Agbeko vs. Mares; Post-Fight

In a great action fight Saturday marred by puzzling officiating by the referee that left fans at The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, those watching on SHOWTIME® and the telecast team themselves totally perplexed, Abner Mares won The Bantamweight Tournament Final: Winner Takes All and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight title with a majority 12-round decision over defending IBF titlist Joseph King Kong Agbeko.

The unbeaten Mares (22-0-1, 13 KOs), of Hawaiian Gardens, Calif., scored two knockdowns – one in the first and one in the 11th that was one hotly disputed – en route to outpointing the New York-based Agbeko (28-3, 22 KOs) of Ghana by the scores of 115-111 twice and 113-113.

But talk afterward centered less on the terrific performances of the talented, proud prizefighters and more on the referee, Russell Mora, whose failure to deduct a point from the winner despite at least five warnings for low blows and several other shots that seemed south of the border left many in disbelief.

During the telecast, SHOWTIME ringside analyst Antonio Tarver said, “Mora robbed all of us of a great fight.’’
There were 1,394 punches thrown in a give-and-take slugfest. Mares connected on 318 of 732, Agbeko on 318 of 732.

“I thought the first knockdown was clear,’’ said Mares, who made history by becoming the first homegrown Golden Boy Promotions boxer to capture a world title. “On the second I hit him on the belt and the ref chose to give him a count. I agree with the ref’s choice.

“I like to work the body but I was making the fight and all he did was counter-punch.

“I’m open to fight anybody (next). I love this tournament and would love to be in another one like this.’’

Said Agbeko, who demanded an immediate rematch, “I felt as though I was fighting two opponents in the ring tonight, Abner Mares and the referee. The referee ruled incorrectly on the knockdowns and he allowed Mares to hit me low repeatedly. Then, in the 11th, he called what everyone could see was another obvious low blow a knockdown.

“I don’t why these things happened to me. I felt the ref was against me from the start. All I wanted was a fair fight.

“I like Abner. He’s a good fighter. But I’m sure he didn’t want to win a fight this way.’’

♔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.

The Bantamweight Tournament Final: Winner Takes All WORLD TITLE FIGHT BETWEEN JOSEPH AGBEKO & ABNER MARES SATURDAY, AUGUST 13 LIVE ON

Joseph King Kong Agbeko has been cleared by doctors to return to work and will defend his International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight championship against undefeated rising star and World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver 118-pound titleholder Abner Mares, who will also defend his title, in The Bantamweight Tournament Final: Winner Takes All on Saturday, August 13, live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) at a site to be determined.

The highly anticipated 12-round world title matchup between New York-based Agbeko (28-2, 22 KOs) of Accra, Ghana and Mares (21-0-1, 13 KOs) of Hawaiian Gardens, Calif., by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, was originally scheduled for April 23, but was postponed when Agbeko was injured moments after arrival at Los Angeles International Airport for fight week. Doctors at a nearby hospital diagnosed the champion with sudden onset sciatica, a back injury.

The August 13 SHOWTIME Championship Boxing telecast will be Agbeko’s fourth consecutive appearance on the network and the third in a row for Mares.

“The talented and courageous men in this division have delivered some of the most memorable fights of the last decade,” said Ken Hershman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports. “This tournament concept has already delivered three excellent match-ups and the best is yet to come with this Final. I am proud of Joseph and Abner for staying on course to finish what they started. May the best man win.”

Agbeko, who had never previously missed a fight, was told by a Los Angeles physician to receive treatment and wait six weeks before resuming training after the April 23 postponement. When he was cleared to fly, Agbeko returned to his native Ghana to rest but will return to New York next week to resume training.

“I have been receiving physical therapy treatments here in Accra and I am happy to report that my body has responded well,” Agbeko said. “I feel healthy and stronger than ever and will be ready to fight on Aug. 13.”

“I would like to thank Abner Mares and SHOWTIME for giving me time to recover from this most unfortunate of injuries. I will forever remember their great sportsmanship during my time of trouble.”

Mares welcomed the news. “I’m excited to get the fight with Agbeko rescheduled so I can finish what I started and win the bantamweight tournament. It was unfortunate that Agbeko was injured in April, but I’m happy he has recovered and we have a date set now. I want to fight the best and I know I can beat the best. I will not rest until I become the best of the best in the bantamweight division.”

Agbeko will be making his first start since recapturing the IBF crown with an impressive 12-round unanimous decision win over then-unbeaten Yonnhy Perez in the bantamweight tournament semifinal on Dec. 11, 2010, in Tacoma, Wash. Agbeko convincingly won a thrilling give-and-take battle by the scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113. Their exciting fight came in a rematch of a 2009 Halloween night slugfest that Perez won on points.

It will also be the first fight back for Mares since the semifinals in Tacoma, where he rallied dramatically to earn the most significant victory of his career, a 12-round split decision win over former two-division world champion Vic Darchinyan in a bloody, knockdown-laden affair. Mares recovered from a deep cut along his hairline in the opening round, the first knockdown of his career in the second round and a point-deduction in the fourth round to floor Darchinyan in the seventh round en route to a victory by scores of 115-111, 113-112 and 111-115.

The world championship fight will be promoted by Don King Productions and Golden Boy Promotions. A venue and an exciting undercard for the August 13 event will be announced shortly.

♔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.

Agbeko vs. Mares: The Bantamweight Tournament Final & Final & Undercard- SHOWTIME Boxing Saturday, Aug. 13 at 10pm

As the countdown begins for The Bantamweight Tournament Final, meet the two boxers who fought their way to the top of the class: Joseph Agbeko and Abner Mares. Saturday August 13th at 10pm ET/PT The highly anticipated 12-round world title matchup between New York-based Agbeko (28-2, 22 KOs) of Accra, Ghana, and Mares (21-0-1, 13 KOs) of Hawaiian Gardens, Calif., by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, was originally scheduled for April 23, but was postponed when Agbeko was injured moments after arrival at Los Angeles International Airport during fight week.

Agbeko vs. Mares: The Bantamweight Tournament Final Video;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GONVP2jZww

Tournament Final & Undercard

Undefeated lightweight rising star Luis Ramos Jr., (19-0, 8 KO’s), of Santa Ana, Calif., and

“Dangerous” David Rodela (15-4-4, 6 KO’s), of Oxnard, Calif., also participated in Thursday’s workout in preparation for their 10-round lightweight bout on the Aug. 13 non-televised undercard. Undefeated and heralded prospect Carlos Molina (14-0, 7 KO’s) of Norwalk, Calif., participated in the workout and will face an opponent to be named in an eight round junior welterweight bout.
The Bantamweight Tournament Final: Winner Takes All will take place on Saturday, August 13, live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. The event is promoted by Don King Productions and Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona.



♔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.

Azumah Nelson Foundation Charity Auction/Meet & Greet at World Famous Gleason's Gym -June 13th,2011

Azumah "The Professor" Nelson, former WBC world champion, put African boxing on the map KO after KO and became the only boxer from the continent of Africa to date to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Azumah Nelson will make his first appearance at New York's famous Gleason's Gym on June 13, 2011, from 6-9pm for a meet and greet charity auction, benefiting the Azumah Nelson Foundation's "Mentoring for a Brighter Future" building project in Akuse, Ghana- which marries sports & education. The Azumah Nelson Academy is being built on 50 acres of land acquired by Azumah Nelson to give back to the young people & future of Ghana, as he calls on the help of the global village to raise every child by mentoring for a brighter future.

Azumah Nelson holds his title of "The Professor" to heart, as he has made it his life's mission to educate the children of the black star nation of Ghana, West Africa. Azumah Nelson has dedicated all proceeds from his new documentary entitled Zoom Zoom -The Professor, which made its US debut at the National Geographic Headquarters in Washington DC on April 2, 2011, along with his book Azumah Nelson, The Professor: 12 rounds of Boxing & Life, to raising money for the Azumah Nelson Academy building project.

Azumah Nelson holds the high reverence of being dubbed the Mohammed Ali of Africa, a man who is bigger than life to most Africans and boxing fans throughout the world, whom he has inspired not only through his globally recognized accomplishments, but also through his compassion & dedication to giving back to his nation & to Africa as a whole. Today hip-hop artists from Africa name check him in their raps & young boxers from Ghana like Joshua Clottey, who has garnered international fame, fight in his name & shadow because he paved the way to respecting the strength, power & intelligence of the African fighter.EL Boxing Empress 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" Keisha Morrisey- Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved

Adjaho Gets Big Shot Against DeMarco in July 11 Darchinyan-Agbeko Co-Feature on SHOWTIME‏

NEW YORK– It’s hard to tell who this fight means more to. Is it bigger for Antonio DeMarco to impress his growing legion of followers as he climbs up the lightweight rankings ladder? Or will Anges “Baby Face” Adjaho make a name for himself in his SHOWTIME debut and prove he’s a legitimate top-10 contender in the 135-pound weight class?

Fans will find out on Saturday, July 11, when DeMarco (21-1-1, 15 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico, takes on West African native Adjaho (17-2, 9 KOs) in a battle of top-10 contenders in the co-feature on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).

The 10-rounder will precede Vic "Raging Bull" Darchinyan’s attempt to become a world champion in a third weight class when he challenges International Boxing Federation (IBF) 118-pound champion Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko from the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla.

The 23-year-old DeMarco is on a 10-fight winning streak and is coming off the biggest bout of his young career, a hard-fought ninth-round TKO over “Kid Diamond” Almazbek Raiymkulov (27-2-1, 15 KOs) to capture the North American Boxing Organization (NABO) lightweight title on Feb. 7, 2009, on SHOWTIME.

In the 29-year-old Adjaho, DeMarco will face the No. 4 ranked IBF and No. 6 World Boxing Council (WBC) contender who resides in Geneva, N.Y., but has been training in Miami, Fla. In his last fight on Valentine’s night, Adjaho won a unanimous decision over Fernando Angulo.

DeMarco is currently recognized as the No. 2 contender by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and No. 4 by the WBC and World Boxing Association (WBA). The son-in-law of former world champion Raul “Jibaro” Perez, DeMarco got the victory when Kid Diamond would not come out for the 10th round because of an injury. It was DeMarco’s fourth victory on SHOWTIME; the others came on ShoBox: The New Generation in 2008.

As tough and big as the Kid Diamond fight was for DeMarco, he knows facing Adjaho is comparable. “This is my biggest fight,” he said. “After this fight we want to go after a world title. We’re already No. 3 in the rankings so we think we should be able to go after guys that are ranked higher.”

DeMarco has not seen much of his newly announced opponent but his manager Jorge Marron has requested tape and knows Adjaho will be tough.

“We like his style,” Marron said. “He’s a physical fighter who will give Tony a real test. But we think we’re going to win this fight. We’re one or two fights away from a major world championship. Tony is a dedicated professional who wanted this fight.”

Adjaho said, “I haven’t seen DeMarco fight before. But I will be ready when we fight. I just want to do the right thing and make sure than I am ready for this fight. This means everything to me. I need to win this fight so I can continue taking care of my family. I also need to win if I want to become a world champion. This year is going to be great for me and I can’t wait.”

The event is being co-promoted by Don King Productions and Gary Shaw Productions, LLC.

Agbeko (26-1,22 KOs), of New York by way of Ghana, will be making the second defense of the 118-pound crown he won with a seventh-round TKO over Luis Perez in August 2007. A winner of five in a row, Agbeko is coming off a 12-round decision over William Gonzalez on Dec, 11, 2008.

Darchinyan (32-1, 26 KOs) solidified his status as the No. 1 super flyweight in the world – and one of the top boxers pound-for-pound – with back-to-back impressive victories over Jorge Arce last Feb. 7 on SHOWTIME and Christian Mijares on Nov. 1, 2008, on SHOWTIME.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING announcers Gus Johnson and Al Bernstein will call the action with Jim Gray reporting from ringside. The executive producer of SHOWTIME Sports is David Dinkins Jr., with Bob Dunphy directing.

See you at the Fights.
Thanks for your time.

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