Fortuna vs. Zamudio; Friday’s ESPN Tripleheader Undercard Announced‏

The complete card has been finalized for this Friday’s (April 19) ESPN Friday Night Fights-televised (10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 HD, ESPN Deportes and WatchESPN and later televised Saturday April 20, at 2:30 a.m. on ESPNEWS) tripleheader from the Tropicana Showroom in the Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City.

Presented by Sampson Boxing, the spectacular night of world-class boxing will be headlined by La Romana, Dominican Republic’s dynamic Javier “El Abejon” Fortuna (21-0, 15 KOs) defending his interim WBA World featherweight title against Sinaloa, Mexico’s Miguel “Mikol” Zamudio (25-1-1, 13 KOs) in an intriguing 12-round clash.

Also scheduled for televised battle are St. Thomas, Virgin Islands’ promising, once-beaten John “Dah Rock” Jackson (15-1, 14 KOs) and St. Paul, Minnesota’s undefeated “Sir” Cerresso Fort (16-0-1, 11 KOs), who will lock up in a six-round junior middleweight war.

Completing the televised tripleheader will be Ghana’s Emmanuel Lartei Lartey (14-0-1, 7 KOs) taking on the Dominican Republic’s Jonathan Batista (13-0, 6 KOs) in a six/eight-round welterweight battle of undefeateds.

On the undercard, undefeated Anthony Young (7-0, 3 KOs) of Atlantic City will face St. Clair, Pennsylvania’s Rafael Montalvo (2-3, 2 KOs) in a four-round welterweight clash; Brooklyn, New York’s Dean Burrel (6-1, 5 KOs) will face Durham, North Carolina’s Vernon Alston (5-4, 5 KOs) in a four-round lightweight bout; and in a pair of four-round heavyweight battles, undefeated Charles Martin (6-0-1, 6 KOs) of St. Louis, Missouri, will face David Saulsberry (7-5, 7 KOs) of Greenville, Kentucky, and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania’s Eric Newell (5-2-1, 3 KOs) will take on Buffalo, New York’s Excell Holmes (2-1-1, 1 KOs).

♔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.

No Holds Barred: The Death of Strikeforce and the Rise of Bellator

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On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the death of Strikeforce and the rise of Bellator MMA.

We trace some of the history of Strikeforce, and how its first show in March 2006, featuring Frank Shamrock vs. Cesar Gracie, was directly related to the rebirth of this show. No Holds Barred. After slowly growing, culminating in the inception of the Heavyweight Grand Prix in 2011, Strikeforce was sold in March 2011 to Zuffa. After that, it was only a matter of time until it was closed down, which will happen following the final Strikeforce card on January 12, 2013. We thus discuss the some of the main lessons of the rise and fall of Strikeforce.

Bellator began running shows in April 2009, which were only televised live in the U.S. in Spanish on ESPN Deportes. After a year there and one on Fox Sports Net, where it was preempted numerous times amidst a different schedule in many markets, Bellator began to get more stability with a deal for weekly live shows on TV giant Viacom's MTV2 beginning in March 2011. Then, on October 26, 2011, Viacom itself announced the purchase of a majority stake in Bellator. Beginning on January 17, 2013, Bellator's live weekly shows will be shown in the U.S. on Spike TV, a cable powerhouse and former home of the UFC.

We thus also discuss the growth of Bellator, their tournament format for crowning champions and number-one contenders, their rebranding efforts as Bellator MMA, and their prospects now that they will be live on Spike TV. We also play an excerpt from a Bellator and Spike TV media conference call of December 11, 2012, with Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney and Spike TV President Kevin Kay about Bellator MMA's first season on Spike TV.

♔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.

ESPN DEPORTES ENHANCES ITS BOXING PROGRAMMING LINEUP, MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA SIGNED AS COMMENTATOR‏

ESPN DEPORTES ENHANCES ITS BOXING PROGRAMMING LINEUP

Weekly Boxing Program Debuts January 23; Legendary Boxer Marco Antonio Barrera Signed as Commentator; Bernardo Osuna Joins ESPN2 Friday Night Fights

Marco Antonio Barrera



In its continued commitment to better serve the U.S. Hispanic sports fan, ESPN Deportes announced today significant enhancements to its boxing programming lineup, highlighted with the launch of Golpe a Golpe, weekly, live news and analysis boxing program that will be co-hosted by legendary boxer Marco Antonio Barrera. In addition, the 2009 season of Viernes de Combate (Friday Night Fights) will premiere with numerous production enhancements, including its own Spanish-language studio show incorporated into each broadcast.

Set to debut Friday, January 23 at 6:30 p.m. ET, Golpe a Golpe will be ESPN Deportes’ first news and analysis show fully dedicated to the world of boxing. The live 30-minute program will be co-hosted by SportsCenter anchor Jorge Eduardo Sánchez and Marco Antonio Barrera. The Golpe a Golpe show will extend beyond television to include radio, online and wireless to broaden fan interaction. ESPNdeportes.com will dedicate a special page to the program featuring weekly chats, blogs and video segments with Barrera exclusively produced for online. Content on ESPN Deportes Mobile will be blogs, videos and audio podcasts of the show.

“This is the beginning of an exciting new era for boxing on ESPN Deportes,” said Lino Garcia, general manager, ESPN Deportes.” “Boxing is one of the most popular sports among Hispanics and with this program we hope to fill the void for consistent boxing news and information on Spanish-language television.”

“We are proud to add Marco Antonio, a boxing legend and hero for millions of fans, to our commentator lineup,” said Chris Calcinari, vice president, production and operations, ESPN Deportes, ESPN International. “His experience will bring instant credibility to the show.”

In addition, starting with the 2009 season, boxing series Viernes de Combates will feature its own Spanish-language production of a special show incorporated into each broadcast. The program will originate from Bristol, Connecticut and feature Jose Hernandez and Leopoldo Gonzales as hosts, joined by a special in-studio guest analyst. ESPN Deportes’David Faitelson and Robert Sierra Noches will call the action for Viernes de Combates set to premiere January 30 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PST. with main event Herman Ngoudjo (17-2, 19 KO’s) vs. Juan Urango (20-1-1, 16 KO’s) of Colombia for the vacant IBF Jr. Welterweight title.

Barrera has left his mark in every division in which he has set foot - from Super Flyweight to Super Featherweight - earning world titles in three weight classes. He caught the boxing world’s attention February 3, 1996, after defeating former IBF Super Bantamweight Champion, Kennedy McKinney (28-1-1). Today, a 16-year veteran of the sport, Barrera is a seven-time world champion in three different weight classes WBO Super Bantamweight (122 lb), IBO / WBC Featherweight (126 lb), WBC Super Featherweight (130 lb) and IBF Junior Lightweight (130 lb) divisions, Barrera (61-4, 42 KOs) is without question one of the greatest Mexican fighters of all-time. On January 8, 2009, Barrera announced that he will face Johnny Nolasco of the Dominican Republic in Guadalajara, Mexico on January 31, 2009.

In addition to the boxing enhancements on ESPN Deportes, ESPN2 Friday Night Fights will feature former Telefutura Solo Boxeo analyst Bernardo Osuna throughout the network’s 2009 coverage. Osuna will be featured as part of a rotating panel that will appear in-studio on select telecasts. The entire rotating panel will be announced at a later date and will feature Bernard Hopkins. One of the most respected boxing journalists on Spanish-language television brings a wealth of knowledge on Hispanic up-and-coming boxers to ESPN2 Friday Night Fights. His professional achievements include the prestigious Sam Taub Award for excellence in broadcast journalism presented by the Boxing Writer’s Association of America, three Emmy awards, seven Golden Mic awards by the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California and a Journalist of the Year award by the World Boxing Association in 1997.

See you at the Fights.
Thanks for your time.

Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience The Video Channel Online http://www.youtube.com/ELEmpress1

EL Boxing Empress Keisha Morrisey's Myspace http://www.myspace.com/Keishadivine

Honorable Keisha Morrisey http://www.keishamorrisey.com/

©®™2007, 2008 All photos by "EL Boxing Empress" Keisha Morrisey- Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios, for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved

ESPN Deportes Reloads with new programming during its 2008 Upfront Event‏; In the Main Event, Frankie Figueroa, retains the NABF Welterweight champion

At its Upfront ’08 presentation, ESPN’s Spanish-language multimedia brand, ESPN Deportes, announced impressive distribution gains and presented the advertising community with a host of new ideas and creative content demonstrating the network’s commitment to innovative multiplatform programming across its television, radio, online, print and wireless properties.

Boxing took center stage at the event held at New York City’s exclusive Gotham Hall. Following the Presentation guests were treated to a special, onsite production of Miércoles de Combate (Wednesday Night Boxing) to mark the return of the sport to ESPN Deportes. The production was in association with DiBella Entertainment.

Francisco Figueroa, NABF Champion


Francisco Figueroa now (19-2, 13 KO's) of the Bronx, New York put his NABF title on the line up against Luis Rodriguez now (22-2, 13 KO's) of Monterrey Mexico. Francisco Figueroa won by a unanimous decision over Rodriguez in a 12 rounds NABF Super Lightweight Championship bout.

Francisco, in the ring ready to face Luis Rodriguez


Frankie family and friends sport "El Gato" gear and watch Figueroa in the ring.


Luis Rodriguez congratulates Francisco Figueroa


Frankie "El Gato" Figueroa talks with ESPN DEPORTES sports journalist regarding the victory.


Ring card girl, round 6


Joselito Collado now (3-0-0- 1 KO) of Queens New York defeated Jose Ortiz now (1-2,0- 1 KO) of Jersey City New Jersey in a 4 rounds featherweights bout.

Joselito Collado


Jose Ortiz


Johnathan Nelson now (2-0-0, 0 KO's) of Little Rock, Arkansas stopped in round 2 Borngod Washington who now drops to (0-3-0, 0 KO's) of Astoria New York, in a scheduled 4 rounds Light Heavyweights bout.

Johnathan Nelson, Ozell Nelson and trainer


The company’s first-ever televised upfront provided a star-studded guest list, as well as home viewers, the opportunity to experience the power of the ESPN Deportes brand first-hand. The Upfront Presentation, themed “ESPN Deportes Reloaded,” reinforced the company’s multiplatform approach, showcased the television network’s distribution growth and innovative programming initiatives and highlighted the network’s recent addition to Nielsen’s U.S. Hispanic Cable service.

Biz Markie provided the sounds for the ESPN DEPORTES event


Sadam "World Kid" Ali, Olympian 2008 and Dad attends the ESPN DEPORTES event


Ring Card Girls


Juan La Porte, Former fighter and Golden Gloves champion attends the ESPN DEPORTES event


Fan and Fighters at the ESPN DEPORTES event


For live video footage interviews with Frankie Figueroa and more go to; Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience The Video Channel Online http://www.youtube.com/ELEmpress1

EL Boxing Empress Keisha Morrisey's Myspace http://www.myspace.com/Keishadivine

Honorable Keisha Morrisey http://www.keishamorrisey.com/

©®™ 2007, 2008 All photos by "EL Boxing Empress" Keisha Morrisey- Empire Morrisey Studios, for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved

ESPN DEPORTES ANNOUNCES WEDNESDAY NIGHT FIGHTS DURING THEIR 2008 UPFRONT EVENT

DON’T MISS THE OPENING NIGHT OF THE NEW ESPN DEPORTES WEDNESDAY NIGHT FIGHTS FEATURING UP AND COMING LATINO BOXERS

ESPN Deportes, the leading multimedia Spanish-language sports brand, will
announce the launch of Wednesday Night Fights during a live televised presentation of its 2008 Upfront.

ESPN Deportes has partnered with DiBella Entertainment in order to produce a series of boxing matches airing weekly on Wednesday nights which will feature up-and-coming Latino boxers.

A total of three fights will be televised with a one hour delay in ESPN Deportes. Categories include: NABF Junior Welterweight Championship, Junior Welterweights, Heavyweights, Junior Lightweights, Super Bantamweights and Super Middleweights.

The following fights will be televised:

12 ROUNDS – NABF JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Francisco “El Gato” Figueroa
Bronx, NY
18-2, 13 KO’s

vs.

Luis Rodriguez
Monterrey, Mexico
22-1, 13 KO’s

Francisco “El Gato” Figueroa


8 ROUNDS – JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS

Joelo Torres
Puerto Rico
9-0, 5 KO’s

vs.

Chris Fernandez
Salt Lake City, UT
15-4, 8 KO’s

6 ROUNDS – JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHTS

Alberto Amaro
Catano, Puerto Rico
3-1

vs.

Jorge Lara
Bronx, NY
2-4-1


Gotham Hall
1356 Broadway & 36th Street
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Boxing Fights start at 7:00 PM

For live interviews with Frankie Figueroa and more go to; Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience The Video Channel Online http://www.youtube.com/ELEmpress1

EL Boxing Empress Keisha Morrisey's Myspace http://www.myspace.com/Keishadivine

Honorable Keisha Morrisey http://www.keishamorrisey.com/

©®™ 2007, 2008 All photos by "EL Boxing Empress" Keisha Morrisey- Empire Morrisey Studios, for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved