WBO welterweight world champion Jessie Vargas celebrates with Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum, Top Rank President Todd duBoef, and manager Cameron Dunkin at Top Rank headquarters in Las Vegas on Monday.
Dear Timothy:
I am in receipt of your February 4, 2016 letter wherein you state that given your upcoming fight against Manny Pacquiao on April 9, 2016 you are unable to comply with WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests, the WBO Championship Committee’s Resolution of November 6, 2015 (ordering the winner of Bradley vs. Rios to face WBO Mandatory Challenger Sadam Ali), and must vacate your WBO Welterweight Title.
Do know that we wholly understand your decision and commend you for always giving fans the best fights possible and doing what is best for your career at this important juncture. You have been an outstanding, honorable and loyal WBO Junior Welterweight and Welterweight Champion of the World and the doors of the WBO will always be open for you. Finally, I am pleased to inform you that we are preparing a special recognition for the Pacquiao vs Bradley III winner— two remarkable fighters and worthy ambassadors to the WBO.
Wishing you all the best,
Francisco Valcarcel, Esq.
Cc: Luis Batista Salas, Esq. – Bob Arum
By Bill Dwyre –
They held the Right Coast promotional scrum here Thursday for the upcoming Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao-Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley Jr. boxing match. Among the revelations that could stop the presses was that there are no villains in this fight.
Leo Durocher said that nice guys finish last. He never considered that they would fight each other.
This kind of warm and fuzzy stuff could ruin the sport. But, in this one, the skeletons in the closet have either been permanently locked up, or they never existed. It got so bad (good) Thursday that, after Pacquiao and Bradley did the usual contrived face-to-face pose for photographers — does anybody actually use this stuff? — they parted by shaking hands and smiling.
Mike Tyson, who once bit off a piece of an opponent’s ear, would be spinning in his grave, were he not still alive. Floyd Mayweather Jr., if he saw this, would go outside and take a baseball bat to a tree.
Where were the insults? Where was the name calling, the out-of-control testosterone, the phony tension contrived to sell tickets? Was this a boxing promotion or the groundbreaking for a convent? In the old days, before George Foreman found God and niceness, this sort of promotion would have driven him either to the heavy bag or the barf bag.
In truth, the best and fairest way to describe what will take place April 9 in Las Vegas is to trot out that terrible cliché of the day: It is what it is. These are two decent people who also happen to be great boxers.
Pacquiao is a congressman from the Philippines, who is universally known for his generosity. Said Top Rank Promotion’s chief executive, Bob Arum, “Most politicians take, take, take. Manny gives, gives, gives.”
Bradley is a once-beaten world champion described Thursday by Arum as, “a great person, who will keep fighting for his family and the people of this country.”
Of course, that is a promoter’s hyperbole. In this case, it also happens to be accurate. The only hope might be to hire Mayweather Jr. to come to a special press day and snarl some insults. Word is he isn’t busy.
Thursday’s event was at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. MSG as a venue symbolizes boxing, and Arum did not miss the chance to point that out. Tuesday’s opener in this two-stop tour event was held in Beverly Hills. The events were mostly the same. Same message. Same warm and fuzzy. Better food in Beverly Hills.
It is 11 weeks and one day until the fight. Including the ever-present good-guy versus good-guy theme, the storylines have been established and are unlikely to change much. That starts with the boxers.
Bradley: “I only have one date on my calendar, April 9.”
Pacquiao, steadfast in his retirement vow: “After this fight, if you want to see me, come to the Philippines. It is a nice place for a vacation.”
Among the discussion points to be dealt with in the next months are:
- Was this fight a match-made-for-comfort exit for Pacquiao, or is Bradley different and improved now, and if so, will that bring the kind of competition that Pacquiao seeks so he can go out in the right way?
- Is Pacquiao’s right shoulder, the surgically repaired rotator cuff injury that apparently cost him any chance to win against Mayweather last spring, completely healed?
- Would a Bradley victory make him Top Rank’s new star, with Pacquiao exiting? Or would Pacquiao not exit if he loses?
- If Bradley is the new Top Rank breadwinner, how will Arum get him to fight his buddy and fast-rising star, Terence “Bud” Crawford, whom Bradley says he will not fight? (Preliminary Arum answer: “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.”).
- Will an impressive victory by Pacquiao coax Mayweather out of retirement for a shot at a cherished final 50-0 record?
- Is that what Mayweather has been hoping for all along, so he can be the opening sports star at Las Vegas’ soon-to-be-ready T-Mobile Arena?
- Is Bradley trainer Teddy Atlas deserving of the credit he is getting for Bradley’s impressive victory over Brandon Rios, or was Rios simply an out-of-shape, under-motivated cup cake for Bradley?
- Can Arum use, to any degree of success, his boxing platform to influence some presidential votes? At every chance, the liberal-leaning Arum refers, tongue in cheek, to the preliminary matches for this fight as the ‘Donald Trump undercard,’ and says, since that undercard includes several Hispanics, his hope is that none will be deported by The Donald.
- Has Arum cleverly taken the edge off other fights in the first quarter of the year by getting this promotion rolling so early and with such high visibility that the likes of Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin, if they get matches made, will be playing from behind?
This fight will be no morality play. You need a bad guy for that. But will the sporting public, which seems to gravitate toward NASCAR wrecks and people fighting barefoot in cages, embrace Little Orphan Annie versus Mother Teresa?
Here Thursday, Atlas gave that public the best reason to do so, relating nicely to our current hypnotic state over politics.
“These fighters,” he said, “have always lived up to their campaign promises.”
fightnews.com/Boxing/pacquiao-and-bradley-ready-to-deliver-on-their-campaign-promises-322000
By Ronnie Nathanielsz –
Newly crowned WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito “The Filipino” Flash Donaire will make the first defense of his WBO super bantamweight title at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Manila either on April 16 or 23.
Donaire had earlier indicated he was hoping his next title defense will be in Manila so he can repay the fans who have supported him especially after his gallant performance against Cesar Juarez of Mexico to win the WBO super bantamweight title for the second time around.
The New Standard/boxingmirror.com learned that the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN had come to terms with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who recently signed a three-fight deal with Donaire for 2016, Donaire, Asia’s leading promotional outfit, ALA Promotions and Donaire himself.
Arum had previously told us that Donaire would defend his title against Evgeny Gradovich, the former featherweight champion nicknamed the “Russian-Mexican” sometime in late April after the planned Manny Pacquiao fight on April 9 although Pacquiao has still to pick an opponent.
Donaire who arrived last week from Puerto Rico via Los Angeles with wife Rachel and their two sons, said they plan to stay in the country until February but if the title defense in Manila pushes through he will stay and train in the country until then.
Donaire told us at a luncheon hosted by Gabby Lopez, the top honcho of the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN, that Gradovich has been calling him out and although they are friends and he was a sparring partner when he prepared for the Wilfredo Vazquez Jr title fight, its all business and nothing personal.
He said Gradovich “is like Cesar Juarez. He keeps coming forward and throws a lot of punches even when retreating” but conceded that he doesn’t have too much power.
Donaire told the New Standard/boxingmirro.com that he just has to study tapes of his opponent and indicated that he didn’t have tapes of Juarez to study before the fight and couldn’t do it because the opponent from whom he won the WBO Intercontinental title was a southpaw.
Donaire said he will fight anybody they put in front of him and emphasized “I’m ready to train, ready to go.”
The WBO super bantamweight champion a second time around praised wife Rachel for his change in attitude and habits and his father/trainer “Dodong” Donaire for “doing an amazing job” both during training and during the fight itself but admitted he couldn’t implement all his instructions in-between rounds because of “the freak accident” when he was tripped by Puerto Rican referee, Pena.
He said there were times during the fight when he nailed Juarez with thunderous punches to the body and head and he seemingly fell unconscious for a second but then just as suddenly woke up making Nonito wonder how he did it.
Donaire was happy to have redeemed his reputation with the brutal “Fight of the Year’ candidate and welcomed the tremendous response he has received for his remarkable performance against a fighter of the caliber of Juarez.
Gradovich, a fleet-footed southpaw with quick hands and a fighter who throws a lot of punches even when back-pedaling won the featherweight title by a 9th round TKO after in a rematch with Australia’s Billy Dib on November 24, 2013 after winning the title via a twelve round split decision in March 1, 2013.
Despite putting on a game defense of his title on May 30 this year, Gradovich lost by an 8th round technical decision to Britain’s Lee Selby last October 24.
The Daily Mail of Britain reported that Selby”put on an exceptional performance at the O2 Arena but said that the manner in which the rough Gradovich was dethroned was not the natural conclusion that seemed inevitable”.
A deep cut from an accidental clash of heads did the damage in the seventh round and the referee called for the doctor a minute into the following round and after a quick inspection of Gradovich’s right eye the fight was waved off.
The Daily Mail said “that was unfortunate but in going to the scorecards it revealed the narrow facts of Selby’s brilliance. Two judges gave Selby who is referred to as “The Welsh Mayweather” a six round margin and a third judge gave Selby all eight rounds.”
The report said considering the fight was “against a big-punching Russian in his fifth title defense the performance was quite exceptional, a master-class of dancing feet and quick hands” and pointed out that “everytime Gradovich surged, he seemed to be tagged by a disappearing man.”
Date: Saturday, November 7, 2015
WBO FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT
Location: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Promoter: Top Rank / Bob Arum
Supervisor: Luis Perez
Referee: Robert Byrd
Judges: Patricia Morse Jarman, Dave Moretti, Don Trella
Results: The Champion Vasyl Lomachenko retains the WBO Featherweight Title against Romulo Koasicha by KO in the 10th round.
TV: USA HBO, New Zealand Sky Arena, Hungary Sport 1
Date: Saturday, November 7, 2015
WBO WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT
Location: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Promoter: Top Rank / Bob Arum
Supervisor: Francisco Valcarcel
Referee: Tony Weeks
Judges: Adalaide Byrd, Glenn Trownbridge, Glenn Fieldman
Results: The WBO Welterweight Champion Timothy Bradley retains the title against Brandon Rios by TKO in the 9th round.
TV: USA HBO
Date: Saturday, October 24, 2015
WBO JR. WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT
Location: CenturyLink Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Promoter: Top Rank / Bob Arum
Supervisor: John Duggan
Referee: Tony Weeks
Judges: Patricia Morse Harman (89-80), Julie Lederman (90-79), Nelson Vazquez (90-79)
Results: The Champion Terence “Bud” Crawford stopped Dierry Jean in the 10th round to retain his WBO junior welterweight title. The unbeaten Crawford knocked down Jean in the first and ninth rounds and then used a flurry of punches to cause him to buckle into the ropes at the 2:30 mark, when referee Tony Weeks ended the fight at the CenturyLink Center.
TV: USA HBO
Credit Photo: By Nati Harnik – Associated Press
Undefeated world champion broke down Dierry Jean on his way to a 10th-round stoppage. (Photo: Getty)
Terence Crawford successfully made the first defense of his newly acquired WBO junior welterweight title by stopping Dierry Jean on Saturday in front of hometown crowd at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
The end of the bout came in the 10th frame after referee Tony Weeks called a halt to the contest at 2 minutes and 30 seconds of the round to save Jean from continued punishment. Jean (29-2, 20 KOs) had been down twice in the fight, once in the first round and again in the ninth.
“When I’m at home I feel revived, I feel the electricity,” Crawford told HBO’s Max Kellerman during his post-fight interview. “I just want to go in there and put on a good show.”
And that he did. Crawford (27-0, 19 KOs) commanded the action from the opening bell behind a southpaw stance and an active, pawing right jab that systematically broke down a game but ineffective Jean and left him open to solid right hooks and combinations. Jean landed sporadic straight rights from the distance, but spent the majority of the fight on the defense and trying to get passed the champs jab.
CompuBox numbers had Crawford landing 169 punches out of 533 thrown, Jean landed 51 out of 340 thrown.
Photo by: Mickey Williams / Top Rank –
The fight opened with the boxers meeting in the middle of the ring and feeling each other out with long distance jabs, Crawford in an orthodox stance. Both vied for positioning and dominance for the first half of the round, but it was Jean who took the first step back. Crawford tried out the southpaw stance for size and found a good fit as he knocked Jean to canvas with a hard right.
Crawford came out in a southpaw stance for the second round and stayed that way for the rest of the fight. They pawed at each other with the their lead hands in the middle of the ring, before Jean finally took to the perimeter, slowly circling counter-clockwise and pressuring behind an active jab. This began to set the tenor for the rest of the encounter.
The following round continued with the established tendancy, Crawford pressing forward and landing right jabs and hooks and occasional combinations, with Jean on the back foot and lunging with his right hand periodically and getting caught in the corners or against the ropes.
The eighth round brought back memories of the recent Timothy Bradley vs. Jessie Vargas debacle, when ref Pat Russell prematurely stopped the fight after confusing the 10-second warning with the last bell of the fight. This time it happened to Tony Weeks, who may have saved Jean, who was being pummeled at the end of the round, from a kayo by stopping the action of the eighth round at the 10-second warning.
In the ninth round, a straight left from Crawford created an opening and champ capitalized on it by following up with a 1-2 that knocked down Jean for a second time in the fight.
Crawford came looking to close the show in the 10th round, backing Jean up against the ropes and landing with combinations to the head and body. Crawford was on the hunt and serving up the offense as the end of the round neared. He caught Jean with a 1-2-1 combination that put the challenger on the run, Crawford caught up and landed two hard lefts, and that was all the referee had to see to wave off the rest of the fight.
One of boxing’s recent young breakaway stars, undefeated champion and Boxing Writers Association of America’s (BWAA) ‘2014 Fighter of the Year’ Terence Crawford lifted the WBO 135 pound lightweight world title in March of last year by ousting Ricky Burns in the Brit’s native Scotland.
Having defended the lightweight title twice, by knocking out Cuban phenom Yuriorkis Gamboa and handily outpointing Raymundo Beltran, 28-year-old Crawford moved up in weight to the junior welterweight 140-pound division and stopped Thomas Dulorme in April to claim the vacant WBO title which he defended on Saturday.
With word on the street that Top Rank CEO Bob Arum is looking to pair up Crawford with another of his star fighters, none other than the might Manny Pacquiao, Max Kellerman asked Crawford for his thoughts on the possible match.
“I’m ready,” answered Crawford without hesitation. “Bob, make it happen.”
The crowd loved it.
Fighting out of Montreal, Canada, Dierry Jean, a native of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, entered the fight having outpointed a fading Jerry Belmontes in June and KO’d Dominican journeyman in March of this year.
Before Saturday’s loss, Jean’s sole professional defeat had come at the hands Lamont Peterson in January of 2014. The 33-year old, who entered the ring ranked No. 2 by the World Boxing Council (WBC) and No. 6 by the WBO, holds wins over Cleotis Pendarvis, Lanardo Tyner, and Ivan Cano.
By Kevin Iole –
Promoter Bob Arum calls Terence Crawford “the American equivalent of Manny Pacquiao,” and he wasn’t necessarily talking about in the boxing ring.
There is a chance, perhaps a very good chance, that Pacquiao’s next bout will be in early 2016 against Crawford, the 2014 Fighter of the Year.
Crawford would likely win that fight if he gets it, many boxing insiders say, and it would push his stardom into a realm that he may not be all that comfortable with.
Crawford, who fights Dierry Jean on Saturday in Omaha, Neb., on HBO, is the type of guy who can do just fine without a lot of attention or media exposure.
But those who know him well want to shout to the mountaintops about him because of his kindness, his devotion to the less fortunate and his all-around genial nature.
He literally has given someone the clothes off his back.
Pacquiao is a well-known philanthropist who gives thousands, if not millions, of dollars to charity, and Arum sees many similar traits in Crawford.
When Crawford was 18 and a burgeoning star in the USA Boxing amateur program, he went to Venezuela for a Pan American Games qualifying tournament. He brought a suitcase filled with Team USA gear with him to wear while on the trip.
His sister, Leticia, had dropped him off for the trip, but when she picked him up, she noticed he only had the clothes he was wearing and nothing else.
“I said, ‘Where’s all your stuff?’ ” she told Yahoo Sports. “And he said, ‘I gave it away.’ I thought maybe I didn’t hear him or didn’t understand him right. I said, ‘What do you mean you gave it away?’ And he goes, ‘Oh, I saw a lot of those boxers and they were so poor. They didn’t have nothing. And so I gave them my stuff.’ I never knew he was like that. He treated us in his family that way, but I didn’t know he was doing stuff like that for other people. But he has a huge heart.”
For much of his early years, Crawford was living something of a dual life. He would do incredible acts of kindness and charity, but he was also frequently in street fights and often hanging with the wrong crowd.
In September 2008, not long after he debuted as a pro, his penchant for hanging with the less-than-desirable elements of Omaha nearly cost him his life.
He was booted out of SeptemberFest along with his buddies by security and was maced by security guards when he protested. Later, he heard that there was a dice game going on and, against his better judgment, he decided to play.
When the game ended, Crawford got into his car. He started it and was about to pull away, but decided to count the money he’d won.
It was a mistake.
Someone shot him and hit him on the right side of his head. Crawford said the only reason he isn’t dead is because the curve of the back window ever so slightly altered the trajectory of the bullet. Instead of it smashing through the back of his head and exploding into his brain, killing him, it just grazed him on the side and gave him a more superficial wound.
“Through the grace of God, it wasn’t my purpose to be dead,” he said. “My purpose was different. God gave me a second and third chance to go out and use my talents and be a world champion.”
Crawford drove himself to the hospital, blood pouring out of his wound, to be examined. En route, he called his sister and woke her up with the news that he’d been shot in the head.
Leticia Crawford assumed she must have been dreaming or that her brother was fooling with her. Someone who has been shot in the head doesn’t pick up the phone and place a call.
“I was six or seven months pregnant at the time and I was sleeping when he called me,” she said. “I pick up the phone and go, ‘Waaaa?’ I was asleep. He goes, ‘Teci, I just got shot.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ And he goes, ‘Yeah, I just got shot in the head.’ I asked him, ‘Where you at?’ And he said, ‘I’m on my way to the hospital.’
“I’m like, ‘What do you mean you got shot in the head? You didn’t get shot in the head. You’re talking to me on the phone.’ And he goes, ‘I just got [expletive] shot in the head,’ and he hung up the phone on me.”
It took a few seconds for the gravity of the conversation to sink in. She called her mother, Debra Crawford, and then went to the hospital, relieved to find that though her brother indeed had taken a bullet to the head, he didn’t have a major injury and would be fine.
That event turned out to be a life-changing experience for Crawford.
His first thought, of course, was revenge. Crawford initially was hell-bent on getting some.
But as he began to think about it, he realized he was blowing an extraordinary opportunity. He wasn’t a hoodlum or a bad guy, but he was putting himself with those kinds of people and in situations where bad things occurred.
Things changed for good, both personally and professionally, when he got the chance to go to Palm Springs, Calif., and spar with world champion Timothy Bradley in late 2010.
They’re now the best of friends, and Arum said Crawford and Bradley are on a short list of opponents for Pacquiao’s first 2016 bout.
“Of course, I would take another opportunity against Pacquiao if they gave it to me, but I’ll tell you the truth, I’d love to see Terence get that shot,” Bradley, who has faced Pacquiao twice, told Yahoo Sports. “He deserves that. I’ve had my opportunities, and he needs that kind of a fight for the world to realize how good he is, and what kind of a person he is. I’d step aside for him to get that if it came down to it.”
Bradley was pummeling his sparring partners in preparation for a major bout against Devon Alexander in 2011 and was in need of someone who could give him good work.
Crawford only had 12 fights, and none of significance, since he’d turned pro, and had just eight since the shooting. He needed to fight more often, but Bradley was impressed after the first workout.
Both boxers were managed at the time by Cameron Dunkin, and after the first sparring session, Bradley called Dunkin.
It was, on many levels, an extraordinary phone call.
“I called Cameron at his hotel and I said, ‘Cameron, this guy is no sparring partner,’ ” Bradley said. “And Cameron says, ‘Oh no, don’t tell me. Do we need to send him home?’ And I said, ‘No. I’m trying to tell you, this dude is no sparring partner. This dude is a world champion. Why isn’t he getting fights?’ I’m like, ‘If you can’t use him, tell me, because I’ll buy him out of the contract and I’ll [manage] him myself. This guy can fight.’
“And Cameron goes, ‘Oh, no, no. It’s that no one wants to fight him. But let me makes some calls.’ ”
Soon, Crawford began fighting more regularly and getting more significant bouts. But Bradley’s impact upon Crawford was felt more in the personal realm.
Bradley is the antithesis of a street guy. If a TV producer were ever looking to recreate the old sitcom “Father Knows Best,” Bradley would be the guy. He’s a devoted family man who was the president of a youth football league and loves nothing more than playing with his children.
Bradley sensed something good about Crawford. And so he introduced Crawford to his wife, Monica, and their children. While they sparred, he integrated Crawford into the family.
“I told him that the sky was the limit as far as boxing was concerned for him, but that he had to leave that crazy lifestyle alone,” Bradley said. “I told him all the things you’d tell someone, but words alone weren’t going to do it. But he saw the way I hung with my family and how I interacted with them.
“He watched my wife play soccer and my son play football. I was heavily involved and he soaked all of that in. We became good friends really quickly and I sensed that maybe he just needed a big brother-type figure. And I’m proud of who he has become.”
Crawford (26-0, 18 KOs), now 28, has become one of the five or 10 best fighters in the world, but more than that, he’s become a leading figure in his community.
With Brian McIntyre, his trainer and co-manager, he opened B&B Boxing Academy in Omaha to help work with troubled children.
He connected with his fourth-grade teacher, Jamie Nollette, and went on two charitable missions to Africa.
On the first of those two trips, which was to Uganda last year, Crawford did the same thing he’d done many years earlier as a teenager when he came home from Venezuela. He gave all of his personal belongings away to those in need.
“Even my drawers,” he said, chuckling.
Crawford was in Nollette’s class at Skinner Magnet Center in the north end of Omaha. The class, she said chuckling, “was a very rambunctious group,’ and young Terence fit right in with it.
“There is a difference to me between a kid who is bad and a kid who just, well, I don’t know, Terence didn’t have bad behavior, but he was definitely an extremely active boy,” she said. “He loved getting attention and he was always funny. He made me laugh so much, even at that age.”
Nollette was shocked to find out later that Crawford indeed had gotten into plenty of trouble during those years, including more than his share of fights.
She reconnected with him years later on Facebook after he’d become a champion and a legitimate superstar in Omaha.
They were sitting together in Kampala, Uganda, last year reminiscing when she brought up Crawfords’ troublesome past.
“I went on maternity leave when he went into the fifth grade,” Nollette said. “I’d had a baby over the summer and took a few years off, and so I didn’t know he was getting into this trouble. When I had him, it was my third year teaching, so I was still a pretty young teacher and learning my job.
“I remember sitting in Kampala and said, ‘Terence, I never knew you got into all that trouble.’ He said, ‘Yeah, I always had a temper and was getting into fights and getting myself in trouble.’ But I never saw that side of him, and I asked him about it. And his response was so beautiful, it just touched me. I often think of it. He said, ‘Well, I knew you cared about me.’ As a teacher, to hear that from one of your students, I just can’t even tell you.”
Nollette started a non-profit organization called Pipeline Worldwide, and one of its missions is to drill wells in developing countries so the residents have clean water to drink. She also went to Rwanda and built homes for the survivors of the mid-1990s genocide there.
Crawford was eager to travel with her and help. On the first trip, he left all of his belongs with George, their driver in Uganda, to give to needy people. On the second, he purchased a lot of things for those less fortunate and brought them with him.
He also worked on many projects for the native people. The locals loved him almost instantly, Nollette said, but George alerted them to one problem. Crawford, afraid he’d get sick from eating the food they’d prepared, was instead declining it and eating canned sardines.
“George explained to Terence that if you don’t try their food or eat what they prepare for you, it’s kind of a sign of disrespect,” she said. “And that’s all it took. He instantly ate everything they made for him. He’s such a caring, good, wonderful guy and he doesn’t mean to harm anyone.”
In Rwanda, some of the perpetrators of the genocide are now being let out of prison, going to live in some cases next door to the families of their victims.
An organization known as CARSA – Christian Action for Reconciliation and Social Assistance – was founded to help redevelop the country and address problems in the wake of the genocide.
CARSA created a program called “Cows for Peace.” It gives cows to neighbors, one of whom was a victim of the genocide and the other a perpetrator recently released from prison.
The idea is that they must care for the cows and use them together for their own betterment.
The program affected Crawford profoundly.
“He told me that if it is possible for them to live in peace together, it’s possible anywhere,” Nollette said.
Crawford spends much of his free time trying to improve the world, a small act of kindness at a time. He’s run the B&B Boxing Academy to keep kids off the street, has been active in local and national anti-bullying efforts and has donated his time and money to dozens of good causes.
He received the The Shadow League’s second annual leadership award in Beverly Hills in July for his efforts.
To Crawford, it’s who he’s always been, even though there were times he seemed to be going the other way.
“I was hot-headed and I would lose my temper, and after I got shot, I wanted revenge,” he said. “But I had a lot of good influences around me. My uncle was a preacher. There were a lot of them, my mom, my uncle, my coaches, a lot of them, and I saw what happened when you did things the right way, and you were a good person. Going to Africa, seeing all that, seeing how some of those people have to live, without the things that we take for granted every day, that is something I can never forget.
“People helped me and gave me the right advice and helped me to fulfill my dreams. And I think I need to pay that all back and do for others what was done for me.”
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/why-terence-crawford-is-a-different-kind-of-champion-212132301.html
Credit: Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank –
Promoter Bob Arum announced today that the June 27 clash between former two-division world champion Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley Jr. and undefeated WBA super lightweight world champion Jessie Vargas will be for the vacant WBO welterweight championship. That belt was last on the line when Floyd Mayweather fought Manny Pacquiao on May 2. After the fight, Mayweather accepted the belt, but it was agreed beforehand that should he win the title would be vacant. Bradley-Vargas takes place under the stars at StubHub Center in Carson, California, and will be televised live on HBO.
Tim Bradley: I think this fight might be a candidate for fight of the year. I’m already calling it right now. A lot of you out there see this fight on paper and you guys are like ‘It’s an easy fight for you Bradley.’ And I’m like ‘Y’all crazy. What do you mean easy fight for Bradley?’ This fight is not easy whatsoever…I call StubHub ‘The War Ground,’ because overtime there’s a fight there, there’s always a war. And I think this fight’s gonna be a war.
Jessie Vargas: Everyone is expecting a great fight. We know that Timothy Bradley and myself always give it our all in the ring. We have the heart of a lion. On June 27th we both have to dig very deep and we’ll see who comes out with the victory.
Bob Arum: Tickets are on sale tomorrow. I don’t know why we’re not waiting for the week of the fight to put them on sale.
http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/bradley-vargas-for-wbo-welterweight-title-291349
Date: Saturday, May 2, 2015
WBO FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT
Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Promoter: Top Rank (Bob Arum)
Supervisor: Richard De Cuir
Referee: Robert Byrd
Judges: Patricial Morse Jarman; Jerry Roth; John McKaie
Results: WBO Featherweight Champion Vasyl Lomachenko successfully defends his title against challenger Gamalier “Gammy” Rodriguez with a knockout in the ninth round.
TV: USA Showtime – USA HBO PPV – Mexico Televisa – Mexico Azteca – United Kingdom SKY – Hungary Sport 1 – Australia Main Event
Date: Friday, May 1, 2015
VACANT WBO LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT
Location: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Chelsea Ballroom, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Promoter: Top Rank / Bob Arum
Supervisor: Leon Panoncillo Jr.
Referee: Tony Weeks
Judges: Adalaide Byrd; Eric Cheek, Jerry Roth
Results: Raymundo Beltrán lost the title on the scale. Beltran won over Takahiro Ao by technical knockout in the second round and, since the title was only online for Ao the title remained vacant.
TV: USA TruTV
Date: Saturday, May 2, 2015
WBO/WBA/WBC WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT
Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Promoter: Top Rank (Bob Arum) / Mayweather Promotions (Floyd Mayweather)
Supervisor: Francisco Valcarcel, Esq.
Referee: Kenny Bayless
Judges: Burt A. Clements (112-116); Dave Moretti (110-118); Glenn Feldman (112-116)
Results: The WBA/WBC Welterweight Champion Floyd Mayweather won against WBO Welterweight Champion Manny Pacquiao by UD. It was agreed beforehand that should he win, WBO title would be vacant.
TV: USA Showtime – USA HBO PPV – Mexico Televisa – Mexico Azteca – United Kingdom SKY – Hungary Sport 1 – Australia Main Event
El campeón mundial welter de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB), el filipino Manny Pacquiao, estará enfrentando al campeón mundial welter de la Asociación Mundial de Boxeo (AMB) y el Consejo Mundial de Boxeo (WBC), el estadounidense Floyd Mayweather Jr., en la Súper Pelea de este mismo sábado, 2 de mayo, en la legendaria Arena Grand Garden del Hotel MGM Grand de Las Vegas, Nevada.
El invicto estadounidense Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. y el filipino Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao se encontraron este miércoles, al mediodía, en la última conferencia de prensa, previa a su mega pelea, en el teatro “KA” del Hotel MGM Grand.
“Quiero agradecer a Dios por este día fabuloso para todos. También a todos los sponsors y promotores de este evento. Mi primera pelea fue aquí en el MGM en Junio del 2001 y mucho ha pasado desde entonces, el apoyo de los fanáticos y los medios. Agradezco y los invito a ver esta buena pelea este sábado. Quiero que sepan que todo lo que he logrado fue porque Dios me dio la fortaleza. Antes estaba hambriento en las calles y nunca imagine que llegaría a esta posición y todo es gracias a Dios. Los dos hemos trabajado duro y espero que logremos un gran espectáculo para la gente este sábado. Yo daré todo de mí, por la historia del boxeo,” dijo el campeón de la OMB, Manny Pacquiao.
“Primero, quiero agradecer a Dios, que sin el, nada de esto es posible. Esto ha sido un evento increíble y mucha gente ha vendido. El entrenamiento fue increíble. Mi papa hizo un gran trabajo, con mi tío, tuvimos un gran campamento de entrenamiento. Agradezco a todos los fanáticos del mundo, que nos han apoyado en los últimos 19 años, quiero decirles ‘Gracias!’. Es tiempo de pelea ya. Han venido aquí a sentir emociones, a ser testigos de un gran evento y eso es lo que traemos a la mesa. Esta es pelea más grande en la historia del boxeo y yo soy parte de esto. Es algo muy grandioso. Me siento bien, me siento fuerte y los veré a todos el sábado. Gracias!,” dijo el campeón del CMB y súper campeón de la AMB, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Estaban presentes en la mesa principal, el promotor Bob Arum, el entrenador de Pacquiao, Freddie Roach, el presidente del CMB, el mexicano Mauricio Sulaiman y el presidente de la OMB, el puertorriqueño Francisco “Paco” Valcárcel.
“Estoy honrado de estar aquí representando a mi padre, Jose Sulaiman. Estoy muy orgulloso y agradecido por todos en hacer esta pelea una realidad. Estarán peleando por el orgullo y por la eternidad. El CMB creo la faja esmeralda que ganar el ganador. Estoy muy contento que el CMB pueda contribuir con esta faja especial en una de las peleas mas importantes en la historia del boxeo,” dijo el presidente del CMB, Mauricio Sulaiman.
“Cuando estaba caminando hasta este teatro, los fanáticos del boxeo me paraban y me preguntaban, ‘¿Paco, Paco, quien ganara esta pelea?’ y yo solo respondí ‘El Boxeo será el ganador’. En el boxeo todo puede pasar y al final, el ganador será el mundo del boxeo y sus fanáticos,” dijo el presidente de la OMB, Francisco “Paco” Valcárcel.
Dos duelos de campeonatos del mundo del CMB y la OMB, que serán televisados en el PPV, son los principales del gran respaldo del Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, que incluye un total de seis peleas.
El campeón mundial supergallo del CMB, el mexicano Leo Santa Cruz (29-0-1 y 17 KOs), estará exponiendo su titulo ante su compatriota, José Cayetano (17-3 y 8 KOs).
El campeón mundial pluma de la OMB, Vasyl Lomachenko (3-1 y 1 KO), esatara defendiendo su cetro ante el retador boricua, Gamalier Rodríguez (25-2-3 y 17 KOs).
Mayweather vs. Pacquiao es un duelo de Campeonato mundial unificatorio pactado a 12 rounds en peso welter y es una promoción de Mayweather Promotions y Top Rank Inc y será televisado por PPV (HBO y Showtime) en Estados Unidos, por Azteca y Televisa en México, desde las 9:00 p.m. Este/ 6:00 p.m. Pacifico desde el MGM Grand Garden Arena de Las Vegas.
http://notifight.com/mayweather-y-pacquiao-en-gigantesca-ultima-conferencia/
LAS VEGAS — Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is enamored with featherweight titleholder Vasyl Lomachenko and he makes no apologies. Arum views the 2008 and 2012 Olympic gold medalist for Ukraine as one of boxing’s future pound-for-pound talents.
“I think the sky’s the limit for this kid,” Arum said. “He can be one of the great, great fighters of our time.”
So when it came time for Top Rank to select who it wanted to feature in its one televised undercard spot on the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao show, Arum gave the coveted slot to Lomachenko, a fighter who could someday replace Mayweather and Pacquiao atop the pound-for-pound list. He will make his second title defense against Gamaliel Rodriguez (25-2-3, 17 KOs), 28, of Puerto Rico, on Saturday night (Showtime PPV/HBO PPV, 9 ET) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
“We think he is going to be one of our big superstars and he is advanced enough to be on this card,” Arum said. “The other guys we have that we think can be superstars are not as advanced and the only other guy we considered for the Mayweather-Pacquiao card was (21-year-old lightweight) Felix Verdejo. He just fought brilliantly (last) Saturday and he is scheduled to go again on June 13 in New York on the Puerto Rican Day parade weekend, so he was not available for this card. Lomachenko was perfect for this spot.”
And it’s a huge one. Mayweather-Pacquiao is the biggest fight in many years and expected to break the pay-per-view record. That means a lot of people will get a look at Lomachenko, including many who rarely watch boxing. Perhaps they will take a liking to him, which could go a long way toward helping to make him the star Arum thinks he can be.
“I want people to see what a performer this guy is and people will fall in love with him,” Arum said.
So what does Lomachenko (3-1, 1 KO) think about being on such a big show?
“It means that I can prove and show that I am at the same level as Pacquiao and Mayweather,” the confident Lomachenko said through translator/manager Egis Klimas.
The 27-year-old southpaw realizes how significant it is to be in this position.
“I understand how big of a show this is,” Lomachenko said, adding that being on the card was even bigger to him than the Olympics. “I’m very excited. When Egis told me I was going to be on the card I couldn’t even believe it. So I am very, very happy.”
Said Klimas, “We’re very happy and thankful to Bob Arum for giving us the opportunity. Vasyl is happy. It cannot be better. What better is there to ask for? What better card could you ask to be on? This is better than carrying your own show as the main event.”
“I really believe this kid will be pound-for-pound material. He’s extraordinarily talented and he understands the sport like a real genius.”
Bob Arum
Lomachenko said he is a fan of Mayweather and Pacquiao. He got a chance to meet Pacquiao when he fought on his card in Macau. But he has never met Mayweather, which he has wanted to do.
Klimas said when he first flew Lomachenko to Las Vegas for a meeting with Arum before he signed, Lomachenko asked him he could meet Mayweather – who lives in Las Vegas — and take a picture with him.
“He liked Mayweather a lot. He was a big fan,” Klimas said. “He watched every Mayweather fight and Pacquiao fight and followed them in boxing.”
Lomachenko didn’t get to meet Mayweather then but hopes to at Friday’s weigh-in and maybe even get take that photo with him.
Being on the Mayweather-Pacquiao undercard is just another step on Lomachenko’s fast rise since turning pro October 2012. If Lomachenko had his way he would have fought for a world title in his pro debut. Arum understandably could not deliver that, so Lomachenko looked sensational in his debut against a legitimate opponent in Jose Ramirez and then Arum delivered him a world title bout in his second fight.
Lomachenko lost a split decision to hugely experienced former titleholder Orlando Salido, who did not make weight (so he could not win the belt) and repeatedly hit Lomachenko with low blows. Because it was a competitive fight and Salido had an unfair weight advantage, Lomachenko was approved to fight for the still-vacant belt in his third fight against fellow former Olympian Gary Russell Jr.
Lomachenko took him to school and won the belt by decision last June in a superb performance. In November, Lomachenko made his first defense, scoring a shutout decision — despite an injured hand — against Chonlatam Piriyapinyo on the Pacquiao-Chris Algieri undercard in Macau, China.
“The beautiful thing about this guy is he will fight anybody — the best at 126 pound, the best you got at 122 or the best at 130,” said Top Rank matchmaker Brad “Abdul” Goodman. “He will fight anybody. He doesn’t duck anyone. He’s a hard to guy to match because he’s so good that nobody wants to fight him.
“Lomachenko is such a focused guy. I’m sure he’s appreciative that he’s on this card but he would train and be at his best no matter what show he’s on. He’s very dedicated.”
The fight with Rodriguez is Lomachenko’s first on a new five-year contract extension he, Klimas and Arum recently worked out.
“Vasyl is very happy with what Top Rank has done for him,” Klimas said. “Bob has done more for him than was written in the contract.”
What better way to celebrate the new deal that by an appearance on the biggest card of the decade?
“What other reason would Bob put Vasyl on the card if he didn’t think he was going to be a star,” Klimas said. “Of course, they believe in him and they want him, they have a trust in him and they know he is going to be a huge star in no time. Give him a couple of years and I have no doubt he will be there on top of the pound-for-pound list.”
Rodriguez is not expected to pose much danger but Klimas said they have taken the fight very seriously, especially given the big audience expected to be watching.
“Any opponent is a dangerous opponent so we’re taking him seriously. But I’m sure he never faced anyone like Lomachenko and Lomachenko probably faced more talented guys and better boxers than Rodriguez, nothing against Rodriguez,” Klimas said.
If all goes well for Lomachenko against Rodriguez and fellow titleholder Nicholas Walters wins a proposed June 13 HBO fight at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York — opponent to be determined — Top Rank is hoping to match them with each other in a unification bout later this year.
“I want anybody who holds a title in the division so, Walters? Of course I want to fight him,” Lomachenko said.
Arum believes a fight with Walters would be a big test but that it’s one Lomachenko is capable of handling, even so early in his professional career.
“I really believe this kid will be pound-for-pound material,” Arum said. “He’s extraordinarily talented and he understands the sport like a real genius.”
The sky’s the limit for featherweight titleholder Vasyl Lomachenko
Terence Crawford knocks Thomas Dulorme down in the sixth round.
Terence Crawford landed a stunning right that Thomas Dulorme never really saw.
Soon after that, Crawford was a two-time WBO champion, winning the latest title in his first fight since moving up in class.
Crawford won the vacant WBO junior welterweight title with a sixth-round technical knockout Saturday night, knocking down Dulorme three times in quick fashion after that big blow.
“I knew I hurt him, I felt it,” Crawford said. “I knew he was hurt real bad. I wanted to just jump on him. … He was woozy.”
With Dulorme stunned, Crawford hit him again and knocked him down for the first time. Then Crawford delivered a flurry of punches, leading to another knockdown. When Dulorme got back up, Crawford unloaded again — and the fight was stopped as Dulorme staggered against the ropes near his corner.
“Basically a shot that I didn’t see, and the shot got me,” Dulorme said through an interpreter.
Crawford remained undefeated, winning as a heavy favorite in his first fight moving in the 140-pound class. He won the WBO lightweight title 13 months ago and defended in the 135-pound division twice in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.
The scheduled 12-round fight in North Texas came a week before Crawford, now 26-0 with 18 knockouts, is scheduled to be in New York to accept his 2014 fighter of the year award from the Boxing Writers Association of America.
After the fight ended, promoter Bob Arum shouted “That’s why he’s the fighter of the year!”
Dulorme, the 27-year-old Puerto Rican, is 22-2. He had won his last six bouts since moving down in class after being knocked out by Luis Carlos Abregu at 147 pounds in a welterweight fight in October 2012.
“It was a great opportunity for us,” Dulorme said. “It wasn’t the best night. We were winning in the cards, it’s something that basically happened. … We did the fight that we came here to do.”
Crawford seemed measured in his approach the first two rounds against the quick-starting Dulorme, who entered the ring wearing a gladiator helmet and breastplate. Dulorme was clearly the aggressor early against Crawford, who went with a red Nebraska Cornhuskers cap for his entry.
But in round 3, there was a quick exchange of punches, and later a hard body blow by Crawford.
There were times in the fourth and fifth rounds when Crawford either smiled or shook his head after taking blows from Dulorme. Crawford taunted him, and at the end of the fourth had him back into a corner and delivered two big rights.
Crawford was also smiling at the end of the fifth round, then came out in the sixth and ended the fight.
“Just having fun with it,” he said. “When I’m having fun, I don’t think nobody can beat me because that means I’m in my rhythm.”
Crawford’s trainer, Brian McIntyre, said the first couple of rounds were just a matter of Crawford getting his timing down. McIntyre said they knew the punching Dulorme would wear out, though he lasted longer than they expected.
Arum this week called Crawford a new superstar on the horizon, and said this fight a “very, very crucial first step” for Crawford to join the truly elite group of fighters.
Arum was at the bout halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth that came only two weeks before the long-awaited fight in Las Vegas between another of his boxers, Manny Pacquiao, and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
In an earlier eight-round lightweight matchup of previously unbeaten fighters, Ismail Muwendo from Minneapolis improved to 17-0 with a majority decision over Rolando Chinea from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. One judge had the fight as a draw, while the others had it in favor of Muwendo. Chinea dropped to 10-1-1.
Benjamin “The Blaxican” Whitaker from San Antonio improved to 9-1 as a pro with a unanimous decision over Skender Halili, a boxer from nearby Fort Worth whose had won each of his previous eight professional fights by knockout.
Michigan’s Anthony Barnes won a unanimous decision over Fort Worth’s Martinez Porter in a six-round super middleweight bout.
Date: Saturday, April 18, 2015
WBO VACANT JR. WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT
Location: University of Texas, Arlington, Texas, USA
Promoter: Top Rank (Bob Arum)
Supervisor: Rudy Paz
Referee: Rafael Ramos
Judges: Larry Hazzard Jr., Levi Martinez, Robert Hoyle
Results: Terence Crawford wins the WBO Junior Welterweight Title by TKO against Thomas Dulorme. Thomas Delorme down three times in round 6th.
TV: USA HBO
Por Carlos Narváez, EL VOCERO – 5:43 pm
No toda las conferencias de prensa tienen una alfombra roja. Floyd Mayweather Jr. y Manny Pacquiao la tuvieron ayer, lo que refleja la magnitud del combate que ambos están por enfrentar.
Mayweather Jr. y Pacquiao se vieron las caras el miércoles en el único frente a frente que tendrán hasta los días previos al mega pleito entre ambos el 2 de mayo en el MGM Grand de Las Vegas, Nevada.
Los campeones del peso welter, considerados como los mejores libras por libra de los últimos tiempos, se encontraron en un atestado Nokia Teather de Los Ángeles, lugar que recibió desde horas tempranas a los cerca de 500 miembros de la prensa que se congregaron para presenciar la histórica presentación.
Una enorme alfombra roja dirigió el camino de los púgiles desde la entrada del teatro hasta el escenario.
El anunciador insignia de HBO, Michael Buffer se encargó de presentar a Pacquiao, un diez veces campeón del mundo y un ocho veces reinante en divisiones diferentes.
Mientras que ‘El Clásico’, Jimmy Lennon Jr., voz principal de los eventos de Showtime, tuvo a su cargo la presentación del invicto, Mayweather.
Ambos púgiles no tardaron en posar frente a frente por cerca de un minuto desplegando una electrificante energía en el icónico recinto del Este estadounidense.
“Gracias a HBO y a Floyd, a Top Rank y a todos por hacer este combate posible. Creo que este es el combate que han estado esperando desde hace cinco años. Estamos bien contentos y trabajaremos lo más duro para éste combate”, dijo Pacquiao.
“Los haremos felices el 2 de mayo. Y lo más importante es que el nombre de Dios sea glorificado. Que la gente, sepa que es Dios, que hace que uno venga de la nada, y logre todo lo que soy hoy”, agregó el filipino que tiene marca de 57-5-2 y 38KO’s.
Fue un encuentro cordial entre ambos equipos. Las únicos que tuvieron un encuentro de ‘egos’ fueron los representantes de las televisoras, Stephen Espinoza (Showtime) y Ken Kershman (HBO), quienes dejaron en claro sus logros en las carreras de ambos peleadores.
“Ha sido un largo camino. Pero aquí estamos ahora”, dijo Mayweather Jr.
“El 2 de mayo, el combate del siglo, será entre los dos mejores peleadores. Creo que no pudimos escoger el mejor momento. Mi equipo buscará el mejor plan tal y como lo hemos hecho en todos mis combates. La acción hace las peleas, yo trabajaré hasta el límite de mis capacidades. Pero una cosa sí sé sobre cualquier deporte, cuando pierdes está en tu mente. Si pierdes una vez, o dos, es en tu mente. Desde el día uno he dicho que seré el ganador y así será”, aseguró Mayweather quien tiene foja de 47-0 y 26KO’s.
Pacquiao y Mayweather acordaron la última semana de febrero firmar el combate del que venían hablando desde el 2009. Floyd tendrá una garantía de $150 millones, mientras que Pacquiao obtendrá $100 millones.
Se espera que el choque genere más de $300 millones y que las ventas de ‘pague por ver’ superen las 3 millones.
Mayweather es campeón welter y súperwelter del Consejo Mundial de Boxeo (CMB), mientras que Pacquiao es titular de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB).
“Primero fue Alí-Frazier, luego Leonard-Durán, Leonard-Hagler. Y ahora es el momento para Mayweather-Pacquiao”, dijo el promotor Bob Arum. “Todo el mundo debe estar interesado en el combate. Senadores, presidentes, artistas, personalidades del deporte. Todo el mundo”, agregó el fundador de Top Rank.
Un total de 150 países podrán tener acceso al combate que será presentado en alianza entre las dos más grandes empresas de televisión, Showtime y HBO.
“Hubo grandes obstáculos. Pero luego de que ellos dos se encontraron, pues ahí fue que supe que el combate podría celebrarse”, comentó Stephen Espinoza, director de Shotime Sports, previo al frente a frente.
Leonard Ellerbe, representante de Mayweather Jr., dijo que los boletos del pleito comenzarán en los $1,500.00 hasta los $7,500.00.
Hace unos días el promotor Bob Arum comentó que todos ellos ya habían sido vendidos.
http://elvocero.com/prometen-ser-combate-del-siglo-mayweather-y-pacquiao-ver-galeria/
By: Lem Satterfield –
Three-time titlist Orlando Salido will defend his WBO junior lightweight title against two-time beltholder Rocky Martinez on April 11 at Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, promoter Peter Rivera of PR Best informed RingTV.com on Thursday.
“Salido is the champion and we believe that it’s a great, great fight,” said Rivera. “We are planning to make an announcement next week. This is an excellent fight for the new arena in San Juan.”
Called “a very exciting fighter” by Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum, Salido (42-12-2, 29 knockouts) is coming off September’s 11th-round stoppage of Terdsak Kokietgym, representing Salido’s junior lightweight debut.
Salido earned the WBO’s belt with the win over Kokietgym but has since been elevated to full titlist status given that Mikey Garcia vacated the belt to move up in weight, according to organization President Paco Valcarcel.
Click here for a video of Salido-Kokietgym
Kokietgym was floored in the first, fourth, seventh and 11th rounds before referee Eddie Claudio waved an end to the bout at the 16-second mark of the 11th.
Entering the bout with Kokietgym, Salido, 34, was coming off a split decision victory over Vasyl Lomachenko last March, having already lost his WBO featherweight title on the scales prior to the fight.
Since losing his WBO title following a unanimous decision to Ricky Burns in Sept. of 2010, Martinez (28-2-2, 17 KOs) is 4-1-1 with two knockouts and has been involved in three split decisions, one being a draw.
Martinez, 32, regained the vacant belt with a split decision over Miguel Beltran Jr. in Sept. 2012, battled to the draw with Juan Carlos Burgos in Jan. 2013 and successfully defended his strap once again with a split decision over previously undefeated Diego Magdaleno in April 2013.
Martinez lost that title in his next bout in Nov. 2013 via eighth round stoppage loss to Mikey Garcia. In his most recent fight in December, Martinez knocked out Herbert Quartey in the second round.
“Martinez deserves a chance to become a champion for the third time in the same weight class,” said Rivera. “Salido is very popular in Puerto Rico, so this will be a super fight for Puerto Rico on that date.”
http://ringtv.craveonline.com/news/380225-salido-to-defend-wbo-belt-vs-martinez-on-april-11
Date: Saturday, December 13, 2014
WBO VACANT MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT
Location: Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Promoter: Top Rank / Bob Arum
Supervisor: Richard De Cuir
Referee: Kenny Bayless
Judges: Tim Cheatham (45-50); Richard Houck (47-48); Don Trella (45-50)
Results: Andy Lee won the vacant WBO middleweight title by scoring a TKO win over Matt Korobov (24-1) in the sixth round.
TV: USA HBO
Date: Saturday, November 29, 2014
WBO LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT
Location: CenturyLink Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Promoter: Top Rank / Bob Arum
Supervisor: John Duggan
Referee: Mark Nelson
Judges: Adelaide Byrd (119-109), Bill Lerch (120-108), Cesar Ramos (119-109)
Results: The WBO Lightweight Champion Terence Crawford retained the title with a unanimous decision over his contender Raymundo Beltran.
TV: USA HBO Hungary Sport 1
Fight time is near for Manny Pacquiao and Chris Algieri, but there are no big theatrical displays coming from either camp.
Manny Pacquiao and Chris Algieri haven’t had any trash to talk, and their teams aren’t trying to bait one another. Maybe that’s all for the best. This Saturday’s HBO pay-per-view main event from Macau will feature the established superstar Pacquiao defending his WBO welterweight title against unbeaten but little-known Algieri, and promoters and the fighters are hoping the fight will sell itself.
Top Rank’s Bob Arum thanked both sides for their participation in the fight’s promotion, even calling Algieri (20-0, 8 KO), whom he does not promote, “a hell of a guy.” The sides have been friendly, which will go away to some degree on Saturday, of course. It is a fight, after all.
Algieri, 30, continued to say that his training camp has been excellent, and that he’s ready to win the fight, as he has done every time out thus far in his pro career. The former kickboxing champion scored two career-best wins this year over Emmanuel Taylor and Ruslan Provodnikov, and now looks to make an argument for himself as the Fighter of the Year.
Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KO) was his usual soft-spoken self, thanking sponsors, promoters, his team, his trainer, his opponent, that team, and his sparring partners, this time Viktor Postol, Mike Jones, and Jose Ramirez. The 35-year-old Pacquiao is the favorite for the fight, and expects to come out victorious once again.
Also featured on the card will be Zou Shiming (5-0, 1 KO) vs Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym (27-0-2, 12 KO); Vasyl Lomachenko (2-1, 1 KO) vs Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo (52-1, 33 KO) for Lomachenko’s WBO featherweight title; and Jessie Vargas (25-0, 9 KO) vs Antonioi DeMarco (31-3-1, 23 KO) in a 12-round junior welterweight bout.