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Sunday, March 30, 2008

Aussie boxer primed to jump German‏

Inspired by boxing’s ghosts of the past, undefeated Australian world title challenger Jamie “Mr Business” Pittman is primed to cause a boxing boil over and topple German champion Felix Sturm when they face off in Dusseldorf on the 5th April for the WBA World Middleweight Title.

Pittman, a 2004 Athens Olympian with a pro record that now stands at 16 fights for 16 wins with 7 KO’s, has settle comfortably into the German winter despite the sub zero temperatures – the cold European conditions are certainly a change from the sunny Central Coast weather that Pittman has enjoyed of late.

Before leaving Australia, Pittman undertook a pilgrimage of sorts – traveling to Maitland in the NSW Hunter Valley to pay his respects to one of Australia’s greatest sporting icons, the boxing legend Les Darcy.

The 26-year-old Pittman grew up in the Newcastle suburb of Shortland and while his generation has been inspired by the greatness from the likes of Andrew Johns or surfer Mark Richards, for Pittman who has boxed for 16 years, it was the ‘Maitland Wonder’ Les Darcy whose prior world shattering exploits showed him that anything was possible once you laced on a glove and stepped inside a ring.

Tragically Darcy never had the chance to be proclaimed the legitimate “World Middleweight Champion”, dying in 1917, at just 22 years of age.

His passing effected Maitland to such an extent that there has been a bronzed statue of Darcy in his fighting stance erected in the town centre, as well as one of the main roads named in Darcy’s honour. Other ‘sacred’ areas such as where he worked as a blacksmith or the home that Darcy bought for his mother, earned by his ever growing boxing success. All these places are easily found with the map supplied by the local tourist information centre and it was from there that Pittman undertook his pilgrimage to the significant places in Darcy’s all too short life. All in the knowing that he is about to do something his idol never had the opportunity to do.

It’s a well told story that Darcy, entrapped by the wartime politics of the day, fled to America to get his rightfully earned shot at the world middleweight boxing crown – tragically Darcy never got the chance, nor did fellow Newcastle middleweight Dave Sands who died in 1952 in a truck accident while in the prime of his fighting career aged just 26.

To show the class of boxer that Sands was, two international fighters that he defeated quite comfortably later went on to win world titles. For Sands, like Darcy, the opportunity to fight for the world title before they died, sadly never eventuated.

Pittman knows both boxers stories probably better than most and he is determined to make the most of his shot at the world middleweight title – he’s well aware that being the best doesn’t automatically give you a shot at the title and as a young Newcastle-bred middleweight boxer he feels privileged to be fighting in honour of his boxing forebears.

Now based in Gosford, Pittman transcends the “Newcastle vs. Central Coast” friendly rivalry and is a popular sporting figure in both regions. While Pittman is a well known identity in both cities, his profile is not as large in the ‘big smoke’ of major cities such as Sydney – however, come the 5th of April, when he dethrones the German Felix Sturm, the world will know about Jamie “Mr Business” Pittman.

It’s time to take care of Business!!!!

boxing, entertainment, fight sports, film, literary arts, mixed martial arts, nightlife, politics, special events, performing arts, sports, worldwide

Jim and Bill Germanakos, winners of NBC's "The Biggest Loser," will host the IFL Weigh-in on Thursday, April 3, in Secaucus, N.J


WINNERS OF NBC’S “THE BIGGEST LOSER,” JIM AND BILL GERMANAKOS, TO HOST IFL WEIGH-IN AT LA BOXING IN SECAUCUS, N.J., ON THURSDAY, APRIL 3 Weight loss and fitness experts to assist IFL athletes in making weight for April 4 show at Izod Center NEW YORK. The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI) today announced that twins Jim and Bill Germanakos, the most recent winners of NBC’s hit show “The Biggest Loser,” will host the IFL weigh-in next Thursday, April 3, at 3 p.m. at L.A. Boxing in Secaucus, N.J., and give tips to the athletes trying to make weight for the IFL “New Blood, New Battles” show at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. The fights will take place on Friday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m.



“These athletes are in unbelievable shape, but if there are any quick tips that we can help them with to shed a few ounces as they hit their desired weight, it will be our pleasure,” Bill Germanakos said. “The sport of Mixed Martial Arts is a great base for training and weight loss since it involves so many aspects of conditioning, including strength and flexibility and self discipline, so this will be fun for us as we continue to spread our message of healthy lifestyle to a larger audience.” All information for Jim and Bill can be found at WeightLossTwins.com. Among the rising Mixed Martial Arts stars scheduled to compete on the 10-bout April 4 card are:• 20 year old lightweight phenom Chris “The Polish Hammer” Horodecki against newcomer Nate Lamotte• IFL middleweight champ and Long Island native Jay “The Thorobred” Hieron against once beaten “Military” Mark Miller• Undefeated IFL featherweight champion Waggney Fabiano against NYU All-America wrestler and once beaten Shad Lierley• IFL light heavyweight champion and Belarussian Olympian Vladimir “The Janitor”Matyushenko against Jersey City’s (Gracie Jiu Jitsu and Gleason’s Gym boxing trained) Jamal “The Suit” Patterson About the IFLInternational Fight League™ (IFL) has its headquarters in New York and offices in Las Vegas.

Jamal “The Suit” Patterson


For more information about IFL, please see: www.ifl.tv. ---"If you like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain.If you're not into yoga, if you have half-a-brain.If you like making love at midnight, in the dunes of the cape.You're the love that I've looked for, come with me, and escape."- Rupert Holmes, "Escape (The Pina Colada Song

Catch the IFL on FSN Sundays at 5 p.m. and LIVE on HDNet on April 4 and May 16 boxing, entertainment, fight sports, film, literary arts, mixed martial arts, nightlife, politics, special events, performing arts, sports, worldwide

© 2007, 2008 Keisha Morrisey all rights reserved

Gleason's Events and Ticket Sales‏; Yuri Foreman vs. Saul Roman, Thursday, April 3, 2008 and Johnny Rodz Professional Wrestling, Golden Gloves Finals

Professional Boxing Yuri Foreman vs. Saul Roman
Aviator Sports, Hanger 5, Floyd Bennet Field, Brooklyn Thursday, April 3, 2008
First bout 7:30PM
Tickets available at Gleason's Gym
General Admission $40
Ringside $100
First three rows $150

Yuri Foreman


Johnny Rodz Professional Wrestling
Gleason's Gym,77 Front St. Brooklyn
Saturday, April 5, 2008
First Bout 8:00PM, General Admission $10


81st Annual Daily News Golden Gloves Finals
Held at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, April 17th and Friday, April 18th.
The Best Possible Seats will be sold through Gleason's Gym as soon as they become available. Reserve your orders today!

Golden Gloves Finals
The Theatre at Madison Square Garden, Thursday, April 17, 2008 and Friday April 18, 2008, First bout 7:00PM, Tickets available at Gleason's Gym, $25, $35, $45

The Battle of Brooklyn VIII
Gleason's Gym, 77 Front St, Brooklyn
Saturday, April 26, 2008
First bout 8:00PM, General admission $35
Ringside $55 V.I.P. tickets $75

A night of kick-boxing, Muay Thai, San Da, No Gi Submission Grappling, and much, much more.

Gleason's Monthly Club Show
Saturday, May 24, 2008

Gleason's Gym will resume the monthly boxing shows now that the Golden Gloves are over. All bouts are pre-matched by New York's finest matchmaker, Angela Querol. If you wish to participate call Angela at (718) 797-2872.

The weigh-in starts at 5:00PM and the first bout will be at 7:00PM.

Tickets are $20 general admission and $10 for gym members and amateur fighters with passbooks in hand.
boxing entertainment fight sports mixed martial arts special events sports worldwide

Adrenaline MMA replaces M-1 Global; Fedor becomes a free agent

NEW YORK -- Executives at M-1 Global announced today they have started anew promotion called Adrenaline MMA and will begin promoting major eventsin the U.S. beginning in June. Adrenaline will replace M-1 Global in the U.S. immediately. The changealso includes the release of Russian fighter Fedor Emilianenko, who isfree to seek fights elsewhere.

Fedor Emilianenko


Monte Cox is the President and CEO of Adrenaline MMA. Bob Clark is theCOO and Brian Patton is VP responsible for sponsorships and endorsements.



boxing, entertainment, fight sports, film, literary arts, mixed martial arts, nightlife, politics, special events, performing arts, sports, worldwide

© 2007, 2008 Keisha Morrisey all rights reserved

Adrenaline MMA‏; Adrenaline signs MMA heavyweight standouts Sylvia and Rothwell

NEW YORK -- Adrenaline MMA announced today that heavyweight stars Tim Sylvia and Ben Rothwell have signed multi-fight contracts with the newly-formed promotion. Sylvia (24-4) is a former 2-time UFC heavyweight champion, while Rothwell(31-5) was undefeated in the IFL for the champion Quad Cities Silverbacks.

Savant and Ben Rothwell


Sylvia, 6-foot-8 and 265 pounds, has fought 13 times in the UFC and defeated top performers like Jeff Monson, Andre Arlovski (twice), Brandon Vera, Ricco Rodriguez and Assuerio Silva. "Adrenaline is a new promotion, but it allows fighters to fight for other organizations... that's huge," Sylvia said. "I've got 3 to 4 years leftand want to fight as much as possible, so this is the perfect choice forme at this time." Rothwell, 6-5 and 265, has won 13 straight bouts, including all 9 of his IFL fights. "Adrenaline will give me the chance to take things to the next level,"Rothwell said. "I'm ready to see how I fare against the best heavyweights in the world." Sylvia and Rothwell both train at Miletich Fighting Systems in Bettendorf,Iowa.

boxing, entertainment, fight sports, film, literary arts, mixed martial arts, nightlife, politics, special events, performing arts, sports, worldwide

© 2007, 2008 Keisha Morrisey all rights reserved

Philly's Tyrone Brunson goes for Knockout record‏

MCKART - MARQUEZ HEADLINE SATURDAY ON GOFIGHTLIVE.TV
WEBCAST TO AIR @ 8:OO P.M.

JOHNSTON - NARH IN CO-FEATURE!
Philly's Tyrone Brunson goes for his the record 19th straight first round Knockout on www.gofightlive.tv

CLIP Boxing and Blue Cap Promotions hosts an exciting seven bout card Saturday, March 29th, at the Soaring Eagle Casino in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, and GoFightLive.TV will be on hand to webcast all the action live, beginning at 8:00 P.M.! The stacked card will include a total of seven bouts, all of which will be available live at www.GoFightLive.tv!

McKart vs Marquez
In the evening's headlining bout, former WBO Light Middleweight champ Bronco "Superman" McKart (51-8, 31 KO's) will square off against former IBF Light Middleweight champ Raul "El Diamante" Marquez (40-3, 29 KO's).
While McKart has won three of his last four bouts, since his TKO loss to current middleweight kingpin, Kelly Pavlik, Marquez, a 1992 United States Olympian, is also enjoying a resurgence in his career, and is on a five-fight knockout streak.
With a combined total of 32 years of professional ring experience, 103 professional bouts, and 60 wins by way of knockout, the McKart - Marquez match-up is sure to make for an all-action shootout!

Johnston vs Narh

In the co-main event, 35 year-old former WBC Lightweight champion, Stevie "Lil But Bad" Johnston (41-5-1, 18 KO's) takes on once-beaten, and power-punching Ghanaian lightweight, Ray "Emperor" Narh (22-1, 19 KO's).
While Johnston continues his quest toward capturing world title glory one final time, Narh looks to continue on with his winning ways, as he enters the bout with Johnston, riding a twelve-bout winning streak. His last defeat came back in June, 2004, and he has since won ten of his last twelve fights via knockout.
With Johnston's 5'5 southpaw frame necessitating his need to get inside and impose his will upon Narh, and the 5'10 Narh looking to impose his will, and punching power, upon Johnston from the outside, this match-up is sure to present a more than intriguing and action-packed boxing affair!

Also slated for undercard action:
Tyrone Brunson (18-0, 18 KO's) vs Francis McKechnai (3-14, 3 KO's)
Kara Ro (15-0, 7 KO's) vs Kelli Cofer (13-7-4, 3 KO's)
Brandon Little (1-0) vs Jose Mandujano (1-0, 1 KO)
Frederico Flores Jr. (3-2, 2 KO's) vs Eric Hall (7-7-1 NC, 3 KO's)
Luigi Gjokaj (0-1) vs Cory Hall (0-5-1, 1 NC)

*All bouts are subject to change

"GoFightLive is the only website in the world that gives boxing fans everything they are looking for," states Jerry Palmer, CEO of GoFightLive. "Aside from our live event broadcasts, www.GoFightLive.tv also hosts interviews, boxing shows, archived video, photos, boxer data, event information, and all the up to date news fights are looking for."

boxing, entertainment, fight sports, film, literary arts, mixed martial arts, nightlife, politics, special events, performing arts, sports, worldwide

Jaffa Ballogou Set For A Comeback!

Former WBC Super Middleweight International Champion and WBA title challenger Jaffa “The African Assassin” Ballogou 45-6 (39 KO’s) has announced he will to return to the ring in the near future. Ballogou, who had been sidelined by promotional issues since his last fight in June 2006 is close to inking with a new promoter and plans to set his sights on the best Light Heavyweights in the world.

(Photo Courtesy of Knockout Publicity)


“I have been on the shelf for a few years so my comeback will be exciting! I also have a new manager who has opened some doors for me. I need all the boxing fans to have confidence in me because “The African Assassin” can still do this! I have already begun training and my plans are to clean house in the Light Heavyweight division so once the opportunity arrives, I know I can make some serious noise at 175 lbs!”

Team Ballogou plans to make an announcement shortly about specifics of his return but in the meantime, fans can contact Jaffa at Myspace.com/JaffaBallogou

boxing, entertainment, fight sports, film, literary arts, mixed martial arts, nightlife, politics, special events, performing arts, sports, worldwide

Schoenauer vs. Barrett Added, Two Replacements to IFL N.J. Card‏



NEW YORK- Mixed Martial arts veteran Alex Schoenauer (Las Vegas) will take on local standout Brendan Barrett (Tuckerton, N.J.) as the International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI) will now hold 10 bouts on its card at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J., on Friday, April 4.
In addition, two replacements have been named: Jason Black (Davenport, Iowa), representing Miletich Fighting Systems, and Jim Miller (Sparta, N.J.), fighting for Renzo Gracie Academy. Schoenauer, who has nine IFL bouts among his 21 career MMA fights, last fought for the IFL title at 205 lbs. in November, losing a decision to Vladimir Matyushenko. Barrett has a 3-2 record, with two of the wins coming by knockout. Black is 23-4-1 and is highly regarded among MMA fans, gaining additional attention by competing in two UFC bouts last year. He will fight in place of Rory Markham, who is recovering from a respiratory illness, against Emyr Bussade (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) of American Top Team at welterweight. Miller, who owns an impressive 10-1 record, will take on Bart Palaszewski (Wonder Lake, Ill.) of Midwest Combat in a lightweight matchup, in place of Deividas Taurosevicius, who has a hand injury. As previously announced, IFL titleholders Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko (Belarus), Jay “The Thorobred” Hieron (Freeport, N.Y./Las Vegas) and Wagnney Fabiano (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) will defend their belts on April 4. Matyushenko will battle Jamal Patterson (Jersey City, N.J.) for the light heavyweight crown; Hieron will take on Mark Miller (Chicago) at 170 lbs., and Fabiano will accept the challenge of Shad Lierley (Seattle) at 145 lbs. In a non-title bout, Chris Horodecki (London, Ontario) will oppose Nate Lamotte (New Hampshire) in a matchup of lightweights. Tickets are available at the IZOD Center Box Office (located at the Meadowlands), www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (201) 507-8900. IFL East Rutherford, N.J.Friday, April 4, 2008 (order TBD) Additional Bouts155 lbs.: Chris Horodecki (London, Ontario) (7-1 IFL, 11-1 overall MMA) vs. Nate Lamotte (New Hampshire) (0-0, 6-2)205 lbs.: Alex Schoenauer (Las Vegas) (4-5, 12-9) vs. Brendan Barrett (Tuckerton, N.J.) (0-0, 3-2) American Top Team vs. Miletich Fighting Systems145 lbs.: Rafael Dias (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (1-0, 10-3-1) vs. LC Davis (Kansas City, Mo.) (2-0, 9-1)170 lbs.: Emyr Bussade (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) (0-0, 10-5) vs. Jason Black (Davenport, Iowa) (0-0, 23-4-1)205 lbs.: Carmelo Marrero (Douglasville, Pa.) (0-0, 7-2) vs. Mike Ciesnolevicz (Williamstown, Pa.) (5-3, 13-3) Midwest Combat vs. Renzo Gracie Academy155 lbs.: Bart Palaszewski (Wonder Lake, Ill.) (8-3, 29-10) vs. Jim Miller (Sparta, N.J.) (0-0, 10-1)170 lbs.: Brad Blackburn (Olympia, Wash.) (3-2, 11-9-1) vs. Delson Heleno (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (6-3, 13-4)*205 lbs.: **Vladimir Matyushenko (Belarus) (5-0, 20-3) vs. Jamal Patterson (Jersey City, N.J.) (4-1, 4-1) Additional Championship Bouts*170 lbs.: **Jay Hieron (Freeport, N.Y.) (6-2, 14-4) vs. Mark Miller (Chicago) (2-1, 8-2)*145 lbs.: **Wagnney Fabiano (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (5-0, 9-1) vs. Shad Lierley (Seattle) (2-1, 2-1) *Championship Bout**Current Titleholder About the IFL International Fight League™ (IFL) has its headquarters in New York and offices in Las Vegas. For more information about IFL, please see: www.ifl.tv. ---"Ratatouille. It's like a stew, right? Why do they call it that? If you're gonna name a food, you should give it a name that sounds delicious. Ratatouille doesn't sound delicious. It sounds like "rat" and "patootie." Rat-patootie, which does not sound delicious."- Linguini, Ratatouille, 2007 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Catch the IFL on FSN Sundays at 5 p.m. and LIVE on HDNet on April 4 and May 16 boxing, entertainment, fight sports, film, literary arts, mixed martial arts, nightlife, politics, special events, performing arts, sports, worldwide

NO HOLDS BARRED: Renzo Gracie, Matt Serra, Wagnney Fabiano, Shamrock-Le Review, IFL Preview‏

NO HOLDS BARRED: Renzo Gracie, Matt Serra, Wagnney Fabiano, Shamrock-Le Review, IFL Preview

http://nhbnews.podOmatic.com/entry/eg/2008-03-30T20_42_42-07_00

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman begins by reviewing the mixed martial arts fight between Cung Le and Frank Shamrock held this past Saturday night, March 29, at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Cung Le won that fight by TKO at the end of the third round after one of his kicks broke Frank Shamrock's right arm. The relation between striking and grappling in mixed martial arts is particularly analyzed.

We next preview the upcoming mixed martial arts show of the International Fight League (IFL), which will be held this coming Friday, April 4, at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, popularly known as the Meadowlands. This card will be televised live on HDNet.

On that card, in camp vs. camp competition, the Renzo Gracie Academy takes on Midwest Combat, and the American Top Team faces the Miletich Fighting Systems camp. There will be three individual IFL championship bouts as well. Vladimir Matyushenko of Midwest Combat defends his light heavyweight title against Jamal Patterson of the Renzo Gracie Academy in a fight which will also be part of the camp competition. Wagnney Fabiano, the 145-pound champion, fights Shad Lierley, and 170-pound champion Jay Hieron fights Mark Miller.

We spoke with Wagnney Fabiano about what to expect from this fight and also his career in general.

We spoke with the master and legend, Renzo Gracie, about this card as well as his own plans and views.

We also spoke with one of Renzo's prize students, UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra, about his title defense April 19 against Georges St-Pierre in Montreal.

To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click the link at the start of this message, scroll down that page, and just press the play button on the player.

You can also download it by scrolling down that page and clicking on the download link (right-click to save it).

Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes at http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=150801513&s=143441.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter (http://iancarpenter.com/).

Make sure to check out my regular weekly boxing show SecondsOut Radio, at http://www.secondsout.com/radio/. On this week's edition, we speak with Joseph Agbeko, the IBF bantamweight champion, and Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko (25-1, 22 KOs) was not widely known to the boxing world before his title fight Sept. 29, 2007, with then-IBF bantamweight champion Luis Perez. Most of his fights had been in Africa against opponents who were nowhere near being world-ranked. But that did not stop Agbeko from pulling the upset and dethroning the veteran Perez with a seventh-round TKO. We discussed with Joseph Agbeko his background as a fighter and his plans for his next fight. We also recently spoke with Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, at the kickoff news conference to announce the April 19 fight between two champions, light heavyweight king Bernard Hopkins and super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe. We spoke with him about this fight, and also about the plans of Golden Boy Promotions to enter the worlds of soccer (football) and mixed martial arts. Also, we discuss the narrow view of much of the boxing media towards combat sports, their failure to understand other real combat sports such as mixed martial arts and wrestling, and their fawning over the staged pro "wrestling" spectacle, which has left so many of its participants prematurely dead. It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, http://www.secondsout.com/radio/, and listen, learn, and enjoy.

Make sure to check out my regular articles on the ADCC News at http://www.adcombat.com and on FightBeat.com at http://fightbeat.com.

NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

YAMMA Pit Fighting (http://yammapitfighting.com). The producers of the original UFC and Live Nation (http://livenation.com/), worldwide leaders in live entertainment, present YAMMA Pit Fighting mixed martial arts. On the streets, it's against the law. In the pit, it IS the law.

IFL, the International Fight League (http://ifl.tv/), the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) (http://msn.foxsports.com/story/1636002) in the U.S., and to check your local listings for dates and times. Check out the IFL web site (http://ifl.tv/), for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule, at http://ifl.tv/TV-Schedule.html.

Gladiator Challenge (http://gladiatorchallenge.com/), shaking up the mixed martial arts world since 1999, and now with 30 shows per year. For more news and info, check out their web site, GladiatorChallenge.com (http://gladiatorchallenge.com/).

BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com), your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Gladiator Magazine (http://gladmag.com/), for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com) or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear (http://jiujitsuprogear.com/).

FightBeat.com (http://fightbeat.com/), for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

No Holds Barred blog
http://nhbnews.blogspot.com/

No Holds Barred podcast
http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/

The Boxing Standard
http://boxingstandard.com/

No Holds Barred on MySpace
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Enjoy!


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Saturday's EliteXC/Showtime Results; CUNG LE REGISTERS EXCITING THIRD-ROUND TKO OVER FRANK SHAMROCK TO CAPTURE STRIKEFORCE TITLE

SAN JOSE– In a bruising battle of Bay Area rivals, undefeated Cung Le broke the right arm of defending champion Frank Shamrock en route to capturing the Strikeforce middleweight title with a thrilling, give-and-take, crowd-pleasing third-round TKO Saturday on SHOWTIME.

The long-awaited, eagerly anticipated mixed martial arts event, presented by EliteXC and Strikeforce, attracted an enthusiastic, well-behaved crowd of 16,326 at the HP Pavilion that produced a gate of more than $1 million. Those in attendance included EliteXC standouts Kimbo Slice, Jake Shields, Nick Diaz and Phil Baroni.

The fight card aired on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

Gilbert Melendez (14-1) of San Francisco successfully defended his Strikeforce lightweight belt with a second-round knockout over hard-trying but outclassed Gabe Lemley (11-7) of New London, Iowa, in a second world title match on a five-bout telecast.

All Photos: TOM CASINO/EliteXC



In a fantastic third round to an exceptionally exciting, give-and-take slugfest Saturday on SHOWTIME, Cung Le delivers the kick that may have broken Frank Shamrock's arm, gets rocked by a Shamrock punch and delivers the finishing kick.



Le captured the Strikeforce middleweight title when defending champion Shamrock could not continue after the third round. The EliteXC-Strikeforce event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., was witnessed by an enthusiastic crowd of 16,326, that produced a gate of more than $1 million.



In a rousing slugffest, Joey Villasenor knocked out Ryan Jensen in the opening bout on SHOWTIME.



The Le-Shamrock, Melendez-Lemley fights were scheduled for five, 5-minute rounds. The others were slated for three, 5-minute rounds.

Gilbert Melendez retained his Strikeforce lightweight title with a second-round knockout over Gabe Lemley.



In other televised scraps, Drew Fickett (32-5) of Tucson, Ariz., earned a shot at the vacant EliteXC welterweight crown against Jake Shields by submitting Korea’s Jae Suk Lim (9-4) in the first round; super heavyweight Wayne Cole (11-6) of Oklahoma City, Okla., submitted (armbar) Mike Kyle (9-6-1) of San Jose in the first round and EliteXC standout Joey Villasenor (25-6) of Albuquerque, N.M., knocked out Ryan Jensen (11-4) of Omaha, Neb., in the first round.

Drew Fickett submitted Jae Suk Lim in the first to earn a shot at the vacant EliteXC welterweight title against Jake Shields June 14 on SHOWTIME.



Wayne Cole submitted Mike Kyle in the first round.


In the top non-televised fight, Tiki Ghosn (10-7) of Huntington Beach, Calif., registered an upset three-round decision over previously undefeated welter Luke Stewart (5-1) of San Francisco by the scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice. In other non-televised action, Jesse Jones (2-0) of Redwood City, Calif., scored a 0:35, first-round TKO (strikes) over Jesse Gillespie (1-1) of San Jose; Darren Uyenoyama (4-1) of San Francisco submitted Anthony Figueroa (4-2) of Gilroy, Calif., at 1:27 of the first round; and Billy Evangelista (6-0) of Fresno knocked out Marlon Sims (3-2) of San Jose at 3:39 of the third round.

“This was a great night for MMA and everybody involved with MMA,’’ EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw said. “Cung Le beat The Man. The respect he and Frank showed for each other was most impressive. Both athletes showed they not only are tremendous athletes but exceptional sportsmen.

“Drew Fickett was very impressive and I can’t wait to see his fight against Jake Shields June 14 on SHOWTIME. Wayne Cole won’t be training out of his garage in Oklahoma anymore. Joey Villasenor always puts on a great show. Gilbert Melendez did what he had to do.

“There are a lot of great fighters in a lot of MMA organizations, and we saw a lot of them tonight. These are the kinds of shows I am very proud to be a part of.

Le (6-0) was ahead by the scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice after three completed rounds.

“This was my toughest fight,’’ said Le, who was born in Vietnam, but fled the war-torn country as a baby in his mother’s arms in 1975 and immigrated to the United States where his family settled in San Jose. “I am proud to be Strikeforce champion. Tonight was a great night for MMA in general.’’

Both fighters were bleeding by the end of the first round, with blood coming from the lip of Le and a cut under Shamrock’s left eye. A taunting Shamrock ended the stanza by putting his hands to the side of his head as if to say “it is time for you to go to sleep.’’

Le wasn’t distracted by Shamrock’s antics, however, and knocked out his mouthpiece after an exchange of punches at the beginning of the second round. Later in the session, Shamrock made one of his few attempts to take Le to the ground, but Le always managed to escape.

Early in the third, after landing two powerful kicks to Shamrock’s head, Le connected with a sweeping leg kick that sent Shamrock to the canvas. Shamrock recovered and landed a huge right hand that hurt and dazed Le and followed with an onslaught of punches.

But Le retaliated with a barrage of kicks and licks of his own. Both fighters were bloodied and bruised after the three rounds.

“Frank is a legend, but I had a better night tonight,’’ Le said. ‘This was not easy. Frank surprised me by keeping his word to fight standing up and he kept coming at me. He hit me with some good punches and rocked me a few times. I saw some stars, but this was my chance to become a world champion and I pushed through it.

“I kept aiming for his wrist with my kicks because I knew I could hurt him there. I knew he was hurt when he started blocking my kicks with just one hand. But he has so much heart, I expected him to fight with a broken arm.

“I want to thank my fans for supporting and for accepting me. I did my best and brought my heart to the cage tonight. This is an unbelievable feeling.

“I have come a long way from Vietnam to become a world champion.’’

Before he was taken to a nearby hospital for surgery for what the California State Athletic Commission described as a fracture of the distal ulna (wrist fracture), Shamrock (24-9-1) said, “Cung Le broke my right arm with a kick.

“I kept trying to fight through it, but it was tough. He fought really hard tonight. He is a true champion.’’

Fickett, who has recorded submission victories in 21 of his 32 wins, required all of 1:14 to take Lim to the ground and tap him out.

“I came out here to fight and I stepped up,” Fickett said. “I wanted to fight (the injured) Jake (Shields), but I will get my chance to do that. I was just trying to choke Lim out on the ground, but he lifted me up and I was able to get a better hold around his neck.

"Once he fell back to the ground it was over. He had to tap out.”

Melendez dominated Lemley before the referee halted the one-sided proceedings at 2:18 of the second.

“I thought I had him at the end of the first round, but he was saved by the bell,’’ Melendez said. “Another five seconds and it would have been over.

“He was definitely a tough guy but these are the kinds of wins you need to get to prove to people you are among the very best in your weight class. I would love to unify the titles.

“I’d be glad to fight the winner of the KJ Noons-Yves Edwards fight (Noons defends his EliteXC lightweight belt against Edwards June 14 in Honolulu on SHOWTIME).’’

In the quickest fight of an action-packed night, Cole submitted Kyle (armbar) at 0:42 of the first.

“This was by far the biggest victory of my career, but no way I expected it to end that quickly. To win this kind of fight that quickly on SHOWTIME is a tremendous boost to me and my career.

“I was told that my weakness was I didn’t use my wrestling skills, so I wanted to take him down and show everyone what I have. I love to fight, but I try to get out of there as quickly as I can.’’

If the swift victory came as a surprise to Cole, it is going to be a total shock to his mother.

“My mom doesn’t even know I am doing MMA and I have been doing it three years,’’ said Cole moments before calling her. “She thought I was boxing. My seven sisters all knew what I was up to, but they didn’t tell her either.

“I am sure my mom will be proud of me, but she won’t be too happy with any of us that no one told her what was going on.’’

In perhaps the best knockout of the evening, Villasenor stopped Jensen with a series of powerful combinations followed by a punishing right hook.

“I was trying to find my range with him and the jabs were just trying to set something up,’’ said Villasenor after a short but rousing slugfest that featured numerous exchanges ended. “He caught me with some shots, but then I really connected with that right hook.

“I worked hard for this fight. He is a great competitor, but I really came out swinging. I want to thank EliteXC for giving me this opportunity and everyone back home who helps me train.

“I am willing to fight whoever they put in front of me.’’

Renowned play-by-play announcer Mauro Ranallo called the shots on Saturday's telecast with former wrestling superstar, Bill Goldberg, and "The Fight Professor," Stephen Quadros, serving as color analysts. The executive producer was David Dinkins, Jr. with Bob Dunphy directing.

Saturday’s card will re-air as follows:

DAY CHANNEL

Monday, March 31, 8 p.m. ET/PT SHO EXTREME

Tuesday, April 1, 10 p.m. ET/PT SHO TOO

Wednesday, April 2, 10:45 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIME

Fighter pages for televised bouts: Shamrock (http://frankshamrock.proelite.com), Le (http:/cungle.proelite.com), Melendez (http:/gilbertmelendez.proelite.com), Fickett (http:/drewfickett.proelite.com), Lim (http://jaesuklim.proelite.com), Kyle (http://mikekyle.proelite.com), Cole (http://waynecole.proelite.com), Villasenor (http://joeyvillasenor.proelite.com), Jensen (http://ryanjensen.proelite.com)

Fighter pages for non-televised bouts: Jones (http://jessejones.proelite.com), Gillespie (http://jessegillespie.proelite.com), Uyenoyama (http://darrenuyenoyama.proelite.com), Ghosn (http://tikighosn.proelite.com), Stewart (http://lukestewart.proelite.com).

MMA returns to SHOWTIME next Saturday, April 5, when promising light heavyweights, undefeated Jared Hamman (9-0) of San Bernardino, Calif., and once-beaten Poia Suganuma (8-1) of Hilo, Hawaii, collide in the main event of a six-bout telecast on ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series.

The card, which will also feature the return of Fabricio Camoes and two women’s fights, will air at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast) from Table Mountain Casino at Friant, Calif.

Tickets, priced at $50, $60, $70 and $80, are available at the Main Casino Cage at Table Mountain Casino and online at www.tmcasino.com/tickets.html. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. First live fight is at 5:30 p.m. PT.

EliteXC and CBS will make history when they bring MMA to network television in primetime on Saturday, May 31.

Incredibly popular Kimbo Slice will face an opponent to be announced in the main event. “Ruthless’’ Robbie Lawler will defend his EliteXC middleweight belt against Scott “Hands Of Steel” Smith in the co-feature. The remainder of the card will be announced in the near future.

The June 14 EliteXC card on SHOWTIME will be highlighted by two world title fights: Noons defends against Edwards and Shields and Fickett will square off for the vacant EliteXC welterweight title. An outstanding fight card also will include a fight between talented, world-class Nick Diaz and Mushin Corbbrey.

For more information on EliteXC and other MMA-related stories, including bios, video-on-demand, photos, stats, Fantasy Fight Game TM and more, please visit ProElite.com and EliteXC.com. For information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video, photo galleries and complete telecast information, please visit http://www.SHO.com/Sports.

About ProElite:
ProElite Inc. [PELE.PK] delivers the most exciting entertainment experience in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) with live arena-based entertainment events, cable television programming on Showtime Networks and community-driven interactive broadband entertainment via the Internet. ProElite embraces MMA with the highest levels of honor, integrity, discipline and self-esteem all the while remaining inclusive for fighters, fans and schools. ProElite’s live fight division, EliteXC, delivers spectacular live MMA fight events that showcase the world’s top fighters [elitexc.com]. ProElite’s interactive business, ProElite.com, capitalizes on the growing popularity of the sport of mixed martial arts by building a community of MMA enthusiasts. In addition to streaming the most exciting live fights to the web, ProElite expands the fan base of the sport by providing a comprehensive set of online social networking tools for fans, fighters and organizations. ProElite.com – Empowering the Fight Community TM

About Strikeforce:
Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, Strikeforce has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” Since then, it has co-produced the first SHOWTIME PPV mixed martial arts event in history with its world championship “Shamrock vs. Baroni” card on June 22nd of this year followed by the first-ever mixed martial arts event at the world-famous Playboy Mansion on September 29th.

About Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® ON DEMAND. SNI is also an owner and manager of SUNDANCE CHANNEL®, a venture of NBC Universal, Robert Redford and SNI. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

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EliteXC/Strikeforce; mixed martial arts spectacular at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., made weight

The 18 fighters who will compete on tomorrow's/Saturday's huge EliteXC-Strikeforce mixed martial arts spectacular at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., made weight Friday at the HP Pavilion. Doors open Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PT. First fight is at 5 o'clock. Tickets are available.

All Photos: TOM CASINO/EliteXC

Frank Shamrock (left) defends his Strikeforce middleweight title against Cung Le in a highly-anticipated matchup of Bay Area rivals in the main event of a five-fight telecast on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).


Gilbert Melendez (left) risks his Strikeforce lightweight belt against Gabe Lemley.

Drew Fickett (left) faces Jae Suk Lim in a compelling matchup at 172 pounds.

Wayne Cole (left) and Mike Kyle collide in an important fight for both athletes.

EliteXC standout Joey Villasenor meets Ryan Jensen in the SHOWTIME telecast's opening bout.
boxing, elite xc, tv, showtime championship boxing, sports, entertainment, fight sports, film, literary arts, mixed martial arts, nightlife, politics, special events, performing arts, sports, worldwide

Cung Le: I Am A Fighter‏

Check out the latest video from SHOWTIME - Cung Le: I Am a Fighter - on the premium network's website. (Direct link to the Shamrock vs. Le event page below.) Along with Goldberg Toe-To-Toe and SHO Shorts, I Am a Fighter is yet another viral video series created to bring MMA fans closer to their favorite fighters than ever before.

And don't forget SHOWTIME Cage Cam goes live on Saturday night during the main event (approximately 10:15 pm ET). Visit www.SHO.com during the telecast to go inside the cage with two of the world's most explosive and talented fighters.

http://www.sho.com/site/sports/ShamrockVSLe.do
Showtime Networks Inc.

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SecondsOut Radio: Joseph Agbeko, Richard Schaefer‏

SecondsOut Radio: Joseph Agbeko, Richard Schaefer On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman speakswith Joseph Agbeko, the IBF bantamweight champion, and Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko (25-1, 22 KOs) was not widely known to the boxing world before his title fight Sept. 29, 2007, with then-IBF bantamweight champion Luis Perez. Most of his fights had been in Africa against opponents who were now here near being world-ranked. But that did not stop Agbeko from pulling the upset and dethroning the veteran Perez with a seventh-round TKO. We discussed with Joseph Agbeko his background as a fighter and his plans for his next fight. We also recently spoke with Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, at the kick off news conference to announce the April 19 fight between two champions, light heavyweight king Bernard Hopkins and super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe. We spoke with him about this fight, and also about the plans of Golden Boy Promotions to enter the worlds of soccer (football) and mixed martial arts. Also, we discuss the narrow view of much of the boxing media towards combat sports, their failure to understand other real combat sports such as mixed martial arts and wrestling, and their fawning over the staged pro "wrestling" spectacle, which has left so many of its participants prematurely dead. It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register togain access to it. Just click here, http://www.secondsout.com/radio/,and listen, learn, and enjoy. Thanks, Eddie Goldman No Holds Barred bloghttp://nhbnews.blogspot.com/ No Holds Barred podcasthttp://nhbnews.podomatic.com/ The Boxing Standardhttp://boxingstandard.com/ No Holds Barred on MySpacehttp://www.myspace.com/nhbnewsboxing, entertainment, fight sports, film, literary arts, mixed martial arts, nightlife, politics, special events,

"Pride of St. Louis"; RESULTS + QUOTES -



IBF JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

CORY SPINKS


“I felt good, just a little rusty that’s all. Verno fought a good fight. He came in to do a job, but I feel I did what I came to do. I am upset with myself. I let myself down.”

VERNO PHILLIPS

“I hit more with my left. They told me not to reach in. He is hard to adapt to. He is sneaky. You lean in, he will hit you with a one-two. I just relied on my experience. I did my best and I am still in the top 10. I had harder shots. I felt like his people were booing him because they felt he didn’t bring it.”

WBC CONTINENTAL AMERCIAS & WBA FEDELATIN SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

DEVON ALEXANDER


“I felt great tonight but I always feel I could have done better. I was happy with the knockdown in the last round, but I would have liked to have had a knockout. St. Louis has a new champion and I am going to stay around. I want to fight for a world championship by the end of the year.

KEVIN CUNNINGHAM (Alexander’s trainer/manager)


“Devon did what he had to do. There is not much you can do when a guy brings his track shoes instead of his boxing shoes. When Callist sat down in the sixth round and fought, Devon shut him out. Then he [Callist] got on his bike.”

MIGUEL CALLIST

“He was a strong man. Besides strong, he was a little younger. I did my best, but he had the home crowd on his side. Yes, I think I did enough to win.”

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© 2007, 2008 Keisha Morrisey all rights reserved

NO HOLDS BARRED: Simon Roberts, Kenny Monday, Carl Adams, and JasonBryant at NCAA Wrestling Championship On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED

NO HOLDS BARRED: Simon Roberts, Kenny Monday, Carl Adams, and Jason Bryant at NCAA Wrestling Championship On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman continues playing interviews recorded at the 2008 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championship, which were held March 20-22 in St. Louis, Missouri. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame (http://www.wrestlinghalloffame.org/), located in Still water, Oklahoma,organized an exhibit and held a tribute program March 20 at the NCAA wrestling tournament honoring many of the key men who are historical figures in the African-American wrestling experience. Right after thisevent, we spoke with some of them. We spoke with Simon Roberts, who, in 1957, wrestling at 147 pounds forthe University of Iowa, became the first African-American wrestler to win an NCAA wrestling championship. We spoke with Kenny Monday, who won an Olympic gold medal in 1988 anda silver medal in 1992 in freestyle wrestling, won a world championship in freestyle wrestling in 1983, won an NCAA title in 1984 wrestling for Oklahoma State at 150 pounds, and won the Extreme Fighting welterweight championship in 1997. We spoke with Carl Adams (http://www.carladams.com/), the long time head wrestling coach at Boston University, who as a wrestler was a four-time national champion, winning two NCAA titles at Iowa State andtwo national freestyle titles. In addition, the National Wrestling Media Association (NWMA) (http://www.wrestlingstats.com/NWMA), the national professional organizationfor journalists who cover the sport of amateur wrestling, held itsannual meeting March 22 between the morning and evening sessions of the NCAA wrestling tournament. We spoke with Jason Bryant, vice president of the NWMA, and webmaster and lead writer of the noted wrestling web site InterMat (http://intermatwrestle.com/), about the wrestling media and its tasks. This discussion will be of particular interest not only to those who follow wrestling, but also thoseinterested in understanding media and journalism. To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click the link below and just press the play button on the player: http://nhbnews.podOmatic.com/entry/eg/2008-03-27T12_51_13-07_00 You can also download it by scrolling down that page and clicking on the download link (right-click to save it). You can also listen to it through the NO HOLDS BARRED blog, athttp://nhbnews.blogspot.com, and MySpace page, at http://www.myspace.com/nhbnews, also by pressing the play button on the player. Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes athttp://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=150801513&s=143441. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download. The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called "The Heist", by musician IanCarpenter (http://iancarpenter.com/). NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by: YAMMA Pit Fighting (http://yammapitfighting.com). The producers of theoriginal UFC and Live Nation (http://livenation.com/), worldwideleaders in live entertainment, present YAMMA Pit Fighting mixed martial arts. On the streets, it's against the law. In the pit, it IS the law. IFL, the International Fight League (http://ifl.tv/), the world'sfirst professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) (http://msn.foxsports.com/story/1636002) in the U.S., and to check your locallistings for dates and times. Check out the IFL web site (http://ifl.tv/), for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule, athttp://ifl.tv/TV-Schedule.html. Gladiator Challenge (http://gladiatorchallenge.com/), shaking up the mixed martial arts world since 1999, and now with 30 shows per year. For more news and info, check out their web site,GladiatorChallenge.com (http://gladiatorchallenge.com/). BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com), your premier source for allBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more. Gladiator Magazine (http://gladmag.com/), for in-depth coverage ofBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well aslifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. GladiatorMagazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com(http://bjjmart.com) or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear (http://jiujitsuprogear.com/). FightBeat.com (http://fightbeat.com/), for news, results, interviews,and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts. Thanks, Eddie Goldman No Holds Barred bloghttp://nhbnews.blogspot.com/ No Holds Barred podcasthttp://nhbnews.podomatic.com/ The Boxing Standardhttp://boxingstandard.com/ No Holds Barred on MySpacehttp://www.myspace.com/nhbnews,

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RESULTS FROM CHICAGO--TAVORIS CLOUD WINS USBA/NABA/NABO TITLES

HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING; UNDISPUTED PRESENTED BY 8 COUNT PRODUCTIONS
ARAGON BALLROOM 1106 W. LAWRENCE AVE., CHICAGO, IL, DOORS 7PM, FIRST BELL 8PM

TAVORIS CLOUD 18-0 (17KO's) KO1 (1:23) VS. MIKE WOOD 19-7-1 (11KO's)
CLOUD WINS USBA/NABA/NABO TITLES

TAVORIS CLOUD


LOUIS TURNER, 12-1 (8KO'S) KO5 (2:40) VS. DAVE SAUNDERS, 9-5 (6KO's)

CARL DAVIS 11-2 (8KO's) UD8 VS. JERMELL BARNES, 18-16-2 (4KO's)
78-74 (twice), 79-73

JOHNNY SUAREZ 2-0-1 (1KO) UD4 VS. GUY PACKER, 2-17-2
40-35, 39-36, 38-37

Bernie Bahrmasel
Publicist/8 Count Productions

boxing, entertainment, fight sports, film, literary arts, mixed martial arts, nightlife, politics, special events, performing arts, sports, worldwide

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Fox Sports Net will begin its weekly "IFL Fight Night" programs on Saturday, April 19, at midnight local time



NEW YORK– The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI) and Fox Sports Net (FSN) announced today that the IFL’s weekly, one-hour “Fight Night” show will begin its 2008 run on Saturday, April 19, at midnight local time. The show, which will begin with the IFL World Grand Prix finals from December 29, will run in that time slot through mid-July, a slot which will give the IFL limited preemptions on the FSN regional network in a spot that is key for the demo that follows the sport. “We are very pleased to be able to continue to work so closely with FSN, especially in this very desirable and consistent Saturday night time slot,” said IFL CEO Jay Larkin. “The FSN weekly component is key to our TV strategy, and it has proven to draw an audience everywhere it has been placed. This Saturday midnight spot is a great piece for us to build around and promote towards, since we will rarely be up against other sports programming.” “The IFL has been a great compliment to FSN programming, and there’s certainly an audience for it. For two seasons it has delivered solid ratings and exciting, quality fights. We expect Season 3 will deliver as well,” said George Greenberg, FSN Executive Vice President of Programming and Production. In addition to the weekly “IFL Fight Night,” on FSN, the first three IFL events of the year are being shown live on HDNet in the United States and Fox Sports Net Canada, as well as in over 70 other countries and five continents around the world, ranging from HBO Latin America to Star TV in Asia and Middle Eastern Broadcasting and the Armed Forces Network. IFL programming is already among the most viewed MMA programming worldwide, despite being in existence only two years. About the IFLInternational Fight League™ (IFL) has its headquarters in New York and offices in Las Vegas. For more information about IFL, please see: www.ifl.tv. ---

"Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis,Pumped a lot of pain down in New Orleans,But I never saw the good side of the city,'Til I hitched a ride on a river boat queen."- 'Proud Mary,' Tina Turner

Catch the IFL on FSN Sundays at 5 p.m. and LIVE on HDNet on April 4 and May 16
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U.S. Olympian Jason Estrada set to conquer ‘Mount’ Whitaker‏; April 4 headliner on ESPN2 FNF at Twin River Events Center in Rhode Island

PROVIDENCE – 2004 U.S. Olympian Jason “Big Six” Estrada (11-1, 2 KOs), coming off of his dominating win by 10-round decision in January against former world heavyweight title contender Charles Shufford, plans to breakaway from the rest of the U.S. heavyweight prospect pack with a convincing performance April 4 on national television against former NABO/NABA/WBC Continental Americas champion Lance “Mount” Whitaker in the 10-round main event on “Heavy Hitters,” promoted by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment, Inc. at Twin River Events Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island.

Estrada-Whitaker moved from co-feature to main event on the April 4th ESPN2 Friday Night Fights show when Estrada’s CES stablemate, “Baby” Joe Mesi (36-0, 29 KOs) suffered a shoulder injury forcing him off of the April 4th card.

“Fighting on ESPN2 in the main event is one more step I need to take,” Estrada said. “I’m happy – not the way it happened with Joe getting injured – but now this is my moment. I’ve been waiting for this chance. I was going to be on TV in the co-feature, anyway, but now I’ll be the guy in the main event.”

The 6’ 8” Whitaker (32-4-1, 27), who has beaten former world champions Oleg Maskaev (KOs) and Al “Ice” Cole, will not be the tallest opponent Estrada has ever fought. Back in the amateurs, Jason defeated a 6’ 9” Cuban fighter and, although it’s difficult to find sparring partners Whitaker’s height, Estrada can’t wait for the challenge.

“I have the kind of hand speed Whitaker’s never seen before,” Jason spoke about his experienced opponent. “He’s been around a long time and has a lot of experience, but Whitaker’s also 35 and I don’t think he’s gotten better with age like some boxers. He’s too big and his arms are too long. I’ll be putting pressure on him from the start. I’ll be going forward and he’ll be going backwards. I’m going to keep beating him to the punch. I’ll out-hustle him like I did to Shufford.

“We were given a list of opponents. I wanted to fight on TV and said yes right away when his name was brought up. Beating a fighter like Whitaker – he’s big and has a big name -- on national television will accelerate my career. I’m not taking anything away from him. Maybe he’ll come out hungry. Who knows? But Whitaker better worry about me. I’m younger, stronger faster, quicker and more motivated. I don’t care if he’s 6’ 8” because we’re not playing basketball. (Mike) Tyson proved height doesn’t matter in heavyweight boxing.”
Estrada, promoted by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES), recently opened his own gym, “Big Six Boxing Academy,” in Providence.

“It doesn’t get any bigger than this,” Estrada’s father and advisor/head trainer Dr. Roland Estrada commented. “What better way for Jason to prove himself than on ESPN2 in the main event. It will give him an opportunity to impress fans all over. He’s fighting a 6’ 8” guy who has fought just about everybody and only has four losses in 37 pro fights. It’s going to be a nice time to shine and separate Jason fro the pack, into a fight against a top 20 opponent and on the way to becoming world champion. People are going to be surprised at how strong Jason is. He’s been working very hard.”

Providence-native Estrada, 27, was one of the most highly decorated American amateur boxers ever, compiling an amazing 261-14 record in U.S. competition. He was the first boxer to win both the U.S. Nationals and U.S. Challenge three years (2001-2003) in a row. Highlights of his amateur career included representing the United States in the 2004 Olympics and capturing a gold medal at the 2003 Pan-American Games.

During his sensational amateur career, Estrada defeated some of today’s leading professionals including former world title challenger DaVarryl “The Touch of Sleep” Williamson (24-5, 20 KOs), unbeatens Malik Scott (30-0, 10 KOs) and Donnell “The Real Touch of Sleep” Holmes (28-0-2, 24 KOs), Malcolm “The Showstopper” Tann (23-4, 12 KOs), and Felix “Bad News” Cora, Jr. (18-2, 9 KOs).

Tickets for “Heavy Hitters,” promoted by CES, are priced at $35.00 (ADA stage seating only), $40.00, $50.00, (Bronze), $75.00 (Silver), $100.00 (Gold) and $150.00 (Jimmy’s Platinum Club) are, available to purchase by calling CES (401.724.2253/2254), going on line at www.cesboxing.com or www.twinriver.com, at the Twin River Event Center (100 Twin River Road, Lincoln, RI), or any TicketMaster location. Contact CES (401.724.2253/2254/www.cesboxing.com) or Twin River Events Center (877.82.RIVER/ www.twinriver.com) for more information. Doors open at 6 PM/ET, first bout at 7 PM/ET.

CONTACT: Bob Trieger
Full Court Press
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M-1 Global Press Release - M-1 Global, Fedor agree to go separate ways‏

NEW YORK -- M-1 Global announced today a mutual agreement with Vadim Finkelchtein, manager of former PRIDE champion Fedor Emelianenko, to release the heavyweight from his contractual obligations.

Fedor Emelianenko


“There is so much going on in the world of mixed martial arts right now that we have decided it is in our best interest if our company and Fedor go our separate ways,” said M-1 Global President and CEO Monte Cox.

“During the past six months the landscape of MMA, especially in the U.S., has dramatically changed. The sport continues to gain mainstream acceptance and we believe we will be in a better position to capitalize on these new opportunities with this agreement.”



“Because Finkelchtein already uses the ‘M-1’ name in Russia and Europe, we have mutually decided to avoid any confusion between our two organizations. Shortly, M-1 Global will announce a new name for its operations and its first event.”

“Fedor is a tremendous fighter and a great person… we wish him only the best in his future endeavors,” Cox said.

“We appreciate the support that Monte and the M-1 Global team have given Fedor,” Finkelchtein said. “We wish M-1 Global great success and hope to work with them sometime in the future.”


NOTE:

We will be sending out another press release within the next 24 hours. Please let us know if there is someone else in your organization that should be receiving our press releases by sending us the correct email address. If you want to be removed from our press release distribution list, please reply to this email and type remove in the subject line.


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© 2007, 2008 Keisha Morrisey all rights reserved

Gunn Battles to 6 Round Draw, Requires 36 Stitches

Former IBA cruiserweight champion Bobby Gunn 18-3-1 (15 KO’s) battled to a six round draw with Cory “The Cobra” Phelps 11-3-1 (6 KO’s) in the main event at the Fort McDowell Casino in Fountain Hills, Arizona. Gunn was cut over his eye only 30 seconds into the first round as an accidental headbutt immediately caused him bleed profusely in addition to receiving some unexpected problems from Phelps. Knowing that he may be in some trouble due to the cut as well as Phelps jab and move mentality, Gunn managed to hurt Phelps in the fourth and fifth round with body shots before his opponent began to retreat.



After the fight, the bloodied Gunn knew he had to rally in the last few rounds due to the circumstances, which also included the fight being changed from a ten to a six round contest at the weigh in. The hard hitting Canadian also revealed that doctors told him the headbutt caused him to fracture his eye socket.

“Phelps is a good game opponent but I wish the fight was a ten rounder as initially scheduled. I couldn’t see out of my eye for the first three rounds and I would love a rematch as soon as possible. I know that I would have stopped this kid if it was a ten rounder and he knows it too!
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JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT JAMES MOORE STIRS THE SAUCE‏


JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT JAMES MOORE STIRS THE SAUCE

Undefeated junior middleweight James Moore, 15-0 (10 KOS), scored his most impressive victory to date when he outpointed J.C. Candelo of Colombia in the main event of the March 15 show at Madison Square Garden’s WaMu Theater.

The show, which was called “A Fistful of Shamrocks,” was promoted by Celtic Gloves Promotions.

Moore’s hard-earned victory stirred the junior middleweight pot by showing that he is a force to be reckoned with. On March 24 he stirred a different kind of pot at a South Bronx residence for men living in transition. He joined several members of the NYPD’s Holy Name Society who volunteer their time on Monday nights to cook dinner for the men residing at the St. Anthony Residence, which is run by the Order of the Franciscan of the Renewal.

Immediately upon his arrival, Moore donned an apron and began stirring the delicious meat sauce that accompanied the spaghetti dinner. Also served was salad and garlic bread.

Moore was a big hit with the residents, as well as volunteers Lt. John Welch, Sgt. Brian Reilly and Police Officers Robert Barrett and Craig Basler. “It was very nice of James to come show his support for the residents,” said Reilly. “He has as much class outside of the ring as he does inside of it.”

“I am very happy to help out people who are less fortunate than I am,” said Moore. “I have come to America to pursue my dream of being a world champion. The American people have really opened their arms to me, so I am honored to be able to give something back to a country and a city that has already given me so much.”

CONTACT: Colleen Ashton, Premier Strategies & Communications, LLC

646-345-6482 or colleen@premierstrat.com

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Cory Spinks and Kevin Cunnigham discussed Cunningham's recent departure as Spinks's trainer after 13 years at media workouts today in St. Louis



ST. LOUIS—A large media contingent arrived for open workouts by hometown sons Cory Spinks and Devon Alexander “The Great” who are appearing in separate championship matches as part of Don King’s “Pride of St. Louis” event at Scottrade Center and Web cast on DonKingTV.com on Thursday.



The Alexander and Spinks workouts were held in separate gyms due to Spinks’s recent split from his trainer of 13 years Kevin Cunningham, which took place three weeks ago. Cunningham, who still trains and manages Devon Alexander, explained his departure from the Spinks camp.



“It just got to the point where Cory’s ready to run his own program with his new team and I respect that and wish him well,” Cunningham said.

Spinks said he was ready for a change and wanted to work with longtime St. Louis trainer Buddy Shaw.

“Egos get in the way,” Spinks said. “It has just been building. We [Kevin and I] have accomplished a lot in my career but I guess it is time for something new. From here, I am still happy and I’ll shine come Thursday night.

“There is no difference (between Kevin and new trainer Buddy Shaw). Kevin was a great trainer. We have got to move on. You still have to be great in the end. This is my job and I plan to do my job come Thursday night.”

Spinks added: “I’m going to have two gold medalists and two heavyweight world champions in my corner on Thursday in my father Leon and my uncle Mike. They have been helping me in the gym, too.”

Former three-time world champion Verno Phillips is ready to face Spinks and become a four-time world champion.

“I know I am fighting him [Spinks] in his hometown, but I plan to get my fourth world title and join the Hall of Fame. I can’t control the hometown fans. All I can do is control what I can do in the ring and show my skills.”

Undefeated 21-year-old 140-pounder Alexander is ready to fight in his hometown as well.

“I know he [Miguel Callist] doesn’t have a big heart like I do,” Alexander said. “I saw his last fight and I saw that he doesn’t have enough heart. The guy barely hit him and he went down. I am going to take his heart very early and test his heart.”

WBA FEDLATIN super lightweight champion Miguel Callist remained undaunted at the prospect of facing Alexander in his hometown on Thursday.

“It’s OK for me,” Callist said. “If you want to be a champion, you come through the front door always. I come to St. Louis for the victory by any means necessary.”

Tickets priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25 can be purchased at the Scottrade Center Box Office, all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, by phone at 314-241-1888 for an automated line or 314-421-4400 or 618-222-2900 for sales rep, or online at ticketmaster.com. A per-ticket facility fee will be added to all tickets purchased at all locations, including at the Scottrade Center Box Office. Additional Ticketmaster service charges and handling fees apply. For disabled seating, call 314-622-5420. Doors open at 5 p.m. with the first of nine scheduled bouts beginning shortly thereafter.

The free Web cast on DonKingTV.com will begin at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT (blocked in St. Louis area). Spinks vs. Phillips for the IBF junior middleweight championship and Alexander vs. Callist for the WBC Continental Americas and WBA FEDELATIN super lightweight titles will be preceded on the Web cast by two featured attractions.

Undefeated cruiserweight Francisco Palacios, from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, will take on Zack Page, from Warren Ohio, and undefeated super middleweight Marcus Johnson, from Killeen, Tex., will face Jose Medina, from Miami, Fla.

Full Quotes

Cory Spinks: (On his split with trainer Kevin Cunningham after 13 years)” “Egos get in the way. It has just been building. We [Kevin and I] have accomplished a lot in my career but I guess it is time for something new. From here, I am still happy and I’ll shine come Thursday night.

“There is no difference (between Kevin and new trainer Buddy Shaw). Kevin was a great trainer. We have got to move on. You still have to be great in the end. This is my job and I plan to do my job come Thursday night.

“I've known Buddy for a long time. He was the first one I thought of. We have worked well together. Things are not going to change Thursday night. I am ready to defend my championship. My opponent is a slick fighter but so am I. I'll make him miss a lot. I plan to shine Thursday night.”

(Would you ever get back together with Kevin Cunningham?) “Not at this point. I take my hat off to the guy for what he did for me. I gotta move on. You can’t stay stuck in that frame of mind. You got to move on. I’m still a world champion. And I want to stay a world champion.

“I’m going to have two gold medalists and two heavyweight world champions in my corner on Thursday in my father Leon and my uncle Mike. They have been helping me in the gym, too.

“Everything is perfect. We are ready to fight. I feel great, look great and am ready to be great. This is a plus in every way. I am going to shine come Thursday night.

“This [St. Louis] is a city of champions—the Cardinals, the Blues, the Rams. I want to continue being a champion.”

Kevin Cunningham (Cory Spinks’s trainer and manager for the last 13 years, who was relieved of training duties three weeks ago): “It just got to the point where Cory’s ready to run his own program with his new team and I respect that and wish him well.”


Buddy Shaw (longtime St. Louis trainer, who took over training duties for Cory Spinks three weeks ago): “I’ve seen him [Cory Spinks] since he was eight years old. You could see there was something special about him when he began to move as an amateur. I am very happy where we are right now.

“I am just here [training Cory Spinks] for Thursday night. This is not the biggest fight for me. I was with Arthur Johnson when he fought Timmy Austin for the bantamweight title in Las Vegas.

“There was a game plan in place. Being a boxer myself, I have watched one tape and seen Verno fight. You don’t change that much. You don’t change the stripes on a leopard. I am happy where we are right now. I am very confident of what he [Cory Spinks] can do.

“Verno is an old veteran and he has been around the block a few times. That will pose a few problems but once we get past that we will be fine.

“Everything has gone smoothly. Great cooperation from Cory. He has been really in it. He has done everything I have asked him to do. He has been happy.

“I can’t change either. There is nothing I can really do. His great potential is yet to be tapped. There is nothing you can do during this time [the past three weeks]. You leave it where it is and I am working with what he can do. Conditioning is where it is and that is what matters at this point.

“There wasn’t a loss of time [between Cunningham leaving and him taking over]. We are right we want to be for the weigh in on Wednesday. He’s running good, he’s training good, he’s had excellent sparring. I’m happy. He has been working on my turf.”

Verno Phillips: “I know I am fighting him [Cory Spinks] in his hometown, but I plan to get my fourth world title and join the Hall of Fame.

“I can’t control the [Spinks’s] hometown fans. All I can do is control what I can do in the ring and show my skills.

“I plan to do my thing and make him look silly. I have a game plan and you will see my game plan Thursday night. I am hard to hit. My hands are perfect and when my hands connect with him, they will be solid. I can fight all night. I am focused. I am going to make a name for myself in Belize.

“I only saw Spinks when he mentioned my name when he got to 154 [pounds]. I look forward to the opportunity to fight him. God gave me a strong lion heart. Boxing is what I love to do. It has kept me out of trouble. I didn’t know I would be a three-time world champion. God has told me I can go for a four-time champion and give me all the things I want before I get out of boxing. That is what I want.”

(How popular are you in Belize?) “They told me that if I win this they would give me a golden key. Maybe I’ll get a statue. It is nice there. It’s a tourist city. Everywhere I go there, I run. They (the people) bow. They kiss my hand. I just want to be humble. I do it for the land and my family.

“I am focused for this fight. I have been watching tapes of his [Spinks’s] fights and concentrating on his moves. I have skill. I have not lost the skill that I have.

“I trained in Denver, Argentina and Arizona. I have been training a long time. We were ready for the [Spinks] fight on January 19 at Madison Square Garden and it was cancelled. Then it was going to move to Germany and it was postponed again. They offered me the fight in his hometown. I talked with my trainer. We are ready to go. We are going to come here and upset him.”

Devon Alexander: “I’m super ready. The hard work takes place in the gym before fights with how much you put into it. That makes the fight easy. I have to calm myself down on fight night because I get so excited.



“I love what I do when I’m in the ring. I get focused. That’s what will make me a world champion, hopefully by next year.”

“I had a lot of decisions early in my career, but I’ve been working on my power and strength. I was working on technique as an amateur, but now I’m working on getting pop to my punches.”

(On his fight with DeMarcus Corley…) “I never made eight rounds before and I then I went 12 with Corley. Now that I know I can go 12, I have been training extra hard for this fight against an experienced veteran.

“Corley was a slick fighter. I was pacing myself. I got the victory. It was a big victory for me. I learned a lot. I got a lot of experience from it. I am my own worst critic. I could have done a lot better than what I did in the fight. I wanted to knock him, but I was satisfied with the decision. I just know I could have done a lot better.

“I am still working on my power. I am progressing. I am 14-0 now. Madison Square Garden was big for me. Not everyone gets to fight in Madison Square Garden. It is just a blessing what has happened to me.

“I never go into a fight thinking I am going to knock a guy out. I have trained very very hard.

I am settled in at 140. That is where I am most comfortable at.

“I hope to fight every two months. I leave it up to my trainer Kevin Cunningham, but I like to fight every two months. That way you are preparing everyday. I am full of energy and I am ready to go.

“I feel good…I am back home in St. Louis…I get to show the fans that they have a real champion here. I have been training for two months. I am excited about it. I just want to show the fans they have a champion here in St. Louis. This week I am just staying fit and staying focused, watching my weight and sticking to the game plan. If I am not ready Thursday night, I will never be ready. I’ve been training very hard for this fight.

“The serious training ended Saturday. We are ready to go. It has been two months of vigorous training. I can’t get tired. I have been running 6.2 miles everyday. I have been in the gym sparring Monday, Wednesday and Friday eight to 10 rounds. We are in the gym Monday through Saturday. If he (Callist) can withstand that, I take my hat off to him.

“Kevin is all business. There is no b.s. It is all hard training here. We don’t show any weakness. He is like a drill sergeant. He has always been like a dad to me. We’ve been together since I was eight years old. I was a snotty nosed kid when I walked in the gym and met Kevin. I came into the gym and I was excited about boxing. I was very small and I had trouble reaching up to the bag. I stuck with it and I am 14-0 now. It is just starting to pay off now.”

(On Thursday’s opponent, continental champion Miguel Callist) “I know he doesn’t have a big heart like I do. I saw his last fight and I saw that he doesn’t have enough heart. The guy barely hit him and he went down. I am going to take his heart very early and test his heart. I will feel him out the first round and then take it from there.

“Every fight is a big fight. This is a unification bout. I train harder and harder each fight. I know the guys going to try to knock my head off. That is why I train twice as hard.”

Miguel Callist: “It’s OK for me [to face Devon Alexander in his hometown]. If you want to be a champion, you come through the front door always. I come to St. Louis for the victory by any means necessary.”

EVENT PAGE: http://www.donking.com/events/prideofstlouis/
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