WBO JR. WELTERWIGHT PURSE BID MINUTES

LETTER FROM TOP RANK

RE:  WBO Jr. Lightweight Title

5/23/18

Mr. Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel
President/WBO
San Juan, PR

Dear Paco;

Hope all is well.

I am writing you on behalf of Team Lomachenko. As you are well aware on May 12 Vasiliy moved up in weight to challenge WBA Lightweight champion Jorge Linares.

As you saw he was successful in capturing the lightweight title. Vasiliy wishes to continue to campaign in the lightweight division, therefore, we respectfully relinquish our WBO Junior Lightweight title so that an opportunity may be given to the ranked contenders to compete for the vacant belt.

Paco, we are so grateful to you and the WBO family for affording us the privilege of being a WBO World Champion from the start of his career. We hope in the near future we will once again be afforded the chance to fight for another championship with the WBO.

As always, we thank you for your continued support and friendship.

Sincerely;

Carl Moretti
Vice President/Boxing Operations

Top Rank Vice President Carl Moretti believes the scorecard of 117-111, issued as part of Jeff Horn’s upset win over Manny Pacquiao earlier this win, created the bulk of the issues with the fans and critics who were angered by the outcome.

Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs), who was a tremendous underdog, won a twelve round unanimous decision over Pacquiao before a crowd of 51,000 fans at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.

The three judges scored it 115-113, 115-113 and 117-111.

Moretti believes if all three judges had scored it 115-113 – there may not have been such a big outcry over Horn’s victory.

“I think whenever you do a fight and you are there in person as opposed to sitting in front of a television, you can have different opinions on who won the fight. I think the one thing everybody can agree on was that it was a close fight. I think the biggest problem of it was that the first score announced that Waleska Roldan came in with 117-111, and it just wasn’t that type of fight, so that sort of set the tone for controversy and people going crazy over the decision,” Moretti said to On The Ropes Boxing Radio.

“If all three judges would have had it 115-113, I’m not so sure that you would have seen the outcry that you did, but when the first score announced is 117-111, people were ‘Oh this is crazy, it wasn’t that type of a fight,’ and it wasn’t, it was a close fight either way. I think that sort of set the tone and the language for people to go and complain about it. I think it was a close fight and Jeff Horn got it, so people thought at ring side that Jeff Horn legitimately won it, and a lot of people thought that Manny won it.”

There is a rematch clause in the contract. Pacquiao has yet to exercise that option. The Filipino superstar is currently a senator in the Philippines and some members of his team believe the boxer’s successful political career has created some issues when it comes to having a well run training camp.

“I think Manny should take some time with what his decision is going to be. I think he has to try and figure a way to balance out being a senator and still being a professional fighter. Once he can figure that out, then he’ll have a clearer path for us to see what he wants to do. But it’s his decision and we will wait to see what he wants to do,” Moretti said.

www.boxingscene.com/top-rank-vp-pacquiao-horn-close-117-111-created-issue–118740

Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

WBO junior welterweight world champion Terence Crawford was joined by Top Rank’s Carl Moretti and co-manager and head trainer Bryan McIntyre in a roundtable with reporters. Here’s what he had to say in advance of his world title clash against WBC champion Viktor Postol on July 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The bout will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View.

What did you think about Viktor Postol’s performance against Lucas Matthysse and did it surprise you at all?

I feel as though Postol did what he needed to do to win. I think he did a lot of holding and using his elbows that the ref didn’t see. But all in all he did what he had to do to get the job done. I picked him to win in that fight anyway so it was a good victory.

There have been stories about Manny Pacquiao coming back and you were mentioned as an opponent recently. Does it up the stakes for you since he may return?

I am not thinking about Manny Pacquiao at all. I am focusing on Viktor Postol and that’s it – that is all.

There were blogs that went out on Tuesday where you were complimentary of Postol but he was not of you. Going as far as saying Matthysse was better than you…

Well, that’s what he is supposed to say. He is supposed to say he is going to destroy anybody that he is going to step in the ring with, but to my knowledge, I don’t care what he says because come July 23rd he is going to have to show me, he is not going to just be able to tell you. He knew who to fight. He had the option of fighting either me or Matthysse and he thought Matthysse was the easier fight because he knew if he was going to fight Terence Crawford he knew what was going to happen.

You two have a common opponent – Hank Lundy. You stopped him and Postol beat him by decision – does that give you any more confidence coming into the fight?

No, styles make fights. That was a few years back and I don’t look at it as a confidence booster. I just know my skills and my ability in the ring – I believe that I am going to get the job done on July 23rd.

You have 20 knockouts to his 12 – do you feel you have the advantage in power?

I feel, all around, I can do whatever I want in there. If I have to box, I box. If I have to brawl, I brawl. If I have to trade, I trade. In those types of fights, I have the power to back you up. All in all, I feel like my IQ is what takes me to the next level.

Does the rough type style, like Yuriorkis Gamboa and like Postol, bother you and how do you overcome it?

Not at all. I just be myself and stay relaxed. Stay composed and do what I came to do. Do what we’ve been working on in camp and everything else will fall into place. The approach is to go in there and do what we have been working on. Each fight is different and every fighter is different. Gamboa was a real crafty fighter and so is Postol, but Postol poses a different threat than Gamboa so we will have to see what he poses on fight night.

Do you plan to go southpaw often and how do you prepare for his jab?

We just have to see how the fight goes. It’s funny how all of the people are giving Postol all of the credit for his jab but nobody is talking about how good my jab is. So I’m loving it. I’m loving it. I’m loving it how everyone is talking about how good his jab is.

Why are you training in Colorado Springs. Is it to get away from home?

We have been training in Colorado Springs for about four years – so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We have been having good success out there. You get away and we get to have a great camp. Plus the high altitude gives us a little edge.

When you go to that altitude for camp, how long does it take for you to adjust? Those are serious runs at serious altitude?

I adjust real quick since I am used to going out there. The first couple of days and the first couple of workouts you feel it but then your body gets acclimated to the climate.

Are you worried about Postol’s grabbing, holding tactics?

That’s not my problem and I can’t be concerned about it. I can just hope the referee notices it and does something about it.

Would you say Postol is a dirty fighter?

I wouldn’t say that he is dirty. He fights to win. He is trying to do whatever he can to win. Some things are not allowed and some things some referees let you do more than others.

Pacquiao coming back…last year it was mentioned you were not well known enough to fight Pacquiao on pay-per-view. What do you think this fight will do for you?

It will help me tremendously, but again, I am not thinking about that fight right now or whether I may be fighting him or if I put on a good show. My main focus is Viktor Postol.

Carl Moretti: It is the meaning of when you get the best two guys fighting each other the winner comes out as the best in the division and unfortunately in boxing we don’t get that a lot. So you have a unified champion who is clearly the best fighter in the division and I think what you’ll see is a lot of talk about Terence being in the top three pound-for-pound after this, because of the accomplishment. It’s not just to unify the title or to try to unify the title. If the title-holder is kind of weak – and I don’t mean to put down other fighters or other champions – but there are champions out there that really, from talent, just aren’t that good or as good as they can be. With Postol, everybody’s eyes opened up when he knocked out Matthysse, who apparently was the second coming of Carlos Monzon – I don’t know where that came from, but that ended quickly, and if Crawford does what he is capable of doing, I think his value clearly skyrockets by beating another champion that is well-respected. You hear other champions say “I want to unify” and you don’t even know who the other champion is in the division. Take the same meaning here – Crawford-Postol means a lot. If Crawford beats Postol it means a lot.

Before this fight was made, was it a priority for you to unify the titles? Some want to fight the best, some want to unify…where do you stand?

I just want to fight and be recognized as the best in my division. That’s it. So if going through Postol means that’s how I get there, then so be it. But from the standpoint of my division, I want to fight all of them, until I move up.

Do you feel like you would want to continue to unify or is it not a big deal to you?

Well, I don’t know. Right now it is not. All of my focus is on Postol. I don’t worry about all of the extra things that is around the division right now.

Do you worry about Postol’s height advantage? It is about three inches and that plus the reach could be concerning…

I have fought a lot of tall opponents in my career. This is not the first tall opponent that I have ever fought and it’s not going to be something new to me. It’s not going to be something that I have never seen before. So I am not concerned about his height or his jab or anything because I have seen it before.

Do you view this fight as the biggest of your career so far?

Of course – this is a very big fight for me at a very critical time of my career. This fight is more meaningful than the Gamboa fight, at the moment, because this fight can take me to that next level beyond the level that I’m on right now. This fight means a lot and I do look at it as the biggest fight of my career to date.

Did you have any reaction when you heard that Manny Pacquiao was coming back?

No, not at all. I didn’t even worry about it and I didn’t care and I didn’t even know because that’s not my main focus.

Since this is your first fight on pay-per-view, do you feel like your name is getting out there more?

I don’t really know how to answer that because I feel like my name is out there already, but I do feel like my name could be bigger than it is. But at the same time, that is not something that I focus on, that is something that will develop in time. I promote my self as well as my promoters who promote me.

In the documentary you mentioned how you got a second chance after being shot in the head. Is that something you think about all the time?

Yes, of course. I don’t think about it a lot, because I like to put it in the past and put it behind me and move on with my life. But sometimes I do think about how I got a second chance and make the best of it.

How did it feel having HBO follow you around Omaha and talk to your family, something that a lot of fighters don’t have happen to them?

It was pretty cool to see myself on HBO and to see all the things that they do in making the special and I was happy to be a part of it.

Do you have a new hope of getting in the ring with Manny Pacquiao if you defeat Postol?

I’m not worried about that now so I don’t think about it.

How do you think your mother and grandmother did on the HBO show? They didn’t seem to be camera shy at all…

They did good (laughing).

Bryan, we have spoken to Terence about Postol’s antics – holding and elbows…do you do anything in preparation for that or do you just overlook it?

Bryan McIntyre: Me and the other coaches (Coach Saul and Red), we sat down and talked about it and we are going to let referee Tony Weeks know that we are very concerned about whet he does in the ring.

www.ightnews.com/Boxing/qa-terence-crawford-3-346125

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

  Credit:  Photo by Joe Camporeale, USA Today Sports – Uber-prospect Felix Verdejo says he’s ready to make his return after hand surgery and a subsequent setback derailed his last scheduled fight.

Felix Verdejo (18-0, 13 KOs), 22, is highly anticipating his ring return this Friday night where he headlines a truTV card in a 10-round fight against Brazil’s Josenilson Dos Santos (27-3, 17 KOs). Verdejo was coming off of hand surgery over the summer (to remove bones spurs in his left hand) and was scheduled to take on Dos Santos in October — but he experienced a setback when he starting having pain in his left hand again during training – which ultimately postponed the fight.

With Verdejo being seen as the next Puerto Rican star to take over for Miguel Cotto, it should only be expected that he’s eager to get back under the bright lights.

“Everything is fine with my hand,” Verdejo said through a translator on Monday. “There’s no pain whatsoever. I’m ready to use it on (Friday).”

The one key caveat to Friday’s fight is that Verdejo’s team is really hoping this issue with his left hand won’t be a recurring problem, but that remains to be seen at this point. He previously said his hand felt fine as he began training for the October date, but started experiencing problems with it shortly before the fight.

“I was very calm when (the setback) happened,” Verdejo said. “I remained calm during the healing process. I was just waiting for the OK from the doctor to get back in the ring and now I’m ready to get back in the ring.

“There was a point where I wasn’t feeling 100 percent (preparing for Oct. 31) and I wanted my hand to feel 100 percent. That’s why we took the rest. That’s why we are coming back in December.”

Assuming he gets past this fight with no problems, Verdejo is looking to have a busy 2016, where he hopes he’ll be able to get five fights in. Top Rank’s Carl Moretti says the promotional company will not rush Verdejo into a big fight right away, instead allowing the young fighter time to develop.

http://www.badlefthook.com/2015/12/8/9871618/felix-verdejo-ready-for-return-after-injury-setback

Peleará por una faja regional el próximo 25 de abril en Guaynabo

Verdejo, quien marcha invicto con marca de 16-0 y 12 nocauts, disputará un título regional de la OMB ante el mexicano Marco Antonio “El Kua Kua” López. (Ismael Fernández Reyes) –

El púgil boricua, Félix ‘Diamante’ Verdejo, quien viene de recuperarse de una lesión en su mano izquierda, peleará por un título regional del peso ligero de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB) el 25 de abril en una función que se celebrará en el Coliseo Mario “Quijote” Morales de Guaynabo.

La información la ofreció en comunicado de prensa, la empresa Top Rank.

En la que será su primera presentación sobre el ensogado del 2015 y su primera en Puerto Rico desde agosto del 2014, Verdejo, quien marcha invicto con marca de 16-0 y 12 nocauts, disputará un título regional de la OMB ante el mexicano Marco Antonio “El Kua Kua” López (24-5, 15 KO’s) en un duelo a diez asaltos en la división peso ligero en el evento estelar del cartel “Solo Boxeo Tecate”.

“Para mí no hay nada mejor que representar a Puerto Rico, poner mi bandera en alto y traerle alegría a mi Isla. Me siento más que contento y agradecido con Top Rank por la oportunidad de pelear por un título ante mi gente,” aseguró el joven que es considerado por muchos como la próxima gran figura del boxeo boricua.

“Yo estoy bien agradecido con el pueblo puertorriqueño por el apoyo incondicional que siempre me han dado y por eso quise regalarles mi primera pelea titular”, dijo Verdejo.

“Sabemos que el 25 de abril tendremos una gran noche de boxeo encabezada por ‘El Diamante’” dijo Carl Moretti, Vicepresidente de Top Rank.

Verdejo dijo sentirse totalmente recuperado de la lesión en su mano y enfocado en el entrenamiento.

“Me siento totalmente recuperado de la lesión. El descanso me vino muy bien, pero ya se me acabaron las vacaciones,” dijo entre risas Verdejo. “A pesar del descanso me mantuve haciendo la carrera de por la mañana. Ya estoy listo para regresar de lleno al gimnasio y prepararme al máximo para regalarle ese título a mi gente”.

http://www.elnuevodia.com/deportes/boxeo/nota/verdejovaporuntitulo-2017715/

Credit:  Photo by Steven Counts.com / Article by Lenn Satterfield –

WBO middleweight titleholder Peter Quillin may have landed his biggest pay day and a fight before fans familiar to him against Matt Korobov on Nov. 8 either in Washington, D.C., or New York City, thanks to a purse bid won by Roc Nation Sports on Monday.

The winning bid for Roc Nation Sports, the company founded by rapper Jay-Z, was made by newly-hired former Golden Boy Promotions COO David Itskowitch.

Itskowitch bid $1,904,840 compared to $1,207,000 by Golden Boy Promotions representative Ramiro Gonzalez and $515,000 by Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti, according to Jose Izquierdo, general secretary of the WBO.

Izquierdo and WBO President Paco Valcarcel said that Quillin (31-0, 22 knockouts) is entitled to 75 percent ($1,428, 630) of the bid to 25 percent ( $476,210) for Korobov (24-0, 14 KOs).

“I’m already making enough money where I’m able to take care of my family and to own a couple of things and to live a good life, but that’s damn near $2 million on the table that they’ve bid on this fight,” said Quillin, who is promoted by Golden Boy and advised by Al Haymon.

“I don’t think or believe that [WBA 160-pound titleholder] Gennady Golovkin has come close to being offered nothing like that. Of course, my other pay days are very good pay days, and I’m looking to put away as much as I can for life after boxing. Some of these other guys around me may be making more money, but I just hope they’re making the right decisions with their money.”

Izquierdo said Itskowitch proposed the date of Nov. 8 either in Washington, D.C. or New York City, where Roc Nation has been licensed.

Michael Yorkmark, president and chief of branding and strategy for Roc Nation, is the twin brother of Brett Yormark, the CEO of Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., where Quillin has competed in two of his past four fights contested under the banner of Golden Boy.

Quillin debuted at Barclays Center in October 2012 when he scored a unanimous decision win over previously unbeaten Hassan N’Dam, whom he dropped six times to earn the WBO’s vacant belt.

In Quillin’s next fight in April 2013 at Barclays Center, he scored two second-round knockdowns 30 seconds apart and dropped his man twice more in the seventh and final round of a technical knockout victory over Fernando Guerrero.

In his last fight in April at The D.C. Armory in Washington, D.C., Quillin dominated Lukas Konecny, winning a unanimous decision by the scores of 119-109, 119-109 and 120-108.

“Both of those areas are places that have the demographics where I have been able to relate to people and to get my story out there. I feel as though I have a big following in Brooklyn, as well as in D.C.,” said Quillin.

“I just want to be able to deliver my story in a positive way to people, regardless of whether it’s in Brooklyn or in D.C. or against Korobov or any of those other guys.”

http://ringtv.craveonline.com/news/352919-peter-quillin-poised-for-lucrative-defense-vs-matt-korobov

Por Carlos Narváez Rosario –

SAN JUAN — Luego de una jornada que culminó con un relajante paseo en la noche del miércoles por las riberas del Río Danubio, los directivos de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo se alistan para lo que será la sesión más activa y agitada de la Convención Anual que concluye el jueves en Budapest, Hungría.

La OMB tendrá tres importantes decisiones en sus manos: determinar si el mexicano Juan Manuel Márquez podrá retener su cinturón de campeón junior welter hasta luego de su cita titular con Timothy Bradley en el mes de octubre; decidir si la alegada defensa mandatoria del campeón junior ligero Román ‘Rocky’ Martínez ante Miguel Angel ‘Mikey’ García llegará o no al punto de una subasta, y finalmente, resolver si permitirán que el ex campeón olímpico ucraniano, Vassyl Lomachenko disputará en su debut profesional el título Internacional del peso pluma a diez asaltos.

El Comité de Campeonatos y Clasificaciones que es presidido por el abogado Luis Batista Salas, será el ente que atenderá está titánica sesión que incluye además la discusión de otros temas de gran importancia y en los que están envueltos los campeones de ese organismo.

“Mañana (jueves) discutiremos lo de Márquez y lo de ‘Rocky’ Martínez. Son los asuntos principales que tenemos en agenda”, dijo el presidente de la OMB, Francisco ‘Paco’ Valcárcel, mientras disfrutaba de un paseo en barco por el afluente más extenso de la Unión Europea acompañado de un buen número de ejecutivos de su organismo, promotores y otras figuras del deporte.

“Será una reunión muy interesante y en donde esperamos ver más gente. Tenemos muchas cosas que discutir, entre ellas también estará la aprobación del título Internacional de las 126 libras para Lomachenko que iría directo a disputar un título en su debut profesional, algo que en el boxeo moderno sería histórico”, añadió Valcárcel.

Los representantes de Márquez, García y Lomachenko, están en Hungría. El vicepresidente de Top Rank, Carl Moretti, estará presente en la discusión de los tres casos. Y los manejadores de los tres púgiles también.

Márquez, que irá el 12 de octubre tras la corona welter de la OMB que posee Timothy Bradley, fue emplazado recientemente por ese organismo, quien le solicitó que dejara vacante voluntariamente su título de las 140 libras para poder ser clasificado en las 147 libras. El mexicano sin embargo pidió a la OMB que se le permitiera decidir qué hacer con su corona luego de su pelea con Bradley. Actualmente, Mike Alvarado, quien enfrentará el 19 de octubre a Ruslan Provodnikov en Denver, Colorado, es el campeón interino de la OMB en las 140. La OMB alegó que Márquez no podrá cumplir con su defensa mandatoria y por lo tanto deberá permitir que Alvarado se convierta en campeón en propiedad.

En el caso del puertorriqueño ‘Rocky’ Martínez, que ha defendido ya dos veces su corona de las 130 libras éste año, Valcárcel alegó que su pelea con Diego Magdaleno el pasado mes de abril en China no era mandatoria por lo que deberá enfrentarse al número uno de la división, ‘Mikey’ García, ex campeón pluma que perdió su corona sobre la báscula el pasado 14 de junio, el día antes de lo iba a ser su primera defensa titular. Aun con el mayúsculo traspiés, la OMB colocó a García número uno en las 130. Ahora los dos apuntan a un choque el 9 de noviembre en Texas, pero según Valcárcel, de ambos púgiles no llegar a un acuerdo económico, el pleito será subastado.

En tanto, Lomachenko, considerado el mejor boxeador amateur de ésta década, y un doble medallista de oro olímpico, espera porque el Comité de Campeonatos le permita convertirse en el primer púgil del boxeo moderno en dar el salto a profesional e ir directo a un combate de título mundial. Una decisión a su favor convertiría su caso en uno histórico en el deporte de los guantes. Lomachenko podría enfrentar en su primera pelea al puertorriqueño Jonathan Oquendo durante el respaldo del cartel del 12 de octubre en el Thomas & Mack y que será estelarizado por el choque entre Márquez y Bradley.

Oquendo es un boxeador de mucha experiencia que en su recorrer ha enfrentado a púgiles de la talla de Juan Manuel López y Wilfredo Vázquez Jr.

Finalmente, otros temas a ser discutidos serán los choques mandatorios de los campeones mundiales: Wladimir Klitschko (peso pesado), Robert Stieglitz (súper mediano), Peter Quillin (mediano) y Ricky Burns (peso ligero).

http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/news/story?id=1886578&s=box&type=story

Por Jake Donovan –

Mike Alvarado y Ruslan Provodnikov ya son mencionados frecuentemente cuando se discute sobre las mejores peleas del 2013.

Ahora tendrán la oportunidad de mejorar sus peleas con una pelea entre sí.

Ya se llegó a un acuerdo para la apetecible pelea en las 140 libras, la cual tendrá lugar el 19 de octubre en el 1st Bank Center en el suburbio de Denver, Broomfield, Colorado. La cercanía de la pelea a la ciudad natal de Alvarado de Thornton (aproximadamente a 20 minutos) le da una ventaja geográfica, pero la pelea está lejos de ser una típica contienda.

“Lo mejor de llevar a cabo esta pelea en Denver es que vamos a tener una verdadera pelea,” dijo el vice presidente de Top Rank, Carl Moretti, quien confirmó que la pelea esta en firme. “No vamos con cualquier pelea, vamos con una batalla; una candidata a Pelea del Año.”

La pelea será la primera para ambos luego de que tuvieran candidatas a Pelea del Año por cuentas separadas, las cuales se dieron con solo semanas de diferencia en el pasado marzo.

Alvarado (34-1, 23 KOs) pudo vengar la única derrota de su carrera, derrotando a Brandon Ríos en 12 asaltos por decisión unánime a finales de marzo. La pelea fue bastante entretenida, como la anterior cuando Alvarado sufrió una derrota por nocaut en el séptimo en octubre de 2012, en lo que muchos consideraron como la mejor pelea del año.

La secuela con Ríos llegó dos semanas después que Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KOs) probara que merece estar a nivel de campeonato. El fajador ruso llevó al invicto campeón welter Tim Bradley al máximo pero se quedó corto, perdiendo por decisión mayoritaria en 12 asaltos en una inolvidable pelea a mediados de marzo.

http://www.notifight.com/artman2/publish/Reporte_7/Alvarado-Provodnikov_se_medir_n_el_19_10.php