★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience©®™: Jul 25, 2013

Thursday, July 25, 2013

"KNOCKOUT KINGS II," featuring former Two-Time Welterweight World Champion Andre Berto facing tough Mexican veteran contender

"KNOCKOUT KINGS II," featuring former Two-Time Welterweight
World Champion Andre Berto facing tough Mexican veteran contender
Jesus Soto Karass in a 12-round main event for the vacant NABF
Welterweight Championship, takes place Saturday, July 27 at the AT& T
Center in San Antonio, Texas. The event is promoted by Golden Boy
Promotions and Leija & Battah Promotions and sponsored by Corona and
AT&T. In the 12-round co-featured attractions, Weslaco, Texas' undefeated
rising star Omar Figueroa Jr. squares off against Tokyo's Nihito Arakawa for
the vacant WBC Interim Lightweight World Championship in a fight
promoted in association with Teiken Promotions and undefeated power-
puncher Diego Chaves faces fellow unbeaten knockout artist Keith Thurman
for Chaves' WBA Interim Welterweight World Championship in a fight
promoted in association with KO International. The tripleheader will be
broadcast live on SHOWTIME® at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT and will be available
in Spanish via second audio programming (SAP).

♔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, 2012, 2013 All photos other than those specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Impress Photo-Studios♔ and KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Blog-Online Publication all rights reserved.

DON KING STATEMENT: AIBA/IOC‏

Famed boxing promoter Don King ripped the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) yesterday for a plan to launch a pro fight league whose boxers could compete in the Olympics.
AIBA Professional Boxing would offer fighters from 19-40 a chance to work their way through national, regional and world levels in 10 weight categories starting later this year.
Olympic boxing was once closed to pro fighters, but those who join the new league rather than sign with promoters, such as King or rivals Bob Arum and Oscar de la Hoya, could compete in the Olympics under the AIBA plan.

The AIBA would require current pro fighters join the AIBA pro league two years ahead of their first Olympic qualifying event and stay with the league at least two years after the Olympics while current amateurs must join within three years of their first Olympic qualifying event.
“I am extremely concerned by the commandeering of those participating in the Olympics by the AIBA,” King said in a statement.
“Their policy demanding that participants sign exclusive professional contracts with AIBA in order to participate in the Olympics is tantamount to monopoly, coercion and restraint of trade.”
King, whose once-mightty stable of top names in boxing has faded in recent years, could lose young prospects to the AIBA. He aims his criticism at the idea of pitting pro fighters against amateurs with the Olympics as a lure.
“I am frightened, shocked and appalled the AIBA and International Olympic Committee could support such a harmful policy,” King said.
“I strongly advise the AIBA and the IOC to dismiss their efforts to emasculate the boxers in their monopolistic practices and circumnavigate the boxing organizations and professional promoters, giving the AIBA and IOC veiled control over the sport of boxing.
“This policy is not only implausible, it is immoral, harmful and highly dangerous.” – AFP
♔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, 2012, 2013 All photos other than those specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Impress Photo-Studios♔ and KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Blog-Online Publication all rights reserved.

BOXING IN ATLANTA; GOLDEN GIRL BOXING PRESENTS

UNDISPUTED SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEGA-FIGHT DANNY "SWIFT" GARCIA VS. LUCAS MATTHYSSE ADDED AS CO-MAIN EVENT OF "THE ONE: MAYWEATHER VS. CANELO"

UNDISPUTED SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEGA-FIGHT DANNY "SWIFT" GARCIA VS. LUCAS MATTHYSSE

ADDED AS CO-MAIN EVENT OF "THE ONE: MAYWEATHER VS. CANELO"

TWO OF THE MOST HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FIGHTS IN YEARS ON THE

SAME NIGHT; SATURDAY, SEPT. 14 AT THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA

IN LAS VEGAS, LIVE ON SHOWTIME PPV^®

Mayweather Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo Promotions officially announced today that Undisputed Super Lightweight World Champion Danny "Swift" Garcia and WBC Interim Super Lightweight World Champion Lucas "The Machine" Matthysse will meet in a decisive bout which will anchor the undercard of the biggest boxing event in years, "THE ONE: Mayweather vs. Canelo" on Saturday, Sept. 14 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, live on SHOWTIME PPV^®.

If Mayweather vs. Canelo is "THE ONE" fight for boxing fans worldwide, then the highly anticipated Garcia vs. Matthysse is "THE ONE-A." Garcia, the undefeated WBC, WBA Super and The Ring Magazine World Champion, has emerged as the division's dominant force over the last 18 months by dismantling world champions Amir Kahn, Zab Judah and Mexican legend Erik Morales twice. Matthysse burst on to the world stage in May by seizing the scoring an electrifying knockout of highly skilled World Champion Lamont Peterson. The third-round knockout of Peterson put the world on notice that Matthysse's power was to be feared and that The Machine was rising to the division's top spot.

Now, the fight that has been called potentially "mind blowing" (Yahoo! Sports), could steal the show of a mega-event headlined by the world's pound-for-pound king, Mayweather, and a young fighter who many have tapped as boxing's next global star, Canelo.

"This is the fight I wanted and the fight that I asked for. That is why I'm so happy this fight has been made and will be a part of this huge event," said Danny Garcia. "I'm more confident than ever in my abilities and I'm going to show it on September 14. Matthysse is a good fighter and has a big punch, but I'm a talented fighter with what it takes to be a champion and stay that way. This is an opportunity for the world to see what I can really do in the ring."

"I'm glad I finally get a chance to fight Danny Garcia," said Lucas Matthysse. "This is the fight that the entire boxing world (especially my country Argentina) and I wanted. I want to thank my promoters Golden Boy Promotions and Mario Arano for making this fight possible. On September 14, I will show the world that I am the best 140 pound fighter on the planet."

"Floyd was adamant about giving fans what they wanted to see when he chose Canelo Alvarez as his opponent for his September 14 fight," said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. "We're thrilled that Garcia vs. Matthysse has been added to the card, and that fans will be getting even more boxing at its best."

"The compelling match-up between Garcia and Matthysse could absolutely be its own main event," said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. "We've added another fight that fans have been clamoring for to an already stellar night of boxing. With the addition of this mega fight we are certain that "THE ONE" will continue to break boxing records."

"Boxing is at its finest when the best step up to fight the best, and this is what we have with Mayweather and Canelo and now Garcia and Matthysse," said President of Golden Boy PromotionsOscar De La Hoya. "September 14 will be one of the most memorable nights of boxing we have been treated to in a long time."

"Garcia vs. Matthysse is a fight fan's dream matchup," said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports^®. "It is a main event-quality fight by itself. To add it to what is already the biggest pay-per-view main event in years, makes the September 14 event the best PPV card in recent memory."

Garcia (26-0, 20 KO's) is a popular and crowd-pleasing fighter in the prime of his career. In his last start, the 25-year-old boxer-puncher registered one knockdown en route to successfully defending his 140-pound titles with a clear, hard-fought unanimous decision win over former Four-Time World Champion Judah on April 27 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The victory over Judah continued Garcia's streak of sensational performances against high-profile opposition that began a year earlier when he defeated the legendary Morales the first time via a unanimous decision to capture the WBC world title. The following July, Garcia shocked Khan and the boxing world with a stunning fourth-round technical knockout of the British superstar to add the WBA Super and Ring Magazine World Championships to his collection. On Oct. 20, 2012, Garcia knocked Morales out with a hellacious left hook in the fourth round of their rematch. A 2008 U.S. Olympic Team alternate, Garcia is a physically strong, durable and determined young fighter who is poised and patient in the ring who has fought current or past world champions in his last six fights: Judah, Khan, Morales twice, Kendall Holt and Nate Campbell.

The demand for Garcia vs. Matthysse began immediately after Matthysse brutally knocked out Peterson, dropping him three times, this past May 18 in Atlantic City, N.J.

Matthysse (34-2, 32 KO's), who is rated No. 1 at 140 lbs. by The RING Magazine, has scored a staggering 94 percent of his wins by knockout, one of the highest KO percentages for a world champion in history. The 30-year-old hails from Trelew, Argentina and has won six fights in a row by knockout. In his last nine fights, he has fought five world champions defeating Peterson (TKO 3), Humberto Soto (TKO 5) and DeMarcus Corley (TKO 8) and losing extremely close, questionable 10-round split decisions against Devon Alexander and Judah in his opponents' home towns. Many observers think he deserved to win both of those fights. Matthysse, who constantly pressures his opponents and wears them down, was also a solid amateur boxer in his native Argentina.

"THE ONE: MAYWEATHER VS. CANELO," a 12-round fight for Canelo's WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine Super Welterweight World Championships and Mayweather's WBA Super Welterweight Super World Championship taking place Saturday, Sept. 14 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, is promoted by Mayweather Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo Promotions and sponsored by Corona, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Valvoline, Mexico Tourism and Fred Loya Insurance. In the 12-round co-featured attraction, WBC, WBA Super and Ring Magazine Super Lightweight World Champion Danny Garcia and thunderous punching WBC Interim Super Lightweight World Champion Lucas Matthysse square off in a fight presented in association with Swift Promotions and Arano Box Promotions. The mega-event will be produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. The event can be heard in Spanish using secondary audio programming (SAP).

No Holds Barred: Emile Griffith, 1938-2013

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman pays tribute to boxing legend Emile Griffith, who just passed away at age 75.

Upon hearing of his passing, our correspondent Charles Farrell wrote of Emile Griffith that he was a "spectacularly good fighter. His fights with Luis Rodriguez are works of art. Those two were as close to being equals as any two fighters I've ever seen." Those fights can now be seen on YouTube.

Back in October 2008, there was a media event in Manhattan for the publication of the book "Nine ... Ten ... And Out! The Two Worlds of Emile Griffith". This book was written by Ron Ross and published by boxing promoter Lou DiBella. We spoke with both of them at that event, and are reposting these interviews, which originally appeared on the now-defunct SecondsOut Radio, in their entirety.

This is what we wrote at the time about these interviews:

We spoke at length with the author of this book, Ron Ross, and its publisher, boxing promoter Lou DiBella, about the significance of this story about Emile Griffith, who had a Hall of Fame career in the 1960's and '70's as a welterweight and middleweight champion of the world many times over.

But this book, and our discussion, also delved into that second, less public world lived in by Emile Griffith, that of a gay man. In our conversations, we all emphasized the importance of promoting tolerance, even in this brutal world of boxing.

♔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, 2012, 2013 All photos other than those specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Impress Photo-Studios♔ and KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Blog-Online Publication all rights reserved.

New Golden Boy Live! Series On FOX Sports

Brooklyn's top middleweight contender Danny "Miracle Man" Jacobs, former world title challenger Giovanni Lorenzo from Manhattan, the Bronx's undefeated rising star Eddie Gomez, welterweight prospect Steve Upsher, 2012 U.S. Olympian
Marcus Browne from Staten Island and Brooklyn's bantamweight prospect Claude Staten Jr. will be joined by Golden Boy Promotions Partner Bernard Hopkins and EVP of Programming and Research of FOX Sports Bill Wagner to hold a New York City press conference to officially announce the first event of the Golden Boy Live! series on FOX Sports 1. The Monday, August 19 event at Best Buy Theater in Manhattan marks the first of 24 Golden Boy Live! events scheduled to take place across the country in the next year

Thompson Boxing Promotions Signs Colombian Lightweight Prospect Cesar Villarraga‏

Thompson Boxing Promotions today signed Cesar Villarraga, a lightweight prospect out of Bogota, Colombia, to a promotional contract. Thompson Boxing Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions will share promotional responsibilities for the 27-year-old boxer.

"I am extremely happy to sign with Thompson Boxing and GSP," said Villarraga. "Ken Thompson, Gary Shaw and Alex Camponovo have provided an amazing level of support. I am anxious to start my professional career and I can't wait to start training for my first professional fight."

Villarraga hopes to follow in the footsteps of fellow countryman and Thompson Boxing Promotions client, Jhonatan Romero (23-0, 12 KOs), who recently captured the IBF junior featherweight title earlier this year. "Jhonatan set the bar high and that is how it is supposed to be," said Villarraga. "I have high aspirations. I want to be the first would champion from Bogota and the best to come from Colombia."

"Cesar has an exciting style to his game," said Ken Thompson, president and founder of Thompson Boxing Promotions. "He is a quick hitter that does not like to stand around and dance. He has great speed and a high boxing IQ that will serve him well as he climbs the ranks of the lightweight division."

"We are very happy to continue working with Colombian boxers," said Alex Camponovo, general manager of Thompson Boxing. "We have an elite team from the South American country that has proven itself over time and now Cesar, under the watchful eye of his manager/trainer Danny Zamora and our guidance, has the opportunity to reach his goals."

Villarraga starred for Colombia at the 2010 South American Games going through Hector Manzanilla (Venezuela) and Erick Banguera (Ecuador) to advance to the gold medal match against Everton Lopes of Brazil. Villarraga would bring home the gold in the 57kg event and would later qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. In London, Villarraga would lose early to Cuba's Roniel Iglesias. Rather than sulk in defeat, Villarraga turned the loss into a learning experience.

"The London games made me even more dedicated to the sport," said, Villarraga, who started boxing at age 15, a late start partly attributed to his early love of soccer. "Mentally I now know how to handle situations more efficiently. I have learned to value every movement, any shuffle of the feet and every punch has its purpose."

Villarraga had an amateur record of 250 wins against 30 loses. He is married and has two boys. The youngest is a new born at 10-months and the other is five-years-old.

JUAN CARLOS BURGOS TO FIGHT YAKUBU AMIDU ON JULY 26TH AT THE THUNDER VALLEY CASINO RESORT ON ESPN’S FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS‏

Tough Yakubu Amidu has stepped in for the injured Daulis Prescott to face two-time world title challenger Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-1, 20 KO’s) in a twelve round bout that will headline a great night of boxing at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Sacramento, California. The bout will take place on July 26^th and will be broadcast live on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.

The fight is promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing.

Amidu of Los Angeles via Ghana has an impressive mark of 20-4-1 with 18 knockouts and has faced solid opposition.

The twenty-eight year old is a former NABA Lightweight champion who has wins over John Revish (10-2-2); Joseph Laryea (11-2); Emeka Kodo (15-2) and Fatiou Fassinou (13-1).

Amidu won several championships in his native Ghana and is managed by world famous actor Vince Vaughn.

In his last bout, Amidu lost a split decision to undefeated Haskell Rhodes in a bout where many ringsiders believed that Amidu was a victim of a hometown decision.

In the ten round co-feature, Miguel Gonzalez (21-3, 15 KO’s) takes on Josenilson Dos Santos (26-1, 16 KO’s) in a Lightweight bout.

A full undercard will be announced shortly

Special guests scheduled to be in attendance will be former world champions Tony “The Tiger” Lopez, Loreto Garza, James Toney and Hall of Fame referee Joe Cortez.

Welterweight Prospect Artemio Reyes Headlines "Locked 'n Loaded" Show July 26‏

In another exciting addition to its "Locked 'n Loaded" series, Thompson Boxing Promotions showcases up and coming welterweight Artemio Reyes, (19-2, 15 KOs) of Colton, Calif. against the veteran Sergio Perez, (28-14, 19 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico on Friday, July 26, 2013 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Ontario, Calif. The bout is scheduled for 8 rounds.

Reyes, who is riding a four-fight winning streak, last won in February with a second round knockout of Rodolfo Armenta. Reyes has fought most of his professional bouts in California's Inland Empire and is excited to put on a show for his hometown fans.

"The crowds at the DoubleTree are made up of boxing diehards that know a great fight when they see one," said Reyes, who is promoted by Thompson Boxing Promotions. "Perez presents a tough challenge because of his experience, but I put in a lot of work for this fight and I'm confident that I'll get the victory and the fans will get what they pay for."

In the intriguing co-feature, junior flyweights Sindy Amador, (10-0, 1 KO) of Riverside, Calif. and Jolene Blackshear (7-3, 3 KOs) of San Diego will battle for the vacant interim WIBA Jr. Flyweight world title in an 8-round fight. It is the first championship fight for Thompson Boxing Promotions at the DoubleTree Hotel. In ten undefeated fights, Amador has solidified her reputation as a bona fide brawler. Always pressing and never shy to take a punch to deliver two, Amador prefers to smother her opponents with a flurry of punches.

"That's my style," said Amador, who last won in April in a unanimous decision against Adrienne Alegria. "I stalk my opponents and deliver heavy punches whenever possible. Eventually they tire out and that's what I intend to do to Jolene on July 26. Most of my opponents find it difficult to make in-match adjustments. We'll see how Jolene handles the pressure."

The undercard features Colombian middleweight prospect Alex Theran (13-0, 8 KOs) putting his unbeaten record on the line in a 6-round bout against Juan Carlos Rojas (5-5, 4 KOs) of Mexico, while middleweights Ralph Lopez (6-1, 5 KOs) of Riverside, Calif. and German Valdez (2-1, 1 KO) of Mexico open the show in a 4-round fight.

Heavyweight Javier Torres (7-6-1, 4 KOs) of Los Angeles and super bantamweight Jorge Ruiz (2-0, 1 KO) of San Diego will also be on the card. Their opponents will be announced at a later date.

Doors open at 6:30 pm, and the first bell rings at 7:45 pm. The DoubleTree Hotel is located at 222 N. Vineyard Ave., Ontario, CA 91764 and can be reached at (909) 937-0900.

"Locked 'n Loaded" is presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Lucas Oil and Everlast, in association with Time Warner Cable Deportes.

♔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, 2012, 2013 All photos other than those specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Impress Photo-Studios♔ and KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Blog-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Share SBS w/Family or Friends

Thursday, July 25, 2013