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Saturday, January 12, 2008

FELIX ‘TITO’ TRINIDAD PRE FIGHT QUOTES

From Felix "Tito" Trinidad Training Camp near San Juan, P.R.

TITO: “I made my decision and I want to fight. I am very well prepared.”

What do you think about Jones making the knockout prediction?

TITO: “I think he is going to be embarrassed. It is a promise that he will not be able to fulfill. He is just one more fighter to say something like that. It does not matter to me at all what he says.”


How do you feel when you are not boxing?

TITO: “It was an easier life. It is a very relaxed life with my family. When I am boxing I have a lot more responsibility on my shoulders. I have to sacrifice for training.”

Does he feel like something is missing in his life to go back?

TITO: “There are a couple of decisions I had to make. First of all, I had to think about my family. The fans have driven me to be back in boxing, they are always telling me to fight. Everywhere I went people were screaming for me to come back, and then you have my promoter, Don King, who has been persuing me to convince me to come back and box, and finally myself. After the reaction of everyone and my promoter, I feel the passion to come back. I’m back. At the end, I made the decision because I wanted to come back.”

Did it hurt your pride to lose such a lopsided decision against Winky Wright?

TITO: “It didn’t hurt my pride. My pride has never been hurt. But I didn’t feel well about the loss. I will prove on January 19 that I still have my pride.”

How did you not feel well?

TITO: In the way that I lost the fight, I didn’t feel well. I like to win every fight and I lost that one. So I did not feel good about it. It is impossible to feel good when you lose.”

How does he want his fans to remember him when he retires?

TITO: “I want to be remembered as a great champion; that I always went into the ring and gave my best as a fighter that fought for all of my fans; as a person, that I did my best in everything that I do.”

What would you like for your birthday tomorrow?

TITO: “For my birthday, I will love a huge victory next Saturday for me and for all of Puerto Rico.”

There has been a lot of talk about knockouts…

TITO: “It all began at a press conference when he told me he was going to knock me out in four rounds. I then told Roy Jones that he would not be able to do that because he will not last two. Since then everyone has been talking about knockouts but I am ready to fight 12-rounds. I can beat him under two, under 4 or the full 12, it really doesn’t matter. And it is going to be a great fight and I don’t think anyone should miss it.”

Have you had trouble getting in shape after being inactive?

TITO: “I have to work hard to prepare for every fight. I run early in the morning. Then I go to the gym in the afternoon and work on my boxing. I have been eating the right foods. It is very hard and I have to work on all of the details. I just want to know if, that when he feels my hands hit him, if he is going to be able to take those punches.”

What will you do if you lose?

TITO: “I don’t think about that right now because I don’t think I am going to lose. I will decide after the fight what I will do next.”

What do you think about what you have achieved?

TITO: “In the world of boxing, I gain titles and I learned to be famous and I have a lot of fans. Right now, I just want to get a victory and celebrate that with all of the fans that will be in New York and then go home to celebrate with all of the fans in Puerto Rico. That is what I have missed during my leave, the feeling of the big victory.”

What do you see in your RJ’s style that you can knock him out?TITO: Every weakness that he has for this fight, I will discover in the ring and I will take advantage of it. One of his weaknesses is that everyone he has boxed that punches well, he was knocked out. And I punch well. So lets see of he can stand in there with me.

What does the future hold for you?

TITO: “First of all, I know that I will win the fight. After that, we will go over the fight and see what happened and then make a decision on what we will do next. But we are definitely not thinking about that right now. All I am thinking about is that I am going to win the fight. Right now, I am just waiting for the victory and the celebration tat will follow with the people that I love. After this fight, we will see what is out there and decide what is the best for me to do next.”

You haven’t proved knockout power since you fought Joppy…

TITO: “It has always been there and I am going to prove to all of the people that my punch is still there on January 19.”

Only one fight or are you going to fight more?

TITO: “I am going to win big against Roy and then I am going to decide what I am going to do.”

Would you take a rematch with Wright or Hopkins?TITO: “Of course I would. Those fights have always been in the back of my mind. But we won’t decide on who it would be until after I win this fight.”

How is Tito’s punching power?TITO: “I feel that I still have my punching power and that I have never lost it.”

Do you still feel you are the most popular Puerto Rican fighter – do you think Cotto is gaining on you?TITO: “That is something that I will always leave for the fans to answer. They have to decide. I don’t know. I still have my power and I want to fight and I am ready to fight. They have always showed to me that I am the biggest Puerto Rican fighter.”

What advantages do you think you have in this fight?TITO: “I can tell you that I am a better fighter and I will show him that on January 19.”

Do you think you are rusty?

TITO: “No. I have trained very hard for 6 months to make sure that the time I have had out of the ring will not affect me. You will see that on January 19. I have trained very hard to eliminate any ring rust.”

You took all of the rust out?

TITO: “Yes I took all of the rust out of me training very hard. I feel like I am very young.”

You don’t like when people talk about your age?

TITO: “I really don’t care what they say about my age. I feel good and I know I’m good and it really doesn’t matter to me.”

Was the loss to Winky one of the reasons for a return?

TITO: “This is true to a point. It is something that I have had on my mind. It is not the same with a loss as with a win. And it is something that I want to do now. One of the reasons I came back to boxing is that I want to win this fight. I don’t like to remember a defeat, that’s why I want to win this fight.”

There are rumors that you are using less aged sparring partners in Puerto Rico…

TITO: “Those are just rumors. We know what we are doing. We have been doing this forever and we are using the guys that we need. We have the right people in place to prepare me for the fight. We will show all of the work that we have done – in the fight – when we win.


TITO: I hope he is ready and comes to the ring to do what he has to do. I am coming to the ring to fight, for 12 rounds. If he goes by KO, it will be great. This is going to be one of Tito’s best fights. I can’t wait to get back in the ring.”

Do you want to keep fighting?

TITO: “I am going to bring this victory to Puerto Rico. I can’t wait to fight. I can’t wait to get back into the ring. Then I will know what is next for Tito.”

Who do you think the best fighter is today?

TITO: “The best fighter right now is Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and nobody should doubt that because he is.”

Do you think it will affect you that you only have few fights in the past few years.

TITO: “It is just a matter of training. I have trained very hard for this fight. It is true I have not fought much recently but I was retired. I train to get back on track and Tito is ready. This time is just a matter of training and I am ready. There will be two titans fighting on January 19, and at the end there will be only one winner and that will be Felix Tito Trinidad.

DBE and SALITA AGREE TO CUT PROMOTIONAL TIES

DBE and SALITA AGREE TO CUT PROMOTIONAL TIES

DBE and SALITA AGREE TO CUT PROMOTIONAL TIES

NEW YORK– DiBella Entertainment and Dmitriy “Star of David” Salita (27-0-1, 15 KO’s) have worked out an agreement by which Salita has received a release from his promotional contract with the New York based boxing promoter.
Salita, an Orthodox Jew fighting out of Brooklyn, NY, fought under the DBE banner for nearly 3 years and brought dedication and excitement to every show he fought on. Over those years, Salita built up a new fan base that filled venues in Manhattan to see him fight his way up the world rankings. DiBella Entertainment wishes Dmitriy and Team Salita the best of luck in their future endeavors, both in and out of the ring.

Contact: Mike Moriarty, DiBella Entertainment

ELITEXC SIGNS EDDIE ALVAREZ TO A LONG-TERM CONTRACT

ELITEXC SIGNS EDDIE ALVAREZ TO A LONG-TERM CONTRACT

Promising, Exciting Youngster Faces Ross Ebanez; Paul Daley Faces Sam Morgan In New Co-Features Friday, Jan. 25, On ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series At Trump Taj Mahal Atlantic City On SHOWTIME

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 8, 2008) – Popular, flamboyant and charismatic former Bodog star, Eddie Alvarez, has signed a long-term contract with Los Angeles-based ProElite, Inc.’s live division, EliteXC, and will co-headline on Friday, Jan. 25, at Trump Taj Mahal Atlantic City Hotel & Casino.

“This is another great signing for EliteXC and we’re thrilled to have Eddie with us,’’ said EliteXC Live Events President, Gary Shaw, who made the announcement today. “Eddie is definitely a promising kid with a great future, but what truly amazes me is his incredibly devoted fan base.

“He’s a phenomenon on the East Coast where he may fight on a show that draws 5,000 fans, but two-thirds of them are there to see him. He is like a rock star in some respects. In an around Philadelphia, he is as popular as Philly cheese steak and is the best thing they have going as far as mixed martial arts goes. I look forward to introducing him to the world on SHOWTIME.’’

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

A two-time high school All-American wrestler, Alvarez (11-1), of Philadelphia, will make his EliteXC debut against Hawaiian favorite Ross “Da Boss’’ Ebanez (16-5), of Hilo, Hawaii, on ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series on SHOWTIME (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).

The Alvarez-Ebanez fight, which will be contested at 170 pounds, replaces one slated to include Yves Edwards. In the other ShoXC co-feature, England’s Paul “Semtex’’ Daley (16-6-2) will meet Sam “The Squeeze” Morgan (19-9) of Minneapolis, Minn., in a 160-pound bout.

Tickets for Jan. 25, starting at $40, are available at the Trump Taj Mahal box office and online at www.ticketmaster.com. The live card begins at 9 p.m.; doors open at 8.

In other SHOWTIME-televised fights, Bobby McMaster (8-2), of Boston, Mass., will try to regain his winning ways against the dangerous Bao Quach (11-8-1), of Irvine, Calif., at 150 pounds; “The Hawaiian Rocky Balboa,’’ Kala Kolohe Hose (4-1), of Honolulu, faces Fred Belleton (5-1), of Easton, Mass., at 185 pounds; and Julie Kedzie (9-6), of Greenwood, Ind., will attempt to make it four victories in a row when she battles Tonya Evinger (5-3), of Oak Grove, Maryland, at 140 pounds.

An explosive striker, Alvarez battled his way into MMA from the mean streets of Kensington, Pa., a blue-collar neighborhood near Philadelphia.

"Trouble seemed to find me and I wound up getting into fights on the street, so I decided to take it a little more seriously and really learn how to fight,’’ said Alvarez, who won his initial 10 MMA starts before losing his Bodog Fight welterweight title belt to Nick “The Goat” Thompson on a second-round knockout (strikes) on April 14, 2007.

Although he is not a true 170-pounder, Alvarez has coveted a rematch with his bitter rival. A return bout had been scheduled a couple times but after a February ’08 fight with Thompson fell out, a frustrated Alvarez, after weighing other offers, signed with EliteXC.

“We know Eddie wasn’t happy where he was, but I truly believe he’s found a home here with EliteXC,’’ Shaw said. “With Eddie eventually dropping down to his more natural weight class, 160 pounds, and with the fighters we have at 160, he has a chance to be a big star if he keeps winning.’’

A top-notch wrestler who can move fast, sprawl, and shoot, Alvarez is also a non-stop puncher with quick hands – he delivers uppercuts from every possible direction -- quick feet and excellent head movement. He won his last start with a unanimous decision over Matt Lee on July 14, 2007. But while he dominated, Alvarez’ streak of winning inside the distance (eight knockouts, two decisions) ended.

Ebanez is a BJ Penn fighter unbeaten in his last three outings (2-0 with one no-contest) and 6-1 in his last seven (with the NC). Nicknamed “Da Boss’’ for his intimidating, aggressive style, Ebanez is an experienced, fan-friendly MMA fighter with solid skills. In his lone defeat since March ‘06, Ebanez lost to Mike Pyle on the historic EliteXC “DESTINY’’ fight card on Feb. 10, 2007, on SHOWTIME.

Scheduled non-televised Jan. 25 fights include: Zach Makovsky (3-0), of Philadelphia, vs. Wilson Reis (2-0), of Philadelphia, at 140; James “Binky’’ Jones (4-5), of Baltimore, Md., vs., Mark Getto (1-3-1), of Philadelphia, at 150; Sergio Vinagre (2-1), of New Jersey, vs. Brett Linebarger (2-1), of New Jersey, at 170; Joe Shilling (debut), of Los Angeles, vs. Matt Makowski (1-0), of Philadelphia, at 170; and Doug Gordon (6-4), of New Jersey, vs. an opponent to be determined, at 170.

The fights are scheduled for three, 5-minutes rounds with the exception of Kedzie-Evinger, which is slated for three, 3-minute rounds.

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.

Fighter pages: Alvarez (eddiealvarez.proelite.com), Ebanez (rossebanez.proelite.com), Daley (pauldaley.proelite.com), Morgan (sammorgan.proelite.com), McMaster (bobbymcmaster.proelite.com), Quach (baoquach.proelite.com), Kedzie (juliekedzie.proelite.com), Evinger (tonyaevinger.com), Hose (kalakolohoehose.proelite.com), Belleton (fredbelleton.proelite.com), Gordon (douggordon.com) Makovsky (zachmakovsky.proelite.com), Reis (wilsonreis.proelite.com), Jones (jamesjones.proelite.com), Getto (markgetto.proelite.com), Vinagre (sergiovinagre.proelite.com), Linebarger (brettlinebarger.proelite.com), Shilling (joeshilling.com), Makowski (mattmakowski.proelit.com).

About Pro Elite, Inc.

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

Former junior flyweight world champion Hugo “EL INCREDIBLE” Cazares of Los Mochis, Mexico will battle Columbian veteran Kermin Guardia on January 25th

Former junior flyweight world champion Hugo “EL INCREDIBLE” Cazares of Los Mochis, Mexico will battle Columbian veteran Kermin Guardia on January 25th at Cicero Stadium in the main event as Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions and Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions present THE MONTH OF THE KINGS, an eight bout card of world class professional boxing.

Cazares, 25-4-1 (19KO’s) will be moving up to flyweight for the twelve round bout with Guardia who brings a record of 37-7 with 21 knockouts into battle.

Cazares won the world title on April 30, 2005 in Caguas, Puerto Rico with a technical decision over Nelson Dieppa. He defended the title five times before losing a very close, hard fought split decision to Ivan Calderon on August 25th of this year in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. He is currently ranked # 2 in the world by Ring Magazine and ESPN.

Guardia is a former minimum weight world champion who hold wins over Juan Alfonso Keb Baas and John Alberto Molina amongst other world class challengers in his career. On May 11, 2007, he won a nationally televised twelve decision over Gerardo Verde in Garland, Texas in which the savvy veteran gave the younger contender a boxing lesson. He followed that up with a hard fought twelve round battle with Juan Esper on October 19th in Miami, Florida that saw him come out on the short end of a majority decision.

The terrific undercard of THE MONTH OF THE KINGS features highly touted Puerto Rican twin lightweight prospects Carlos Juan Velasquez and Juan Carlos Velasquez, Chicago welterweight Ivan Popoca, New York City junior welterweight newcomer Michael Faragon, super middleweight prospect Daniel Jacobs of Brooklyn along with Chicagoland fan favorite Barbaro Zepeda and the pro debut of Chicago based Puerto Rican lightweight Gadiel Andaluz.

Along with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions and Chicago’s 8 Count Productions, HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING, THE MONTH OF THE KINGS event is presented by TCF Bank, Tecate Beer and AeroMexico, Mexico’s premier airline travel headquarters. The SOLO BOXEO TECATE broadcast will be viewed in 42 US markets and 70 foreign countries.

Tickets for THE MONTH OF THE KINGS are available in advance by calling the 8 Count Productions offices at 312-226-5800. Cicero Stadium is located at 1909 S. Laramie, just minutes from the Eisenhower and Stevenson Expressways. Doors for this event will open at 5:30pm with the first bell at 6:30pm.

The Master of Ceremonies for THE MONTH OF THE KINGS will be Lupe Contreras, the internationally recognized voice of Latino boxing.

8 Count Productions was started by Dominic Pesoli in 1997 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland. In 2003, Pesoli along with former featherweight contender Mike Garcia opened JABB Boxing Gym, a 6,000 square foot venue dedicated to the finest Chicagoland boxers of all talent levels.

To view the seating chart and poster for this event or for more information on 8 Count Productions and JABB Boxing Gym, please visit http://www.8countproductions.com/ and http://www.jabbboxinggym.com/ Additional information can also be obtained by visiting the Golden Boy Promotions website at http://www.goldenboypromotions.com/

CREATING CONTENDERS SINCE 1997

Bernie Bahrmasel
Publicist/8 Count Productions

LEGENDARY KIMBO SLICE VS. TANK ABBOTT

Spectacular MMA Event Saturday, Feb. 16, At BankUnited Center at the University of Miami, Also Will Include Local Favorites “Krazy Horse’’ Bennett, “Big Foot’’ Silva & Edson Berto

LOS ANGELES- Fans seeking to participate in perhaps the biggest, most significant fight card in the history of mixed martial arts in Florida will have the opportunity to reserve their spots beginning this Friday, Jan. 11, when tickets to EliteXC’s tremendous mega-event on Saturday, Feb. 16, will go on sale.

Tickets for a spectacular 10-bout event start at $35 and will be available at all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the BankUnited Box Office at the University of Miami.

In a long-awaited, much-anticipated grudge match that figures to be an absolute slugfest, the incredibly popular pride of Perrine, Fla., and hometown hero, Kimbo Slice, will face David “Tank’’ Abbott, of Huntington Beach, Calif., in the main event on SHOWTIME.

It will be the second professional MMA fight for Kimbo, the legendary Internet street fighter and YouTube sensation who scored a smashing 19-second, first-round knockout in his Street-to-Elite debut.

“With these hands I can part the sea. With these hands I feed the family,’’ Kimbo said.

Tank, of Huntington Beach, Calif., is a feared knockout artist and notorious bad boy and trash-talker. A veteran who has never turned down a fight, Tank has called out Kimbo on numerous occasions, including after Kimbo’s EliteXC and MMA debut in November. Tank is supremely confident he will send home Kimbo and his fans unhappy.

Besides Kimbo, The Sunshine State will be represented with other local favorites and MMA standouts -- Antonio “Big Foot’’ Silva, Charles “Krazy Horse’’ Bennett and Edson Berto.

The promising Silva, a Brazilian who lives in Coconut Creek, Fla., is considered by many to be one of the world’s top heavyweights. Berto, of Tampa, the brother of top boxing contender, Andre Berto, will meet Yves Edwards of Conroe, Tex., in a fight at 160 pounds and “Krazy Horse,’’ of Ocala, who owns a knockout victory over current EliteXC 160-pound world champion KJ Noons, will be opposed by an opponent to be determined.

In other fights: England's James “The Colossus’’ Thompson will face unbeaten Brett Rogers of Minneapolis in a heavyweight match and Australian Kyle “KO’’ Noke, the bodyguard of the late Steve “Crocodile Hunter’’ Irwin, will take on Scott Smith of Sacramento, Calif., in a solid matchup at 185 pounds.
The SHOWTIME portion of the card will begin at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

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.

Fighter pages: Kimbo (kimboslice.proelite.com), Abbott (tankabbott.proelite.com), Silva (antoniosilva.proelite.com), Berto (edsonberto.proelite.com), Edwards (yvesedwards.proelite.com), Thompson (jamesthompson.proelite.com), Rogers (brettrogers.proelite.com), Noke (kylenoke.proelite.com), Smith (scottsmith.proelite.com), Bennett (charlesbennett.proelite.com).

About Pro Elite, Inc.

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

Bas Rutten, IFL Self Defense Initiative Featured in USA Weekend‏

Bas Rutten, IFL Self Defense Initiative Featured in USA Weekend‏
This Sunday's USA Weekend, the weekly supplement (which reaches 47.5 million readers through 600 newspaper partners nationwide!), features Bas Rutten and the IFL's Self-Defense initiative in which athletes and coaches from several IFL teams are participating, in conjunction with LA Boxing. Check out the story, in which Bas demonstrates a self-defense move with USAW's reporter Reyhaneh Fathieh, at: http://usaweekend.com/08_issues/080113/080113self-defense.html It looks even better in print... Find out which paper in your area includes USA Weekend at: http://www.usaweekend.com/partners/partner_links/index.html. Also, the 2008 IFL season opener is Feb. 29 in Las Vegas.

Oliveira to be honored by CES Ring of Honor Induction Ceremony Jan. 25 at Foxwoods Resort Casino

PROVIDENCE– Former world title contender “Sucra” Ray Oliveira will be inducted into the CES Ring of Honor in a special ceremony during the “Champions of Tomorrow” pro boxing show, January 25 at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.



2004 U.S. Olympian Jason “Big Six” Estrada fights former world heavyweight title challenger Charles Shufford and WBC Youth featherweight champion Manuel Perez defends his title against Matt “Sharp Shooter” Remillard in 10-round, co-main events headlining the “Champions of Tomorrow” card.

Promoter Jimmy Burchfield, president of Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES), established the CES Ring of Honor in 2005 in order to pay respect to inductees for their special accomplishments and contributions to New England boxing. Charter members include 5-time world champion Vinny “The Pazmanian Devil” Paz, former WBA and WBC welterweight title-holder Marlon “Magic Man” Starling, and 3-time The Ring Fighter of the Year (2001-2003) participant “Irish” Micky Ward. Other CES Ring of Honor members include former 3-time world champion “El Gallo” Jose Antonio Rivera, world light heavyweight contender “Iceman” John Scully, famed Connecticut trainer Johnny Dukes, and 2008 U.S. Olympian Demetrious “Boo Boo” Andrade.

“We very happy to honor Ray Oliveira, one of the greatest New England fighters of all-time,” Burchfield said. “Ray was never in a boring fight. He was a tremendous defensive fighter and non-stop boxer who broke all records for most punches thrown in a fight. ‘Sucra’ Ray certainly deserves to be in the CES Ring of Honor for what he’s meant to New England boxing.”

Oliveira (47-11-2, 22 KOs), a product of New Bedford (MA), captured numerous title belts during his 15-year pro career that started in 1990: IBU welterweight, 2-time NABF super lightweight, IBF Intercontinental and New England light weight. Ray defeated world champions such as Charles Murray (twice), Vince Phillips and Vivian Harris. Most of his losses were to world champions, including Ricky Hatton, Vernon Forrest, Reggie Green, Ben Tackie, Zack Padilla and Jake Rodriguez. Oliveira had good “whiskers,” too. He had never been stopped and only floored twice until his last two fights.

“Champions of Tomorrow,” promoted by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc., will be taped live and air on Saturday, February 2 at 7:30 p.m. on CN8 and will also stream online at www.CN8.tv. Following the broadcast, the show will be available ON DEMAND to Comcast Digital Cable customers for at least one week. “Champions of Tomorrow” will also air on Cox Sports Television on February 1 at 8:30 p.m.

Estrada (10-1, 2 KOs), the Providence native now rated No. 10 in the NABO, is coming off of his most impressive victory as a professional, when he put former NABC and NABC Americas heavyweight title-holder James Northey (11-2, 8 KOs) to sleep in the fourth round of their October 12 fight. Las Vegas-based Shufford (20-7-1, 9 KOs), who fought Wladimir Klitschko for the WBO in 2001, holds victories against former world champion Lamon Brewster, Elieser Castillo and Jimmy Thunder.

Perez (11-3, 2 KOs) fighting out of Denver by way of Honolulu, captured the WBC Youth title in his last fight on November 10 via a unanimous 10-round decision against Victor Barela. Manchester (CT) favorite Remillard (11-0, 7 KOs) has been inactive since suffering a hand injury that required surgery after he won the WBC Youth super featherweight on September 23, 2006.

Unbeaten 9-time U.S. amateur champion Aaron Williams (15-0-1, 11 KOs) tangles with upset-minded Sameh Elashry (6-4, 2 KOs) in an eight-round battle of cruiserweights.

The much-anticipated New England light heavyweight showdown between Iraqi War-veteran Chris Traietti (7-0, 4 KOs) and “Irish” Joey McCreedy (5-1, 4 KOs) will finally take place in a scheduled 6-round bout. Middleweights Richard “Bobo” Starnino (8-2-1, 1 KO), of Providence, and New Bedford’s Eric Pinarreta (1-1, 1 KO) will meet in an old fashioned border war.

Also on the undercard in four-round bouts are popular Hartford light welterweight Addy Irizarry (3-1, 2 KOs) against Tonya Gallegos (4-6, 2 KOs),
Addy Irizarry
unbeaten Brockton light heavyweight Manuel Antonio Lopes (4-0, 1 KO) meets veteran Anthony Cannon (4-8, 1 KO), recent University of Connecticut graduate Brian Macy, a card dealer at Foxwoods who lives in Ledyard, makes his pro debut against Donyell Dukes (0-4).

Tickets for “Champions of Tomorrow” are priced at $40.00, $65.00 (Silver), $100.00 (Gold) and $150.00 (Jimmy’s Platinum Club). Two VIP Presidential Suites are also available (call CES for details as well as sponsorship opportunities). To purchase tickets or for additional information contact CES (1.401.724.2253/2254 - www.cesboxing.com) or Foxwoods (1.800.200.2882/www.foxwoods.com). Doors open at 6 PM/ET, first bout at 7 PM/ET.

-CES-

CONTACT:
Bob Trieger
Full Court Press

NO HOLDS BARRED: Wade Schalles and Wrestling 411, Mr. Wrestling Ali Gumus, and the State of Wrestling

Eddie Goldman talks with the experts of the MMA sport.
NO HOLDS BARRED: Wade Schalles and Wrestling 411, Mr. Wrestling Ali Gumus, and the State of Wrestling
http://nhbnews.podOmatic.com/entry/eg/2008-01-10T00_04_42-08_00
On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman focuses on the precarious state of wrestling, both in the U.S. and internationally, and interviews two key people who are working to improve the sport.
A new weekly wrestling highlight show, called "Wrestling 411", will debut Thursday, January 17, 2008, on the CSTV network in the U.S. It will also be available on the Media Sports Productions web site (http://www.mediasportsproductions.com/).
To learn more about this important program, we spoke with Wade Schalles, a two-time NCAA wrestling champion, a champion or All-American in folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco-Roman wrestling and in sombo and judo, and a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Wade is now working with Media Sports Productions, and along with people including J Robinson, the head coach of the defending NCAA Div. 1 champion Minnesota Golden Gophers, is promoting this show as a way of popularizing wrestling and overcoming some of the difficulties which have hobbled this sport.
International wrestling is also in decline, according to Ali Gümüs, the leading wrestling journalist in the world. Also known as "Mr. Wrestling" and based in Turkey, he has been an editor and writer for the Turkish publication Tercüman (http://www.tercuman.com.tr/) and is the author of numerous books on wrestling. He also serves as the chairman of the Wrestling Commission of AIPS (http://www.aipsmedia.com/), the International Sports Press Association.
Ali was in New York this week, and we spoke with him about the crisis in international wrestling and what can be done about it.
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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. On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, we review the IBF junior welterweight title fight between champion Paulie Malignaggi (24-1, 5 KOs) and challenger Herman Ngoudjo (16-2, 9 KOs), which was held Saturday, January 5, 2008, at Bally's Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. In this fight, Malignaggi retained his title with a 12-round unanimous decision. We spoke with both Paulie Malignaggi and Herman Ngoudjo, as well as Malignaggi's promoter, Lou DiBella of DiBella Entertainment, and Ngoudjo's promoter, Yvon Michel of GYM (Groupe Yvon Michel), shortly after this fight Saturday night. We discussed their divergent views on the judges' scoring and the fight itself. We also spoke with former light heavyweight world champion Glen Johnson, who scored an eighth-round TKO over Hugo Pineda on the undercard, about his fight and his plans to face WBC champion Chad Dawson April 12. 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:
Art of War (http://www.artofwarlive.com/), the undisputed arena fighting championship, promoted by SUN Sports and Entertainment, producing world class mixed martial arts events. For more information, check out their web site, ArtOfWarLive.com (http://www.artofwarlive.com/).
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/
No Holds Barred on MySpace http://www.myspace.com/nhbnews
Enjoy!