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Tim Smith –  NEW YORK – Mikey Garcia had hoped for dynamite, but he had to settle for dominance as he pounded out a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision over Juan Carlos Burgos to retain the WBO junior lightweight title at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Garcia looked completely unmarked after the fight. He said it was not the type of fight that he expected. He expected fireworks from a hungry challenger.

“He wasn’t engaging like I thought he was going to do,” Garcia said. “He might have felt my power and respected that. He might have decided to box and try to come out with a decision.”

Once Garcia (34-0, 28 knockouts) got his rhythm going, he just walked Burgos down and came away with a very easy decision.

Much of the electricity had been drained from The Theater by the time Garcia and Burgos got to the ring. The place had been charged up by several Polish fans who came cheer for Artur Szpilka, who was stopped on a 10^th round TKO by Bryant Jennings in the co-feature.

It was going to be up to Garcia and Burgos to re-energize the place. As they settled into a tactical boxing match with few fireworks, that seemed like an uphill battle. Garcia’s slow burn style is not conducive to the kind of instantaneous combustion the Garden boxing crowd craves.

But Burgos (30-2-2, 20 KOs) threw a brief thrill into the fans when he pulled a page from the Rocky Martinez playbook, landing a solid shot on Garcia’s chin that buckled his knees and sent the champion sailing backwards. But Garcia didn’t hit the deck like he did against Martinez. This time he steadied himself before his backside or gloves could touch the canvas, sparing himself a knockout. As he did against Martinez, Garcia remained poised and came back firing.

“It was a left hook,” Garcia said. “I caught him with a good right hand and he came back with a left hook. He wobbled me a little bit, but I wasn’t hurt.”

Burgos tried to press his height advantage. But he found it difficult to get inside of Garcia’s tight defense to land anything telling after that shot to the chin that nearly decked Garcia in the second round.  Meanwhile Garcia effectively used his jab as a range finder and landed his combinations with pinpoint accuracy. Garcia hurt Burgos in the third round with a body shot and that seemed to push Burgos into a more conservative mode.

“He probably felt my power and respected my power,” Garcia said. “I felt that as he was getting a little hurt he decided that he didn’t want to engage.”

By the seventh round Garcia was in full stalker mode, urged on by his brother and trainer, Robert. The constant pressure was draining Burgos and you could see him begin to wilt in the ring. Burgos punches had lost their snap and his feet were moving across the canvas as if there was lead in his shoes.

Entering the match, Garcia had called Burgos a dangerous fighter because the challenger from Tijuana, Mexico had come up short in his two previous world championship matches and had to deal with Garcia being considered one of the top boxers in the game. Burgos had fought to a draw against Martinez for the same title and in the same ring that he challenged Garcia on Saturday night. To add to the injury, Garcia had won a featherweight world title in the main event that night and went on to defeat Martinez by TKO for the junior lightweight title.

Garcia defused any danger that Burgos posed after that second round near knockdown. By the 10^th round Burgos was as dangerous as a toothless tiger and in the end that world title had eluded him again.

“I feel good. We did a good job,” Burgos said. “I hurt him but he recovered well. He was prepared. I know I have to work harder. He has a lot of ability. He’s fast and strong. Luck was not with us tonight.”

Bob Arum, Garcia’s promoter at Top Rank, has an ambitious plan for Garcia, wanting to move him from 130 to 135 to 140 pounds and eventually up to 147 pounds to face Manny Pacquiao. Garcia said he is comfortable at 130 pounds – this was just his second match at the weight. And he probably should stay there for at least one more fight before considering moving up to lightweight.

Yuriorkis Gamboa made a cameo at the fight, even climbing into the ring after the fight with his promoter, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson to press for a match with Garci. Garcia-Gamboa is an attractive match at 130 pounds. Now it’s a matter of whether it makes dollars and sense.

“Gamboa knows what to do. Sit down at the table and negotiate and if all parties can come to an agreement, then good,” Garcia said. “He can put on a pair of gloves and we can finish it right now. But it’s yet to be determined.”

Photo gallery / Naoki Fukuda –

http://ringtv.craveonline.com/news/315161-mikey-garcia-does-get-fireworks-but-dominates-juan-carlos-burgos#/slide/1

Date:  Saturday, January 25, 2014

WBO Jr. Lightweight Championship

Location:  New York’s Madison Square Garden

Promoter:  Top Rank

Supervisor:  John Duggan, Esq.

Referee:  Harvey Dock

Judges:  Julie Lederman 118-110, Michael Pernick 118-110 and John Poturaj 119-109

Result:  Garcia won 12-round bout by unanimous decision over Juan Carlos Burgos.

Mikey García se declara listo para defender su cinturón (Top Rank)

Su oponente, Juan Carlos Burgos busca por tercera ocasión un título mundial; perdió contra Hozumi Hasegawa en el 2010 y empató con Román Martínez el 19 de enero de 2013

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO –  El actual campeón de peso súper pluma de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (WBO por sus siglas en inglés), platicó con La Afición de la pelea que sostendrá con el mexicano, Juan Carlos Burgos.

New York, NY   — “GARCIA READY TO GO” —  Undefeated WBO Jr. Lightweight champion and 2013 Fighter of the Year nominee Mikey Garcia shadow boxes during media day in New York City for his first defense of his new world title against  two-time world title challenger and current No. 1 contender Juan Carlos Burgos of Tijuana,Mexico.  Garcia vs  Burgos will take place on Saturday, January 25 and will be televised live from The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, on HBO Boxing After Dark®. The Garcia – Burgos world championship event will be promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Banner Promotions, Thompson Boxing Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions, Warriors Boxing Promotions, Madison Square Garden and Tecate. Remaining tickets, priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008), and online atwww.ticketmaster.comandwww.thegarden.com. Photos by Chris Farina/Top Rank.

 http://www.boxingscene.com/photos-mikey-garcia-juan-carlos-burgos-media-day–73863

By Salvador Rodriguez

WBO super featherweight champion Mikey Garcia (33-0, 28KOs), and his trainer/brother Robert Garcia, are taking no chances with the challenge of top contender Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-2, 20KOs). They are set to fight on January 25th at the Theater in New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Garcia will be making the first defense of his WBO crown after winning the title from Roman Martinez in November. Burgos had a controversial draw with Martinez in January and then came back to a surprising lackluster draw with Yakubu Amidu in July.

“I think Burgos is a great fighter, a true warrior, and he’s has shown that in the ring, demonstrating that against ‘Rocky’ Martinez. No one deserves this fight more than him.  He is also a fighter who’s had a long journey where for many he’s wanted to be a world champion. And certainly [fighting at] junior lightweight is more complicated and therefore we will prepare thoroughly without taking anything for granted,” Robert Garcia said.

http://www.boxingscene.com/garcia-take-no-chances-with-juan-carlos-burgos–72921

PHILADELPHIA, PA —It will be a battle of former world title challengers on July 26th as Juan Carlos Burgos will square off with Daulis Prescott in a twelve round bout for the WBO Intercontinental Jr. Lightweight title that will be held at  the beautiful Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Sacramento, California.

The fight is promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing and will be broadcasted live on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.

Juan Carlos Burgos of Tijuana, Mexico has a record 30-1-1 with twenty knockouts and most in boxing are calling him an “Uncrowned World Champion” for his effort on January 19th,   when he battled WBO Jr. Lightweight champion Roman Martinez to a draw.  Most at ringside and the millions watching on HBO believed that Burgos deserved to walk out of Madison Square Garden with the belt but the judges didn’t see it that way as the fight was scored 117-111 for Burgos, 116-112 for Martinez and 114-114.

The twenty-six year old is unbeaten in his last six fights, which include wins over undefeated Luis Cruz and Cesar Vazquez, as well as former world champion Cristobal Cruz.
Daulis Prescott of Barranquilla, Colombia has an impressive mark of 26-2 with nineteen knockouts.

Like Burgos, Prescott is also twenty-six years old.  He rose up in the rankings by winning his first twenty-three bouts.  In his last bout, he lost his bid for the WBA Featherweight crown when he came up short against Nicholas Walters on December 8th in Jamaica.

“We are looking forward to getting Juan Carlos back in the ring”, said Banner Promotions CEO Arthur Pelullo.

“Juan Carlos proved in the Martinez fight that he is the best 130 pound fighter in the world.  My partners at Thompson Boxing and I were ecstatic to get a new contract done with him and we feel he will rule at 130 pounds and a great performance on July 26th will get him another shot at the title”.

“It’s important to keep a young fighter like Juan Carlos busy and primed for his next chance to a world title. Daulis Prescott will test him and it should be an excellent fight. Our #1 WBO fighter is just waiting for the next opportunity to show what he is capable of.” said Alex Camponovo of Thompson Boxing.

Special guests scheduled to be in attendance will be former world champions Tony “The Tiger” Lopez, Loreto Garza, James Toney and Hall of Fame referee Joe Cortez.

http://www.boxingscene.com/juan-carlos-burgos-vs-daulis-prescott-7-26-on-espn–67224

The Theater, Madison Square Garden, New York – WBO junior lightweight champion Roman “Rocky” Martinez (26-1-2, 16 KOs) and mandatory challenger Juan Carlos “Mini” Burgos (30-1-1, 29 KOs) fought to a twelve round draw. The scores were 117-111 for Burgos, 116-112 for Martinez and 114-114 for the draw. Most observers saw Burgos as the clear winner of the match.

By Joel Colon

Top Rank’s lightweight prospect Felix Verdejo (2-0, 1 KO) demolished Tomi Archambault (1-4, 1 KO) in 21 seconds.

http://www.boxingscene.com/photos-martinez-burgos-go-draw-verdejo-shines–61572

Roman ‘Rocky’ Martinez and Juan Carlos Burgos fought to a 12-round draw in their HBO-televised opener Saturday evening at Madison Square Garden’s The Theatre in New York City.

Scores were 117-111 for Burgos, 116-112 for Martinez and 114-114 even to produce the stalemate in their 130 lb. title fight.

Burgos was hell-bent on coming up aces in his second crack at a major title. Next month will mark 10 years since his uncle, Victor Burgos won his lone title with a points win over Alex ‘Nene’ Sanchez. This particular matchup of Mexico versus Puerto Rico once again seemed to favor the red, white and green as Burgos delivered a masterful body attack throughout the fight.

Martinez enjoyed a mid-round surge after appearing to have fallen behind early. The defending titlist was generally the busier fighter for much of the night, though Burgos often landing the far more telling blows. Martinez took advantage of his opponent’s modest punch output in the middle rounds, with that very workrate creating disparity among the judges’ scorecards.

A late fight surge by Burgos seemed to be enough to seal the deal. His corner left nothing to chance, telling the challenger he was losing heading into the final round.

Whether they believed their own advice or were just trying to hype up their fighter, it proved to be accurate. It’s debatable if he even took the final frame, as Martinez’ superior workrate was enough to punch his way to a draw and at least one more fight as a reigning titlist.

Martinez now moves to 26-1-2 (16KO) after the first successful defense of the belt he captured last September in a vacant title win over Miguel Beltran.

Burgos comes up just short in his second try at a major title. His record now stands to 30-1-1 (20KO). His previous attempt at a belt saw the Mexican come up short in a vacant featherweight title fight loss to Hozumi Hasegawa in November ’10.

Both fighters made their HBO-televised debut.

By Jake Donovan

http://www.boxingscene.com/jc-burgos-roman-martinez-fight-12-round-draw–61560

Date: January 19, 2013

WBO Jr Lightweight Championship Title Bout

Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA

Promoter: Top Rank, K2 Promotions

Referee:  Eddie Claudio

Judge:  Tony Paolillo (116-112)  Waleska Roldan (111-117)  John Signorile (114-114)

Supervisor: Luis Perez

Result: Draw, Martinez retains Title

El campeón mundial pluma reconocido por la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB), el sonorense Orlando “Siri” Salido, sabe que el reto es grande pero asegura que retendrá su titulo en base a experiencia, agresividad e inteligencia. El retador oficial, el invicto californiano Miguel Ángel “Mikey” García, está fijo de que estará en la pelea más importante de su carrera ante el mejor peso pluma del mundo con una gran experiencia, pero confía en su poder y en su motivación para convertirse en campeón mundial y lograr la consagración de su carrera boxística.

“Siri” Salido (39-11-2, 27 KOs) y “Mikey” García (30-0, 26 KOs) se enfrentarán este sábado en un escenario de historia y tradición, el Madison Square Garden de Nueva York, en una muy atractiva velada boxística que ofrecerá Top Rank y cuyas acciones llegarán a México por la señal de la “Casa del Boxeo”, Azteca 7. Además, HBO Boxing After Dark televisará para Estados Unidos.

En una muy concurrida y apasionada conferencia de prensa, campeón y retador se mostraron respeto pero ambos dicen tener el talento y los recursos para salir con el brazo en alto.

Salido, que se entrenó durante siete semanas para este combate, con una concentración de cinco semanas en Nogales, donde paso alejado de su familia las festividades de Navidad y Año Nuevo, y cerró con dos semanas de prácticas en su natal Ciudad Obregón, dijo que llega en gran condición, sin problemas de peso y listo para aplicarle a García su primera derrota en el boxeo profesional.

“Lo he dicho varias veces, vengo a ganar. Me queda claro que García es un gran retador, por algo es el oficial. Él quiere mi título y yo no se lo entregaré, porque ganaré. Estos sentimientos de ambos resultarán en una gran pelea para el público es lo más importante”, dijo el peleador cajemense al micrófono provocando aplausos.

Por su parte, “Mikey” García dijo que llegará más fuerte y más rápido que “Siri” y que lo tiene tan bien estudiado, que sabe cómo y cuándo atacar para arrebatarle su campeonato, incluso por nocaut.

“Hicimos una gran preparación con la menta fija de que estamos ante el mejor campeón pluma con mucha experiencia, pero yo tengo mi técnica, pegada y sobre todo el corazón y coraje de guerrero para coronarme campeón mundial ante Salido. De eso no tenemos duda”, expresó el peleador méxico-estadounidense, quien es entrenado por su padre y hermano.

ATRACTIVO RESPLADO

La multi estelar cartelera del próximo sábado incluye otras dos peleas de campeonato mundial. Reviviendo la rivalidad boxística entre México y Puerto Rico, estará en disputa el campeonato mundial superpluma OMB entre el boricua Román “Rocky” Martínez (26-1-1, 16 KOs), que hará la primera defensa de su cetro ante el retador oficial, el tijuanense Juan Carlos “Mini” Burgos (30-1, 20 KOs), en una contienda que ha dividido opiniones.

Peleando como en casa, el boricua “Rocky” Martínez estrenará el campeonato que conquistó en septiembre de 2012 al vencer a otro mexicano, Miguel “Barreterito” Beltrán, mientras que Burgos enfrenta su segunda oportunidad de ser campeón del mundo, luego de que en septiembre de 2010 fue a Japón a disputarle el cetro pluma del Consejo Mundial de Boxeo (WBC) al local Hozumi Hasegawa, ante quien cayó por decisión.

Además, el campeón mundial mediano de la Asociación Mundial de Boxeo (AMB), el invicto kazajo Gennady Golovkin (24-0, 21 KOs) defenderá por sexta vez su título, al medirse al estadounidense Gabriel Rosado (21-5, 13 KOs).

Las tres peleas serán televisadas por HBO en su programa “Boxing After Dark” comenzando a las 9:45 p.m. (hora local) y en diferido a la misma hora en el Pacifico.

Esta cartelera es presentada por Top Rank y K2 Promotions en asociación con Tecate y el Madison Square Garden. Los boletos que tienen un precio de $200, $100, $50 y $25, pueden ser adquiridos en las taquillas del Madison Square Garden, a través de Ticketmaster, por teléfono llamando al 866-858-0008 y por Internet en www.ticketmaster.com  o www.thegarden.com .

 http://www.notifight.com/artman2/publish/Reporte_7/Salido_y_Garc_a_seguros_de_vencer_en_NY.php

El puertorriqueño Román “Rocky” Martínez, campeón junior ligero de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB), y el mexicano Juan Carlos “Mini” Burgos, estuvieron frente a frente hoy durante la conferecia de prensa final para su combate de este sábado, 19 de enero en el primer gran cartel de 2013, que se llevará a cabo en el Teatro del Madison Square Garden y que será transmitido por la telecadena HBO en una presentación de Top Rank.

Además, se vieron las caras en la conferencia esta tarde, los protagonistas del turno estelar, el monarca pluma de la OMB, Orlando “Siri” Salido (38-11-2, 26 KOs) y Miguel Ángel “Mikey” García (29-0, 25 KOs), así como los coestelaristas, el campeón mediano de la AMB, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (24-0, 21 KOs) y el descendiente de boricuas Gabriel “Gabe” Rosado (21-5, 13 KOs). Estos tres pleitos se verán por HBO, iniciando la transmisión a las 9:45 p.m. hora del Este (10:45 p.m. hora de Puerto Rico).

También se presentó en la conferencia el olímpico puertorriqueño Félix “El Diamante” Verdejo (1-0), quien realizará su segunda pelea como profesional ante Tony Archambault (1-3).

Por Aleudi Rosario

Fotos Joel Colon

El puertorriqueño Román “Rocky” Martínez, campeón junior ligero de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB), viajará mañana, martes, a la ciudad de Nueva York, donde este sábado, 19 de enero, defenderá por primera ocasión su correa ante el  mexicano Juan Carlos “Mini” Burgos, en uno de los combates principales del primer gran cartel de 2013, que se llevará a cabo en el Teatro del Madison Square Garden y que será transmitido por la telecadena HBO en una presentación de Top Rank.

Martínez (26-1-1, 16 KOs), natural de Vega Baja, saldrá mañana en el vuelo de Delta Airlines que parte del Aeropuerto Luis Muñoz Marín de Isla Verde, Carolina, a las 3:17 de la tarde. El monarca viajará junto a su entrenador Raúl “Papo” Torres, el también entrenador Freddie Trinidad y el vicepresidente de PR Best Boxing Promotions (PRBBP), Peter Rivera, entre otros integrantes de su equipo de trabajo.

“Ya lo que nos resta es hacer el peso, que estamos cerca, y la recuperación”, indicó su entrenador Torres, afirmando que concluyeron los guanteos la pasada semana con 115 asaltos para este compromiso.

El boricua, que ya había ostentado este cinturón entre 2009 y 2010 y que lo ganó por segunda ocasión al imponerse por decisión dividida sobre Miguel Beltrán Jr. en septiembre de 2012, encontrará en Burgos (30-1, 19 KOs) al primer clasificado de la OMB en las 130 libras, cuya única derrota fue en su única oportunidad titular ante el japonés Hozumi Hasegawa por el cetro peso pluma del CMB.

Además del encuentro Martínez-Burgos, el programa del 19 enero tendrá dos combates mundiales adicionales. En el turno estelar, el monarca pluma de la OMB, Orlando “Siri” Salido (38-11-2, 26 KOs) se enfrentará a Miguel Ángel “Mikey” García (29-0, 25 KOs), mientras que el campeón mediano de la AMB, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (24-0, 21 KOs) peleará ante Gabriel “Gabe” Rosado (21-5, 13 KOs). Estos tres pleitos se verán por HBO, iniciando la transmisión a las 9:45 p.m. hora del Este (10:45 p.m. hora de Puerto Rico).

También estará en acción en el programa, el ex olímpico puertorriqueño Félix “El Diamante” Verdejo (1-0), quien realizará su segunda pelea como profesional ante un rival por anunciarse.

Calendario de actividades de la semana de Top Rank para programa del sábado, 19 de enero en el Madison Square Garden de Nueva York  (Todos los horarios del Este)

Miércoles, 16 de enero de 2013

Entrenamientos para la prensa en el Gimnasio Kingsway, localizado en 1 West 28th St., #2, Nueva York, NY 10010

10:30 a.m. (ET) Juan Carlos Burgos

11:00 a.m. (ET) Rocky Martínez

11:30 a.m. (ET) Félix Verdejo

12:00 m. (ET) Gabriel Rosado

12:30 p.m. (ET) Gennady Golovkin

1:00 p.m. (ET) Miguel Ángel “Mikey” García

1:30 p.m. (ET) Orlando Salido

Jueves, 17 de enero de 2013

12:00 m. (ET) Conferencia de Prensa Final en el Lobby del Teatro del Madison Square Garden

Viernes, 18 de enero de 2013

2:30 p.m. (ET) Pesaje Oficial en el Lobby del Teatro del Madison Square Garden

Por Aleudi Rosario

LOS ÁNGELES — El próximo sábado 19 de enero en el legendario Madison Square Garden de Nueva York, el campeón mundial súper pluma de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB), el puertorriqueño Román “Rocky” Martínez (26-1-1, 16 KO) expondrá su título por primera vez en su segunda etapa como soberano de las 130 libras ante el retador obligatorio, el mexicano Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1, 20 KO).

El monarca boricua está sumamente motivado para este combate por varias razones, una de ellas es que su retador es mexicano, y como todos sabemos el pique deportivo que hay entre aztecas y boricuas en el deportes de los puños eleva estos combates. La otra razón es que por primera vez peleará en la catedral mundial del boxeo, el Madison Square Garden, en donde el apoyo será unánime para él, y la tercera razón, es que él es el único campeón mundial nacido en la isla en estos momentos, y según nos dijo, esa responsabilidad le gusta.

Martinez habló en exclusiva para ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com de esta pelea ante Burgos y lo notamos muy seguro de sí mismo, y con la moral por las nubes.

“Yo soy el campeón, y Burgos tiene que venir a pelear. S quiere ganarse mi título tiene que venir a pelear, a fajarse conmigo desde el primer asalto hasta el doce para poderme quitar este título”, dijo un motivado Martinez antes de meterse a la sala de entrenamientos.

Martínez dijo que ha escogido muy bien a sus sparring para su preparación, y uno de ellos es el ex olímpico boricua Félix Verdejo, que también tomara parte de la velada del 19 de enero. Martinez dijo que esta preparación ha sido muy distinta a la que hizo para su anterior combate con el también mexicano Miguel Beltrán, y aseguró que para la pelea con Burgos llega con buen ritmo.

Sobre el hecho de ser el único campeón mundial boricua de la actualidad, Martínez dijo estar consciente de esa responsabilidad de no quedarle mal a su gente, y dijo también que espera que este año 2013 sea mucho mejor para el boxeo puertorriqueño, y que se logren más campeonatos universales para la isla, y volver al sitial que le corresponde en este deporte.

La batalla entre Martínez y Burgos será el respaldo principal de la contienda por el cetro mundial pluma de la misma entidad (OMB) entre el titular mexicano Orlando “Siri” Salido y el mexicano estadounidense Miguel Angel “Mikey” García.

Y ya que hablamos de la pelea de Salido ante García, uno de los espectadores que estará en ringside mirando muy de cerca este combate será el puertorriqueño Orlando Cruz, pues se dice que el ganador de esa pelea estaría obligado a exponer su cetro ante él en este año.

Por Miguel Angel Cebreros

http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/news/story?id=1698087&s=box&type=column

El campeón mundial pluma de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB), el mexicano Orlando ‘El Siri’ Salido (39-11-2, 27 KO’s) está por cerrar su preparación para su defensa obligatoria contra el invicto aspirante mexicoestadounidense Miguel Ángel ‘Mikey’ García (30-0, 26 KO’s), en un combate programado para este 19 de enero en el mítico Madison Square Garden de Nueva York.

Este será el primer gran evento del 2013 en materia de boxeo. Es una pelea que promete mucho como espectáculo por las condiciones de ambos contendientes. Se augura un combate de poder a poder, en donde estarán frente a frente dos grandes exponentes de la escuela mexicana de boxeo, porque García tiene el estilo que caracteriza al peleador azteca, y por sus venas corre también sangre mexicana.

Será además un pleito de juventud contra experiencia, pues hay siete años de diferencia entre ambos peleadores: Salido tiene 32 años de edad y García 25.

El récord de Salido es muy engañoso. Si bien es verdad que tiene 11 derrotas, estas fueron ante peleadores de primer nivel, como Juan Manuel Márquez, Yuriorkis Gamboa y Alejandro González, entre otros. Y la mayoría de sus tropiezos fueron en los principios de su carrera; su madurez boxística le llegó ya entrado en edad.

Salido tiene victorias contra peleadores de la talla de Juan Manuel López -en dos ocasiones, en Puerto Rico- y contra el actual campeón mundial welter interino del CMB, Robert Guerrero, aunque esta pelea fue eliminada de su récord por un supuesto positivo a sustancias prohibidas.

El oriundo de Ciudad Obregón, Sonora ha sido dos veces campeón mundial pluma, de la FIB (lo ganó en mayo del 2010) y de la OMB (abril 2011), que bien podrían ser tres, si no se declara nula la pelea con Guerrero en la que habría ganado el cetro pluma de la FIB en noviembre de 2006.

Por su parte, García, quien nació en Oxnard, California lleva el boxeo en la sangre. Su hermano y entrenador Robert García fue campeón mundial superpluma, y hoy por hoy es uno de los mejores entrenadores del planeta, y su padre Eduardo García fue el entrenador de Fernando ‘El Feroz’ Vargas hasta que se retiró, o sea que Miguel creció en el ambiente del boxeo.

Será un pleito que se perfila como muy emocionante. Ambos estarán sentados en un barril de pólvora, porque los dos pegan muy fuerte, y tienen un espíritu combativo como pocos. Ambos gustan del intercambio de golpes y no les gusta retroceder ni para tomar impulso. Y, como se conoce, cuando dos mexicanos se enfrentan el espectáculo está garantizado.

Respaldo de lujo

Como respaldo de la pelea de Salido vs. García habrá un capítulo más de la añeja rivalidad boxística entre México y Puerto Rico.

El flamante campeón mundial superpluma de la OMB, el boricua Roman ‘Rocky’ Martínez expondrá su título ante el mexicano Juan Carlos Burgos, en otra pelea de carácter obligatorio para el titular.

Martínez, de 29 años, tiene récord de 26-1-1, con 16 KO’s y está en su segunda etapa como monarca universal de las 130 libras de la OMB. Por su parte, Burgos, de 25 años, tiene un palmarés de 30-1, 20 KO’s y será su segunda oportunidad de agenciarse un cinturón mundial.

Ambos tienen una sola derrota, y esos reveses llegaron en peleas de título del mundo en el 2010. Martínez perdió su invicto cuando exponía por tercera vez el cetro de las 130 libras en Glasgow, Escocia por decisión unánime ante el local Ricky Burns, mientras que Burgos falló al buscar el título pluma del CMB en Nagoya, Japón ante el nipón Hozumi Hasegawa, también por decisión unánime.

El título que tiene Martínez lo ganó ante un mexicano, Miguel Beltrán, y Burgos se acreditó la primera posición en las clasificaciones de la OMB al derrotar a un puertorriqueño (Luis Cruz). Con todos estos antecedentes se anticipa un choque como para alquilar balcones, con suficientes ingredientes para ser una pelea pareja y de gran nivel.

Por Miguel Angel Cebreros

http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/news/story?id=1695689&s=box&type=story

A DEBUTAR EN NUEVA YORK ROCKY MARTÍNEZ EL 19 DE ENERO EN PRIMERA DEFENSA DE TÍTULO JUNIOR LIGERO OMB ANTE JUAN CARLOS BURGOS

El campeón junior ligero de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB), Román “Rocky” Martínez, debutará en “La Gran Manzana” el sábado, 19 de enero de 2013, cuando exponga por primera vez su cetro ante el mexicano Juan Carlos Burgos en un cartel que se efectuará en el Madison Square Garden y será transmitido por la telecadena HBO y su programa “Boxing After Dark”, en una presentación de Top Rank.

Martínez (26-1-1, 16 KOs), que hará además su debut en HBO, se medirá en uno de los choques coestelares de la velada a Burgos (30-1, 19 KOs), el primer clasificado de la OMB en las 130 libras. El programa tendrá dos combates mundiales adicionales. El monarca pluma de la OMB, Orlando “Siri” Salido (38-11-2, 26 KOs) se enfrentará a  Miguel Ángel “Mikey” García (29-0, 25 KOs), mientras el campeón mediano de la AMB, Gennady Golovkin (24-0, 21 KOs) peleará ante el descendiente de puertorriqueños Gabriel “Gabe” Rosado (21-5, 13 KOs).

“Es una gran oportunidad de Rocky, primero porque tendrá la oportunidad de pelear por primera vez en Nueva York y además porque estará combatiendo por HBO, donde lo hará también por primera vez”, dijo Peter Rivera, vicepresidente de PR Best Boxing Promotions (PRBBP), compañía que representa a Martínez junto a Top Rank.

Martínez, el único campeón mundial nacido y desarrollado en Puerto Rico actualmente, ganó por segunda ocasión el cetro junior ligero de la OMB cuando el pasado 15 de septiembre en Las Vegas derrotó al mexicano Miguel Beltrán Jr. por decisión dividida. Anteriormente, el boricua había reinado en esta categoría entre 2009 y 2010.

Aunque cuenta con solo 24 años, Burgos es un peleador de mucha experiencia cuya única derrota fue hace dos años cuando cayó ante el japonés Hozumi Hasegawa por el título peso pluma del CMB en 2010. Además, fue el responsable de quitarle el invicto al también puertorriqueño Luis “El Artesano” Cruz el año pasado.

Mientras tanto, Martínez, de 29 años y natural de Vega Baja, se mantiene trabajando fuerte en el Gimnasio Municipal de Dorado bajo las órdenes de su entrenador Raúl “Papo” Torres.

Por Aleudi Rosario

Fresh off his upset victory over Luis Cruz, junior lightweight contender Juan Carlos Burgos returns against former world champ Cristobal Cruz in the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights main event on Feb. 24.

The headliner will see a matchup of Tijuana, Mex., natives.  Burgos (28-1, 19 KOs) annexed both the WBO Latino and WBC Silver 130-pound titles on the Pacquiao-Marquez III undercard last Nov. 12.

Cristobal Cruz (39-12-3, 23 KOs) is 0-1-2 in his last three, with losing his IBF world title to Orlando Salido sandwiched in between technical draws to Ricardo Castillo and Art Hovhannisyan.

In the co-main, junior featherweight prospect Efrain Esquivias fights Alex de Oliveira.  Esquivias (15-0, 9 KOs), of Carson, Calif., took a step up in competition last month and scraped by veteran Fernando Beltran Jr. by majority decision.

Meanwhile, de Oliveira (19-1, 13 KOs), of Sao Paolo, Brazil, is on a three-bout winning streak that includes an eighth-round knockout of Diego Loto for the WBO Latino interim 122-pound belt.

Also on the card, bantamweight Isaac Zarate fights Joshua Berrelleza.  Coming off a successful points victory over Anthony Briones in his pro debut, Zarate (1-0), from South Los Angeles, has been Brian Viloria’s main sparring partner for the past three weeks in preparation for his WBO flyweight title defense against Giovani Segura.

Berrelleza (1-0), from Riverside, Calif., is a former highly touted amateur who also won his debut, a four-round unanimous decision over Albert Tovar.

The card will be promoted by Thompson Boxing.

The site is yet to be determined, but sources have advised BoxingScene.com that the show will likely take place in Southern California.

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=46854

It has happened many times before. A fighter brought in to face a young, undefeated fighter that is on a collision course for a big money fight. Or even a world title opportunity down the line. Most often, the unbeaten fighter is not only favored to win such a fight, but he is expected to do so in an impressive manner over the underdog fighter. Such was the case just 10 days ago, when then-unbeaten Luis Cruz fought against Juan Carlos Burgos on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez bout in Las Vegas. In the eyes of many members of the media, Cruz was supposed to defeat the hard-hitting Mexican.

Burgos deserved better. The 26 year old had only lost once in his professional career and was ranked in the top five by a major sanctioning body. Still, Burgos understood the situation at hand: He was fighting the house fighter (Cruz is promoted by Top Rank) and was an underdog to members of the media and fight fans alike.

However, Burgos flipped the script and fought a mostly-solid fight against Cruz. Burgos started very well and finished strong, earning a hard-fought 10 round majority decision.

“It didn’t bother me that I was the underdog,” said Burgos at a luncheon on Monday to celebrate his victory over Cruz. “I just demonstrated what I was capable of and that I was just as good if not a better fighter than him.”

Also at the luncheon, Burgos was officially presented with two belts that he had won that night: the WBC silver super featherweight title and the WBO Latino super featherweight title.

Burgos (28-1, 19 KO’s) is co-promoted by Thompson Boxing Promotions and Banner Promotions.
Burgos had won two bouts in a row since the only loss on his record, which was a 12 round unanimous decision to Hozumi Hasegawa last November. Even in defeat, Burgos, who made his professional debut 16 days shy of his 17th birthday, gained a great deal of experience in the fight.

“I learned a great deal in my first loss,” said the soft-spoken Burgos, who resides in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. “I learned that I could not be too confident going into a fight, especially a world title bout. I reflected and moved on to this opportunity. My preparation was very well for this fight and I demonstrated it against Cruz.”

Burgos knew what he was up against with Cruz. The Puerto-Rican fighter had mowed through decent, but not stellar competition within the last year or so. In his last fight in September, Cruz brutally knocked out former world title challenger Antonio Davis.

Studying film from Cruz’s victory over Martin Honorio, Burgos and his team, which includes former bantamweight Gerardo Espinoza, put together a game plan that would take the fight to Cruz.

“We saw that Cruz was not as fast or hit as hard. He (Cruz) hit Honorio solid, but the punches did not affect him. As you saw, the left hand kept landing for me. I had to box him and not fall into his fight. We had to win as many rounds as possible because he was the promoter’s fighter.”
“This was the fight of my life and I was pleased with my performance.”

Although Burgos won two regional belts at 130 pounds, he wants to still campaign at 126 pounds. Burgos has campaigned at mostly featherweight and went up in weight to fight Cruz on November 12th.

Burgos is eager to get back in the gym and face another top fighter in the featherweight division. No more 10 round fights. No more tune-ups. Burgos is eager to face the best of what the division has to offer.

“My main objective is to face the best fighters at 126 pounds. I want to be a world champion in the featherweight division. I want to fight the best fighters out there. I think that I demonstrated against Cruz that I’m capable of fighting and beating those fighters.”

When asked about whom he would like to face, Burgos responded, “Whomever. Jhonny Gonzalez. Orlando Salido. Juan Manuel Lopez. (Miguel Angel) Mikey Garcia. I want to fight the best out there.”

Burgos has slowly emerged as a legitimate contender. He is also an emerging contender from the fight town of Tijuana, which has seen its great deal of champions and contenders.
Located along the border opposite the city of San Diego, Tijuana just might see another one of its fighters win a world title belt as soon as next year. Although Burgos is eager for that to happen, he is not getting ahead of himself and actually respects those Tijuana fighters that came before him.

“It is a great motivation for me to be another fighter to win a world title from Tijuana. Obviously my uncle (Victor Burgos), (Antonio) DeMarco, (Antonio) Margarito, Erik (Morales) have kept Tijuana on the boxing map. Seeing those fighters and their success motivates me to become a world champion. I definitely give extra work in the gym because of that.”

Everything may have been in line for Cruz to win. Except Burgos did not receive the memo that Cruz was supposed to win. Instead, Burgos did fight the bout of his career, winning a deserving decision.

Next time a bout takes place between an unbeaten fighter on the rise and “the underdog,” do not always assume that the unbeaten fighter will win.

Juan Carlos Burgos proved that theory does not always hold true. Based in his eagerness to face the best and well-known fighters in the division, he is eager to prove people wrong again.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/juan-carlos-burgos-receives-belts-after-upset-win-102512

Los Angeles, CA – Champion Juan Carlos Burgos was on hand at El Paseo Inn Restaurant at the historic Placita Olvera earlier today to receive his WBO Latino Super featherweight belt and his WBC International silver super featherweight/ WBC Latino super featherweight belt.

Burgos, who is co-promoted by Thompson Boxing Promotions and Banner Promotions, earned the belts by battling for 10-tough rounds against hard punching Puertorican Luis Cruz on the opening televised bout of the November 12 Pacquiao-Marquez trilogy undercard.

Burgos had this to say about the battle, “Some of Cruz’s people thought that I was going to be an opponent that would only last three rounds.  Even if you watch the video, you can hear his trainers telling him that I was not at Cruz’s level.  But I proved everybody wrong.”

When asked about his future plans, Burgos stated:  “My main focus now is to become world champion.  I owe it to my family, my team and my promoters who have always believed in me.  I would love to take on Yoriokis Gamboa.  I will fight him at any weight… featherweight, super featherweight, lightweight, catch weight.   You name the weight and I will fight him.  I would also love to be matched up against current WBC featherweight champion Jonnhy Gonzalez.  We were supposed to fight each other  in September of 2010 but he went another direction.  I don’t know if he is afraid of me but I really feel he is ducking me.”

Other fighters mentioned on Burgos’ wish list were, IBF Featherweight champion Billy Dib, highly ranked featherweight Mickey Garcia, Super featherweights Juan Manuel Lopez and WBC Champion Takahiro Aoh and lastly IBF Super featherweight champion Juan Carlos Salgado.

Burgos (28-1, 19 KOs), is scheduled to make his return the ring in the first trimester of 2012.

WBO Latino featherweight champion Juan Carlos Burgos told The Boxing Lab, BoxingScene.com’s official audio show that he feels that Luis Cruz overlooked him in their fight this past Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Burgos, who moved up to 130 pounds for the fight, feels the Puerto Rican fighter was already looking ahead to future fights including a potential title shot.

“They thought it was going to be an easy fight. They didn’t give me any credit. At the press conference they said they would be a champ in 2012. This was a very big fight for me,” Burgos told The Boxing Lab’s Ernie Gabion.

Burgos said that they formulated their game plan based in part on Cruz’s fight versus Martin Honrio that took place this past April.

“We saw his fight before with Honorio and he was hitting him with a lot of left hooks so that was our strategy. After I hit the hooks early on he didn’t have as much movement so I knew the hooks were working. We were using them from the head to the body,”. Burgos told The Boxing Lab.

Burgos said that they wanted to apply pressure on Cruz from the opening bell. Based on the Honorio fight, he didn’t think Cruz would be abe to withstand the pressure.

“Our plan was to pressure him from the opening rounds and that is what we did,” said Burgos.

Cruz started to come on late but it was a case of too little too late. When asked if he was tiring towards the end of the fight, Cruz responded by saying, “I wasn’t tired at all. I was in great condition. Early on I connected on Cruz a lot. My strategy was to move around later on to frustrate Cruz and make him make mistakes.”

By Ryan Burton

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=46067

MGM Grand, Las Vegas – Juan Carlos Burgos (28-1, 19KOs) won a ten round majority decision over previously undefeated Luis Cruz (19-1, 15KOs). The scores were 95-95, 97-93 and 98-92 for Burgos, who captures the WBO Latino junior lightweight championship.

After a fairly even first round, Burgos opened up in the second and stunned Cruz. Burgos dominated the third round, landing combinations and shaking Cruz up on more than one occasion. Cruz began to pick up the pace in the fourth. He was taking the punches better and started boxing smart with calculated counters in the fifth. By the seventh, Cruz’s right eye was swelling shut. The action was close in the late rounds, but Burgos had the slight edge due to his accurate punches and a good left hand that barely missed.

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=45969