BERNARD “THE EXECUTIONER” HOPKINS PHILADELPHIA MEDIA WORKOUT QUOTES‏

“Tavoris Cloud is an aggressive young fighter.  I heard him at the press conference in New York City.  He described himself as the Mike Tyson of this era.

“Ive been on a path that I keep my body on the right track and duck more punches than I take.  I can fight until I’m 50 years old.

“The less you get hit, the more you can speak and count your money.

“I am going to be glad and excited to be at Barclays Center.  It is the new Mecca of Boxing in New York.  It used to be the hood.  Now it’s known as ‘Hello Brooklyn.’

“I get a chance to leave my legacy in Brooklyn.  Not only am I honored, but I ‘ve earned that.

“I’m past the stage of breaking records.  It’s my legacy that I want to protect.  It’s important to me that in my last couple of fights I didn’t put myself on the line by doing one third of the work that I’ve put in all of these years.  I refuse to surrender to that kind of mentality.

“Anyone that can beat me, any one that can embarrass me, will become an instant star.

“I believe that Cloud’s aggressiveness will make this an action packed fight because he’s thinking of himself as number one because he has the belt.  He needs to come in and make adjustments to my style.  If he can’t make adjustments, you will see a repeat of the Kelly Pavlik fight.

“I’m different.  I’ve set records and broken records.  I have to concentrate not only on what I did yesterday, but what I’m going to do tomorrow.

“People ask me, ‘What does it feel like to be 48?’  I say that I don’t know because if you ask most people in their late forties or even late thirties how they feel, they might say they’re ready to die because they aren’t healthy and don’t have longevity like me.  You can’t put me in the same category as a regular guy.

“I don’t expect Cloud to dance like Ali.  I don’t expect him to do anything to buy time.  I expect him to come forward.  That’s what I would do if I was 30 fighting someone who is almost 50.

“I have to stay busy and I’ll win every round.  The cat is out of the bag because I’m not coming to get beaten up.

“There is no one saying that I am going to get blown out on March 9 when I step into that ring.  There is no one saying that I’m going to lose the fight.  They are saying that Tavoris Cloud’s style is my forte.  Cloud comes forward and throws bombs and anyone I’ve fought that comes forward, I’ve beaten.  The only thing they are saying is that ‘He is 48.’

“Maybe I’ll go down a pound or two before I leave this sport, or maybe I will help my partners at Golden Boy and help them find new talent as a promoter or maybe I will find a little fat stomach that makes me look like I am retired.

“There’s a lot working against me, but there is also a lot working for me.  I have the conditioning to adjust to the times.  The game didn’t change, but I’m ready to face someone that is young enough to be my son and in some cases, my grandson.

“I am leading the 40-and-up club.  There are a lot of 40-year-olds rooting for me because they have interns looking over their shoulders trying to take their jobs.

“I am living out what we talked about 10 or 15 years ago.  I knew I was going to be here.  We talked about this moment.  I knew I could do this.  I know I can still win or compete on this level.

“I am so competitive; I know I have the body and skills to still do this.

“I love this game and sometimes love can hurt.”

♔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.

Scott "Cujo" Sigmon VS Kelly Pavlik on ESPN2

♔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.

Cujo VS Kelly Pavlik on ESPN2; "A slice of life documentary on Cujo will be coming soon!

♔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.

22 year old ‘Bazooka’ Joe Linenfelser Already vet. pro boxer for nearly 6 years “Irish” Micky Ward & Dicky Eklund now working ‘Bazooka’ Joe’s corner

Junior middleweight prospect “Bazooka” Joe Linenfelser (9-1-1, 6 KOs), a 22-year-old boxer from Rockford, Illinois who lived a few years in Florida before returning home, has already been fighting professionally for nearly six years.

When he made his pro debut October 8, 2005, stopping 181-fight veteran Donnie Penelton in the opening round of their fight in Iowa, Joe was only 17 years old, the youngest pro boxer in the United States at that time, and a high school senior in Port Richey, Florida.

Most states require professional boxers to be 18. Iowa, however, licensed Linenfelser at 17 but only after he received special permission, which included a review of his grades and a letter from a teacher, an evaluation in terms of possessing exceptional boxing ability for his age, and undergoing an interview with Iowa Athletic Commissioner Dave Neil to convince authorities that Joe’s decision to turn pro was his own.

“I was going to the gym and the only guys there for me to spar with were pro heavyweights or pros,” Joe explained. “They took it easy on me because I was so young, but I was able to hang with them and decided to turn pro when I turned 17. I just love boxing. I tried to get away from it a few times because I had to make money working. It’s tough putting in a tough 40 hours of work and then go train at night, but boxing sucked me back in. For about 5-6 months, I was the youngest professional boxer in the United States.”

Joe first got the boxing itch when he was only 6 ½, while watching his father Jeff workout. “I bought Joe a pair of Sugar Ray Leonard boxing gloves when he was four,” explained Jeff, who manages his son’s career. “Right away, I knew he was a boxer by the way he threw an overhand right. The other little kids would get hit, cry and stop. Joe always took a good punch and, when he threw that overhand right….all done! He started learning how to box at 6 ½ and had his first amateur fight when he was nine. Joe (36-12 amateur career record) won a few Illinois State championships and reached the final of the Florida Silver Mittens. But Joe didn’t learn the art of boxing in the amateurs, gaining invaluable experience from gym workouts with pros like Pat Coleman.

“Joe’s always had heavy hands. He may not look fast, sort of like watching Kelly Pavlik, but he can really hit. Punching power is about timing, not speed, and Joe has an incredible sense of timing. When he gets moving, he goes one way and throws in motion; his opponent is gone. He played football and wrestled in school. He finished third in the state in wrestling and set a junior high record for interceptions, but I knew from the start that he was a boxer. Joe was a national 140-pound kick-boxing champion when he was 15, but he wasn’t challenged enough and stuck with boxing.”

Jeff has coached his son up to this point, but he just reached an agreement with “Irish” Micky Ward and his brother, Dicky Eklund, to start training “Bazooka” Joe.

In October of 2008, Linenfelser registered his signature victory to date against former NABA & NBA champion “Fearless” Fernando Hernandez, who Joe had previously defeated in a kickboxing fight. Linenfelser put Hernandez to sleep in the fifth round and then into retirement right after their fight in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Next up for “Bazooka Joe” was an eight-round throw-down with 1996 Cuban Olympian Ivan Leden (12-8-1), in Milwaukee, that Linenfelser won by decision.

Linenfelser was inactive the for 14 ½ months (2010-2011) due to an injury suffered in the ring, until his triumphant ring return this past April against Jeremy Marts in Chicago. Linenfelser dropped Marts twice from body shots in the final round en route to a win by unanimous, six-round decision.

“I started fights cautiously for the first few rounds,” Joe described his style of fighting. “I don’t like to miss. I feel one missed punch counts as getting hit with 10. I time my punches and, when I hit them, they’re out. I have a little possum in me. I do a lot of baiting and breakdown my opponents with hard body punches. The last two years I’ve worked hard on body punching with my dad. Fights often come down to body punches landed, when they start holding their elbows down to protect the body, and then it’s time to go upstairs to finish ‘em off.”

Linenfelser’s nickname, “Bazooka Joe,’ was this father’s idea. Jeff went so far as to ask The Topps Company, Inc. for permission to avoid any trademark infringement. “Joe’s was a kid who liked to chew bubblegum,” Jeff explained. “Nobody had ever used that name, which had been around for a hundred years, and Joe does hit like a bazooka - it just kind of fit.”

“Bazooka” Joe Linenfelser is promoted by Bobby Hitz’ Hitz Boxing Entertainment, managed by his father Jeff Linenfelser, and now co-trained by “Irish” Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund.

♔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: George Kimball and the State of Boxing‏

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman pays tribute to the noted sports and boxing journalist George Kimball (http://www.georgekimball.com).

After a long battle with esophageal cancer, George Kimball passed away Wednesday, July 6, at age 67, in New York.

While many reminiscences are being written about his life, we are focusing on his contributions to the battle for boxing reform. The lead boxing writer for the Boston Herald for 25 years, George was one of the few newspaper reporters who helped launch the Boxing Writers' Rankings Poll in 2000, and remained a registered voter in it until its demise some years later. We also read comments about his passing from Howie Sirota, who founded the Boxing Writers' Rankings Poll.

On October 18, 2008, we conducted an interview with George in Atlantic City before the Bernard Hopkins-Kelly Pavlik fight. We discussed the book he had just written, Four Kings: Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, Duran and the Last Great Era of Boxing (http://www.mcbooks.com/bookstore/product_details.php?id=739). This marvelous book traced the intertwined careers of Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, and Roberto Duran. We spoke with him right after he had participated in a forum on the book with trainer Emanuel Steward, promoter Bob Arum, and announcer Larry Merchant.

We also discussed with him why such an era of so many great rivalries can't happen today, why media coverage of boxing is harder to do today than it was in the past, the changed role of publicists, the decline of newspapers, the Internet and television and the future of boxing, and more. As part of our tribute to him, we replay that interview on No Holds Barred.

♔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.

Unified and Undisputed Hopes for 2009

Unified and Undisputed Hopes for 2009

By Michael Amakor

Suitland Md, December 20, 2008: With the explosion of alphabet boxing associations organizing championship bouts for TV networks, the public has become confused about who the real boxing champions are today, and there is a long standing debate as to whether the multitude of champions in each division are good for boxing in general. They days when identifiable phenoms like Muhammed Ali and Mike Tyson attracted millions of fans to boxing are long gone and fans are screaming for a dominant champion like Mike Tyson to re-emerge.

But at no time in boxing history have so many entertaining, but meaningless (at least to the public) fights taken place transferring the championship batton to all comers at a blinding pace and further distorting the public's perception of the real champions in each division as is happening presently. Below is a selective analysis to point out some divisions that should be encouraged to produce a Unified and undisputed champion in 2009 --

CRUISERWEIGHTS (200lbs)

All the hard work by Don King in arranging the Cruiserweight unification contest starting in 2005 was laid to waste by David Haye who seized the title from Jean Marc Mormeck (who had done all the hard work by unifying the titles against Wayne Braithwaite and O’Neil Bell) and promptly dumped all the titles and the division to begin a media hyped run for the heavyweight title like his predecessors before him. His exit destroyed the chances of a recognizable unified champion emerging for the division as the belts splintered again and the very tough and angry Guillermo Jones emerged at the WBA after brutalizing Firat Arslan, Giocobbe Frogmeni emerged at the WBC, and Adamek dethroned Steve Cunningham for the IBF in the best fight of 2008, while the WBO title remains vacant. None of these champions would make much of a headway at heavyweight so they should be forced to fight each other. We are missing the greatest fights of the 21st century by not financing a unification contest in this division, even the TV show the contender picked cruiserweights for its fourth season.


LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (175lbs)

This division is killing itself by recycling the spent Roy Jones, and old workhorses Bernard Hopkins and Glen Johnson. The loquacious Antonio Tarver started the unification campaign by beating Muriqi and Woods for the IBO, and IBF title respectively only to lose it all to the young and aggressive Chad Dawson, who may prove to be the future of the division. Calzaghe’s ranking in the division is meaningless in this assessment because he owns none of the belts and he is only interested in marquee money fights after the financial disaster against last pay day searching Bernard Hopkins. WBO Zsolt Erdei restricts his campaigns to Germany and should be fined for non-exposure to fans stateside, and there is absolutely no buzz around WBC Adrian Diaconu or WBA Hugo Guray. Even if Calzaghe vs. Dawson or Dawson vs. Hopkins could be arranged, the winner would retire before engaging in an unnecessary and cashless event against the other champs. Fans should have Zsolt stripped , or force him to fight Guray, or come out to the US to challenge Dawson who may relinquish his titles rather than fight him for financial reasons (like he did instead of fighting Diaconu), any ideas?

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT (168lbs)

Unified and Undisputed champ Joe Calzaghe made his successful and long awaited entry up to 175lbs but not before tainting the undefeated record of emerging super star Mikkel Kessler, who rebounded nevertheless to regain the WBA title to stake his claim to being the real champ in the division. However Calzaghe’s exit removed the cover off the snake pit of heavy handed contenders as the dangerous Carl Froch emerged to seize the WBC belt after a war of attrition with Jean Pascal, Dennis Inkin emerged at the WBO and Lucian Bute escaped with his IBF belt after a highly controversial war with Librado Andrade. Europeans can help by forcing Kessler, Froch and Inkin to fight each other to compel North Americans to ship the winner of Bute vs. Andrade to be feasted on by the winner of the Euro contest.


MIDDLEWEIGHTS (160lbs)

Not too long ago Jermaine Taylor seemed to be sinking this division with performance disasters against Spinks and Kasim Ouma, but Pavlik brought back the excitement to the division after beating Taylor to capture and retain the WBO and WBC titles.

Thereafter Pavlik to my dismay made a safe defense and wandered out of the division into his losing misadventure against perennial spoiler Bernard Hopkins, however, this loss may perhaps force him to stay at 160 where he belongs. The next logical fight for Pavlik would be a fight against the IBF's tenacious Arthur Abraham who has repeatedly called him out, and that fight may happen as Pavlik has no other logical money fight scheduled. But, before that fight happens WBA champ Felix Sturm may get the first shot at Abraham to settle certain squabbles between the two. This division is on the verge of unification, but you may be surprised at who finally emerges the undisputed champion.

Light Middleweights (154lbs):

This is the worst division so far, there is no buzz around any of the fighters and to make matters worse you have reigning and interim champs at the WBC and WBO. Nobody wants to fight the awkward WBO interim champ Paul William, except maybe 147 champ Margarito. WBC champ Vernon Forest just recovered from the Sergio Mora upset, the IBF chair is vacant and nobody has heard of WBA Daniel Santos or the WBO’s Sergeii Dzinziruk, who?, I am weary, somebody please take over the drumming

Super Lightweight (140)

IBO titlist Ricky Hatton could be said to be the champ of the division, but he now has WBC Timothy Bradley and WBO champ Kendell Holt to contend with, these champs need Hatton more than he needs them, so they will be calling him out pretty soon hoping he will listen to them. The IBF title is vacant and nobody has heard of the WBA champ, but we can still force Hatton’s hand into a unification contest

WELTERWEIGHTS (147lbs)

In 2007 and 2008 this star studded division was held hostage by the talented Floyd Mayweather who was not interested in unifying the titles; he instead stepped up to 154lbs for a lucrative title fight against De la Hoya instead of tackling Cotto, thereby leaving it up to Margarito who eliminated Cotto and Cintron from unification contention. Andre Berto and Joshua Clottey emerged at the WBC and IBF respectively and a bewildered (by his inability to get a payday against the other titlists) Paul Williams stepped up successfully into the WBO 154 title leaving the WBO 147 title currently vacant. There is no smoke for a unification here, and Margarito is embroiled in a scheduled contest with the tenacious Shane Mosley for his title. The winner will not be interested in any low budget unification fight against the WBC and IBF champs, but would set their sights on the 154 division, with Margarito perhaps looking to avenge his loss to Paul Williams and Shane perhaps looking for a retirement trilogy against 154 champ Vernon Forest. No dominant champ will emerge in 2009 but both Berto and Clottey will make some valiant defenses of their belts to stake claims to being the true champ,

HEAVYWEIGHTS (Unlimited lbs)

Wladimir Klitchko the IBF and WBO champ was slowly emerging as the dominant fighter in the division before his WBC Emeritus champion brother Vitali beat defending champ Sam Peters after a comeback from retirement. Vitali’s victory somehow underscored the weakness of the division that has encouraged even Holyfield to make another title attempt against Nikolay Valuez for the WBA strap. As long as both brothers remain titlists there will be no real unification in the division as they have vowed not to fight each other despite sadistic ploys by the boxing world. Still, both brothers will somehow find a way to remove Chagaev, Valuez or Holyfield from the championship picture in 2009, but hold your breath as either Juan Carlos Gomez, Alexander Povetkin, or David Haye may score an upset against either of the duo to shake up the division yet again. Boxing fans should pray that David “foolhardy” Haye scores the upset against Vitali for he will surely seek to unify against Wladimir to put an end to the disunity plans of the Klitchko brothers. Next

Lightweight (135lbs)

A boxing commission sometimes could stop some bad match-ups fights from happening as Pacquaio would have been compelled to a take a more meaningful unification fight with the triple titled WBA, WBC, and WBO Nate Campbell, instead Pacquaio stepped up to 147 in a winning effort against Oscar de la hoya in a non title fight. But it is unlikely he will come back down to the 135 pound division, so Nate Campbell is left holding the bag with no big money fight despite his accomplishment of unifying the titles. Somebody please set up a unification rewards fund or make Pacquaio sign up for a miracle fight against Campbell.

Super Flyweight (115lbs) -SEE FIGHT PROMO

Kudos to IBF champ Vic Darchinian for brutalizing Christian Mijares to annex the WBA, WBC titles. He is now scheduled to face the tough Jorge Arce, the winner has only to face WBO champ Fernando Montiel to be the undisputed and unified champ in the division. This is perhaps the easiest fight to arrange, but fight fans with contacts at show time must call the execs to make sure it happens.

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

DEMETRIUS HOPKINS REFUTES ANY CLAIM THAT HE SIGNED ANY DOCUMENT OR FACILITATED THE REMOVAL OF EARL MORTON FOR REFEREE OF PAVLIK – HOPKINS IN ANY WAY

PHILADELPHIA— Contrary to reports that have surfaced on the internet, undefeated Jr. Welterweight, Demetrius Hopkins did not sign any affidavit that led to the removal of referee Earl Morton from this past week’s showdown between Kelly Pavlik and Demetrius’ uncle, Bernard Hopkins.

Hopkins is adamant that he didin't provide any verbal or written information.

Morton was replaced by Benjy Esteves after Morton was alleged to have a friendship with the elder Hopkins.

“I have no idea where anyone would get that I signed something. Have my uncle and I had disagreements this year? Yes. But I would never do anything like that to interfere in his career. I would have no idea if he was friends with this guy and for a report to come out like that is hurtful to me because I am not that kind of a person.” said Hopkins.

“I am very happy for my uncle on his performance on Saturday and for anyone to make something like that up is just horrible reporting.”

Hopkins manager Cameron Dunkin also backs Hopkins, “He didn’t sign anything at any time.”

If anyone would know, it would be Dunkin because he manages Pavlik as well as Demetrius Hopkins

Hopkins, 28-0-1 with eleven knockouts is ranked #9 by the WBC, #11 by the IBF, and #11 by the WBO will have his next fight announced shortly and is looking forward to challenging for the Jr. Welterweight championship

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©®™ 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

The Boxing Standard Hopkins-Pavlik

There's a lot to be said both culturally and generationally about last night's fight. Two things jump out at me. The first is that Bernard Hopkins is never going to be snookered into a loss. You've got to really know how to fight in order to beat him. He's a terrible choice as an opponent for someone on the verge of stardom who hasn't been entirely tested. The second thing (and I think it's a very sophisticated point regarding a fighter's development) is that Kelly Pavlik's fate was probably sealed before the fight by the kind of "blue collar hero" marketing that was done on his behalf (to say nothing of Bob Arum's vast overestimation of him.) This type of pigeonholing (which made it necessary for Kelly to stick with an amateur trainer when he could have had a pro) forced Kelly Pavlik to be one kind of fighter. He's capable of learning (witness the vast improvement between his first and second Taylor fights), but can't do that if he's supposed to fight in a specific manner.

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©®™ 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

Lucien Bute Defends IBF Super Middleweight Title Against Librado Andrade on SHOBOX‏

NEW YORK– Undefeated International Boxing Federation (IBF) super middleweight champion Lucien Bute (22-0, 18 KOs) will make the second defense of his title against once-beaten, No.1 ranked challenger Librado Andrade (27-1, 21 KOs) in a special edition of ShoBox: The New Generation, Friday, Oct. 24 live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

In the co-feature, top prospect and No. 11 ranked World Boxing Council (WBC) contender Ronald Hearns (19-0, 15 KOs) will take on Paul Clavette (14-1-1, 2 KOs) in a 10-round junior middleweight bout.

The fights, which feature four boxers with a combined total of 56 KOs and only two loses, will be promoted by Interbox Corporation of Montreal, Canada from the Bell Centre in Montreal.

A southpaw with true knockout power, Bute, of Montreal, is confident in making another defense in his hometown, where he has fought 18 of his 22 professional bouts.

“I’m thrilled to be making another title defense in my backyard,” Bute said. “I worked so hard to get this title that I’m not going to let anybody take it away from me.”

The 6’2’’ brawler may have knockout power, but Bute is going to need more than that to stop Andrade, also 6’2’’, who has never been knocked out.

“I know he (Andrade) is a tough fighter,” Bute said. “But I’m just as tough as he is. I’ve never lost a fight, let alone been knocked out. I’d love to knock him out, but a victory is a victory. As long as I walk out of that ring still a champion I’m happy.”

A hard-hitting Mexican warrior, Andrade is no stranger to world title fights. His sole loss came in a unanimous decision against then World Boxing Association (WBA) and WBC 168-pound champion Mikkel Kessler on March 24, 2007. Andrade bounced back from that loss with three consecutive knockouts in his last three bouts.

In his last fight on March 22, 2008, Andrade registered an eighth round KO over Robert Stieglitz in an IBF eliminator bout to earn a shot at Bute.

“I’m back to the top of my game,” Andrade said. “You only get so many shots at a title in your career, so you better believe that I’m coming prepared. This is what’s it’s all about. This is what I train for.”

Andrade will be traveling to hostile territory to take on Bute. In his only other fight in Canada, on April 8, 2006, Andrade knocked out Otis Grant in the seventh round in a WBC eliminator bout.

“I’m not worried about traveling to his backyard,” said Andrade. “I’m not traveling all the way up there to get beat. I’ll fight him anywhere for that title.”

The co-feature should be as action packed as the main event as it pits two rising prospects with opposing styles. Hearns uses his explosive power to dominate his opponents, while Clavette relies on his polished boxing skills to outpoint his opponents.

Hearns, who has knocked out 80 percent of his challengers, is one of the top prospects in the junior middleweight division. The WBC No. 11 and WBA No. 13 challenger uses strong combinations and devastating right hooks to plow through his opponents.

“My goal is to get to the top, but I have to get though Clavette first,” said Hearns, of Southfield, Mich. “This is a tough fight and I’m not looking past it. I’m confident I’ll win, but for me the only thing I’m worried about is Oct. 24.”

The son of eight time world champion Thomas “The Hit Man” Hearns, Hearns may need to adjust his style against the crafty Clavette, who has never fallen to the canvas in his 16 professional bouts. The 6’3’’ brawler has a height advantage over the 5’10’’ Clavette, who possesses blazing speed and great footwork.

“Style-wise, it’s going to be a different match up,” Hearns said. “But that has never stopped me before. I’ve fought a lot of different style fighters and I’m still progressing as a boxer. I learn something in all of my fights, but the important thing is that I walk out with a victory.”

Clavette, of Quebec, Canada, only has one loss on his record, a split decision against David Banks on May 24, 2006. The prospect knows that he needs a victory over Hearns to stay relevant in the junior middleweight division.

“Oct. 24 is my shot to prove myself on SHOWTIME,” Clavette said. “I know Hearns is coming ready to fight, but I need this win more than he does. This is my big shot and I’m ready.”

Nick Charles will call the action from ringside with Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing. ShoBox recently celebrated seven outstanding years on the air.

For information on SHOWTIME Sports Programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please go the new SHOWTIME Sports website at http://www.sho.com/sports.

About Showtime Networks Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

About ShoBox: The New Generation

Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talented fighters matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise crowd-pleasing and competitive fights while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. The growing list of fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Leonard Dorin, Scott Harrison, Juan Diaz, Jeff Lacy, Ricky Hatton, Joan Guzman, Juan Urango, David Diaz, Robert Guerrero, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Malignaggi and, now, Kendall Holt.

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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

No Holds Barred: Kelly Pavlik, Bernard Hopkins, Bob Arum, Melvina Lathan, Jack Loew, Naazim Richardson

No Holds Barred: Kelly Pavlik, Bernard Hopkins, Bob Arum, Melvina Lathan, Jack Loew, Naazim Richardson

http://nhbnews.podOmatic.com/entry/2008-10-15T14_45_32-07_00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents our final preview of the fight taking place this coming Saturday, October 18, between Kelly Pavlik (34-0, 30 KOs) and Bernard Hopkins (48-5-1, 32 KOs). The undefeated Pavlik, still the middleweight champion, will step up to light heavyweight to face Hopkins, the former middleweight and light heavyweight champion, in a 12-round fight at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and on HBO Pay-Per-View in the U.S.

At the final news conference held in New York Tuesday, October 14, we got the comments of both Kelly Pavlik and Bernard Hopkins about the historical importance of this fight and what to expect in it. We also have the comments of their trainers, Jack Loew, who trains Pavlik, and Naazim Richardson, who trains Hopkins.

In addition, we have comments about how the current economic crisis is affecting boxing and mixed martial arts from Melvina Lathan, chairperson of the New York State Athletic Commission, and promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, which promotes Pavlik.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes at http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=150801513&s=143441.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter (http://iancarpenter.com/).

Make sure to check out my regular weekly boxing show SecondsOut Radio, at http://www.secondsout.com/radio/. On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, we begin by reviewing the TKO victory by Vitali Klitschko (36-2, 35 KOs) over Samuel Peter (30-2, 23 KOs) to capture the WBC heavyweight championship, and the unanimous decision victory by Chad Dawson (27-0, 17 KOs) over Antonio Tarver (27-5, 19 KOs) to capture the IBF light heavyweight championship. Both fights took place this past Saturday, October 11. This coming Saturday, October 18, the undefeated Kelly Pavlik (34-0, 30 KOs), still the middleweight champion, steps up to light heavyweight to face the former middleweight and light heavyweight champion, Bernard Hopkins (48-5-1, 32 KOs), in a 12-round fight at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This fight will be shown in the U.S. on HBO Pay-Per-View. When both Kelly Pavlik and Bernard Hopkins were in New York for the kickoff news conference for this fight, they spoke with the boxing media about what to expect in their showdown. We have these discussions for you as a preview to this fight. It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, http://www.secondsout.com/radio/, and listen, learn, and enjoy.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com), your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Gladiator Magazine (http://gladmag.com/), for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com) or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear (http://jiujitsuprogear.com/).

FightBeat.com (http://fightbeat.com/), for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
http://eddiegoldman.com

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

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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

FLASH QUOTES FROM PAVLIK-HOPKINS NEW YORK PRESS CONFERENCE

Nazim Richardson: This guy comes to fight and that is good for Bernard Hopkins. John David Jackson will be supporting me in this fight. When you look at Bernard Hopkins, you are looking at a legend and you have to respect him for that. He has been through the wars and the fires. He has never been cut and has never been beat up.

Bernard Hopkins: I’m a boxing fan and I am a fan of Kelly Pavlik. I am a fan of Pavlik because he became a champion the right way. Not because of politics, but because he came up through the ranks and beat them all. I know what makes a good fight, but I never thought I would be fighting him. Kelly has a lot of heart and determination, but saying that, I’ve never been afraid of a ghost.

I believe I’m coming into this fight as the winner. People know me and boxing people know me and they know I’m a threat against anyone. I am willing to say that I am coming into this fight to win. When we get into the ring – it will just be me and him – and that means it is 50/50.

This is a blue collar fight. It’s like two guys working on a pier and get in a fight. It’s two guys fighting with their hard hats on. This is a blue collar sport – the kind of fight that could happen in any inner city – except now I’m from Philly and he’s from Youngstown.

Kelly comes in and throws the hammer down and it’s my job to take that away from him.

Pavlik has fought three times against fighters that I know of – Miranda and (Jermain) Taylor (twice). I don’t know any of the others. But I have nothing bad to say about Kelly Pavlik.

This fight is about two guys. One guy is coming forward and the other guys is looking to do his thing and THAT SPELLS ACTION.

Jack Loew: This is a great opportunity being able to fight a guy like Bernard Hopkins. This fight will take Kelly to another level. He’s a great fighter, but on October 18 it will come to an end for Bernard Hopkins. It is over for him.

Kelly Pavlik: I want to fight the best. People talk and ask about why I am fighting Bernard Hopkins. You’ve got a legend right here. I don’t know about Calzaghe – I guess I would have to shoot him in the foot to get him to stop running from me. All I can tell you is that I will train as hard as I can to get in the best shape that I can be in – for Bernard Hopkins.

************************************

Tickets to Pavlik vs. Hopkins, priced at $700, $500, $350, $200, $100 and $75, go on sale This Friday! August 8 at Noon ET and can be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster (800) 736-1420 or online at www.Ticketmaster.com.

Promoted by Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions, in association with Caesars Atlantic City, Pavlik vs. Hopkins will take place Saturday, October 18 at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall. The fight will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

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

Pavlik / Lockett / De Leon / Lopez NY News Conference

NEW YORK, NY- “ Undefeated world middleweight champion KELLY "The Ghost" PAVLIK and No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger GARY "The Rocket" LOCKETT, their respective trainers, Jack Loew and Enzo Calzaghe,
WBO junior featherweight champion DANIEL PONCE DE LEON, undefeated No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger JUAN MANUEL LOPEZ and Hall of Fame promoters Bob Arum and Frank Warren (who gets inducted on Sunday, June 8) will host a news conference luncheon in New York before heading to Atlantic City for their world middleweight title fight. It all takes place Next Wednesday! June 4, at Gallagher's Steak House (228 West 52nd Street, New York, NY 10019), at 11:30 A.M. ET.


Pavlik (33-0, 29 KOs), from Youngstown, Ohio, returns to ring for his first world championship defense after back-to-back victories over former world champion Jermain Taylor.


Lockett (30-1, 21 KOs), from Cwbran, Wales, has promised to mete out a "mandatory sentence" to the defending champion. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Frank Warrens Sports Network and Caesars Atlantic City, the 12-round Pavlik-Lockett world middleweight championship fight will take place Saturday, June 7, at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall, and will be broadcast live on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 10:05 p.m. EDT / 7:05 p.m. PDT. The broadcast will open with De Leon (34-1, 30 KOs), from Huntington Park, Calif., making the seventh defense of his title against Lopez (21-0, 19 KOs), from Puerto Rico. Combined, this quartet of sluggers boasts an incredible record of 118-2 (99 KOs), a winning percentage exceeding 98% and a victory by knockout ratio of 84%!



Marty Rosengarten
www.RingsidePhotos.com

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

"COMMOTION AT THE OCEAN"; KELLY PAVLIK vs. GARY LOCKETT June 7th live from Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall, on HBO

"COMMOTION AT THE OCEAN"
Saturday, June 7, Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ - HBO




12 Rds., WBC/WBA Middleweight Championship
Champion KELLY PAVLIK, 33-0, 29 KOs, Youngstown, Ohio
vs. GARY LOCKETT, 30-1, 21 KOs, Cwmbran, Wales

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

PAVLIK vs. LOCKETT - A CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLE HEADER, SATURDAY JUNE 7th

Kelly Pavlik returns to Atlantic City - where he captured his middleweight crown against former middleweight champ Jermain Taylor - for his first title defense against Gary Lockett, from Cwmbran, Wales, in a scheduled 12-round contest.

Saturday June 7th at 10:05 PM ET/7:05 PM PT, live on HBO.
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

KELLY PAVLIK vs GARY LOCKETT WORLD WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP JUNE 7th 2008, LIVE ON HBO SPORTS

NEW YORK, NY- Undefeated world middleweight champion KELLY The Ghost PAVLIK and No. 1contender and mandatory challenger, Welshman GARY The Rocket LOCKETT will host a news conference luncheon in New York announcing their world middleweight title fight.

Pavlik (33-0, 29 KOs), from Youngstown, Ohio, returns to ring for his first world championship defense after back-to-back victories over former world champion Jermain Taylor. Pavlik and Lockett (30-1, 21 KOs), from Cwbran, Wales, boast a combined record of 63-1 (50 KOs) “ a winning percentage exceeding 98% and a victory by knockout ratio of 79%!
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Frank Warrens Sports Network and Caesars Atlantic City, the 12-round Pavlik-Lockett world middleweight championship fight will take place Saturday, June 7, at Atlantic Citys Boardwalk Hall, and will be broadcast live on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 9:35 p.m. EDT / 6:35 p.m. PDT.

The broadcast will open with Daniel Ponce De Leon (34-1, 30 KOs), from Mexico, defending his WBO junior featherweight title against undefeated No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger Juan Manuel Lopez (21-0, 19 KOs), from Puerto Rico.

For more live interviews video coverage and photos from the New York City Press conference 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

2004 U.S. OLYMPIAN ANDRE DIRRELL TO TAKE ON ONCE-BEATEN ANTHONY HANSHAW ON SHOBOX

NEW YORK– In a match-up of top super middleweight prospects, undefeated 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Andre Dirrell (14-0, 9 KOs) will take on once-beaten Anthony Hanshaw (21-1-1, 14 KOs) in a 10-round showdown Friday, May 2, live on SHOWTIME (ShoBox: The New Generation, 11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).

Andre Dirrell


In the co-feature, the promising and once-beaten Antonio DeMarco (18-1-1, 13 KOs) will take on undefeated Juan Castaneda (12-0, 9 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight bout.

The SHOWTIME event will be promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC and originate from the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, Calif.

Dirrell, who won the bronze medal at the Athens Olympic Games, will continue his recent step-up in opposition. The hard-hitting southpaw is coming off of a third-round TKO over Shannon Miller on Feb. 1, 2008.

According to Dirrell’s trainer and grandfather, Leon Lawson, the former Olympian and 24-year-old Flint, Mich., native is ready for the next step.

“Andre has looked good with everyone he steps in the ring with,” said Lawson, who also trains Andre’s brother and fellow undefeated super middleweight prospect, Anthony. “He has been sparring with the best, and I know he can fight with the best.”

In June 2007, Dirrell faced his toughest opponent to date when he scored a 10-round unanimous decision over fellow prospect Curtis Stevens on national television. The fans and many at ringside voiced their displeasure at the lack of action throughout the contest.

“A lot of the fans know that wasn’t me, but people are going to criticize,” Dirrell said. “I can understand how everybody felt about the fight, but that wasn’t me that night. They will see a lot better performance from me this time.”

Dirrell has studied Hanshaw’s fights on tape in preparation for their upcoming bout.

“I am just going to keep Hanshaw on the outside and put my punches together,” Dirrell said. “I will come away with a good outcome and a really good, crowd-pleasing performance. Just look out for a new Andre.”

Currently training at the Police Athletic League Gym in Winter Haven, Fla., Dirrell praised his upcoming opponent.

“Hanshaw is a good fighter. I have known him since the amateurs, and remember that he won five or six Ohio State Fair championships. Nobody else had done that. He is going to be my toughest opponent yet. There is no doubt about it.”

Hanshaw, a once-beaten legitimate prospect of Warren, Ohio, has an impressive training regimen of his own. He has been training in Houston, Texas, with 2003 World Boxing Hall of Fame Trainer of the Year Ronnie Shields.

Despite the fact that his upcoming opponent won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics, Hanshaw said that his resume is more impressive.

“Dirrell is up and coming, but he is going to be a little bit too small,” Hanshaw said. “I am going to be too strong for him, especially with me coming back down from light heavyweight to my natural weight.

“Dirrell is a runner, but I’m going to be right on him. He still fights like an amateur. After I slow him down with the body shots, I’ll knock him out in the sixth or seventh round.”

Under the tutelage of Shields, the 30-year-old Hanshaw is in good company. The former three-time light welterweight Golden Glove Champion has trained Mike Tyson, Vernon Forrest, Pernell Whitaker and Evander Holyfield.

“Shields and I have been working on what we are going to do, and I’m going to be right there in Dirrell’s face,” Hanshaw said. “It is going to be a hell of a fight. I am going to take him out of there.

“Being trained by a guy like Ronnie gives me extra motivation. Knowing that he was worked with some of the best fighters in history makes me push it even harder. He is a hell of a trainer.”

A good judge of talent, Shields knows that Hanshaw has the skills to move to the next level.

“Hanshaw has a lot of potential, he always has,” said the renowned trainer. “The thing is you have to bring it out of him. That’s what we are trying to do now.

“Of course I’m confident that he has the abilities to beat Dirrell. Andre moves a lot and is a sneaky counter puncher, but I think Hanshaw is the bigger stronger guy and he should be able to impose his will. Dirrell wants to move, but Hanshaw will make him exchange punches.”

The sole blemish on Hanshaw’s record is a decision loss to future Boxing Hall of Famer Roy Jones, Jr., on July 14, 2007. Hanshaw was impressive in the bout, which was fought at 175 pounds.

Shields knows that this is an important fight for Hanshaw, especially coming off of the loss to Jones, Jr.

“Dirrell is a good fighter and this is a big step up,” Shields said. “Outside of Roy Jones, this is the biggest fight of his career. Hanshaw is focused and ready to prove that he has what it takes to become a champion.”

Play-by-play announcer Nick Charles and expert analyst/boxing historian Steve Farhood will call the action from ringside. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

For information on Showtime Sports, including exclusive video, photos and news links on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and EliteXC mixed martial arts telecasts, please go www.SHO.com/sports.

About ShoBox: The New Generation

Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young, talented fighters matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise crowd-pleasing and competitive fights while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. To date, 24 fighters who have appeared on ShoBox have advanced to garner world titles includes Scott Harrison, Juan Diaz, Jeff Lacy, Ricky Hatton, Joan Guzman, Juan Urango, David Diaz, Robert Guerrero, Kelly Pavlik, Paulie Malignaggi and Paul Williams.

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