9 - 12- 08 - GO FIGHT LIVE DOUBLE HEADER THIS WEEKEND,,,,
For Immediate Release
Sept. 9, 2008
IT'S A NIGHT OF RISING STARS WHEN
HBO BOXING AFTER DARK(r): YURIORKIS GAMBOA VS. MARCOS RAMIREZ,
ALFREDO ANGULO VS. ANDREY TSURKAN AND
SERGIO MARTINEZ VS. ALEX BUNEMA
IS PRESENTED SATURDAY, OCT. 4, ON HBO
HBO's late-night boxing series presents a tripleheader of rising stars when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: YURIORKIS GAMBOA VS. MARCOS RAMIREZ, ALFREDO ANGULO VS. ANDREY TSURKAN AND SERGIO MARTINEZ VS ALEX BUNEMA is seen SATURDAY, OCT. 4 (10:05 p.m. live ET/tape-delayed PT) from the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Cal., exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team of blow-by-blow announcer Bob Papa, commentator Max Kellerman and expert analyst Lennox Lewis will cover the action at ringside, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.
Other HBO playdate: Oct. 5 (10:00 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Oct. 5 (4:00 p.m.) and 7 (11:25 p.m.)
The main event features undefeated featherweight standouts Yuriokis Gamboa (11-0, 9 KOs), formerly from Cuba and now living in Miami, and Marcos Ramirez (25-0, 16 KOs), from Kansas City, Kans., in a scheduled ten-round contest. Gamboa earned a gold medal for Cuba at the 2004 Olympics and is making his second appearance on the late-night HBO series this year.
The middle bout pits undefeated top prospect Alfredo Angulo (13-0, 10 KOs) from Mexicali, Mexico, against Ukraine's Andrey Tsurkan (26-3, 17 KOs) in a scheduled ten-round junior middleweight showdown.
The tripleheader kicks off with Sergio Martinez (43-1, 23 KOs) from Buenos Aires, Argentina, taking on Alex Bunema (30-5-2, 16 KOs), a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in a scheduled 12-round junior middleweight contest.
The executive producer of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is Rick Bernstein; producer, Thomas Odelfelt; director, Mike Sheehan.
(r) HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.
FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES FROM LEGENDARY BLUE HORIZON FOR FRIDAY NIGHT’S CARD
PHILADELPHIA (September 10, 2008)—On Wednesday most of the participants for this Friday night’s big card at The Legendary Blue Horizon were on hand to converse about the outstanding show that will be highlighted by three evenly matched eight-round bout that will surely provide fireworks and excitement for the fans in attendance and those who will be able to view the card on www.gofightlive.tv on a tape delayed basis.
In the main event, Steve Upsher Chambers will take on Kevin Carmody in a Jr. Welterweight fight. Gee Cullmer and Jameel Wilson will square off in super middleweight tilt. A potentially explosive cruiserweight fight between undefeated Ran Nakash of Israel taking on Larry Robinson of
There will be three exciting undercard bouts featuring Derrick Bivins and Darryl Jones making their pro debut in separate bouts.
FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES:
Steve Upsher Chambers (17-1-1, 5 KO’s)—“I anticipate that this is going to be a tough fight. I know him from the gym and I think we worked together about four or five years ago and a lot has changed since then. I know I have gotten a lot better and I am sure he has as well.”
“I train hard to come out victorious. I am ready and I have never felt this good in my life.”
“I am not looking past him as he is known around
“I want you to come out and watch the fight or tune into www.gofightlive.tv”
Kevin Carmody (10-10-2, 1 KO)-—“It means a lot to be fighting at The Legendary Blue Horizon.”
“I know that Chambers is a good fighter but a very basic fighter. He has a Winky Wright type of style, so I should do fairly well with that.”
“I am not nervous. I have fought the top guys already so this is nothing to me. It is just another fight to me“
“Watch this fight there will be an upset”
Ran Nakash (14-0, 10 KO’s)- “I know he is 10-3 with a hard punch”
“If I win this fight I feel I should get that respect that I deserve.”
“This is my sixth time fighting at The Blue Horizon and it feels like my 2nd home.”
“This fight will be a hell of a fight”
Larry Robinson (10-3, 7 KO’s)—“It should be an interesting fight. I am explosive. He is explosive so that makes a good fight.”
“Come watch the fight or watch on the internet and tell me what you think of the new Larry Robinson”
Derrick Bivins (Pro debut)-“It means a lot (to make my pro debut at The Legendaty Blue Horizon), I am going to make these fans feel good about the same things I do.
Ticket prices for this great night of boxing are $200 for Queen Seating, $125 for Presidential seats, $65 for VIP, $55 for Ringside, and $45 for General Admission and can be purchased by calling The Legendary Blue Horizon at 1-215-763-0500 or by logging on to comcasttix.com. Doors open at 6:30 PM / 1st bout begins at 7:30 PM
The Legendary Blue Horizon is located at
For more information, log on to www.legendarybluehorizon.com
Team Ruiz counters Sauerland’s attack
LAS VEGAS (September 10, 2008) – Team Ruiz blasted Wilfried Sauerland and his promotional company about derogatory remarks made against two-time World Boxing Association heavyweight champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz (43-8-1, 29 KOs), after the latter responded to a press release in which Team Ruiz demanded a full videotape of Valuev-Ruiz II to further review for evidence of alleged corrupt practices in their August 30th fight in Berlin.
Team Ruiz’ points of contention included Judge Takeshi Shimakawa improperly keeping a running score during the fight; Ruiz not being credited with a legitimate knockdown when he floored Valuev in the second round; Judge Antonio Requena scoring two rounds even despite WBA instructions that there should be no even rounds scored in championship bouts; most importantly, throughout the fight Valuev’s cornermen received judges’ scoring results as the rounds went on.
“Team Ruiz is not as concerned with media quotes in Sauerland’s hometown newspaper,” Ruiz advisor/attorney Tony Cardinale emphasized, “as they are about quotes from international publications from several years ago like Tim Graham’s Dec. 2, 1999 column regarding the federal criminal charges against the IBF’s Bob Lee, ‘How to get ranked in boxing’ on espn.com: “Two other alleged scenarios involved George Foreman and Axel Schultz. According to the documents, Foreman’s people paid (past IBF president Robert) Lee $100,000 for an exemption to defend his title against the unranked Schulz. Big George got more than he bargained for and sweated out a majority decision. Then Schulz’s management allegedly paid Lee $100,000 to order a rematch. He did, but it never came off.” (Team Ruiz note: Sauerland was Schultz’ management team.) We had a good laugh reading what Team Sauerland said, but we are more concerned about what went on in this fight. We want to review the full, unedited Valuev-Ruiz II videotape to strengthen our position outlined in the original release about the issues.”
PunchStat results of Valuev-Ruiz II revealed that Ruiz connected with nearly twice as many power punches as Valuev, 98-52, and that the 7’ 0”, 318-pound Valuev threw 99 jabs compared to Ruiz’ 49. Valuev also instigated 79 “clear” clinches to Ruiz’ 29.
“This wasn’t the amateurs where jabs count as much as power punches,” Cardinale noted. “John had Valuev running around the ring, despite the tremendous difference in their sizes (Ruiz stands 6’ 2” and weighed 239 pounds), when Valuev wasn’t throwing that freakishly long, light hitting jab of his to hold-off John, he was holding and pushing John down.”
Upon review of the full videotape of the fight for review, Team Ruiz indicated that it planned to petition the WBA to rule the bout a no-contest and Valuev be stripped of the WBA title for a blatant violation of WBA rules. Team Ruiz will also seek sanctions against any officials involved in permitting these violations to happen.
Deck stacked against “The Quietman”
Team Ruiz protests outcome vs. Valuev
LAS VEGAS (September 8, 2008) – Two-time World Boxing Association heavyweight champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz (43-8-1, 29 KOs), as well as his advisor/attorney Tony Cardinale and head trainer Manny Siaca, Sr., believe they faced sizable unfair disadvantages August 30 fighting Nikolai Valuev (49-1, 34 KOs) for the WBA heavyweight title in Berlin.
Valuev recaptured the WBA belt by way of a 12-round decision clouded in controversy. Team Ruiz is demanding a full videotape of Valuev-Ruiz II to further review for evidence of alleged corrupt practices.
Points of contention include the following issues:
1. Judge Takeshi Shimakawa improperly kept a running score during the fight, which is prohibited by the WBA, as well as the only way he could have “corrected” his scorecard after the scores were announced (Shimakawa’s scoring changed from 114-113 in favor of Ruiz to 114-113 for Valuev.
2. Ruiz was not credited with a legitimate knockdown when he floored Valuev in the second round. Ruiz blasted Valuev with punches, knocking “The Giant” into the ropes, but the referee incorrectly ruled a slip when Valuev’s knee hit the canvas after he careened off of the ropes. Scoring that round would have been different, in Ruiz’ favor, if it was ruled a knockdown.
3. Judge Antonio Requena scored two rounds even, despite WBA instructions that there should be no even rounds scored in championship bouts. Ruiz would have been declared the winner if the two even rounds had been awarded to Ruiz in addition to the aforementioned second round scoring snafu being sorted out.
4. Most importantly, throughout the fight Valuev’s cornermen received judges’ scoring results as the rounds went on, something that happens regularly only in Germany, yet clearly constitutes major corruption in boxing.
In addition to demanding a full videotape of the fight for review, Team Ruiz plans to petition the WBA to rule the bout a no-contest and Valuev be stripped of the WBA title for a blatant violation of WBA rules. Team Ruiz will also seek sanctions against any officials involved in permitting these violations to happen, whether it’s enforced by the WBA or German Boxing Federation.
“The WBA needs to resolve this matter as quickly as possible,” Ruiz said. “Non-officials are not allowed to handle or read scorecards during the fight. Valuev should be stripped and a rematch ordered. It seems like everything possible has happened to me in boxing. Whether it was defending my title by disqualification (Kirk Johnson), my opponent testing positive for steroids (James Toney), or scores changed after a fight like this. It was chaotic after the fight. With all of the confusion going on, at one point while waiting to hear the results, I thought I was in Florida and the ‘hanging chads’ during the 2004 election.
“The WBA must investigate the judges and who was running the show, Sauerland. Everything was very weird at the end of the fight. The German people are wonderful and they’ve treated me very well each time I’ve fought there. They cheered loudly after the fight, but only when Valuev announced he was going to give me a rematch (He has since changed his tune and is talking about fighting an unnamed opponent in December.) They should hold Sauerland and the German Boxing Federation accountable. The great German boxing fans deserve much better. Things have to change in Germany, where everybody knows foreigners don’t have a chance of winning a close decision. I’m terribly disappointed with what went on over there. Boxing suffered another black eye.”
The Puerto Rican-American Ruiz is the first and only Latino heavyweight champion of the world. He has fought in 10 world championship fights and defeated three world heavyweight champions -- Evander Holyfield, Hasim Rahman and Tony Tucker – in addition to beating top contenders such as Andrew Golota, Fres Oquendo, Kirk Johnson and Jameel McCline during his 15-year pro career.
-JR-
Affliction Back In
Las Vegas, NV (September 8, 2008) – A billboard promoting Affliction “Day of Reckoning”, the second mixed-martial-arts event which Affliction Entertainment will put on following the tremendous success of “Affliction Banned”, has been unveiled for millions to see in New York City’s Times Square and features main event fighters Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski (13-5) and his opponent Josh “The Baby Faced Assassin” Barnett (23-5). These stars will meet on October 11th at Thomas and
Affliction Entertainment, the partnership between Affliction and The Trump Organization, came out swinging for their first ever event “Affliction Banned” in July, which featured some of the top MMA fighters in the world, including Fedor Emelianenko, the recognized undisputed heavyweight champion of the sport. The Oct. 11 card will feature 10 bouts, showcasing Affliction heavyweights Andrei Arlovski vs. former UFC® heavyweight champion Josh Barnett. Arlovski and Barnett both participated in “Affliction Banned” held at the Honda Center July 19 in Anaheim, CA. Competing in separate bouts, both fighters registered impressive wins over Ben Rothwell and Pedro Rizzo respectively, and will now face each other in a bout that could possibly set up a future showdown for the winner with Fedor, who in July easy defeated former 2-time UFC® heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in just 36 seconds.
Tickets for Affliction “Day of Reckoning” are available online at www.unlvtickets.com or by calling 702.739.FANS. Ticket prices range from $75 to $500. Arlovski vs. Barnett is available live on cable and satellite pay-per-view and closed circuit television.
To download all video, photos and PR-related media go to:
http://www.afflictionclothing.com/Day_Of_Reckoning_October11th/
Affliction—Already a mainstay for the most elite athletes, heaviest bands, A-listers and the fashion conscious, Affliction Clothing’s ability to set the bar high in fashion is evident in its collection’s indulgence of style and design, focus on quality, and its trademark series of divinely executed, dark and powerful themes. (www.afflictionclothing.com)
The Trump Organization—The Trump Organization encompasses global real estate development and global licensing, sales and marketing, property management, golf course development, entertainment, entertainment and product licensing, brand development as well as restaurants and event planning. Donald J. Trump is the Chairman and President of the Trump Organization, a privately held company in
Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski and Josh “The Baby Faced Assassin” Barnett, set to appear on the Affliction “Day of Reckoning” fight card, on the billboard in New York’s Times Square.
JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ'S MEXICAN LEGACY DEFINED BY MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY FIGHT AGAINST JOEL CASAMAYOR ON SEPTEMBER 13 AT MGM GRAND IN LAS VEGAS
LIVE ON HBO PAY-PER-VIEW
LOS ANGELES (Sept.3) - On September 13 in Las Vegas, Juan Manuel Marquez will take a huge step toward cementing his status as one of the greatest Mexican fighters of all-time when he challenges Joel "Cepillo" Casamayor, who reigns as The Ring Magazine World Lightweight Champion.
For Marquez, a victory over the Cuban southpaw would be monumental. With a victory, Marquez, who has held world titles at featherweight and junior lightweight, would become a three-division world champion. It is the symbolic significance of the bout, however, that separates this fight from Marquez's previous 53 fights. That's because Casamayor-Marquez will take place on the weekend of El Grito de Independencia (Mexican Independence Day), which celebrates Mexico's independence from Spain in 1810.
The weekend has historically been reserved for only the brightest of Mexican and Mexican-American boxing heroes and legends.
"It is an honor and privilege to fight on a date that is so special for all Mexicans. All Mexicans, Mexican Americans and boxing fans in general are eagerly awaiting this fight and I look forward to fighting with pride for all of them," said Juan Manuel Marquez who fought once before on the celebratory weekend scoring a victory over Orlando Salido on September 18, 2004.
Reflecting on great moments in the history of Mexican Independence Day fights, we begin with Julio Cesar Chavez, a Mexican legend and perhaps the most important figure in the history of Mexican boxing. "J.C. Superstar," who fought from 1980-2005, was arguably both the greatest and most popular Mexican boxers of all time. No matter how brightly Chavez's star shined, he never lost his connection to his people. It is fitting then, that so many of his most important bouts took place on Independence Day weekend.
In 1984, Chavez won first world championship on such a weekend, stopping countryman Mario Martinez to capture the vacant WBC super featherweight title. That began a joyous tradition that peaked in the early-90s, when Chavez fought on Independence Day for five consecutive years. Among his opponents in those fights were Hector Camacho, Pernell Whitaker and Meldrick Taylor.
To place the magnitude of those fights in perspective, consider that in 1993, Chavez-Whitaker drew a crowd of 57,000 to the Alamodome in San Antonio and not 100 of them were rooting for the American.
Beloved Mexican legends had previously fought on the national holiday, including Ruben Olivares and Salvador Sanchez, but Chavez virtually made the occasion his own. "I feel proud to have been part of fights that gave fans such great memories while celebrating Mexico's Independence, such as my fight against Meldrick Taylor," said Chavez. "That night, I was filled with great pride knowing that all of my people were watching and that the fight was taking place as part of the celebration of Mexican Independence."
On Independence Day weekend in 1998, 10-time world champion Oscar de la Hoya defeated Chavez in their rematch and in subsequent years, "The Golden Boy" continued the tradition his idol had established. Several of the biggest bouts of De La Hoya's career came on the holiday weekend, including super-fights with Tito Trinidad, Fernando Vargas, Shane Mosley (their rematch) and Bernard Hopkins.
In 1999, De La Hoya-Trinidad drew 250,000 people to Las Vegas and in the city's sports books, a staggering $25-million was wagered on the fight. The fight also set a then record for pay-per-view buys for a non-heavyweight bout with a staggering 1.4 millions homes tuning into the fight.
"I have always felt great pride fighting during Mexican Independence Day weekend," De La Hoya said. "It gave me extra motivation because of the importance of this date for Mexicans and those of Mexican descent all over the world. There is extra pressure to perform on this weekend and I know Marquez is going to want to prove he's the best on September 13th. I know he's going to come out strong and show he's tough, just like Chavez and I did when we fought on this special day."
I deleted the box with De La Hoya's fights as well. If you want it back in, I'll retype it.—SF…eh if we took it out for everyone, leave it out, we may just want to list his other MIDW fights.
Long ago, Marquez established his mettle, but unfortunate timing—and a point or two on the judges' cards—has cost him. Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales became Mexican icons largely by fighting each other. By the time Marquez defeated Barrera (in March '07), the latter was regarded as past his prime.
By any standard, Marquez has fared better against pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao than either Barrera or Morales did in their battles with the Filipino star. Pacquiao twice convincingly defeated Barrera and won two of three versus Morales, but in a pair of bouts against Marquez, Pac-Man was held to a draw and won by split decision. Neutral observers made strong cases for Marquez having won both those bouts.
The past, of course, cannot be re-written or erased, but perception can change, and Marquez fighting on Independence Day goes a long way toward doing just that. Marquez is 35 now, and he's certainly waited his turn. His standing can never be questioned and the honor of fighting on Independence Day weekend has finally been bestowed upon one of the greatest Mexicans of all time.
APPENDIX
Other Mexicans who have fought during Independence Day weekend are some of the most respected champions in the sport's modern era. They include Barrera and Morales, both of whom won world titles at three weights and established themselves as pound-for-pound greats.
Barrera, who is one of Mexico's most popular fighters, is best known for his legendary trilogy against Morales and his tremendous victory over then-undefeated and heavily favored Prince Naseem Hamed. Barrera fought on Independence Day weekend thre times against….
"It was an honor for me to fight on this weekend because I knew that all Mexican fans were watching very closely," Mexico City's Barrera said. "It has always been an important date that belongs to most important Mexican fighters."
Morales is also one of the most important fighters in the history of Mexican boxing. With his unique style and brilliant performances, he was able to both win the love of Mexican fans and maintain the respect of his adversaries. Morales had one fight on Independence Day Weekend, a thrilling fourth-round TKO of Junior Jones that took place in a bull ring in Morales' hometown of Tijuana.
"Even though I only fought once on this weekend, I always knew that it would be a fight that would be remembered because it took place on such an important date," Morales said. "It remains a strong connection between the sport and Mexican history. There will always a hard-fought battle that fans won't forget when a Mexican fights during the celebration of Mexican Independence."
Gabriel Ruelas, a native of Yerbabuena, Jalisco, Mexico, was another important Mexican World Champion who fought on Independence Day Weekend. He did so XX times….
"It was an honor for me to fight during the celebration of Mexico's Independence and I will always remember it was an important moment in my career during which I hope I was a worthy representative of Mexican boxing," Ruelas said.
Chango Carmona, a native of Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, is credited with starting the tradition of Mexican fighters representing their country on this weekend. His epic battle against Mando Ramos took place during the celebration in 1972.
"For me it was very special and so important to fight on September 15th in 1972," Carmona said. "I remember shouting for joy after I beat Ramos and captured a world title in front of all the Mexicans fans in the Los Angeles Coliseum. That win wasn't just for me, it was for Mexico as well."
Casamayor vs. Marquez – "The Challenge," a 12-round bout for Casamayor's Ring Magazine World Lightweight Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Romanza Boxing Productions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, Cazadores Tequila and Southwest Airlines. Mora-Forrest II is the 12-round co-featured bout presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Tournament of Contenders, Gary Shaw Productions and Fight Knight, LLC. The double header will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Tickets priced at $300, $200, $125 and $75 are on sale and may be purchased at any MGM Grand box office outlet and all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith's Food and Drug Centers and Macy's West at the Fashion Show Mall). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Philadelphia - September 10th 2008 World Champion Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham adds PR and Marketing member to his team IBF Cruiserweight World Champion, Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham announces today that he has added publicity and sports marketing specialist, Gianluca (Rio) Di Caro, to his team as he prepares for his upcoming mandatory title defense against Tomasz ‘Goral’ Adamek, the current number two rated Cruiserweight from Gilowice, Poland. Livvy Cunningham, Steve’s wife and manager, said of the appointment “We had been looking at ways to capitalise on Steve’s world title ever since he won it and recently decided it would be best to have someone who specialises in this field rather than try to do it all ourselves.” On why they chose Di Caro she said “I had met Marianne (Marston), who is one of his clients, in New York shortly after Steve won the title last year, since then I had noticed how much press she had been receiving and that she was clearly being marketed by someone that knew what they were doing. A few months ago she started training at the same gym as Steve. Not long after we got to meet Rio (Gianluca Di Caro’s nickname) for the first time. Over the next few months we couldn’t help but notice that the fighters he was helping were getting a lot of media coverage, so we decided it could be worth having a chat with him to see how he would approach things for us. Both Steve and I loved his ideas, so we decided to invite him on board the USS Cunningham crew.” “I am so honoured to be working with Steve” Di Caro said “He is the ‘All American Hero’. He’s a loving husband and father, deeply religious, loves his country and served it with pride. He’s witty and eloquent but more than anything he is a champion, the best of the best. Everyone likes to be associated with winners, especially companies. All they need is to know that their perfect spokesman is here right now. That’s my job, making sure that everyone knows about the all American sporting hero that is Steve Cunningham.” - END - For further information or interviews with Steve Cunningham please contact. Gianluca (Rio) Di Caro Tel: 1 215 459 5060 E.Mail: rio@justlisten2this.com
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