★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience©®™: Mar 5, 2013

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Tim Bradley vs. Ruslan Provodnikov Saturday, March 16 live on HBO World Championship Boxing®

Undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Timothy Bradley (29-0, 12 KOs), of Palm Springs, Calif., top-rated contender Ruslan Provodnikov (22-1, 15 KOs), of Siberia, Russia, and their respective trainers Joel Diaz and Freddie Roach, held an International Media Conference Call. They discussed their spectacular world championship event, which will take place Saturday, March 16, under the stars at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. and televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.

♔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.

Hopkins vs. Cloud Saturday, March 9 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn

Hopkins vs. Cloud, a 12-round fight for Cloud's IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship will take place Saturday, March 9 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Don King Productions and sponsored by Corona, AT&T, Ford and Rocawear. The HBO World Championship Boxing telecast begins at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. The co-main event will be a 12-round fight between top rated undefeated contender Keith Thurman and former World Champion Jan Zaveck for Zaveck's WBO Inter-Continental Welterweight Championship.

♔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.

Holly Holm – Mary McGee on May 11 at Route 66 Casino Hotel in Albuquerque

Fresquez Productions held a press conference today to announce its next boxing event, “Mayhem,” headlined by 14-time, three division world champion Holly “The Preachers Daughter” Holm (32-2-3, 9 KOs) – the recognized pound-for-pound Queen of Boxing – against challenger “Merciless” Mary McGee (20-1, 11 KOs) on Saturday night, May 11th

It's official Wladimir Klitschko will defend his Unified Heavyweight Championship against Francesco Pianeta on May 4th.

Will the champ continue to dominate or can Pianeta pull off the upset in a year that has started off with a major upset in the Heavyweight Division.

Bobby Gunn Calls Out Kimbo Slice, Gary Shaw

Former IBA world cruiserweight champion Bobby “The Celtic Warrior” Gunn (21-5-1, 18 KO) recently expressed his interest in fighting street fighter turned You Tube sensation, turned MMA fighter turned pro boxer, Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson (7-0, 6 KO) inside the squared circle.
Outside of the boxing ring both fighters carry a more than reputable standing on the bare knuckle circuit, and in 2010 both parties nearly came to an agreement to wage war without gloves as Gunn’s team offered Team Slice $400,000 for a fight. Slice and his team rejected the offer.
Gunn has established himself as the top dog in bare knuckle boxing, winning the first sanctioned even in 123 years.
“Kimbo and his team can pretend to deny that they were ever contacted about our fight,” said Gunn. “But the writer who broke the original story was Lorne Scoggins, and he was in contact with both camps. It’s simple. On the street, in a vacant warehouse or in the ring, fighters fight. And it doesn’t make a difference to me; every fight is important to me. To be the man, you have to beat the man. And Kimbo Slice, you will never be the man.”
Now nearly three years later, Slice has since moved on from dominating less than formidable street opponents, having done his time as a MMA fighter inside the octagon, and now is focusing his career on professional prize fighting.
Since turning pro in 2011 Slice has won the first seven fights of his career, with his opponent’s total combined records of 13-19. One of the baddest backyard fighters of recent times, Slice has fallen short in showing his dominance inside the ring. Now promoted by Gary Shaw, Slice is slowly working his way to bigger and better fights in the heavyweight division.
“Kimbo has never proved himself against any reputable opponents,” said Gunn. “He avoided us in the bare knuckle circuit, and since turning pro as a boxer he has struggled to walk through the tomato cans Gary Shaw has put in front of him. I’ve reached out to Shaw countless times to show my interest in going to battle with Slice. We are both bare knuckle legends, and it would be a hell of a show if we met in the ring. Kimbo needs to show he is the real deal and fight a real fighter, and I am more than willing to give him the chance.”
Gunn’s last outing between the ropes was a hard-nosed battle fought against future Hall-of-Famer James Toney, where Gunn suffered a broken hand in the 4th round and was unable to fight past the 5th.
“A fight with Kimbo makes sense,” Gunn continued. “He wants recognition as a boxer, and he needs to stop fighting these jokers they put in front of him. He wasn’t ready to man up three years ago when we presented him the chance to fight without the gloves. Now we can see if his bite is as bad as his bite by him stepping up and agreeing to fight me. It’s not complicated. It’s time to step up to the plate Kimbo.”
At 39-years-old, Kimbo needs to take on a statement fight in order to establish his legitimacy as a gloved contender.

Gunn expressed he is willing to fight Slice at the location of his choosing, and whenever he feels ready.

♔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.

Amir Khan Takes On Julio Diaz On April 27 At Motorpoint Arena In Sheffield; 2012 Olympic Bronze Medalist Anthony Ogogo Makes His Pro Debut‏

FORMER UNIFIED WORLD CHAMPION AMIR "KING" KHAN TAKES ON FORMER WORLD CHAMPION JULIO "THE KIDD" DIAZ IN HIS RETURN TO ENGLAND ON APRIL 27 AT MOTORPOINT ARENA IN SHEFFIELD

PLUS, 2012 OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDALIST ANTHONY OGOGO

MAKES HIS PROFESSIONAL DEBUT

After nearly two years fighting away from England, the "King" is back. On Saturday, April 27 at Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, British superstar Amir "King" Khan returns to England to face former World Champion Julio "The Kidd" Diaz.

Plus, 2012 Olympic Bronze Medalist Anthony Ogogo makes his long-awaited professional debut in a four round middleweight bout against an opponent to be determined.

"April 27th is going to be a special night," said Khan. "It's been two years since I last fought in the United Kingdom and I can't wait to get in the ring in front of my fans. Julio Diaz is a former World Champion and a very dangerous opponent who is coming off of an impressive performance in his last fight. I know he will be coming with guns blazing and I'm ready for whatever he has to throw at me. With my speed and boxing skills, and his power and experience, it makes for a really exciting matchup. He may have other ideas but I'm adamant that my return to the British shores is going to be a very successful one."

"I'm not going to England for the fight to go to the scorecards. I'm fighting for the knockout," said Diaz. "I know the knockout is the only thing that will get me the win, so I'm training extra hard already in order to get a victory on Khan's home turf. I'm a heavy hitter and he can't take a punch, so to me, that is the perfect combination."

"I'm proud to be British and so the opportunity to turn pro on such a big fight card in England is a dream come true," said Ogogo. "I want to become a world champion and this is the first very important step. I know what I have to do and that is to win and I want to win in style. I can't wait to show the British public what I can do and will be training as hard as I possibly can between now and April 27^th to get myself in the best shape I've ever been in".

"Return of the King": Khan vs. Diaz is a 12 round 143 pound catch-weight bout presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Khan Promotions and sponsored by JD Sport and Maxi Muscle.

"We're excited to return to England and bring the loyal British fans the return of Amir Khan on April 27," said Oscar De La Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions. "Amir is closing in on a shot at regaining his world champion status and I know he's going to use the energy from the crowd in Sheffield to motivate him. Standing in his way will be a dangerous opponent in Julio Diaz who is on a hot streak of his own that he expects to keep intact in England.

"April 27 is going to be a great night for boxing in the U.K. and a great night for Golden Boy Promotions," said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. "Between Amir Khan returning home where he is immensely popular and the pro debut of our newest prospect Anthony Ogogo, this is a great way to jump start an amazing run of fights that Golden Boy Promotions will be a part of in England for many years to come."

"It was well known that Amir wanted to have his next fight back home in Britain for his loyal fan base," said Asif Vali of Khan Promotions. "It has taken a bit of time to get to this point, but we're delighted to announce Julio Diaz as his next opponent. He upset the odds to score a draw in his last fight against a highly touted prospect in Shawn Porter and we know he will be looking to upset the odds and score a win come April 27. Both fighters have been world champions and Amir is determined to reach that summit once again. It will be a night not to miss in Sheffield as we witness 'the return of the King'."

"Motorpoint Arena Sheffield is delighted to be playing host to Amir Khan's return to Britain," said Joe Waldron, Deputy General Manager of the Motorpoint Arena Sheffield. "We host some of the biggest stars in the world in this region and it's a privilege to have secured another in Amir with his first fight back on British soil in two years. This event will be a special occasion for all boxing fans and the Sheffield public with yet another unforgettable night expected at the Motorpoint Arena."

A true international superstar that captured the world's imagination when he won a Silver medal for Great Britain in the 2004 Olympics at age 17, Amir "King" Khan (27-3, 19 KO's) is one of boxing's best, a dynamic boxer-puncher with fight ending power and lightning quick speed. Just 26 years old, Bolton's Khan is a former Unified Super Lightweight World Champion with five successful title defenses to his name. Among the foes he has dispatched are Marco Antonio "The Baby Face Assassin" Barrera, Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi, Marcos "El Chino" Maidana and Zab "Super" Judah. In his most recent fight on December 15, 2012, he stopped previously unbeaten Carlos Molina in the 10^th round. Now he looks forward to returning home and entertaining his fans in person

A respected veteran and former World Champion Julio "The Kidd" Diaz (40-7-1, 29 KO's) is a member of a fighting family and he has been boxing for much of his life. Diaz is still in his physical prime at 33 and he has shown that he has plenty left in the tank as he looks to win a second divisional title. A native of Jiquilpan, Michoacan Mexico who now fights out of Coachella, California, Diaz has impressed fans in his return from a year-long layoff, knocking out Henry Aurad and Hector Sanchez and battling unbeaten, highly touted prospect Shawn Porter to a draw in a fight many believe Diaz won in his last fight in December. On April 27, Diaz is hoping to take matters out of the judges' hands.

A talented soccer player who played for Norwich City FC when he was younger, Lowestoft, England's Anthony Ogogo found his true love in the ring where he has been competing since the age of 12. After winning a Junior Olympic Gold medal and Silver medals at the Commonwealth Games and European Championships, Ogogo earned a place on Great Britain's 2012 Olympic team. In London this past summer, Ogogo beat representatives from the Dominican Republic, Ukraine and Germany to win a Bronze Medal, thrilling his fans from throughout the United Kingdom. Outside the ring, the 24-year-old Ogogo is a former model and was also a cast member of the 2008 hit reality show, "Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack." On April 27, the charismatic middleweight will begin his journey as a professional.

Wright answers the call; will face Manfredo Jr. March 15th

SEATTLE NATIVE WALTER Wright, a quarterfinalist on Season 2 of The Contender reality series, will face fellow Contender alum and Rhode Island native Peter Manfredo Jr. on March 15th at Twin River Casino.

As he continues to rewrite his future in professional boxing, Peter Manfredo Jr. must first revisit his storied past, reliving his glory days as a fan-favorite on the hit reality television series The Contender.

With Joey Spina unable to fight due to an injury, thus squashing what was shaping up to be a highly-anticipated rematch between two of Rhode Island’s most beloved fighters, Manfredo Jr. (38-7, 20 KOs) will now face fellow Contender alum Walter Wright (14-3, 7 KOs) in the 10-round main event of “Unfinished Business” Friday, March 15th, 2013 at the Twin River Event Center, presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports.

“I like Walter from The Contender Season 2, and I’m also glad he’s stepping up on just two weeks’ notice,” said Manfredo Jr., who rose to fame in 2005 when he reached the finals of the show’s inaugural season. “That’s why he’s a true contender.

“I was training and preparing for Joey Spina, so now I have to get mentally ready for a whole different fight and fighter, but, at the end of the day, the fans will see a great fight.”

Wright, a Seattle, Wash., native and former quarterfinalist in Season 2 ofThe Contender, hasn’t fought since a six-round unanimous-decision win over Joshua Snyder in 2010, but he’s remained active throughout his layoff, most notably as a training partner for James Kirkland during Kirkland’s preparation for bouts against Alfredo Angulo and Carlos Molina, which were held in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Wright had also been preparing for his own comeback in June against Omar Henry, but that fight fell through at the last minute.

“I’m even more excited about this bout than I was for the potential Joey Spina-Peter Manfredo rematch,” Burchfield said. “The Contender has thrilled boxing fans for years with its candid, in-depth look at the sport of boxing, and its showcasing of great, young talent, and both Peter and Walter are two of the brightest, most successful stars to emerge from the fray.

“Because of their determination and perseverance, they’ve succeeded where other Contender alums have failed, and they’re both as hungry as ever to make another run at a world title, so it’s only fitting they meet face-to-face in front of what will be a sold-out crowd at the beautiful Twin River Casino on March 15th.”

In 2006, Wright won his opening bout on Season 2 of The Contender in convincing fashion, beating Andre Eason 50-44 on all three scorecards before losing in the quarterfinals to future world champion Cornelius Bundrage. Later that year, Wright returned for the Season 2 finale at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and defeated fellow castmate Vinroy Barrett by fourth-round knockout. Proving his success under the bright lights was no fluke, Wright faced off against then-unbeaten junior middleweight Dan Wallace in January of 2007 on ESPN2′s Friday Night Fights and scored a knockout win in the eighth and final round.

For Manfredo Jr., “The Pride Of Providence,” this is the second fight of his much-heralded comeback, which began in November with a unanimous-decision win over Rayco Saunders at Twin River. The undercard of “Unfinished Business” features an array of intriguing regional showdowns, starting with an intra-city battle between Joey Gardner (10-5-1, 1 KO) and Reynaldo Rodriguez (6-5-1, 3 KOs) of Woonsocket, R.I. The former training partners will go toe-to-toe in a six-round super middleweight special attraction.

Also on the undercard, Boston middleweight Julio Garcia (6-3, 3 KOs) – trained by former heavyweight world champion John Ruiz - will faceThomas Falowo (8-1, 6 KOs) of Pawtucket, R.I., in a six-round bout while light heavyweight Kevin Cobbs (6-1, 2 KOs) of Burlington, Vt., who is looking to bounce back from his first career loss in November, will face hard-htting Paul Gonsalves (4-2, 3 KOs) of Harwich, Mass., in a four-round bout.

Warwick, R.I., super middleweight Benny Costantino (7-2, 4 KOs) is also back in action and looking to bounce back from his loss in July as he faces Quincy, Mass., veteran Emmanuel Medina (2-3-1, 2 KOs), who appeared in a nationally-televised bout on ESPN2 in January. Unbeaten, 19-year-old Polish welterweight Patryk Szymanski (5-0, 2 KOs), fighting out of North Bergen, N.J., will make a special appearance in a six-round bout against Antonio Chaves Fernandes (2-8-1) of Brockton, Mass. Jesse Barboza (5-1-1, 3 KOs), a Barnstable, Mass., heavyweight, will return to Twin River for the first time since 2010 when he faces Jeramiah Witherspoon (2-2-1, 1 KO) of Altoona, Pa., in a four-round bout, while female bantamweight Noemi Bosques (1-0), a St. Petersburg, Fla., native who now trains in Providence, will face Queens native Vanessa Greco (1-2-1) in a four-round bout. All bouts are subject to change.

Irish Amateur Stars Paul and Anthony Upton Sign With TRAD TKO/Showtime Sports Events

For the past few months famed manager/coach, and now promoter, Johnny Eames has been busy scouring both the domestic and European Amateur and Pro ranks, searching for top unattached prospects to sign with his and TRAD TKO business partner Gianluca Di Caro’s newly launched promotional outfit, Showtime Sports Events Limited.

Two of the first to ink contracts are Irish Boxing brothers Paul and Anthony Upton, both of whom have had outstanding Amateur careers, that see the youngsters secure no less than seven National titles, as well as numerous International honours, between them.

Speaking shortly after putting pen to paper, Anthony Upton Jr. said.

“I started boxing at five years old, watching the likes of Nicky Cook, Colin Lynes and Kevin Mitchell, which made me want to be there where they was in the amateurs.

Fought out of Dagenham and then moved onto West Ham, where ended up meeting Johnny Eames.

Then we ended up moving out to Ireland, beating the Irish Champion in my first championship outing before going on to win five Irish Championships.

I then went on to represent Ireland in the Four Nations in Wales, beat Wales and then I ended up beating England in the final and came away with a Gold medal.

This sent me onto the European Championships in Ukraine in 2006, where I ended up beating a Turk, before getting robbed in my eyes in my fight against a Russian and ending up with the Bronze medal.

I then went on to win the Multi-Nations Cup, a Multi-Nations Bronze and represent my country a number of times, that’s about it really and now it’s time to turn pro.

We knew Johnny from West Ham, so decided to come and talk with him, after hearing the plans of the TRAD TKO/Showtime Sports Events team I knew it was the move to make, so here we are.

We’re going to be training out of Legends Gym and TRAD TKO Gym, under Johnny Eames and we’ll progress from there.

It’ll be nice to go back and fight in Ireland, I’ve been out there most of my life and represented Ireland, have plenty of fans out there so it would be nice to fight there, but it will also be nice to fight in England, in front of my family and friends that live back here in England. I’ve fought abroad before so even when we fight abroad It shouldn’t be a bother to me, it should be a good road.”

After sitting patiently as his younger brother spoke, Paul then added,

“I’m really please to be turning pro with TRAD TKO and Showtime Sports Events, they look to have a big future and I want to have a big future with them.

I love fighters like Billy Joe Saunders, who I look forward to training alongside here at the TRAD TKO, Winky Wright, who’s a great technical boxer, Floyd Mayweather and Rocky Marciano, they’re role models to me, they’re classy boxers.

I had a good amateur career, was a two time Irish National Champion, Dublin Champion, Ulster Senior Champion, Four Nation Silver Medalist. I lost out on a Commonwealth games spot by two points, lost to eventual Gold Medalist Paddy Gallagher, who’s pro now.

Now it’s time to move on to the pros, so here I am.”

The ever mischievous Johnny Eames cracked a few jokes, before saying,

“I remember Paul and Anthony from when I was leaving West Ham to start my professional career, as a trainer, they were young kids just starting out in the juniors. I didn’t know too much about them, because I moved on to the pros as you know, but they have both had great amateur careers.

They’re actually two of five brothers, three of them have just turned pro, the oldest has just turned pro with my good friend Ricky Hatton and I’m sure he’ll do well up there.

Paul and Anthony didn’t want to relocate to Manchester, they’re happy here in London, so because of the West Ham connection they’ve come along to sign with me.

Young Paul has won two National titles, I believe, over in Ireland, All Ireland titles. He won Silver at the Multi-Nations.

Anthony has had five All Ireland titles, European Bronze and a Multi-Nations Gold, so it’s obvious they are two boys that have got extreme talent.

I’m really looking forward to working with them, both in England and in Ireland, where they are going to be big draws.”

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