WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLEHEADER; World Championship City, live on HBO, MIGUEL COTTO vs. ALFONSO GOMEZ, CINTRON vs. ANTONIO MARGARITO, April 12

Miguel Cotto remains Undefeated and the WBA Welterweight champion. Miguel Cotto now
(32-0, 25 KOs), of Caguas, Puerto Rico stopped, in round 5, the Contenders rising star Alfonso Gomez now (18-4-2, 8 KOs), of Guadalajara, MX, in the main event of a scheduled 12-round contest, live from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

Miguel Cotto and Alfonso Gomez at the New York City Press conference


Miguel Cotto and Alfonso Gomez face off at the New York City Press conference


Miguel Cotto enters the ring to face Alfonso Gomez


Evangelista Cotto and Miguel Cotto attends the post Press conference


Miguel Cotto, Arturo Gatti attends the Post Press conference to present the undefeated WBA Welterweight champion Miguel Cotto with an exclusive jeweled necklace and ornament set from the new Arturo Gatti Collection Jewelry-line


Alfonso Gomez attends the Post Press conference


Cotto vs. Gomez


Antonio Margarito (36-5, 25 KO's), from Tijuana, Mexico, became the new IBF Welterweight champion, in a co feature stopping the now former IBF Welterweight champion Kermit Cintron, now (29-2, 27 KO's) of Reading, Pa, 1:57 seconds of round 6, scheduled for 12 rounds.

Antonio Margarito and Kermit Cintron attends the New York City press conference


Antonio Margarito enters the ring to face Kermit Cintron


Antonio Margarito enters the ring II


Kermit Cintron and Antonio Margarito in the ring action


Antonio Margarito attends the Post Press conference after the defeat of Kermit Cintron


Antonio Margarito's IBF Welterweight championship belt


Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito in the making? Miguel Cotto challenged Antonio Margarito to meet Saturday July 26, 2008 in the square ring


The Top Rank Under-card

Luis Cruz remains undefeated (5-0, 3 KO's) of Las Piedras, Puerto Rico winning by an unanimous decision over Olvin Meija who now drops to (3-2-1, 3 KO's) of Laredo Texas, in a 6 rounds Featherweight bout.

Jesus Rojas remains undefeated (11-0-, 8 KO's) of Caguas, Puerto Rico TKO'd in round 4, 2;14 seconds, Andre Ledesma who now drops to (14-9-1, 9 KO's) of Cartegena, Columbia, in a scheduled 8 rounds Super Batamweight bout.

Jesus Rojas and Luis Cruz after their victories


Ronny Vargas is still undefeated now (5-0, 3 KO's) of the Bronx New York, TKO'd Robert Irrizarry who now drops to (2-4-0, 0 KO's) of New York City, in round 3, 2:51 seconds, of a scheduled 6 rounds Middleweight bout.

Ronny Vargas and Melissa Hernandez, female fighter and trainer attends the 2008 Golden Gloves Finals in New York City


Richard Pierson now (7-1-, 4 KO's) of Paterson New Jersey won by an unanimous decision over Angel David Gonzalez, who now drops to (6-5-1, 3 KO's) of Guaynabo Puerto Rico, in a 6 rounds Middleweight bout.

Richard Pierson


Luis Del Valle attends the Cotto vs Gomez and Cintron vs Margarito bout April 12, after making an impressive professional debut April 11, with a TKO victory


See more video footage on the Cotto vs Gomez and Cintron Margarito, go to Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience channel at, http://www.youtube.com/ELEmpress1 See other Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience boxing entertainment videos as well.
Photos property of Keisha C. Morrisey All Right Reserved
Two photo logos Property of HBO

TARVER CALLS OUT DAWSON AFTER BOTH ARE VICTORIOUS

Photos: TOM CASINO/SHOWTIME


TAMPA, Fla. Antonio Tarver registered a unanimous 12-round decision over defending champion Clinton Woods to capture the International Boxing Federation (IBF) light heavyweight crown and World Boxing Council (WBC) 175-pound kingpin Chad Dawson remained undefeated with a thrilling, hard-fought 12-round decision over hard-luck Glen Johnson Saturday on SHOWTIME.

Former undisputed light heavy champ Antonio Tarver had his way against defending champion Clinton Woods, winning a lopsided 12-round decision and the IBF 175-pound title.

The world championship doubleheader, billed as “TNT: Title Night in Tampa,” took place at the St. Pete Times Forum and was promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, and AT Entertainment in association with Fight Academy. A crowd-pleasing event aired on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

Tampa’s Tarver (27-4, 19 KOs), a former undisputed light heavy champion and reigning International Boxing Organization (IBO) titleholder, mostly dominated en route to winning by the scores of 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112. There were no knockdowns.



“It’s all about the belts; I’m looking for all the belt-holders,’’ Tarver said. “He was a tough, gritty fighter but I came into this in great shape. I took some and got some (punches) but the best man won tonight. I’m not surprised by anything that went on in there.

“A lot of credit for my performance goes to my trainer, Jimmy Williams, who never let me give up or get down on myself. Jimmy is one of the all-time great teachers and absolutely definitely should be in the Hall of Fame."

Tarver, who called out Dawson at the post-fight press conference – Shaw said a unification world title fight could take place in the fall -- wasn’t impressed with Dawson’s performance in the telecast’s opening bout.

“Chad Dawson would be easy pickings now,’’ Tarver said. “He’s not the fighter now that he was before his fight. He’s a wounded duck.

“Dawson took a lot of hard hits against Johnson, but there is a difference between getting hit by Glen Johnson and getting hit by me.’’

There was an electric atmosphere inside the jam-packed room where the weigh-in took place.



Woods (41-4-1, 24 KOs), of Sheffield, England, could not find his range or rhythm for much of the 36 minutes.

Tarver and Woods Weigh In


“I fought the best light heavyweight in the world tonight,’’ said Woods, who was making the fifth defense of the crown he won in March 2005. “I don’t know if it is my time to retire or not."

Dawson (26-0, 17 KOs), of New Haven, Conn., wanted a tough test and he got it.

In a tremendous slugfest that featured non-stop, two-way action, Chad Dawson remained unbeaten and retained his WBC light heavyweight title with a close, hard-fought unanimous 12-round decision over Glen Johnson Saturday on SHOWTIME.


“Johnson is a warrior and we trained for that,’’ Dawson said after winning the fight of the night by the scores of 116-112 on all the scorecards. “We worked on stepping around and boxing him in training and we did that, too.



“I executed my game plan and landed more punches. Glen is a great fighter. He caught me with some good shots but I did my job and took them."

There were no knockdowns in a non-stop slugfest with constant two-way action, but both boxers were rocked on several occasions.

Johnson (47-12-2, 37 KOs), of Miami, by way of Jamaica, owns wins over Tarver, Woods and Roy Jones Jr., but almost is as well known for coming up on the wrong end of close, unpopular decisions.

Tarver and Woods Weigh In


Such was the case again Saturday. “The decision was total bull,’’ Johnson said. “Dawson is a good, young fighter with a great future, but I really worked hard for this fight and definitely feel I won it.

Dawson vs Johnson Weigh In


‘I can’t afford to keep losing these kinds of fights at this stage of my career. I wish I knew why these kinds of bad decision keep going against me.

“This loss hurts me more than any other in my career. I would love a rematch.’’

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING’s Steve Albert and Al Bernstein called the action from ringside with Karyn Bryant serving as special correspondent. The executive producer of the SHOWTIME telecast was David Dinkins Jr. with Bob Dunphy directing.

Saturday’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING fight card will re-air as follows:

DAY CHANNEL

Monday, April 14 at 8 p.m. ET/PT SHO EXTREME

Tuesday, April 15, at 9 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIME TOO

Wednesday, April 16, 10 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIME


For more information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video, photo galleries and complete telecast information, please visit 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 is also an owner and manager of SUNDANCE CHANNEL®, a venture of NBC Universal, Robert Redford and SNI. 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®.

Kimbo Slice, who headlines the EliteXC mixed martial arts fight card on Saturday, May 31, on CBS, and WBC super welterweight champion Vernon Forrest, who looks to defend his title against Sergio Mora on Saturday, June 7, on SHOWTIME, pose together at Saturday night’s light heavyweight world championship doubleheader in Tampa.

Photos: TOM CASINO/SHOWTIME



The always entertaining Kimbo was interviewed by Al Bernstein during Saturday’s telecast. You can catch the interview during a replay of the thrilling SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts, which featured a war between WBC Champ” Bad" Chad Dawson and Glen Johnson as well as a flashy performance by the always entertaining Antonio Tarver against IBF champion Clinton Woods.

Replay schedule:
Tuesday, April 15, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME TOO;
Wednesday, April 16 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME.

The telecast is also available On Demand starting this Tuesday and ending on Monday, May 12 where available.

MMA AND BOXING SHOW LOOKS TO BREAK NEW GROUND HOPING TO PUSH MIXED MARTIAL ARTS CLOSER TO THE MAINSTREAM Airs Monday Nights LIVE on TheStream.TV

In February 2008, The Yac & J’s MMA and BOXING SHOW launched as a part of a line-up of new Internet TV Programming on interactive, fledgling network, THESTREAM.TV. The series is co-hosted by ProElite.com Correspondent/Commentator ‘The Yacman’ Ron Yacovetti, Pundit and Practitioner Randy Johnson, (aka Randy J) and MMA.TV’s Underground Queen Miss RaRa.

Amongst a handful of quality MMA television shows, The Yac & J Show offers the unique characteristic of being fully interactive while broadcasting LIVE. During the webcasts, airing on four to five online syndicates, viewers can instant message into the show or chime in via the chat functions that accompany the video players. Each episode is immediately available to view the following Tuesday morning.

Preparing them for this venue, Ron Yacovetti and Randy Johnson tout full time careers in stand-up comedy, having toured nationally, appearing in major comedy club chains such as THE IMPROV, CATCH A RISING STAR and DANGERFIELD’S in NYC. This unique background in the comedy world is something that Yac & J did not want to exclude from their MMA endeavors. Instead, it provided them an avenue to produce a show in a manner unlike anything else in MMA or BOXING. The recipe is one part comedy, one part combat sports.

In addition to their comedic efforts, The Yacman and Randy J have always been involved in the fight world in one way or another. Both have trained in various fighting disciplines over the years. And Yacovetti also wrote and produced for a couple of syndicated boxing shows, as well as penning an online column for BoxingInsider.com.

Miss RaRa (whose real name is Tamara) was drawn into MMA by her close friend Drea who had become acquainted with one of the most celebrated Jiu-Jitsu experts around, Eddie Bravo. Once she took one step into the world of the cage fighter, Miss RaRa never looked back and the MMA community online embraced her. Tamara also put herself in a position to give back to the sport of MMA in an amazing way within a very brief time frame, as she is one of the organizers of the annual North American Mixed Martial Arts Expo – known as NAMMAE.

Their collective reason to do this show, besides a shared passion for the sport, may surprise you. The vision Yac and J’s MMA and BOXING SHOW has for itself, is to help push both sports, though mostly MMA, further into the mainstream. The Yacman says you need not look far to see the blueprint for such a thing, already producing that result in another venue.

Ron Yacovetti, of ProElite.com, says, “All you need to do is look at how unappealing politics were a number of years back, both with young and middle-aged people, and how informed and involved those generations are regarding it now. Why the change in this arena? I’d undoubtedly say in large part thanks to ‘The Daily Show’ and ‘The Colbert Report’ on Comedy Central -- and HBO’s ‘Real Time with Bill Mahr’. These are comedic based shows that entertain, lampoon and still get the word out mainstream. If we can successfully build our own brand, from this type of model within the combat sports world, it could help make MMA far more digestible to the masses. Nothing would make us happier than to make a difference that way.”

Yac and J’s MMA and BOXING SHOW is currently sponsored by ProElite.com, Melee Fight Gear and it airs LIVE every Monday Night 10pm PT / 1am ET, with archives available the next morning, on TheStream.TV.

Archives of each new show available the following Tuesday morning

Contact:
Ron Yacovetti, Randy Johnson
Yacandjshow


Miss RaRa
missrara@nammae.com

ShoBox April 11 Results: James “Buddy” McGirt vs. Carlos DeLeon and Edgar Sanatana vs. Josesito Lopez, live from the Miccosukee Resort in Miami

The sons of great former welterweight champion James “Buddy” McGirt and a great cruiserweight champion Carlos DeLeon were shared the stage at the Miccosukee Resort in Miami.

Super middleweight prospect Carlos DeLeon, Jr. (20-2, 13 KOs) came off the canvas in the sixth round to knockout James McGirt, Jr. (19-1, 9 KOs) in the seventh round of a scheduled 10-round contest.

James McGirt, Jr (Photo By: Emily Harney)


In the co-feature: Edgar Santana (24-3, 15 KOs) survived two knockdowns in the eighth round to win a close majority decision against Josesito Lopez (22-3, 13 KOs) in a 10-round junior welterweight bout.

Edgar Santana


©®™ 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

Hunky Dorys Fight Night - Bernard Dunne and Felix Machado Weigh In‏

Hunky Dorys Fight Night - Bernard Dunne and Felix Machado



Bernard Dunne V Felix Machado - Super Bantamweight (10 Rounds)
Andrew Murray V Wellington De Jesus - Light Welterweight (10 Rounds)
Mike Perez V Howard Daley - Heavyweight (4 Rounds)
Michael Sweeney V Ronald Horvath - Cruiserweight (6 Rounds)
Adnan Amar V Artur Jashkul - Welterweight (6 Rounds)
Keith Cresham V Andrei Tolstihs - Light Heavyweight (4 Rounds)
Jamie Power V Leonid Dmitrichenko - Crusierweight (4 Rounds)
Grzegorz Proksa V Jairo Alvarez - Middleweight (6 Rounds)
Doors open at the Breaffy House Resort at 6pm with the first contest of the 8 bout card beginning at 6.30.

Live coverage of the Hunky Dorys Fight Night begins on RTÉ TWO at 9pm on Saturday. Coverage is also available online on www.rte.ie and on RTÉ Radio.

Bernard Dunne, former World Champion Felix Machado, promoter Brian Peters and David Byrne of the Lynch Hotel Group pose for the cameras ahead of tomorrow nights Hunky Dorys Fight Night at the Breaffy House Resort.

(Credit: Aidan Walsh)


The chief support bout features Irish Light Welterweight Champion Andrew Murray
(137.5 lbs) putting his undefeated record on the card against Brazil's Wellington De Jesus (138.5 lbs).

HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING, 8 COUNT PRODUCTIONS, FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2008 FULL CARD-RESULTS

HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING; 8 COUNT PRODUCTIONS, FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2008
"THE ODEUM RUMBLE", ODEUM SPORTS AND EXPO CENTER

Carlos Molina, 10-4-1 (4KO's) UD8 Luciano Perez, 15-8-1 (13KO's)
(80-72, 78-74, 77-75)
Luciano Perez, 156.5 vs. Carlos Molina, 156, eight rounds

Yusaf Mack, 24-2-2 (15KO's) KO2 (2:16) Ernesto Zamora, 15-14 (11KO's)
Yusaf Mack, 176 vs. Ernesto Zamora, 176, eight rounds

Yusaf Mack (L) and Team Mack member.


David Torres, 20-0 (13KO's) , KO5 (1:20) Oscar Leon, 27-8 (18KO's)
David Torres, 137 vs. Oscar Leon, 138, eight rounds

Andrzej Fonfara, 10-1 (3KO's) WDQ2 (1:20) Manny Castillo, 13-16-3 (5KO's)
Andrzej Fonfara, 158 vs. Manny Castillo, 159, six rounds

Ivan Popoca, 6-0-1 (5KO's) MD4 Trenton Titsworth, 2-1-1 (2KO's)
(38-38, 39-37 twice)
Ivan Popoca, 143 vs. Trenton Titsworth, 143, five rounds

Terry Martin, 1-0 (1KO) KO1 (:37) Ricardo Upchurch, 0-2
Terry Martin, 200 vs. Ricardo Upchurch, 197, four rounds

Ikem Orji, 2-0 (1KO) SD4 Juan Gonzalez, 0-1
(39-37 twice, 37-39)
Ikem Orji, 133.5 vs. Juan Gonzalez, 135, four rounds

Records have been updated.

Thanks

Bernie Bahrmasel
Publicist/8 Count Productions
www.8countproductions.com

April 11 Results: YAMMA

YAMMA PIT FIGHTING EVENT TO HOLD inaugural MIXED MARTIAL ARTS EVENT AT TRUMP TAJ MAHAL For the first time in over a decade, MMA returned to its origins by reviving the hugely popular tournament format, in which fighters participated in multiple fights in an attempt to capture the title of YAMMA Heavyweight Champion. Travis “The Diesel” Wiuff was crowned the first YAMMA Heavyweight Champion, outlasting seven other competitors. The event was comprised of an eight-man tournament and two ‘Masters Superfights,’ in which Pat Smith defeated Eric “Butterbean” Esch and Oleg “The Russian Bear” Taktarov defeated Mark Kerr.

Top Rank Boxing Results April 11, Jesus Soto Karass, Henry Bruseles, Jason Cintron, Luis Del Valle, Jeremy Bryan, and Luis Castro; "FOTY" & WBC, TKO's

In the Main Event of a Top Rank Boxing live televised production, Jesus Soto- Karass now (20-4-3, 14 KO's) of Los Mochis, Mexico, battled with Chris Smith who now drops to (21-5-1, 13 KO's) of the West Indies Jamacai, in a 10 rounds Super Lightweight bout. Jesus Soto- Karass won the WBC Continental Americas Welterweight title. Jesus Soto- Karass father Jose Luis Soto-Karass is a former world champion, and currently works in his sons corner.

Jesus Soto- Karass enters the ring to face Chris Smith


Aaron Davis and Chris Smith after his loss to Jesus Soto-Karass


Jesus Soto- Karass after the defeat of Chris Smith in what has been coined by on media notable as candidate for the "Fight of the Year" nomination.


Henry Bruseles now (27-3-1, 15 KO's) of Gorabo, Puerto Rico won a split decision over Ben Tackie who now drops to (29-10-1, 17 KO's) of California, in a 10 round Super Lightweight bout. The referee for the bout was Eddie Cotton.

Henry Bruseles


Ben Tackie after his loss to Henry Bruseles


Jason Cintron now (8-1 KO) of Reading Pennsylvania, TKO'd in 1:37 seconds of the round 3, Gustavo Mejia who now drops to (2-2-1, 2 KO's) of Lawrence Kansas, in a Super Lightweight bout scheduled for 6 rounds.


Joey Gamache cornerman and Jason Cintron. Jason's older brother is Kermit Cintron, a professional fighter as well.


Luis Del Valle now (1-W/by KO) of Bayamon Puerto Rico, in his pro debut TKO'd, Ray Rivera who now drop to (1-1) of Morovis Puerto Rico, in round 3, 2:38 seconds of a scheduled 4 rounds Featherweight bout.

Luis Del Valle enters the ring in his pro debut to face Ray Rivera.


Ray Rivera after the defeat by Luis Del Valle


Luis Del Valle in the ring after the win over Ray Rivera


The legendary, Arturo "Thunder" Gatti and Luis Del Valle after his TKO of Ray Rivera


Jeremy Bryan now (4-0, 1 KO) of Paterson New Jersey stopped Gerardo Prieto who drops to (5-5-1) of Provo Utah. Referee Harvey Dock stopped the 4 round Super Lightweight bout in round 3, 2:18 seconds into the bout.

Jeremy Bryan


Jorge Diaz now (4-0, 3 KO's) of Jersey City New Jersey defeated Juan Guerrero who drops to (2-3, 2 KO's) of Maimi Florida in a 4 round Batamweight bout.

Jorge Diaz after his defeat of Juan Guerrero


Bantamweight female fighter Noriko Kariya (8-2-1, 2 KO's) attends the Top Rank Boxing Night, Friday April 11, 2008 live from the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City New Jersey.

Noriko Kariya


Super Bantamweight Tracey Harris Paterson (63-(43 KO's) 8-2, 1 KO) attends the Top Rank Boxing Night, Friday April 11, 2008 live from the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City New Jersey. Patersons record speaks for itself.

Tracey Harris Paterson


©®™ 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

ESPN CLASSIC TO BROADCAST LIVE ADAMEK-BELL IN IBF CRUISERWEIGHT ELIMINATOR APRIL 19 IN KATOWICE, POLAND

TOTOWA, NJ– On Saturday, April 19, 2008, ESPN Classic will broadcast live the 12 round IBF Cruiserweight Eliminator between Tomasz Adamek (IBF #3) and O’ Neil Bell (IBF #7), it was jointly announced today by Main Events, Ziggy Promotions, Seminole Warriors Boxing, and KnockOut Promotion. The winner of this highly-anticipated cruiserweight showdown at the Spodek Arena in Katowice, Poland will earn the IBF’s #1 mandatory position. ESPN Classic’s broadcast of the bout will begin at 6:00 pm ET.

Adamek (33-1, 22 KO’s) has stopped 15 opponents within the first three rounds. The 31-year-old Zywiec, Poland native captured the vacant WBC light heavyweight championship on May 21, 2005, when he decisioned Paul Briggs (W 12). He defended the title twice before losing to Chad Dawson on Feb 3, 2007 (L 12). Since moving to cruiserweight he is 2-0, 1 KO. Adamek is also recognized as the IBO Cruiserweight Champion.

Bell (26-2, 24 KO’s) is the former undisputed cruiserweight champion. The 33-year-old Atlanta, Georgian by way of Jamaica captured the undisputed crown on January 7, 2006, when he stopped defending champion Jean-Marc Mormeck (KO 10). Bell surrendered the undisputed title in his last bout on March 17, 2007, when he lost a decision in the rematch against Mormeck (L 12). Prior to the loss Bell had won 25 consecutive bouts.

“I am very excited about returning to my Polish homeland for this fight against Bell,” said Adamek. “Bell is a very good fighter, but I need to win this bout to get another title shot. I won’t let anyone stand in my way.”

“I look forward to this fight being the first step for me in recapturing the belts that rightfully are mine,” said Bell."

As an added bonus for fight fans, on April 19 at 12:00 am ET, ESPN Classic will air the May 20, 2005, vacant IBF Cruiserweight Championship bout between O’ Neil Bell and Dale Brown. Bell won the bout, and the title, by unanimous decision (W 12).

STRONG NUMBERS FOR DKP'S FIRST WEBCAST‏; Don King's first live Internet webcasting drew 400,000 page views, Spinks vs. Phillips/Alexander vs. Callist

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla.— Don King’s illustrious promotional career ventured into cyberspace with his first-ever live webcast of a boxing event on DonKingTV.com on March 27.

As usual, his presence was felt when 400,000 total page views and 200,000 unique page views were recorded for his championship doubleheader featuring Cory Spinks vs. Verno Phillips and Devon Alexander “The Great” vs. Miguel Callist from Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

“I am delighted with the super-sensational response to my first webcast at DonKingTV.com,” King said. “I felt the timing was right for me to begin providing boxing matches on the Internet and the public’s response with more than 200,000 individual visitors logging on in 94 countries has confirmed that. It’s definitely the wave of the future and Don King Productions will be on the leading edge.”

© 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

German education for Matt Godfrey‏

German education for Matt Godfrey



PROVIDENCE– NABF cruiserweight champion Matt “Too Smooth” Godfrey (16-1, 9 KOs) has been boxing professionally for four years, after a lengthy amateur career, but his ring education reached another level last month in Germany, albeit in defeat.

As the No. 1 rated contender in the World Boxing Council, Godfrey was matched against No. 2 ranked Rudy Kraj in a 12-round WBC Title Eliminator to determine the WBC’s mandatory challenger to title-holder David Haye. Kraj won a unanimous 12-round decision by scores of 117-111, 116-113, and 115-113.

Fighters react differently to adversity, especially a first loss; they generally come back stronger than ever because of the experience or fold-up and end-up nothing more than a club fighter. The 27-year-old Godfrey says he’s learned valuable lessons about himself and boxing that will help make him a world champion in the not too distant future.

“I went overseas to fight Kraj in his backyard,” Godfrey said. “I got through a difficult fight and learned a lot that I hadn’t experienced in my first 16 pro fights. I proved that I can dig down and go 12 hard rounds. I also learned that I have to become a lot meaner and more aggressive. I can’t just rely on my boxing ability, being ‘Too Smooth,’ and just looking good in the ring. I need to bite down, push forward and take the fight away from my opponent – like Vinny Paz did – instead of just boxing around in the ring.”

“The loss wasn’t devastating to his career,” Godfrey’s manager Bret Hallenback explained, “as long as he’s learned and that depends on how he comes back. It’s too early to say right now, but it’s no more than one loss, and I strongly believe he learned a lot. One thing he learned is that he’s not invincible, which will put pressure on him in future fights. It was a huge eye-opener for him. Matt has to be aggressive and use the skills and power he definitely has. It was an education. He took a loss, not a beating, and I have no doubt that he learned a valuable lesson. We need to get him into a big fight to prove his last fight wasn’t the norm, but more of a fluke, and an education for him.”

Godfrey was second heavyweight alternate on the 2004 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team, compiling a 194-23 amateur record, including six national championships -- four open tournaments highlighted by the 2004 Everlast U.S. Championships, plus two in the Junior Olympics – as well as a Bronze medal at the 2001 Pan-American Games, Silver in all four of that year’s national major tournaments (National Golden Gloves, PAL (Police Athletic League), U.S. Championships and U.S. Challenge).

His most notable wins as a pro were devastating stoppages of highly-touted prospects Shaun George and Felix Cora, Jr. on national television of. Matt was riding high until he fought Czech Republic native Kraj in Germany.

“I was terribly disappointed with my first loss, but now I realize that all champions (not named Floyd Mayweather or Joe Calzaghe) lose at some point. It isn’t the end of the world, as long as you learn from a loss, and I’ve learned a lot. I know what I’m capable of and I just have to put it all together. I still believe I’m the best cruiserweight in the world. I can’t wait to fight again. I went back into the gym right away and I’ve been working as hard as if I was preparing for a fight. I want to fight the top guys, on television, and get back to where I belong.”

Once rated No. 1, Godfrey dropped to No. 7 after his loss, which surprised Godfrey’s promoter, Jimmy Burchfield (Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc.). “I don’t understand why he’s rated any lower than No. 3,” Burchfield noted. “He lost a close 12-round decision to the No. 2 guy and dropped all of the way to No. 7? I don’t get it. Matt won the championship rounds. He took over the fight but started off too slow and ended-up finishing just a little short. There’s no question that this experience is going to make him an even better fighter.”

Bob Trieger: Full Court Press