted. “We’ve accepted it as part of the game. Pete is still young and he had a very limited amateur career. We want to keep him sharp and fine tuned. He went from being 18 months off, right into a 10 rounder against a crafty, dangerous veteran in Zuniga, who is tough to look good against. Pete had been fighting 8-10 times a year and as soon as he was ready, we put him in with a solid veteran. Pete showed some rust but he still dominated that fight. He was in excellent shape but there’s nothing like being in a 10-round fight. This is a pivotal point in his career. We want to keep him busy until a big fight comes along so he can take advantage of that opportunity.”

Team Quillin hopes that 2010 is the “Year of Kid Chocolate.”

In yet another meaningful development by the Boxing Promoters Association, the organization has announced that they have entered into a long-term distribution agreement with Round1 Magazine. Beginning this summer, Round1 will be distributed directly and for free, to boxing fans at events promoted by members of the Boxing Promoters Association. Steve Farhood, boxing analyst for Showtime and winner of the 2008 Boxing Writers Association of America’s James J. Walker Award for Long and Meritorious Services, will serve as the Editor-at-Large, supplying featured content to the publication, while world renowned boxing photographer, Howard Schatz’s has been named the magazine’s cover photographer.

“We are very excited about our agreement we have entered into with Round1 magazine, especially that it gives us the opportunity to give something back to each and every fan that attends one of our events,” stated Joe DeGuardia, President of the BPA. “They have really put together an all-star team with Farhood and Schatz, two of the best in the business, and we know the product’s quality will speak for itself.”

“I’m extremely excited about working with the BPA to bring Round1 to the masses,” says Lamar Clark, founder of Clark Creative Media, Inc. who first published Round1 in 2007. “Fight fans deserve a treat for their passionate following and this arrangement gives them just that. BPA members add value to their events and our audience of mostly sports-enthused men, leave the arena with a piece of memorabilia.”

HOLLYWOOD, FL, March 18 – In boxing, nothing’s more exciting than a knockout. So it goes without saying that with 13 knockout wins in 13 pro fights, Puerto Rico’s Kenny Galarza is rapidly finding his way onto most fans’ ‘must see’ list.

Last Friday night at the Sosua Bay Grand Casino in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, the 24-year old made it a lucky 13 in a row as he halted 34 fight veteran Miguel Casillas in just three rounds.

The victory is Galarza’s second of 2010 already, and the current NABO junior welterweight champion is soaring up the world rankings, as he is currently ranked 11th by the WBO and ready for all comers at 140-pounds.

“Kenny keeps getting better with each bout, and his speed and power are just devastating, even as we lift his level of competition,” said Leon Margules, Executive Director of Warriors Boxing, Galarza’s promoter. “He’s on the verge of stardom and I know he’s putting in the hard work necessary to join the likes of Trinidad, Cotto, and Calderon in the coming years.”

SUPER SIX WORLD BOXING CLASSIC

UPDATE & QUOTES

NEW YORK (March 17, 2010) – As reported, WBA World Champion Andre Ward has suffered an injury and is unable to fight Allan Green on April 24. The scheduled Group Stage 2 tournament matchup between WBC world championship Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler will take place as planned on Saturday, April 24, from Herning Denmark, airing on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT as a one-fight card (same-day delay).

The Ward vs. Green bout, a Group Stage 2 matchup of the Super Six World Boxing Classic and Ward’s first world title defense, will be rescheduled.

“I honestly don’t think he will ever get in the ring with me,” said Green earlier this week. “I don’t think this is a fight Andre Ward and his people ever wanted… If I had it my way he’d take a cortisone shot and fight on April 24. I seriously doubt he’s ever going to fight me….. I hope it’s valid, because there’s been a lot put into this from everybody involved and there’s no time to play games…”

Green continued: “… if he were fighting Jermain Taylor or Sakio Bika, I’m sure he’d be good to go right now. I’m a fighter. I fight through bumps, bruises and injuries and we go through that. I fought Tarvis Simms with a bad right shoulder. If you’re knee keeps getting hurt it could be something chronic and you’re probably not going to be ready in six weeks. If your knee is swollen, just take a cortisone shot, stop bitching and get your ass in the ring.”

Andre Ward responded, “I don’t think Allan Green and his team realize how bad I want this fight. They will get the fight as soon as a new date is rescheduled. I’m a pretty straight forward person and there is no gray area with me so if I say there’s something wrong with my knee, then that’s just what it is. I’m a champion and I’ve proven throughout my career in both the amateurs and professional ranks that I have no problem fighting the best. Everything is fine with my promotional and management team, and any negotiations that are going on are business as usual. I look forward to getting back in the ring at 100% and defending my WBA title in the Super Six World Boxing Classic.”

Dan Goossen, upon reading Green’s comments said, “These baseless and incorrect comments should appear in the Enquirer where they belong with the 5-legged dog! Anyone that states Andre Ward is either ducking or untruthful does not know Andre Ward. There’s no need to rebut Green’s comments. Soon enough he will find out that his boasting of beating Andre Ward as well as Ward’s desire not to fight him are both going up in flames.”

SUPER SIX WORLD BOXING CLASSIC SCOREBOARD

Record Fighter Points

1-0 Arthur Abraham 3

1-0 Carl Froch 2

1-0 Andre Ward 2

0-1 Andre Dirrell 0

0-1 Mikkel Kessler 0

0-0 Allan Green 0

VITALY TAJBERT NOW UNDISPUTED WBC SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION

The World Boxing Council today is officially appointing Vitaly Tajbert of Germany as the undisputed WBC super featherweight world champion.

Tajbert won the WBC interim super featherweight championship by defeating Humberto Gutierrez of Mexico last November 11.

Humberto Soto was ordered to meet interim champion Tajbert, but requested the WBC’s permission to remain super featherweight champion until he climbed into the ring to fight for the WBC lightweight world championship, which he won last Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

Humberto Soto is now the WBC lightweight champion and in strict adherence to the WBC Rules and Regulations, Tajbert becomes the undisputed super featherweight champion of the world. We wish him the best of luck in his career.