★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience©®™: Jul 27, 2012

Friday, July 27, 2012

Corrected draw release with Michael Hunter and Jose Ramirez opponent‏; The Path to Gold is Set for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team in London

The path to gold was set on Friday for the 12 members of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team at the official event draw on Friday at the ExCel Centre in London. The brackets in the 13 Olympic weight classes were drawn in front of representatives from all of the participating nations. Three U.S. boxers received first round byes with the remaining nine American athletes learning the identity of their opening day opponents.

The women’s draw was done first and both flyweight Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) and middleweight Claressa Shields (Flint, Mich.) received byes in their opening round bouts. Lightweight Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.) will face home nation boxer Natasha Jones of Great Britain in her Olympic Games opener on August 5. Esparza will take on the winner of a first round contest between Brazil and Venezuela when she takes the ring for quarterfinal action on August 6 while Shields battles the victor of a showdown between Australia and Sweden on the same date.

Three-time Olympian Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio) was the lone U.S. boxer to be seeded in the 2012 Olympic Games and as the number three seed, he received a first round bye as well. Warren will take the ring for the third time in Olympic action in a second round bout against the winner of France and Afghanistan on August 3.

Bantamweight Joseph Diaz, Jr. (S. El Monte, Calif.) and middleweight Terrell Gausha (Cleveland, Ohio) open action for Team USA on Saturday with Diaz taking on on Ukraine’s Pavlo Ishchenko and Gausha battling Armenia’s Andranik Hakobyan.

Lightweight Jose Ramirez (Avenal, Calif.) and welterweight Errol Spence (Desoto, Texas) will compete on Sunday in their first round contests. Ramirez will face France’s Rachid Azzedine on Sunday while Spence takes on Brazil’s Myke Carvalho de Ribeiro.

Light heavyweight Marcus Browne (Staten Island, N.Y.) will be the lone U.S. boxer in Monday’s action, challenging Australia’s Damien Hooper in his Olympic debut.

There will only be one U.S. boxer competing on Tuesday as well with light welterweight Jamel Herring (Coram, N.Y.) facing off with Kazakhstan’s Daniyar Yeleussinov in the first round.

The two heavyweights will be the final male boxers to compete and both will challenge Russian opponents when they take the ring on Wednesday, August 1. Heavyweight Michael Hunter (Las Vegas, Nev.) will battle Russia’s Tervel Pulev while super heavyweight Dominic Breazeale (Alhambra, Calif.) facesMagomed Omarov.

The 2012 Olympic Games are a single elimination tournament and all of the 2012 Olympic Games brackets can be found on www.aiba.org.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Lundy's time is now‏; ‘Stay in your lane!’ ‘Hammerin’’ Hank finalizes game plan for Beltran; offers stern warning to Broner

“Hammerin’” Hank Lundy is as relaxed as ever, feeling no pressure whatsoever as he prepares to defend his title and world No. 1 ranking Friday, July 27^th, 2012 against Raymundo Beltran at Resorts Hotel Casino.

“I’m feeling excellent,” said Lundy, the reigning North American Boxing Federation (NABF) lightweight champion and top-ranked lightweight in the World Boxing Council (WBC).

“I know what I have to go in there and do. I know what my job is. I’ve just got to go out there and be ‘Hammerin’’ Hank. I appreciate Beltran giving me this opportunity, but I’ve got to handle my business at the end of the day.”

Friday’s show, promoted by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports and appropriately named “Title Wave,” features the 10-round main event between Lundy (22-1-1, 11 KOs) and Beltran (25-6, 17 KOs) in addition to a 10-round super middleweight co-feature between fellow Philadelphia native Farah Ennis (19-1, 12 KOs) and New Jersey’s Richard Patterson (11-2, 8 KOs). Beginning at 10 p.m. (EST), the show will air on ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPN Deportes as part of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.

After reaching the No. 1 spot in the WBC, Lundy could’ve held out for a shot at the world title, currently held by Antonio DeMarco, but instead chose to return to ESPN for the seventh time since 2010 and face the dangerous Beltran, a hard-hitting Mexican and former sparring partner for Manny Pacquiao who’s looking to rewrite the script on his own tumultuous career.

Standing toe-to-toe with Beltran is a risk, one that most fighters in Lundy’s shoes wouldn’t take, but so, too, was facing unknown challenger Dannie Williams in March, a fight Lundy won handedly despite getting knocked down in the first round.

As he prepares for Friday’s fight, Lundy is also keeping a close eye on the rest of the 135-pound division, particularly DeMarco, who will defend his title against John Molina in September, with, perhaps, the winner facing Lundy next. Molina is still the only fighter who’s beaten Lundy, so, deep down, Lundy is rooting for Molina in hopes of facing him a in a rematch for the world title.

Lundy also has another potential challenger on his radar, former World Boxing Organization (WBO) super featherweight championAdrien Broner, who was forced to vacate his title prior to last weekend’s fight against Vicente Escobedo because he failed to make weight. The undefeated Broner won the fight regardless, and afterward promised more world titles in his future as he plans to move up to 135 pounds, irking the outspoken Lundy, who called Broner “unprofessional” for failing to make weight.

“I run this weight class,” Lundy said. “If you think you can just move up and jump over me, it ain’t happening. Don’t run. You could’ve mentioned my name on HBO. Instead, you took the easy way out. Just go on and keep fighting who you’re fighting. If he fought half the competition I’ve faced, he’d be dead in his tracks.

“Until I unify these titles, I rule this division, and I’m going to be here for a long time.”

The undercard also features a six-round light middleweight bout between Thomas Lamanna (8-0, 5 KOs) of Millville, N.J., and William Brown (5-3) of Akron, Ohio, in addition to a four-round welterweight bout between Anthony Young (4-0, 2 KOs) of Atlantic City and Richie Andrews (3-1-3, 1 KO) of Stuarts Draft, Va. Josh Mercado (5-1, 2 KOs) of Cape May, N.J., will battle Korey Sloane (2-4-1) of Philadelphia in a four-round bout and Atlantic City’s Antowyan Aikens (5-0, 1 KO) will face Jimmy Ellis (3-5-1, 2 KOs) in a four-round super middleweight bout.

Also on the undercard, Kenneth Moody (2-3-2, 1 KO) of Virginia Beach, Va., will face Ismael Garcia (3-0) of Millville, N.J., in a four-round middleweight bout and super middleweight Isaiah Seldon of Somers Point, N.J., will face Steven Tyner (3-5-2, 2 KOs) of Akron in a four-round bout. All fights and fighters subject to change. Bantamweight Miguel Cartagena (5-0, 3 KOs) of Philadelphia will put his unbeaten record on the line against Jose Rivera in a six-round bout.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

RESORTS HOTEL CASINO IN ATLANTIC CITY TO HOST ESPN’S FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS‏

Boxing returns to the renowned Resorts Hotel Casino in Atlantic City for ESPN’s acclaimed series Friday Night Fights. In the main event of the evening, Hank Lundy will go to battle against Raymundo Beltran for the NABF Lightweight Title.

Last month Resorts was all over the boxing map as they held the All Star Boxing Legends Gala Tribute Dinner, and is quickly becoming recognized as the Mecca of fight sports in Atlantic City and the Northeast.

“We love the opportunity to host Friday Night Fights,” said Matt Howard, Vice President of Gomes Gaming. “This was a dream of Dennis Gomes, God rest his soul. This is what he wanted, high profile televised fights. We are trying to make that happen. We are excited for our customers as well as the boxing community.”

Over the past year Resorts has hosted several boxing and MMA events in addition to a variety of music and other entertainment, and strives to put on the shows that the public wants to see.

“Everything we do is to honor Dennis,” said Howard. “When envisioning what we want for our property, this was one of our plans. We have the perfect venue for the fights and are very excited for next Friday.”

The full fight card is as follows:

· NABF Lightweight Title Fight- Henry Lundy vs. Raymundo Beltran (10)

· Super Middleweight- Richard Pierson vs. Farah Ennis (10)

· Bantamweight- Miguel Cartagena vs. Jose Rivera (6)

· Light Heavyweight- Frankie Filippone vs. TBA (6)

· Light Middleweight- Decarlo Perez vs. TBA (6)

· Super Middleweight- Derrick Webster vs. TBA (6)

· Light Middleweight- Thomas Lamann vs. TBA (6)

· Welterweight- Juan Rodriguez Jr. vs. TBA (4)

· Light Welterweight- Josh Mercado vs. Korey Sloane (4)

· Super Middleweight- Antowyan Aikens vs. TBA (4)

· Light Heavyweight- Joe Smith Jr. vs. TBA (4)

· Welterweight- Anthony Young vs. TBA (4)

JEAN PASCAL HAND INJURY POSTPONES AUG 11 TITLE FIGHT ON SHOWTIME® AGAINST UNDEFEATED DEFENDING CHAMPION TAVORIS CLOUD

The much-anticipated showdown between undefeated International Boxing Federation (IBF) light heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud (24-0, 19 KOs), of Tallahassee, Fla., and popular hometown favorite and former World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight titleholder Jean Pascal (26-2-1, 16 KOs), scheduled for August 11 live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on SHOWTIME^®, has been postponed to a later date due to a right-hand injury sustained by Pascal during a sparring session 1 ½ weeks ago.

“To tell you the truth, Pascal said at yesterday’s press conference in Montreal, “I was so sad when the decision was made that I even cried. This is the first time it’s happened to me for a fight. I haven’t fought in 15 months and this was a golden opportunity for me. Thanks to everybody involved for rescheduling. This will make me stronger when I get in the ring.”

The “Shock Wave In Montreal” undercard, featuring an IBF super middleweight title eliminator between Canadian knockout artist Adonis “Superman” Stevenson, (18-1, 15 KOs), of Montreal, and United States Boxing Association (USBA) champion Donovan “Da Bomb” George (22-2-1, 19 KOs), of Chicago, Illinois, has been postponed until late August or early September.

“Jean Pascal tried hard to fight through his hand injury with a cortisone shot and therapy,” Pascal’s promoter Yvon Michel (GYM) explained, “but after yesterday’s second MRI on his hand, we were notified by Dr. Francis Fontaine that he would not give medical clearance for Jean Pascal to fight on August 11. The evaluation revealed that Jean has a bone bruise and only rest can heal it. He was in good physical condition and his weight was right where we wanted it to be at this stage. He had an excellent training camp, right on target, preparing to fight Cloud.

“Jean is a warrior. He tried extremely hard to convince us to let him fight because he believed he could beat Cloud with one good hand like he did when he defeatedAdrian Diaconu (December, 2009) with a dislocated shoulder. At 29 years old and reaching his peak, we were not about to let him jeopardize his career by fighting injured. Jean has always challenged and fought best during his career. He certainly is not afraid of Cloud.

“Cloud vs. Pascal is the best fight the light heavyweight division can provide. Both are fan friendly fighters who want to establish themselves as the best puncher in the 175-pound division. It’s a huge fight in Montreal where tickets sales were very high and we were headed for a crowd of 10,000, which is great for a summer event in Montreal. Fans deserve to watch these two fighters at their physical bests. We are working with Stephen Espinoza (Showtime) and Don King to reschedule this great show in the fall. We are all committed to rescheduling and grateful that Showtime recognizes Cloud vs. Pascal as one of the most entertaining light heavyweight match-ups in years. Within a week we hope to have everything finalized in terms of rescheduled this great fight.”

“Pascal has Tavorisitis,” Cloud’s promoter Don King. “He needs more time to get his courage up to fight this smaller version of Tyson. Tavoris is of the Tyson ilk. He’s a search-and-destroy kind of guy.

"Pascal has been tweeting that he had a sad day because his Mercedes-Benz had a flat tire. Well, Tavoris is going to give Pascal a flat ass to go with his flat tire. This is going to be the fight of the decade. Tweet that!

“Tavoris Cloud is decreeing war on Jean Pascal and he’s taking no prisoners. He told me he can’t wait to get to Canada to destroy this faker and win the hearts and minds of his new Canadian brothers and sisters. Viva Canada!!!"

"When Tavoris heard Pascal said he cried over this injury, he said to just wait until he gets done with Pascal, he’ll be crying like a baby.”