NEW YORK – August 9, 2018 – Amanda Serrano will fight for a world title in a sixth weight division on Saturday, September 8 at Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™. Brooklyn’s Serrano will face Yamila Esther Reynoso for the vacant WBO Junior Welterweight World Championship. If successful, Serrano will set a women’s boxing record as a six-division world champion, joining Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya as the only boxers, male or female, to reach the mark.

SHOWTIME Sports will live-stream Serrano vs. Reynoso as part of undercard coverage on the network’s social media platforms. SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN begins live at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page. The live stream precedes a three-fight SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, SHOWTIME) headlined by Danny Garcia vs. Shawn Porter for the welterweight world championship.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN, the network’s seventh social media offering of live boxing in 2018, is available to all domestic users with internet access. The livestream is hosted by Ray Flores with Chris Mannix serving as analyst.

Serrano (34-1-1, 26 KOs), who is already the only woman to win titles in five weight classes, is looking to best her personal record. Born in Carolina, Puerto Rico and representing her hometown of Brooklyn, Serrano has won titles from 118 to 135 pounds, earning her the No. 2 ranking on the BWAA’s inaugural women’s pound-for-pound list. The 29-year-old is also the only Puerto Rican – male or female – to capture world titles in five different weight classes and will look to build on that record against Reynoso. She fights for the fifth time in her career at Barclays Center on September 8 with a chance to once again make history again in front of the passionate fan base of Puerto Rican boxing fans in New York.

“I’m super excited to be fighting for a world title in my sixth weight class,” said Serrano. “My opponent is really a welterweight, having defended her Argentinean 147-pound title by knockout in her last fight, and is dropping down one division to face me. I am coming up four divisions for this shot. I’m sure Reynoso will rehydrate back up to her natural weight after the weigh-in, but this is a risk worth taking. She’s never been stopped either, so I know she’s durable. This is a tremendous card to be a part of with Garcia vs. Porter as the main event. My promoter, Lou DiBella, has big things lined up for me, and I am eager to take on all challenges.”

Reynoso (11-4-3, 8 KOs), of Buenos Aires, Argentina, has challenged for world titles at 140 pounds and 154 pounds. The 22-year-old has most recently campaigned at welterweight, where she held the Argentina 147-pound title, and will be moving back down in weight for her third shot at a world title. Reynoso, who will make her U.S. debut on September 8, has recorded all eight of her knockouts inside of five rounds.

“I’m very happy to be training for such a great opportunity for this WBO world title against a terrific champion in Amanda Serrano,” said Reynoso. “I am coming ready to give Serrano a real fight, and I look forward to capturing the title belt.”

“Amanda Serrano is one of the best pound-for-pound female boxers and one of the best boxers in the world, period,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “She is also now a two-sport athlete, embarking on her MMA career earlier this year. In the boxing ring, Serrano is a record-breaker, becoming the only female boxer to win world titles in five weight classes, and on September 8, she will attempt to break her own record, vying for a sixth division championship. I’m thrilled that the world will get to see Serrano make history once again with the bout being a part of the SHOWTIME live stream online.”

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, in association with DSG Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP

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For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports,www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing, @DannySwift, @ShowtimeShawnP, @LouDiBella, @TGBPromotions, or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing and www.Facebook.com/DiBellaEntertainment. PBC is sponsored by Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina.

WBO Unified Women’s Middleweight Champion Christina Hammer (22-0, 10 KOs) and former world champion Tori Nelson (17-1-3, 2 KOs) met face to face during the final press conference in advance of their fight this Friday live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT) at the Masonic Temple en Detroit, Michigan.

This will be Hammer U.S. debut

Here is what the principals had to say on Wednesday at the St. Regis Hotel in Detroit.

CHRISTINA HAMMER:
“I’m ready for this. I’m ready for you Tori. You want these two belts? You have to pass through me first. It’s time for me to shine and I’m ready.

“It was disappointing for me not to fight in January. I had some visa issues but now I have everything in order for me to make my debut. I’m so excited to finally step into the ring in the U.S.

“Right now, I’m only focused on my next fight and Tori is my target. Whatever Claressa does, I’m not focused on that. After the fight, I’m looking forward to fighting her but at the moment it’s only Hammer and Nelson.

“I saw Tori fight against Claressa. Tori is a tough fighter who likes to come forward and land some punches from the outside. I’m a longtime champion and I know how to fight against these types of fighters who come forward.

“I feel that I’m in the best shape of my life right now. I prepared very well and I have my weight already. I ate very disciplined and clean. I spent a week in Ft. Lauderdale and now I’m in Detroit so I feel ready to go and looking forward to the fight.

“I think Shields is looking forward to fighting me and is not so focused on Gabriels like she should be. I am focused only on Nelson and that’s who I prepared to beat. After this fight, we can talk about Hanna or Shields.”

TORI NELSON

“I must say that I was very hurt to get my first loss but to have it against Claressa, I’m honored. She carries herself as a champion and in order to find out if you are the best, you have to fight the best. That’s what I did. I went up a weight class and I fought the best. She showed me she was.

“Styles make fights and it’s going to be interesting but we’re going to take this win home.”

The women’s middleweight world championship between unified WBC and WBO titlist Christina Hammer and former world champion Tori Nelson has been added to the June 22 SHOWTIME telecast from Masonic Temple in Detroit.

In the main event, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and unified 168-pound champion Claressa Shields will attempt to become a two-division champion when she faces unified 154-pound titleholder Hanna Gabriels for the vacant IBF and WBA middleweight world championships.

With the addition of Hammer vs. Nelson to the June 22 Showtime Boxing: Special Edition (10 p.m. ET/PT) telecast, all four women’s middleweight world titles will be at stake in separate bouts featuring two of the consensus top 10 pound-for-pound women in the world.

The winners of Shields vs. Gabriels and Hammer vs. Nelson will meet this fall on SHOWTIME to determine the undisputed women’s middleweight world champion.

Hammer (22-0, 10 KOs), of Dortmund, Germany, has dominated the women’s middleweight division for nearly eight years, losing just a handful of rounds in her reign as champion at 160 pounds. The 27-year-old, who will make her U.S. debut on June 22, won the WBO title in 2010 then became unified champion in 2016 with a win over defending WBC champion Kali Reis.

Nelson (17-1-3, 2 KOs) won a middleweight world championship in 2011 and owns wins over previously unbeaten Alicia Napoleon, Mia St. John, and Reis, who recently floored women’s welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus. The native of Ashburn, Va., suffered her first loss in a spirited decision to Shields this January on SHOWTIME in what was the toughest test of Shields’ young career.

“Now that I’m added to the TV portion of the card it gives me even more motivation to prove to the U.S. audience that I’m the best female fighter in the world,” Hammer said. “My plan is to do something that Claressa Shields couldn’t do – knock out Tori Nelson. Once I take care of business with Nelson, my goal is to fight the winner of Shields vs. Gabriels to become the undisputed women’s middleweight world champion.”

“Christina Hammer can’t bring anything I haven’t seen before,” Nelson said. “I’ve beaten Kali Reis, Mia St. John, Alicia Napoleon. I went the distance with Claressa Shields and I plan on beating Hammer on June 22 to earn my shot at revenge against Shields. This is my chance and I don’t plan to let it slip away.”

“Adding Hammer vs. Nelson to the card was the right move as we collectively work to elevate the status of women’s boxing at the highest level,” said Gordon Hall, Executive Producer of SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION. “The June 22 telecast now features two of the best pound-for-pound female fighters – Claressa Shields and Christina Hammer – in what will be our eighth presentation of women’s boxing since 2016. All four of the world titles in the women’s middleweight division are at stake on June 22 with the goal of the winners meeting this fall to determine an undisputed middleweight champion.”

“I am honored to promote this historic night of boxing on SHOWTIME in the championship city of Detroit,” said promoter Dmitriy Salita. “I believe these fights are in line with the best and most competitive matchups in the history of women’s boxing. All four of these fighters are coming from different parts of the globe to win a world title and show they are the best. It will be an exciting and explosive night of boxing from beginning to end for the fans attending the fight at the Detroit Masonic Temple and for those watching the fight live on SHOWTIME.”

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Salita Promotions, are available at Ticketmaster.com or at the Masonic Temple Box Office at (313) 832-7100. VIP tickets are priced at $300, ringside tickets at $125, and remaining tickets at $75, $50 and $35.

https://fightnews.com/showtime-adds-hammer-nelson-june-22/22762

By Corey Erdman –

After brutally knocking out Lucas Browne on Saturday night on HBO, Dillian Whyte immediately started screaming for a fight with Deontay Wilder.

He’s not the only one. Any professional fighter above 200 pounds would love to crash the Anthony Joshua-Deontay Wilder party and get even a fraction of the amount of money those two are set to generate. In fact, there’s likely a large number of fighters below 200 pounds who would gladly hit the sizzler and eat their way up above two bills to do it.

This Saturday, Joseph Parker will have an honest-to-goodness shot at crashing that party when he takes on Joshua in a heavyweight title unification fight on Showtime and Sky Sports PPV.

Outside of the contingent of active heavyweight fighters, there won’t be too many non-New Zealanders rooting for Parker to pull the upset. For one, Joshua is overwhelmingly popular, and already established as one of the biggest box office attractions in the history of boxing. But also, a bout between Joshua and Wilder is too mouth-watering, too perfect, and frankly, too profitable for everyone involved for anyone to want anything other than that particular fight next.

Generally, that’s exactly what happens. Boxing isn’t a league, so with the exception of a handful of sanctioning body rules, the powers that be can set up any fight they want at pretty much any time. Disgruntled Facebook users and the guy who insists on talking to you at the bar while the fights are on like to grumble about how “the best don’t fight the best, ya see, that’s the problem with boxing,” but the reality is that historically, the best fights usually happen. Most great fights do get made, because great fights make money, and that’s what everyone in the sport is here to do.

“It doesn’t really bother me,” said Parker on a recent SHOWTIME conference call of the constant Wilder-Joshua chatter. “I think everyone is entitled to their opinion and the fight they want to see. I think what’s important for us is that we focus on what’s in front of us and that’s Anthony Joshua. Our focus is on Anthony Joshua and being in great shape and being healthy. It gives us motivation in training and we know what our focus is. Our focus is Anthony Joshua and putting on the best performance of our lives March 31.”

On occasion, fighters in Parker’s position do indeed turn in the performance of their lives. As much as the construct of boxing allows for arranging things perfectly, unless you’re criminally fixing fights, you can never account for every variable. Challengers in world title fighters are still world class fighters, and even if they’re a step below that, they’re still human beings with two fists.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that fight will happen. And there’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll beat Wilder as well. This is where we’re heading. Fight after fight, my view on it is this,” said Joshua. “We reached out to Deontay Wilder’s team before the fight with Joseph Parker was made. And once that fight didn’t happen, I put Wilder aside and focused solely on Parker.

“While most mega fights have been made over the years, plans have been ruined by challengers in fights designed to set up bigger ones.

Perhaps the most famous example of this is also one of the most celebrated upsets in the history of sports, when Jim Braddock defeated Max Baer for the heavyweight championship of the world. The plan was for Baer to face Joe Louis for the title, but Cinderella Man ruined those plans. Baer did face Louis next anyway, and the bout did do big business even without the title on the line—84,000 were in attendance, and some suggest an additional 9,000 were there as well, for a million dollar gate. Without the title on the line however, it’s probably the biggest fight to never really be discussed in boxing circles.

Ray Mercer was the king of blowing chances at big fights in tune-up fights. In 1992, he vacated his WBO heavyweight title to face Larry Holmes in what he saw as an opportunity to gain notoriety leading into a bout with then-lineal champ Evander Holyfield. Instead, Holmes turned in one of the greatest old man performances ever, completely neutralizing Mercer en route to a decision victory. The very next year, Mercer would drop a decision to the 18-9 Jesse Ferguson in a bout bathed in controversy. Mercer was accused of attempting to bribe Ferguson to throw the fight, but was ultimately found not guilty. Nonetheless, the loss spoiled a planned bout against Riddick Bowe. After exacting revenge on Ferguson in a rematch, the very next year Mercer lost to trialhorse Marion Wilson, spoiling a big money fight with Frank Bruno in Hong Kong.

Even all-time greats slip up at the wrong time. In 1997, then-WBC super welterweight champ Terry Norris was matched against Keith Mullings on the undercard of Oscar De La Hoya-Wilfredo Rivera. The plan was for both Norris and De La Hoya to win, and Norris to move down to 147 to face De La Hoya in a PPV clash. Norris couldn’t hold up his end of the bargain, as he was stopped my Mullings in the ninth round, leaving a $4.5 million dollar payday on the table.

This Saturday, Joseph Parker will either be the stepping stone to a fight we’ll always remember, or the road block causing an upset we’ll never forget.

http://www.boxingscene.com/joseph-parker-hopes-spoil-joshua-wilder-party–126564?print_friendly=1

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By Bryan Mazique / Credit:  Photo by John Locher, AP –

WBA, IBF and WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (28-0-1, 25 KO) continues to crush opponents.

On Saturday night, Kovalev defended his titles by way of a third-round TKO win over an overmatched Nadjib Mohammedi (37-4). There was little resistance offered up by Mohammedi in this one.

He couldn’t match Kovalev’s speed, technical acumen and certainly not the Russian’s power. With every power punch the champion landed, it was clear he was just too strong for Mohammedi.

The challenger’s only defense seemed to be his awkwardness, but Kovalev wouldn’t allow that to keep him from the finish for long. He dropped Mohammedi for the first time in the second round with this right hand, per HBO Boxing.

Watch: Kovalev sends Mohammedi down to the canvas in the second round.

Mohammedi would get to his feet, but he made the decision reluctantly. He spent the remainder of the round grabbing, holding and attempting to wrestle Kovalev down in an effort to survive the frame. He accomplished his short-term goal, but it was clear he wouldn’t be around for long.

In the third round, Kovalev put him away with this right-left combination. The tail end of the one-two might have broken a bone in Mohammedi’s face.

Watch: @KrusherKovalev ends Mohammedi’s night in the third round. pic.twitter.com/Bspfswk0wp

Referee Kenny Bayless called a halt to the bout as Mohammedi made more effort to address his injured cheek bone than he did to beat the count.

When the fight was over, speculation about Kovalev’s next opponent began.

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Jean Pascal won a controversial decision over Yunieski Gonzalez in the undercard, and that win put him in line for another shot at Kovalev. The Russian already scored an eighth-round TKO win over Pascal in March.

The fight was an entertaining one, so there could be a small market for the rematch. On a larger scale, a fight with WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson or countrymen Artur Beterbiev would be most appealing. Making either fight will be problematic because Al Haymon promotes both fighters, and there’s a storied history of issues with HBO and Showtime fighters facing off against each other.

More realistic opponents for Kovalev would be middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin or super middleweight kingpin Andre Ward.

Golovkin would have to come up at least eight pounds for a superbout with Kovalev. Ward would be a more feasible opponent as the two men could meet somewhere between 168 and 175 pounds. HBO’s Max Kellerman asked Kovalev who he would like to face next with specific references to Golovkin and Ward, but Kovalev kept it general, per HBO Boxing.

“I’m ready for everyone.” – @KrusherKovalev on his future opponents.

Many in the boxing community such as Bleacher Report’s Kevin McRae and Bad Left Hook’s Scott Christ were intrigued by the possibility of a Ward vs. Kovalev scrap.

I’d be super fascinated by a Ward-Kovalev matchup. Think that’s a great one on paper.

@scottchristBLH Agree. I am very curious to see how Andre could handle or take away Kovalev’s power.

There’s no doubt that bout could be an entertaining one. Kovalev’s power is unlike anything Ward has ever faced. With Ward moving up, it would be interesting to see how he handles the additional weight and bigger punch.

As of now, we don’t have any official word on that bout. We’ll just have to appreciate Kovalev’s latest destructive exhibition.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2531453-sergey-kovalev-vs-nadjib-mohammedi-winner-recap-and-reaction

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Bethlehem, PA (June 29, 2015)–On Friday, July 17 at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, Derrick Webster (19-0, 10KO’s) of Glassboro, New Jersey will take on Arif Magomedov for the NABO Middleweight title which will serve as the co-feature of a big quadruple-header that will be televised live on SHOWTIME’s award winning ShoBox: The New Generation.

The fight is scheduled for 10-rounds.

The bout is promoted by GH3 Promotions, Greg Cohen Promotions and Main Events and will support the 10-round Middleweight main event event between undefeated fighter’s Antoine Douglas (17-0-1, 11 KO’s) of Burke, VA and Istavan Szili (18-0-2, 8 KO’s) of Frenkendorf, Switzerland. In another title clash, Adam Lopez (12-0, 6 KO’s) of San Antonio, Texas will take on Eliecer Aquino (17-0-1, 11 KO’s) of Higuey, Dominican Republic in a 10-round Super Bantamweight bout for the WBA FEDELATIN and WBC Interim Latino titles. The opening bout will pit Super Middleweight’s Jerry Odom (13-1, 11 KO’s) of Washington, DC and Samuel Clarkson (14-3, 8 KO’s) of Ceder Hill, TX in a bout scheduled for 8-rounds.

http://philboxing.com/news/story-110025.html

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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.

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http://notifight.com/mayweather-y-pacquiao-en-gigantesca-ultima-conferencia/

Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao

Por Carlos Narváez, EL VOCERO5:43 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/

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Photo credit:  Ed Diller/

Mashantucket, CT (October 5, 2014) World ranked junior middleweight contender VANES “The Nightmare” MARTIROSYAN entered the top echelon of his division on Saturday night with an outstanding 10-round unanimous decision over fellow contender WILLIE NELSON from the Foxwoods Resort Casino and telecast live on SHOWTIME.

Scores for Martirosyan, now 35-1-1 (21KO’s) were 97-93, 97-93 and

96-94 over Nelson who moved to 23-2-1 (13KO’s).

Changing the momentum of the fight in the second round with a big right hand and surviving a bad cut above his right eye suffered in the fourth, Martirosyan fought brilliantly over the second half of the fight.

With the clash hanging in the balance entering the 8th stanza, Martirosyan stormed away with hammering right hands and hard-hitting body shots to pull away from the taller Nelson.

After the fight the 28-year-old Martirosyan spoke about the recent passing of his promoter DAN GOOSSEN, head of GOOSSEN BOXING.

“This fight is for Dan, it was a hard week but in the 8th round I could feel his spirit and really hit my stride,” said Martirosyan. “I know he was looking down and watching and I’m happy to dedicate this win to him.”

Said TOM BROWN of GOOSSEN BOXING, “This was a big win for Vanes. When we signed him in January we were confident that he was one of the best junior middleweights in the world and tonight confirmed that.”

For his second straight fight the 2004 U.S. Olympian had esteemed trainer JOE GOOSSEN, Dan’s brother, in his corner.

Entering the fight, Martirosyan was ranked #4 by the World Boxing Organization, #8 by the International Boxing Federation, #9 by the World Boxing Council and #14 by the World Boxing Association.

MARTIROSYAN vs. NELSON will be replayed on SHO Extreme on Monday, October 6th at 10:00 p.m. ET.

http://www.boxingnews24.com/2014/10/vanes-martirosyan-dominates-willie-nelson/

Peter-Quillin-vs-Konecny-rob-carr-gettyPeter Quillin (L) throws an uppercut at Lukas Konecny on the April 19 undercard of Bernard Hopkins vs. Beibut Shumenov in Washington, D.C. Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images.

WASHINGTON — WBO middleweight titleholder Peter Quillin had made a point that he would be after what would be his 13th knockdown over his last five fights, if not a stoppage over challenger Lukas Konecny.

Although Quillin (31-0, 22 knockouts) got neither against Konecny (50-5, 23 KOs), who never has been stopped, he unanimously decisioned his man — 119-109, 119-109 and 120-108 — on Saturday night at the D.C. Armory on Showtime.

Quillin had Konecny bleeding from the nose in the eighth, and from over the right eye in the 10th, but his fight drew little in the way of reaction from fans until they began to boo him in the 10th.

“He was a tough customer and came to fight, and that’s what the fans want to see. I’m here to inspire kids. That’s my mission and goal. We can always throw more jabs. There are tons of things that I can do. I will go back home and watch the tape and see what else I need to do.”

“I was looking for a knockout, but it didn’t happen. If Danny Jacobs is next, let’s do it. I’m also interested in fighting the winner of Sergio Martinez and Miguel Cotto, or Julio Cesar Chavez and Gennady Golovkin.”

Quillin-Konecny was the opening bout of a tripleheader whose main event matches IBF light heavyweight beltholder Bernard Hopkins (54-6-2, 32 knockouts) against WBA counterpart Beibut Shumenov (14-1, 9 KOs). Between Quillin-Konecny and Hopkins-Shumenov is a welterweight bout between IBF titleholder Shawn Porter (23-0-1, 14 KOs) and Paulie Malignaggi (33-5, 7 KOs).

A 35-year old making his debut on American soil, having fought mostly in his home country, the Czech Republic, Konecny was after his third straight win since falling by unanimous decision to Zaurbek Baysangurov by unanimous decision in 2012.

In succession, Quillin had floored Winky Wright once during a unanimous decision in June 2012, dropped Hassan N’Dam six times during a unanimous decision for the belt in October of that year, scored four knockdowns in a seventh-round knockout of Fernando Guerrero last April, and one more in during a 10th-round stoppage of Gabriel Rosado in October.

Quillin was workmanlike, but not dazzling against Konecny, whom he out-landed, 403-to-197.

“There was nothing that I didn’t expect. I would have expected a harder fight. Quillin is a good champion and a good fighter, but not a great one,” said Konecny. “He definitely beat. I hope to continue to fight in America.”

Quillin out-landed Konecny, 32-6, in the first round, where the challenger approached behind a high-guard — elbows tucked in close and his fists high around each of his ears — but rarely punched.

Konecny drove home a couple of nice uppercuts in the second round, where he was, nevertheless, outworked yet again.Konecny had more success in the third, where he occasionally trapped Quillin on the ropes and landed uppercuts and overhand rights against the countering Quillin.

In the fourth, Quillin kept the fight more in the center of the ring, pumping his jab with success and driving home the occasional body blow. Quillin spun off the ropes nicely during one exchange, and at round’s end walked to a neutral corner and shouted something to fellow middleweight Danny Williams, who was working as a ringside commentator.

The fifth and sixth rounds were more of the same, with Quillin going more to the body. By the seventh, it was clear that Konecny was feeling the body shots and uppercuts as he wobbled, noticeably, back to his corner at round’s end. The eighth was mostly one-sided for Quillin, who bloodied Konecny’s nose with a hard right hand in the middle of it. The ninth was more of the same.

http://ringtv.craveonline.com/news/334247-peter-quillin-unanimously-decisions-lukas-konecny-calls-out-others

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By Thomas Gerbasi –

(Photo:  Boxeo Mundial.com)

Boxing’s loquacious elder statesman Bernard Hopkins may be headlining Saturday night’s Showtime card at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City against Karo Murat, but it’s the young man in the co-main event, WBO middleweight champion Peter Quillin who described life at the top of the boxing world better than even “The Executioner” could.

“I had to learn how to deal with it,” said ‘Kid Chocolate’ when asked if he was comfortable being the fighter now with a target on his back placed there by his fellow 160-pounders. “Even my friends will want to fight me because I have the belt, and I have to respect that and learn what being a champion is all about. So I don’t look at it as being comfortable; I don’t think life as a fighter can be comfortable because I’m on the borderline of sanity and insanity doing what I’m doing. It’s like a big mental game that I’m playing with myself, and that’s what boxing is all about. I fight through so much BS to live through good moments of my life, like being a winner, inspiring kids, and showing somebody that they can be what they want to be. So I can never be comfortable. And especially coming from where I come from, I could never be comfortable. I always wanted more; I was always working towards being a better person.”

Despite being less than comfortable at the top, it’s evident that he has made it, both in boxing and in life, though neither seems to be letting up in throwing curveballs at him. The ones in the ring are easy enough for him to deal with, considering that he only has to face one man with two fists in sanctioned combat every few months. The ones outside the ring, they’re always tougher to deal with simply because you never see them coming.

Heading into Saturday’s bout with Gabriel Rosado, Quillin is still heavy-hearted after his wife suffered a miscarriage of their child earlier this month, but he’s put on a brave face and made it clear that this won’t affect his performance on fight night. Granted, it’s not easy to deal with, but if anyone can persevere, it’s the New Yorker who was once homeless as he looked to make his fistic dreams become a reality.

Today, he’s got a world title belt in his possession and a bright future in a hot division. But the road to get better doesn’t end, something you don’t have to tell him twice.

“I’m just glad to be positive and learn about myself and inspire people,” said the 30-year-old. “It’s been a road to remember. I would have never thought I’d be where I’m at right now. I’m just glad that I can be evidence of what hard work can get you.”

Want more evidence? Less than a month after Saturday’s fight, Quillin will be taking the last test to earn his GED. You might wonder why an established world champion with the potential to make millions in the coming years and set himself and his family up for life would do such a thing, but Quillin is more curious why you would even wonder why.

“How can I tell kids to stay in school and don’t be a fool when I’m sitting around here without my education?” he said. “I took the hard road and boxing fell into my hand and became such a passion, but I look back and what I would want to promote to my kids is having an education. It’s something that I thought was a very responsible thing to do, and I’ve been working hard to do it, but with such a busy schedule, it’s been tough.”

Next month, that will be another item on the Quillin bucket list to check off. The first one on the current list? Keep his title, and that means vanquishing the always-tough Rosado.

“I look at him as just another guy I’m fighting, another personality, another style that I’m gonna learn right there in the ring, and I can never say that I’ve been in there with a person like Gabriel Rosado,” said Quillin, who just celebrated his one year anniversary as champion on October 20th.

On that 2012 night in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Quillin put France’s Hassan N’Dam down six times en route to a 12 round unanimous decision victory. Six months later, Fernando Guerrero visited the deck four times before being stopped by Quillin in the seventh round. The win over Guerrero lifted Quillin’s pro record to 29-0 (21 KOs) and established him as one of those fighters you will make sure you’re watching whenever he’s on television. New York fans always knew this about their hometown favorite, but the rest of the world was slow to catch on, leaving Quillin on the outside looking in for longer than most.

“I tried not to worry about the guys before me that were getting opportunities that I felt I wasn’t getting,” he said. “I just had to let them worry about their own stuff and I worried about my own. I figured my time was gonna come, and I would have to appreciate it.”

Signing with Golden Boy Promotions and winning a June 2012 bout against Winky Wright finally accelerated the process for him, and when matched with N’Dam, he made the most of his opportunity. Today, he refuses to look back.

“Now it’s my time, and I’m appreciating everything that’s going on,” he said. “When it comes to the past, it’s like bumps in the road when you’re in a car. You go over a bump and you’re like ‘damn, that was big,’ but eventually, when you get to see the bump, it’s in your rearview, and the further you go, the bump disappears. So I stay in my present, don’t worry too much about the future, and forget about the past. And now, I have to work even harder.”

If he gets by Rosado, that will be another win, another paycheck, and another step toward bigger fights. At middleweight, the established champion is Sergio Martinez, the heir apparent is Gennady Golovkin, and the dark horse of the championship quartet is Darren Barker. Fights for Quillin against any of those three are appealing, even if promotional and television ties may make them pipe dreams at the moment. But as far as Quillin is concerned, he’s a firm believer that things find a way of eventually working themselves out.

“The mind is a powerful thing and if you use it to your advantage, you can see huge rewards from it,” he said. “Back then I may have had penny thoughts, but I always had million dollar dreams.”

Now it’s time to cash in on those dreams.

http://www.boxingscene.com/peter-quillin-long-road-glory-continues–70973

 

 

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Article Link – http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=70931#ixzz2ikxfHfi3
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by Cliff Rold

Sergio Martinez (51-2-2, 28 KO) remains the true Middleweight Champion of the World.

He may not be the best Middleweight in the world anymore.

In the span of eight days, we will see the two strongest ‘heirs apparent’ to his throne and either might be favored to beat the 38-year old Argentine right now.  The louder hype, for the moment, centers on Kazakhstan’s 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist Gennady Golovkin (27-0, 24 KO).  The 31-year old has been a professional since 2006 and will attempt his ninth defense of a WBA belt, and sixth defense of the IBO belt, against Curtis Stevens (25-3, 18 KO) in New York next Saturday.

This Saturday, the spotlight falls on the less hyped, but in many ways equally impressive, WBO titlist at 160 lbs.  30-year old Peter Quillin (29-0, 21 KO), fighting out of Brooklyn, turned professional in 2005 and has slowly developed into a dangerous fighter.  Borrowing a nickname from one of the greats of the 1930s, this “Kid Chocolate” has shown sweet potential in his last four fights.

He will attempt to defend his belt for the second time against Gabriel Rosado (21-6, 13 KO).  Quillin is expected to win.

The biggest question: if he does as expected, what will it look like?

When all else fails, boxing is a sport happy to promote based on comparison-shopping of the eyes.  Rosado challenged Golovkin in January of this year and, while defeated, gave a spirited account and lasted into the seventh round.  Reports of Golovkin battling the flu notwithstanding, if Quillin can dispose of Rosado earlier, easier, he will have a feather in his cap of what should be seen as the division’s real developing rivalry.

Quillin doesn’t have Golovkin in front of him this weekend.  Instead, he engages in what can best be called a proxy war.

It’s one he’d be well served to win.  The accomplishment gap between Golovkin and Quillin, in terms of quality wins, isn’t that wide.  The perception gap is.

Given the curt circumstances of the relationships between HBO and Showtime, perception matters for Quillin.  He’s in a tough spot.  Both Golovkin and Martinez are tied, for the moment, to HBO.  Most of the best action in the division this year has taken place on that network.  The action from 140-154 lbs. is well spread between the two networks.

In those divisions, Showtime is drawing from the deeper pool and has the premiere draw in the sport, Floyd Mayweather, on their side.  It’s not so from 160-68, where HBO also has the legitimate World Super Middleweight Champion Andre Ward on their side and has aired some of his better challengers as well.

Quillin could become one of the bigger victims of this whole mess.  To be the man, one eventually has to beat him and Quillin is a fighter who needs flexibility in networks that may not be available to him right away.

In lieu of that, the proxy wars he can win are of immeasurable value.  They are pathways to create public demand for him to be more than the Showtime side of the Middleweight bracket.  It’s not like he runs out of foes after Rosado, should he win this weekend.  Daniel Jacobs (26-1, 23 KO), a cancer survivor, is a great story.  Resurgent since returning to action in 2004 and a fellow New Yorker, he could make a fine challenger next year.

Up one class, Showtime will air the 168 lb. title fight between WBC titlist Sakio Bika (32-5-2, 21 KO) and Anthony Dirrell (26-0, 22 KO) in December.  A move up the scale isn’t out of the question.

Opponents can emerge.  They aren’t Martinez, Golovkin, and Ward.

Short of Mayweather moving up to Quillin to attempt a title in a sixth weight class, Quillin may want to root for Al Haymon stablemate Edwin Rodriguez (24-0, 16 KO) to upset Ward (26-0, 14 KO).  That could shift some scales.

For the time being, all he can do is win.  He’s done that against a fair set of recent foes.  A breakthrough stoppage of fringe contender Craig McEwan in 2011 announced him as a serious comer.  Subsequent wins that halted the comeback of “Winky” Wright, sent the capable Hasan N’Dam N’Jikam to the canvas five times for a title, and a dominant knockout of Fernando Guerrero elevated Quillin.

Compare those wins to the best Golovkin has posted.  Is there really that big a gap in quality between N’Jikam and Matthew Macklin?  Is beating a faded Wright less an accomplishment than beating a faded Kasim Ouma?  McEwan…Grzegorz Proksa…six of one, half dozen of another.

Where Golovkin has an edge is in the spectacular nature of some of his victories.  Quillin has a chance to try to be more spectacular this weekend.

Sergio Martinez might still be history’s Middleweight king, but in the ring there is every reason to believe the fight for best Middleweight in the world right now is Golovkin-Quillin.  Politics are in the way.

Quillin has to make his case bigger than the politics.

 http://www.boxingscene.com/peter-kid-chocolate-quillins-proxy-war–70931      

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NEW YORK (April 21, 2013) – Charismatic world champion prizefighter Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (28-0, 20 KOs) is holding his World Boxing Organization (WBO) middleweight title belt hostage, as he prepares to make his first defense this Saturday evening (April 27) against challenger Fernando Guerrero (25-1, 19 KOs) on Showtime Championship Boxing, airing live from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The 29-year-old Quillin, fighting back at home once again in New York City, captured the WBO championship this past October 20 at Barclays Center, dropping defending champion and previously unbeaten Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (27-0) six times en route to a overwhelming 12-round unanimous (115-107 three times) decision.

“I earned my belt and I don’t plan on giving it back until I retire,” Quillin said. “I’m going to win a few more belts for my collection, if any of the other world champions want to fight me on in a unification fight. My goal is to become the undisputed middleweight champion of the world but, first, I have to take care of business Saturday night against a hungry challenger.

“The big difference between me and Guerrero, though, is he wants to be famous and I just want to be the best middleweight in the world. Boxing is a struggle, like my well documented life, coming from such a negative environment. He’s a lot different than anybody I’ve fought, a different challenge I want to get past. I take nothing away from him but, he knows what it feels like to lose. I’m 28-0, never been beaten, and I’ve challenged myself to stay unbeaten.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________
BOSTON STRONG
“Kid Chocolate” has dedicated his world title fight this Saturday night to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing and their families.
______________________________________________________________________________________

Guerrero has defeated current International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior middleweight champion Ishe Smith, as well as notables such as Juan Carlos Candelo, Saul Duran, Ossie Duran and Gabriel Rosado. Two years ago, though, the left-handed Dominican was stopped in the fourth round by then 40-year-old Grady Brewer.

“Guerrero is a tough kid with some skills who can box a little,” Quillin’s head trainer, Eric Brown, recently remarked. “He’s like any other guy we fight – we take ‘em serious and don’t play ‘em. We’re preparing to fight this guy at his peak, ready for him to bring his best.

“Anytime a guy goes from contender to champion, like Peter, his confidence is higher. He feels good about himself. People start calling him champ, recognizing him as a champ, and that boosts his enthusiasm. But I think it’s more difficult defending than winning a world title. Once you win it, you’ve got to prove it wasn’t a fluke. Peter will prove that he’s even better than when he won the title.”

“Me and my partner, Jimmy McDevitt, are very excited about Peter’s first title defense,” Quillin’s co-manager John Seip added. “He’s developed a different mindset going from contender to world champion. Insecurities and confidence issues are erased as champion. He’s a much more dangerous fighter as a title holder. The world championship belt is something all fighters train for and dedicated their lives to. He is much more aware of this and takes nothing for granted.

“This is the second phase of Peter’s career. The hard part has just started and there is no room for complacency. Peter isn’t satisfied with winning the world title; he wants more. We’ve been with him since day one and we’ve never seen a more confident, determined young man. He sincerely believes he is fulfilling his destiny, which is very difficult to beat. I hope Mr. Guerrero has prepared himself for a war. This should be an exciting fight….don’t blink!”

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/2013/quillin-holding-wbo-title-belt-hostage/

HBO and Showtime want to feature WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire in a fight card in July.

That’s the word from Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who told BoxingScene.com/Manila Standard that Donaire and his wife Rachel were in his offices in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Arum indicated they talked about Donaire’s next fight even as he revealed that HBO and Showtime were “both talking about a July date.”

As of now the opponent being considered is former world champion and classy boxer  Cristian Mijares even as Arum scuttled suggestions by promoter Fernando Beltran that Donaire take on featherweight champion Orlando Salido sometime after Donaire faces Jorge “Travieso” Arce perhaps in November and hopefully wins.

Arum wants Donaire to fight at super bantamweight for some time as Donaire himself has said he wants to unify the title by facing talented southpaw and WBC  champion Toshiaki Nishioka of Japan in a four-fight program he wishes to fulfill this year.

Donaire had his first fight this year when he won a comfortable twelve round unanimous decision over former WBO super bantamweight champion Wilfredo Vazquez Jr in San Antonio, Texas last February 4.

He had previously won the WBC/WBO bantamweight title with a spectacular 2nd round knockout of Mexican veteran Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel on February 19, 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and Casino and then scored a twelve round shutout in his first title defense against undefeated two-division champion Omar Andres Narvaez of Argentina on October 22, 2011 at The Theater in New York’s Madison Square Garden. Donaire then moved up in weight and captured the WBO super bantamweight title.

The 29 year old who is ranked No. 4 in the Ring Magazine pound for pound list behind “Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao, undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr and middleweight champion Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez is expected in Manila on Sunday for the 12th Annual Gabriel “Flash” Elorde awards at the Dusit Thani hotel where congressman Pacquiao will be the guest of honor and speaker.

Mijares is a 30 year old southpaw with a record of 44-6-2 with 20 knockouts and is coming off back to back TKO victories. He is the former WBO bantamweight champion but has moved up to super bantamweight in recent fights.

He scored a 3rd round TKO over Jonathan Perez (19-8, 16 KO’s) on September 10, 2011 followed by another 3rd round TKO over Alejandro Valdez (25-6-2, 19 KO’s) on December 17, 2011.

Mijares is scheduled to face another former  WBO bantamweight champion Cruz Carbajal for the WBC International silver title on March 31.

 

by Ronnie Nathanielsz

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50871

Wednesday’s presser in San Juan for the rematch between Orlando Salido and Juan Manuel Lopez revealed two things as it pertains to the main event: Lopez is intent on proving that the first fight was a fluke, while Salido just wants everyone to shut up and fast forward to fight night.

As was the case last April, Showtime will be on board to televise the clash, live from Coliseo Roberto Clemente (Saturday, 10PM ET/PT). The final presser before Saturday’s showdown saw both fighters say as much with body language as they did behind the mic.

Salido (37-11-2, 25KO) appeared disinterested for much of the media station, so much that he didn’t even make note of the promotional banner, listing Lopez’ name first despite the fact that he enters Saturday’s rematch as the defending champ.

The 31-year old Mexican was sporting his usual blue zip-up jacket with the WBO patched placed just above the heart, proudly representing the organization that crowned him champ in last year’s monster knockout upset over Lopez. His wardrobe – also including jeans and sneakers – was in stark contrast to that of the flashy Lopez (31-1, 28KO), who appeared in a suit and tie and with plenty to say.

Above all else, Lopez is trying his hardest to convince anyone who will listen that the JuanMa from the first fight and the one who will be present are two separate fighters entirely.

“I want to clarify that I have never offered any excuses,” Lopez said of last April’s affair, in which the Puerto Rican suffered a 5th round knockdown and was stopped on his feet two rounds later. “So Orlando, I don’t want to hear you say any excuses. I assure you that March 10 that title is mine.”

‘That title’ was Lopez’ – along with an undefeated record and a rumored showdown with Yuriorkis Gamboa. All of that went out the window the moment referee Roberto Ramirez Jr rescued the Puerto Rican southpaw from taking further punishment midway through the seventh round of an even fight.

Since then, Lopez has fought just once – a third round knockout of Mike Oliver in an uneven performance. Meanwhile, Salido has spent every moment of the past near-year knowing what it once again feels like to be a champ.

That hasn’t sat well at all with Lopez, who thirsts for a return to the spotlight.

“I hope you enjoyed your title reign, because come March 10 I’m regaining my title,” Lopez insists. “Orlando, you can return the title that I let you borrow for the past 11 months.”

Whether he woke up late, or just wasn’t in the mood to be there, Salido couldn’t be bothered to summon up a response to Lopez’ claims. Instead, he remained true to his motto of letting his fists do all the talking.

“I don’t have much to say,” stated Salido when it was his turn to the mic. “I now come to (this fight) with more confidence than the last time.”

 

By Jake Donovan

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50377

Enfocado en cobrar su venganza en suelo boricua.

Juan Manuel “Juanma” López ya está trabajando con miras a enfrentar al mexicano Orlando Salido en un combate que, con toda seguridad, se celebrará en Puerto Rico.

Salido le propinó a López su primera derrota profesional el pasado 16 de abril en Bayamón y, a su vez, le arrebató el título peso pluma de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo.

Según López, el promotor Bob Arum aprovechará su viaje a Nueva York, donde Miguel Cotto y Antonio Margarito se enfrentan este sábado, para negociar la fecha final del combate.

“Estamos esperando que la gente de Showtime se reúna esta semana con Arum en Nueva York para darnos la fecha oficial, pero ya en febrero o marzo yo estoy peleando con Salido en una revancha segura en Puerto Rico” dijo López.

Incluso, el boxeador boricua reveló que Arum también conversará con HBO sobre la posibilidad de que sea esa compañía la que transmita la pelea.

“Ya Arum nos informó que se está reuniendo con Showtime, porque son los interesados. Bueno, Showtime y HBO están interesados y están viendo quién es el mejor postor, pero, aparentemente, va a ser Showtime, porque ya dieron la primera pelea y quieren la revancha”, sostuvo López, quien mencionó la fecha del 25 de febrero como una de las señaladas para la pelea en la Isla.

Luego de caer contra Salido, López (31-1, 28 KO) volvió al cuadrilátero el 10 de octubre y noqueó en el segundo asalto al estadounidense Mike Oliver para agenciarse del título Latino, peso pluma, de la OMB.

“Ya empezamos a correr y empecé a hacer un poquito de pesas. La semana que viene empezamos el entrenamiento de lleno; empezamos a rebajar y a organizar bien, porque vamos a ir fuera de Puerto Rico. Vamos a estar cuatro semanas en Puerto Rico, cuatro semanas fuera, y luego regresamos dos semanas antes”, explicó López.

 

Esteban Pagán Rivera y Rosalina Marrero-Rodríguez

http://www.primerahora.com/juanmalopezesperaporfechapararevanchaconsalido-587411.html