★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience©®™: Aug 1, 2012

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Martin vs St. John: Final Victory will take place on August 14th at Table Mountain in California

Mia St. John vs Christy Martin: Playboy Cover Girl and Coal Miner's Daughter Rumble August 14 Written by Leroy Cleveland

Mia St. John vs Christy Martin: Playboy Cover Girl and Coal Miner's Daughter Rumble August 14

The bout, a rematch of their fight in 2002, will be the main event of the five-bout "Final Victory" in California and the Women's WBC Super Welterweight title will be on the line.

Christy Martin won their first bout via a close decision.

Ironically, the bout between these two female fight legends who paved the way for those proceeding them will coincide with the 2012 Olympic Games, which will showcase women's boxing for the very first time.

Both women have very intriguing and very different backdrops heading into their much-anticipated rematch.

Christy Martin

Martin, 44, is considered by many in the industry as the most accomplished female boxer ever and the person who "legitimized" female boxing.

She began her career fighting in "Toughwoman" contests and won three consecutive titles before she started training with boxing coach, Jim Martin, who she married in 1991.

By 1996, the fighter nicknamed "The Coal Miner's Daughter," had ascended to the top of women's boxing, amassing a 28-1 record. She signed with famed promoter Don King and, on March 16th of that year, fought Deirdre Gogarty on the undercard of Mike Tyson vs Frank Bruno II - a major Showtime pay-per-view event. Martin would earn a hard-fought decision in an exhilarating affair that was arguably responsible for putting women's boxing on the map.

Following Gogarty bout, Martin gained quasi-celebrity staus and was even showcased on the cover of the April 15, 1996 edition of Sports Illustrated.

Martin, who holds a record of 49 wins, 5 losses and 3 draws with 31 wins by knockout, has fought on the undercard of boxers Evander Holyfield, Félix Trinidad and Julio César Chávez, in addition to Tyson.

On November 23, 2010, Christy Martin was stabbed several times and shot at least once in her torso and left leg allegedly by her then-husband, James, following an argument at their home. He was charged with attempted first degree murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

The St. John rematch will serve as a fitting celebration of a career and life thought to be over as a result of the injuries she sustained from the gunshot wounds and stabbing.

Now Christy wants to finish the most memorable career in women's boxing history by defeating St. John.

"I am excited about this opportunity to get my 50th win against Mia St John to finish my career," said Martin. "I am honored to fight for the WBC World Title at Table Mountain Casino and look forward to becoming a World Champion once again. This time I will KO Mia, that's as good a guarantee as you get."

Mia St. John

Pro boxer, model, beauty queen, businesswoman, college graduate and Tae Kwon Do Champion, Mia St. John, 44, isn't your typical woman.

In 1997 at the age of 29, St. John vaulted into professional prizefighting and immediately gained the attention of boxing insiders.

Initially promoted by Don King and later Top Rank, the sexy slugger was often featured on the undercard of Oscar De La Hoya bouts. Most of her fights were televised and she gained mainstream recognition as a 'boxing beauty queen' of sorts.

In November 1999, St. John, while still undefeated, appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine in an 11 page pictorial. She seemingly wanted to promote the notion a woman could be feminine and beautiful yet athletic and strong at the same time.

St. John had amassed a record of 22-0-1 before losing her first bout to Rolanda Andrews, via knockout, in 2001.

Now 46-11-2 with 18 knockouts, St. John will enter the ring for the first time in two years when she faces longtime rival Christy Martin.

For Mia, this matchup is all about respect and redemption. In 2002, despite her stellar 26-1-1 record, it took an exciting 10 round war with Martin to earn the acclaim from the boxing world that she deserved. And since then, the fighter dubbed "The Knockout" has continued to be one of the sport's great ambassadors, in and out of the ring.

"I've waited nearly 10 years for this rematch," stated St John. "I know I out-boxed Christy in the last fight, but this time I am going to BEAT her. Now we'll see who the real WBC Champion is, La Gallina or La Guerrera."

"We've rivaled each other from the very beginning," St. John said. "She was with Don King. I was with Bob Arum. She came out on the cover of Sports Illustrated and I came out on the cover of Playboy. Which one would you rather see?"

Martin vs St. John: Final Victory will take place on August 14th at Table Mountain in California.

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PROVODNIKOV READY FOR TOP JR. WELTERWEIGHTS‏

WBO number-two ranked Jr. Welterweight contender Ruslan Provodnikov is looking to take on any of the champions or top contenders in his next bout and feels he is just an opportunity away from becoming a world champion.

Provodnikov (22-1, 15 KO’s) of Beryozovo, Russia has won five fights in a row which include four impressive knockouts and has been tabbed by many boxing insiders as one of the most exciting fighters in the world.

“We are looking for the biggest fights now for Ruslan”, said Provodnikov’s promoter Artie Pelullo of Banner Promotions.

“We are targeting the likes of Danny Garcia, Juan Manuel Marquez, Mike Alvarado or Lamont Peterson, we feel that Ruslan is not only worthy of those opportunities but we have all the confidence that he would beat any of them”

Provodnikov is coming off of an impressive second round stoppage over Jose Reynoso on June 29^th.

“Ruslan has built a nice reputation and he has thrilled many fans during his appearances on ESPN 2 and now he is eying a world championship”

"Ruslan has grown to a different skill level in the past year. Training at the Wild Card Gym and sparring more than 70 rounds with Manny Pacquiao as well as other world class fighters like Amir Khan, has really paid off more than we even hoped for. Ruslan is ready to fight anybody in his division and after the Amir Khan vs. Danny Garcia fight he was quoted saying that he was “anxious to fight Danny Garcia and he knows it would be a very exciting fight because of their similar brawler styles.” said Provodnikov’s manager Vadim Kornilov

Provodnikov is trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach and he is in agreement with Pelullo and Kornilov.

“Ruslan has been sparring with Pacquiao and Khan and he does very well with them and I believe he is ready for a big bout. He is very durable and improved so much in the last Pacquiao camp that I feel he is ready for the big time”, said Roach.

Barriga announces his arrival on world stage‏

Philippines' new boxing sensation, two-time Sydney Jackson Memorial Tournament winner Mark Anthony Barriga is really making a name for himself after defeating world class rivals in recent months and impressing at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Filipino Light Flyweight (46-49kg) fighter was part of the AIBA Road to London Program where he trained hard and amazed his various sparring partners with his tenacity and now he is ready to challenge the current order and bid for an Olympic medal.

His sensational victory against the promising Italian Manuel Fabrizio Cappai, has made the rest of the competition stand up and take notice of his talent. He now meets Kazakhstan's Asian Games silver medallist Birzhan Zhakypov with a quarter-final place at stake.

Cameroon's 25-year-old African Champion Thomas Essomba was also at the three-week training camp in the Welsh capital in preparation for these Olympic Games. He delighted the crowds at the ExCeL after defeating Morocco's African Championships silver medallist Abdelali Daraa in style.

Bayron Molina Figueroa became the first boxer from Honduras to compete at the Games since the 1996. Molina was selected by the Tripartite Commission and as result joined 43 other boxers to train in Cardiff. He unfortunately came up against India's AIBA World Boxing Championships quarter-finalist Laishram Devendro Singh who stopped him in the first round.

Ghana's AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships competitor Sulemanu Tetteh was also with the AIBA Road to London camp but his stay in the British capital was cut short by the Puerto Rican teenage sensation Jantony Ortiz Marcano.

Another of the boxers from the AIBA Road to London Program, Carlos Antonio Suarez entertained the crowd with his showmanship but the teenager from Trinidad & Tobago lacked the international experience of his rival and was on the losing side against Turkey's European Championships bronze medallist Ferhat Pehlivan.

Mozambique's first boxer at the Olympic Games since 1996, Juliano Fernando Gento Maquina, showed potential against Bulgaria's veteran Strandja Tournament winner Aleksandar Aleksandrov but was unfortunately also defeated.

AIBA Road to London Program member Cesar Andres Villarraga Aldana from Colombia was unlucky to be drawn against Cuba's former AIBA World Champion Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo and even though he lost, the manner in which he continually tried to move forward pleased the packed ExCeL arena.

Turkmenistan's Asian Champion Serdar Hudayberdiyev put the AIBA Road to London I in the spotlight after taking silver at the AIBA Asian Olympic Qualifying Event Astana 2012 and after booking his quota place for the Olympic Games was once again invited to train in Cardiff. He began well against India's Commonwealth Games winner Manoj Kumar but his savvy opponent cranked up the pressure in the latter stages and Hudayberdiyev was eliminated.

All Africa Games winner Louis Richarno Colin of Mauritius impressed at the AIBA Road to London training camp before these Olympic Games and was sensational as he dispatched Abdelhak Aatakni, who claimed gold at the AIBA African Olympic Qualifying Event Casablanca 2012, to move into the second round of preliminaries of the tournament. The Mauritian boxer was in fine form and won 16:10.

The Czech Republic's AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Zdenek Chladek realised his Olympic dream by qualifying for London. The 22-year-old faced Mongolia's AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist veteran Uranchimeg Munkherdene in the opening round and despite of his great efforts the Asian fighter defeated him in a close contest.

Zambia's Gilbert Choombe caused a huge surprise when qualifying for these Olympic and his Federation was delighted for him to be invited to the Welsh capital to train. In London he came up against an inspired opponent in Australia's Jeffrey Horn, who was too strong for him in their first preliminary round contest. Choombe proved that Zambian boxing is now heading in the right direction.

Manoj Kumar into next round after win‏

Boxing continued with the evening session at the ExCeL arena on day four of the London 2012 Olympic Games as the remaining eleven Men's Light Fly (46-49kg) and Light Welterweight (64kg) bouts went ahead. The capacity crowd was once again treated to a pugilistic feast.

First up in the Light Flyweights (46-49kg) was the fledgling star from Puerto Rico Jantony Ortiz Marcano versus the 19-year-old Ghanaian Tetteh Sulemanu. These two put on a good show with Ortiz Marcano, who won the AIBA American Olympic Qualifying Event Rio de Janeiro 2012, setting the early tempo and scoring a lot of points with some well placed shots. The young orthodox Puerto Rican confirmed his growing reputation with a performance full of verve to notch up a 20:6 win. He will now test himself against one of the best in the business, David Ayrapetyan from Russia.

The 18-year-old Ortiz Marcano was all smiles after the bout, declaring, "It was absolutely amazing. The work my coaches did in getting me ready for this fight was fantastic, it is thanks to them I won. I also dedicated this victory to my family". On facing Ayrapetyan, he said, "He is a big name but I am confident in my ability, I have been working extra hard to ensure I am ready for anyone".

Then experienced 23-year-old Ferhat Pehivan from Turkey, a veteran of three AIBA World Boxing Championships, came through his test against the American-born Trinidadian Carlos Suarez. The Turkish southpaw had a game plan, to keep his defences up high and look to counterpunch the exuberant Suarez. The tactic worked perfectly as he caught the onrushing 18-year-old with some well crafted combinations to take the first two rounds. Suarez was however the real showman in the ring, playing to the crowd, grimacing and enjoying his Olympic experience as much as possible even though he was comfortably defeated 16:6 by the better boxer.

An intriguing contest ensued between Spanish 25-year-old Jose de la Nieve Linares and the diminutive Carlos Quipo Pilataxi from Ecuador, 22. It was the younger of the two orthodox fighters who claimed the first round after finding his target with some hard penetrating rights. Quipo Pilataxi was looking more and more confident and his deceptively hard punches were both hurting the Spaniard and wearing him down. The spectators were enjoying this and were chanting, "Ecuador, Ecuador" for much of the third round as he went on to power to a deserved 14:11 win.

There was a huge contingent of Thai fans in the arena out to support veteran 32-year-old multiple-Southeast Asian Games Kaeo Pongprayoon in his bout against the winner of the AIBA African Olympic Qualifying Event Casablanca 2012, Mohamed Flissi of Algeria. It started off at breath-neck speed with Pongprayoon quickly looking to move inside and Flissi trying to use his height and reach advantage as a lot of punches were being thrown. The experienced Thai used a far greater repertoire of shots in the second and third rounds and caught Flissi with several hard overhead rights to progress with a well-taken 19:11 victory. Quipo Pilataxi now awaits Pongprayoon in the next preliminary round.

27-year-old Bulgarian Aleksandar Aleksandrov faced international level newcomer Juliano Fernando Gento Maquina from Mozambique in what was one-sided contest. Aleksandrov started well, calmly moving towards his opponent with the jab before throwing some neat one-twos to take the first round. Maquina tried to up his game and even though the southpaw was positive, he walked into a couple of hard shots, which one in particular hurt him as he took a standing eight count from the referee. The Bulgarian orthodox fighter went on to win convincingly 22:7 and will now challenge second seed Jonghun Shin of Korea for a spot in the quarter-finals.

The bouts were coming thick and fast as the Light Flyweights (46-49kg) gave way to the Light Welterweights (64kg) with Turkmenistan's Serdar Hudayberdiyev and Manoj Kumar from India then taking centre stage. The tall Turkmen orthodox, a veteran of three AIBA World Boxing Championships, was having some joy with the jab in the first as both boxers shared the points in the round. Kumar, the 2012 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, came back strong in the second however, throwing some big punches that stunned Hudayberdiyev. The Indian had huge support from the crowd and upped his level once again to take the third and inflict a 13:7 defeat on his rival. Kumar faces one of the big medal contenders next, Great Britain's Thomas Stalker.

2012 African Cup of Nations winner Louis Richarno Colin of Mauritius was hugely impressive in the first two rounds of his battle with the 24-year-old Moroccan Abdelhak Aatakni, moving well and unleashing a succession of precise body shots to his opponent's kidneys. Fighting at close quarters in the third, Colin's superior shot-making was cheered on by a huge section of the packed arena, his uppercuts piercing Aatakni's defences repeatedly as he went on to win 16:10.

When asked about his performance Colin was keen to share his views, "It was a tough, I got drawn in to fight at close quarters and I normally like to keep my distance. Having trained in Cardiff with the Road to London program, I was ready to and able to change my style".

Munkh-Erdene Uranchimeg from Mongolia was not in short supply of fans with a huge number of his countrymen in the crowd supporting him and it spurred the southpaw as he dominated the 22-year-old Zdenek Chladek, a 2008 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships bronze medallist. The 30-year-old from the capital city Ulanbaatar had too much about him for his rival, hurting the Czech Republic man with some hard combinations in their contest. There was a swagger about Uranchimeg as he fainted and weaved his way through three impressive rounds to record a 20:12 victory. The Mongol now meets Colin in the second stage of the competition.

Quality orthodox fighter Jeffrey Horn has been in fine form since taking the AIBA Oceania Olympic Qualifying Event gold medal in Canberra in March and proved his worth with a polished performance against Zambia's Gilbert Choombe. The 24-year-old Australian boxed clever, using his jab to good effect before throwing some good one-twos to take a five point lead after the first round. Choombe put up a much better resistance in the second, but in the final round Horn worked his rivals body well before pouncing with a couple of excellent shots as he prevailed in style 19:5.

Azerbaijan's stocky 21-year-old Gaybatulla Gadzhialiyev began brightly in his contest versus Abderrazak Houya, connecting with some vicious right hooks to take the first round. He continued to set the pace in the second, throwing some clean shots, but after getting caught by a hard left from his opponent, he began to sag and Houya came back to draw that one. The 25-year-old Tunisian's corner were extremely animated in between rounds and when the third got underway, their boxer was straight out of the blocks, pummelling Gadzhialiyev with an array of exquisite punches that saw him claw his way back and claim a thunderous third round to take a 19:11 victory.

Houya's coach declared after the bout, "We knew he could do it, he is in great shape and has been working extremely hard. We told him to go for it, that he had nothing to lose and he has made us and his country proud. Now we are aiming for the quarter-finals".

In the final bout of the day, the quick feet of Anthony Yigit made the difference against Francisco Vargas Ramirez of Puerto Rico in the opening rounds as the Swedish southpaw got the better of his taller opponent by landing some good body shots. Vargas Ramirez began using his jab more in the second but a slick Yigit moved up a gear in the final round to secure his progress by winning 13:9. The 20-year-old Swede must now face the tough second seed from Ukraine Denys Berinchyk.

The much anticipated Heavy (91kg) and Super Heavyweight (+91kg) categories get underway tomorrow along with the second preliminaries of the Bantamweight (56kg) with some huge names taking to the ring. It promises to be a spectacular day of action.

Cubans fighters show their pedigree‏

Day four of the London 2012 Olympic Games and it was the turn of the Men's Light Fly (46-49kg) and Light Welterweight (64kg) to step on to the ring in the first round of preliminaries at the ExCeL arena. The afternoon session bore witness to eleven pulsating contests.

First up in the Light Flyweights (46-49kg) was the exciting 20-year-old Yosbany Veitia Soto of Cuba against the teenager Billy Ward, winner of the AIBA Oceania Olympic Qualifying Event Canberra 2012. The Australian fought valiantly but just could not handle the speed and accuracy of the lightening quick Cuban southpaw who seemed to be hitting the target every time he let fly. Veitia Soto looked a class above his opponent and the spectators were really enjoying the movement and footwork on show as he recorded an emphatic 26:4 victory. He will now face the reigning Olympic Champion from China Shiming Zou for a place in the quarter-finals.

The fast-paced action continued with two of this weight category's rising stars as Italy'sManuel Cappai and Mark Barriga from the Philippines battled it out in spectacular fashion. Both these 19-year-olds have bright futures ahead of them and it told as the skills on show had the crowd on the edge of their seats. The Filipino though was too quick for the taller Cappai, catching him with several deft hooks which rocked the Italian in the first round. Barriga speed was causing havoc and he continued to dominate as he landed several hard lefts to triumph 17:7. The young southpaw received a few tips from his compatriot Manny Pacquiao before flying out to London and although he finds himself in the tough part of the draw, many expect him to challenge for honours.

2008 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Jeremy Beccu faced the 28-year-old Beijing Olympian and veteran of four AIBA World Boxing ChampionshipsBirzhan Zhakypov of Kazakhstan. The orthodox Frenchman was by no way overawed by the pedigree of his opponent as he went toe-to-toe with him and finish the first round level on points with both throwing a lot of punches. In the second, Beccu dictated proceedings from the centre of the ring, landing a couple of sweet uppercuts to take the round by a single point. Zhakypov's intelligent selection of shots saw him turn the fight to and record a 18:17 success against the positive 21-year-old from France. Zhakypov versus Barriga promises to be an electrifying fight.

The all-African contest between 24-year-old African Champion Thomas Essomba and the talented Abdelali Daraa from Morocco did not disappoint with the Cameroon orthodox on top of his opponent from the first bell. Moving well around the ring, Essomba's experience told as he continually varied his approach and caught his rival with some telling combinations connecting with their intended target. 21-year-old Daraa was knocked to the canvas after being caught by a devastating left midway through the second and from there the confident man from Cameroon closed out the fight with a 13:10 win.

Essomba beamed after his win, declaring, "I am very happy with this victory, my tactic was good and I hit him with some good shots. I feel great". On his preparations for the Games, he added, "Training in Cardiff with the Road to London program gave me a wonderful opportunity to spar with some quality fighters and as I result I feel stronger, fitter and more confident". When told his next opponent was Patrick Barnes, he said, "It does not matter who I face, if I am better I will win".

The final Light Flyweight (46-49kg) bout of the afternoon session saw 20-year-old promising Indian Devendro Singh Laishram pit his wits against teenage unknown quantity Bayron Molina Figueroa of Honduras. This one was over in the blink of an eye as the Indian fighter completely overawed his opponent in the first round, hurting him with two exquisite punches for which Molina Figueroa had to take two standing eight counts and when he got caught again, the referee stepped in to end the contest. Laishram will face a much sterner test when he battles the fourth seeded Mongolian Serdamba Purevdorj in the next round of preliminaries.

23-year-old 2009 AIBA World Champion Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo of Cuba and Colombia's seasoned Cesar Villarraga Aldana then locked horns in the first of six Light Welterweight (64kg) contests. The class of the Cuban southpaw shone through as he out boxed his opponent with some clever movement. Throwing a high volume of punches, Iglesias Sotolongo scored highly in the first round before controlling the tempo in the final two to cruise to a comfortable 20:9 victory over the 26-year-old Colombian. It will be the reigning AIBA World Champion Everton Lopes dos Santos next for the Cuban.

"I felt good, I felt strong, I boxed well and that is what matters", declared Iglesias Sotolongo after the fight. On facing Lopes dos Santos, he said, "He is very fast and I will need to up my level to beat him, but I feel confident".

The action was unrelenting as South American Championships winner Anderson Rojas Mina and 21-year-old Uktamjon Rahmonov of Uzbekistan went head-to-head. Rahmonov looked calm and composed against the Ecuadorian teenager, applying constant pressure and throwing powerful one-two combinations. In the second round, the Uzbek southpaw connected with huge overhead left and Rojas Mina had to take a standing eight count and from then on, it was one-sided as Rahmonov went on to win convincingly 21:10.

Turkey's Yakup Sener, 21, who won the AIBA European Olympic Qualifying Event Trabzon 2012, began brightly against the inexperienced Serge Ambomo from Cameroon, throwing fast combinations to great effect as he raced into a three point lead after the first round. Ambomo, 26, was eager to impress but was too erratic at times and was leaving himself open to too many counters from his rival who also took the second round. The crowd were willing on the orthodox boxer from Cameroon whose spirit could not be faulted but he could not prevent being defeated 19:10 by Sener. The young Turk will now battle Rahmonov with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.

It was a noble effort by Jamel Herring in the fourth Light Welterweight (64kg) bout versus 21-year-old Daniyar Yeleussinov from Kazakhstan, the 2010 Asian Games winner. The US Marine Corp from North Carolina was untested at international level and the gulf in class was obvious as Yeleussinov picked his punches at will in the first two rounds and slowly wore down the American southpaw. By the third, the Kazak fighter was floating around his opponent and catching him with some hard one-twos. Yeleussinov eased into the second round of the preliminaries with a slick 19.9 victory.

27-year-old Iranian National Champion Mehdi Toloutibandpi and Spain's 21-year-oldJonathan Alonso Flete put on a good show for the spectators by going toe-to-toe for three rounds. In this one, it was experience that made the difference as Toloutibandpi just edged each round to win 16:12. The orthodox fighter from Iran is now drawn with Yeleussinov in the next stage of the competition.

The ultimate bout of the afternoon session saw Hungary's 2009 AIBA World Boxing championships bronze medallist Gyula Kate do battle with 22-year-old Eslam Mohamedof Egypt. A tentative start by the experienced Kate, now a three-time Olympian, saw him trail by a point at the end of the first round but he regrouped to set a much higher tempo. The Hungarian orthodox found his rhythm in the final two rounds, throwing some good combinations as he overturned his deficit to inflict a confidence boosting 16:10 defeat on his rival. 30-year-old Kate will now face Italy's Vincenzo Mangiacarpe for a place in the last eight.

The evening session will once again showcase the world's best Light Fly (46-49kg) and Light Welterweight (64kg) Men over eleven bouts as the boxers seek to book their places for the second round of preliminaries.