★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience©®™

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

It's Quillin-N'Jikam for WBO Belt on Oct. 20; Brooklyn Barclays Center

World Title Shot For the Kid!‏

Brooklyn resident Peter Quillin will face WBO middleweight titleholder Cameroon-born Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam, of France, as part of a Showtime-televised triple-header on Oct. 20 from The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, according to Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer.

Quillin, who turned 29 in June, is coming off a unanimous decision over former titleholder Ronald “Winky” Wright that improved his record to 27-0, with 20 knockouts. N’Jikam, who is also 29, is undefeated with a mark of 27-0 that includes 17 knockouts.

Quillin-N’Jikam is part of a show that is being billed “Brooklyn Pride” and will feature WBA welterweight belt-winner and Brooklyn native Paulie Malignaggi (31-4, 7 KOs) making the first defense of his belt against Pablo Cesar Cano (25-1-1, 19 KOs) on the undercard of rematch between RING, WBA and WBC junior welterweight champ Danny Garcia (24-0, 15 KOs) and four-division title-winner Erik Morales (52-8, 36 KOs).

A 10 a.m. Thursday press conference is scheduled for The Barclays Center to promote the event, and will be attended by the fighters as well as Golden Boy President Oscar De La Hoya and Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president and general manager of sports and event programming.

“Peter Quillin, ‘Kid Chocolate,’ will be the first fight on the Brooklyn card, and he will be fighting for the WBO middleweight championship of the world. So now, it’s going to be a triple-header, world championship card,” said Schaefer.

“Obviously, you have Garcia against Morales for the WBC world title, and then you have Malignaggi and Cano for the WBA world title, and Kid Chocolate, Peter Quillin, fighting from his hometown for the championship of the world, so this is absolutely terrific.”

Also on the card are middleweight contender Danny Jacobs (22-1, 19 KOs), of Brooklyn, Brooklyn-born ex-beltholder Luis Collazo (31-5, 16 KOs), of Queens, welterweight Dmitriy Salita (34-1-1, 18 KOs), of Brooklyn, Bronx-born Honduran junior middleweight Eddie Gomez (9-0, 6 KOs), and junior middleweight Boyd Melson(9-1, 4 KOs), of White Plains, N.Y.

Preliminary bouts will be aired at 7 p.m. (delayed on the West Coast) on Showtime Extreme, with Showtime Boxing’s regular broadcast beginning at 9 p.m.

Garcia, of Philadelphia, floored Morales in the 11th round of a unanimous decision that dethroned Morales as WBC belt-holder in March, and is coming off last month’s fourth-round knockout of Amir Khan.

An American who is of Puerto Rican decent, Garcia will be after his fourth straight triumph over a current or former world titleholder against Morales, following consecutive decisions over former belt-holders Nate Campbell and Kendall Holt in April and October of last year, respectively.

♔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.

Knight to face Juarez in Mexico on October 13th

http://www.womenboxing.com/NEWS2012/news091812knight.htm

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

FORMER WORLD CHAMPION AND RENOWNED BOXING TRAINER BUDDY MCGIRT JOINS FIND A DREAM‏

FORMER WORLD CHAMPION AND RENOWNED BOXING TRAINER BUDDY MCGIRT JOINS FIND A DREAM

Find A Dream—a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that reaches out to community children and provides them a healthy channel to find and work towards fulfilling a dream—has recently announced the newest acquisition to their team of all stars…former two-time world champion and world renowned boxing trainer Buddy McGirt.

Inside the squared circle McGirt accumulated an impressive record of 73-6-1 with 48 knockouts, and since retiring from the sport in 1997, has focused his attention on working with a handful of boxing’s best, including the late Arturo Gatti, Tomasz Adamek, Antonio Tarver, Matthew Macklin, James McGirt Jr., Paulie Malignaggi and more.

In 2002 McGirt won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America Trainer of the Year Award.

“I am happy to be part of Find A Dream and help them spread awareness and bring their mission into fruition,” said McGirt. “Boxing can help a lot of people, both boys and girls. It instills inside of them confidence and self-esteem that they can carry over into all aspects of their lives. Even if they don’t pursue becoming a fighter, it can help them with anything in life because of all of the hard work and dedication that they put into it; it gives them a strong sense of self-motivation.”

McGirt joins an elite team of former boxers and agents on Find A Dream, including Olympic Gold Medalist and former heavyweight world champion Ray Mercer, three-time world champion Bobby Czyz, 4-time world champion Michael Moorer, renowned boxing agent Chico Sherwood, Don Steele, Hector Camacho Jr. and more.

Find A Dream believes McGirt can be an intricate part of the team in helping to get the message of the organization out there to kids around the world.

“Buddy McGirt is a household name within the boxing world,” said Rod Ricciardi, founder of Find A Dream. “As a fighter he claimed two of the most prestigious boxing titles at light welterweight and welterweight, and his list of championship boxers he has trained speaks for itself. He always carries himself in a professional and classy manner, and we know he will have a huge impact with our organization going forward.”

In coming weeks McGirt will be cornering Matthew Macklin as he will exchange leather with Joachim Alcine in a battle of top middleweights.

Additionally, McGirt will be a guest of honor at a celebrity fundraiser in Hollywood on September 13 that Find A Dream is putting together in conjunction with Gotham City Films Foundation.

For more information on Find A Dream and Buddy McGirt’s involvement visit www.findadream.org.

PACQUIAO VS. MÁRQUEZ 4 Saturday, December 8 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas Presented Live By HBO Pay-Per-View®

The Pacquiao vs. Márquez telecast, which begins at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT, will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to more than 92 million pay-per-view homes. HBO Pay-Per-View, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. Follow HBO Boxing news at www.hbo.com and at www.facebook.com/hboboxing. Use the hashtag #PacquiaoMarquez to join the conversation on Twitter. For Pacquiao vs. Márquez updates, log on to www.toprank.com or www.hbo.com.

No Holds Barred: King Mo on Martinez-Chavez Jr., Canelo-Lopez, Bellator, Olympic and Pro Wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again speaks with a true aficionado of all the combat sports, "King" Mo Lawal.

He is set to make his debut with the Bellator Fighting Championships in January, as well as his debut in the TNA pro wrestling company this fall.

We spoke by phone Sunday, starting off by analyzing the two major boxing cards held Saturday, September 15, which we both watched simultaneously. On the Showtime card, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez defeated Josesito Lopez by fifth-round TKO. On the HBO pay-per-view, Sergio Martinez dominated most of the fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., surviving a twelfth-round knockdown to win a unanimous decision. We also discussed the other fights on these cards, as well as what they say about boxing and MMA.

"I heard both arenas sold out," he said during this interview. "So there goes the whole 'boxing is dead' thing' that a lot of these ignorant MMA fans try to use when they try to compare two different sports against each other. MMA is MMA, boxing is boxing. I felt there are two different demographics. But, last night I was highly entertained by both fights."

"King" Mo also watched some of the wrestling at the 2012 Olympics, and we discussed that and whether or not U.S. schools should switch from American folkstyle to freestyle, which is practiced internationally. We also discussed how he will balance his preparations for TNA and for Bellator. In addition, we discussed the different demographics of the fans in various combat sports, in particular the popularity of boxing among African Americans as compared to other combat sports, and more.♔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.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

HBO PPV: Chavez-Martinez

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Sergio Martinez: Tonght at 9PM ET/ 6PM PT Emmy award-winning broadcaster Brian Kenny, the longtime anchor of ESPN’s SportsCenter and ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights and current anchor and host on MLB Network, and WBA Welterweight World Champion Paulie Malignaggi have been added to the broadcast team for this Saturday's four-fight SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas (SHOWTIME, 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT).

♔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.

"Knockout Kings" Canelo vs Lopez live on SHOWTIME on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 9p.m. ET/ 6p.m. PT.

Mexican superstar CANELO ALVAREZ and fierce contender JOSESITO LOPEZ for the WBC Super Welterweight Championship. The highly anticipated matchup will take place live on SHOWTIME on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 9p.m. ET/ 6p.m. PT.

CANELO ALVAREZ:
“Josesito earned the right to be here. I’m not underestimating him at all. I want to continue on this path, but I have to get through Josesito first.”

JOSESITO LOPEZ:
“I can’t say I don’t like being the underdog. It adds excitement to the fight and makes me want to pull off the upset that much more.”

ABOUT “KNOCKOUT KINGS”:
“Knockout Kings,” headlined by Canelo Alvarez defending his WBC Super Welterweight World Championship against breakout star Josesito Lopez, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo Promotions in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions and Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Corona, DeWalt Tools, AT&T and O’Reilly Auto Parts. In the co-featured attractions, WBC Featherweight World Champion Jhonny Gonzalez defends his crown against former World Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon in fight presented in association with Promociones Del Pueblo, former World Champion Marcos Maidana faces perennial contender Jesus Soto Karass in a 12-round fight for the vacant WBA Intercontinental Welterweight Title presented in association with Universum Box-Promotion and Leo Santa Cruz defends his IBF Bantamweight World Championship against former Two-Time World Champion Eric Morel. The Saturday, Sept. 15 quadruple-header, packed with Mexican pride and power, will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be televised live on SHOWTIME Saturday, Sept. 15 at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT with preliminary fights to air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Friday, September 14, 2012

How Boxing and Xavier Biggs Are Saving Orrin Carter's Life By @odiggler

I would say that over the course of my early twenties and pretty much up until now I have not been the most health conscious person in the world. Actually, its safe to say my eating and exercise habits were pretty awful. I would eat things that would throw the average human body into cardiac shock. Two triple cheese burgers from Wendy's or the "W" as my friends and I would call it back in the day, 50 piece hot wings in one sitting, and gallons upon gallons of Soda. I was and absolute mess my self esteem was down as my weight would yo yo back an forth as I figured out I was an emotional eater. Until I met Adrian Russell, who to me by far is the best and most underrated Boxer I have ever seen in my life. I called Adrian one day as I was on another one of my lose weight quick schemes, and told him I was going to join a flag football league. HE says "No,Dog come to this gym I'm working out of I'm working with this trainer and he is amazing." Now, I trust Adrian but boxing wasn't really my thing but I trusted Adrian so I said I would come check out the gym.

When I arrive I get out of my car and look at the gym and I immediately notice the immaculate setup, Suitable for a world class boxer. I get in and Adrian Introduces me to the trainer "this is Biggs, Xavier Biggs" we shake hands and prepare for our work out I fall in line with the rest of the crowd and 45 minutes later Ive had the best workout of my life. It was challenging mentally and physically and i could feel muscles in my body being used that I haven't used in a while. After I picked myself off the floor I talked with Biggs for about 20 minutes or so and I find out that his brother was a professional boxer and he has met all the greats and hung with celebs. As he talked i felt more Like wisdom was being released than just a a casual convo about boxing. When its all said and done www.decaturboxing.com is one of one of the best gyms I've ever been in. Xavier Biggs is one of the best trainers I've seen, and I've been through a lot of them. check out the site Ill have an interview soon, and I will be giving incite on the amazing book he wrote. over the next couple of months i will be giving you guys an updated report as www.decaturboxing.com and Xavier "biggs" help me drop this weight and drag me to a healthier life.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

No Holds Barred: Chavez Jr.-Martinez and Canelo-Lopez Previews with John Perretti

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again speaks with lifelong martial artist, former UFC and Battlecade Extreme Fighting matchmaker, TV commentator, and our senior correspondent, John Perretti.

On Saturday, September 15, during the weekend of Mexican Independence Day, the sport of boxing, if you can call it that, will have two major, televised, competing cards taking place in the same city, Las Vegas, at the same time.

The show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena will be headlined by the unbeaten WBC super welterweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez defending his belt against rising star Josesito Lopez, who earned the title shot with an upset TKO win over Victor Ortiz in June. Also on that card, WBC featherweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez fights Daniel Ponce De Leon, Marcos Maidana faces Jesus Soto Karass in a 12-round welterweight fight, and IBF bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz fights Eric Morel. This card will be televised live on Showtime in the U.S., BoxNation in the U.K., and Televisa in Mexico.

Not far away, at the Thomas & Mack Center, recognized linear middleweight world champion Sergio Martinez will fight WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Also on that card, Roman Martinez will fight Miguel Beltran Jr. for the vacant WBO super featherweight title, WBA super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux will defend his belt against Robert Marroquin, and Matthew Macklin will fight Joachim Alcine in a ten-round middleweight fight. This card will be televised live on HBO pay-per-view in the U.S., Primetime pay-per-view in the U.K., and Azteca in Mexico.

We spoke with John Perretti by phone Thursday about these fights.

Asked if he had to choose just one of these cards to watch live, perhaps surprisingly he replied that it was "a no-brainer" that he would choose the one headlined by Chavez Jr. and Martinez.

As for a prediction, he said in this interview, "If, indeed, this Martinez-Chavez fight is real and not a debacle, and not another uproar, a burning at the stake of Pacquiao, if it is real, I will tell you that Martinez will go down from a body shot and it will be a TKO for Chavez."

We also discussed the practice of Top Rank, Chavez Jr.'s promoter, of only booking fights when they are virtually certain that their fighter will win, which is why Chavez Jr. has not fought the 37-year-old Martinez until now. Top Rank boss Arum wants to build Chavez Jr. into a superstar on the level of Mayweather and Pacquiao. We discussed how these plans may or may not factor into what happens in this fight and the possibility of - gasp - another major controversy in boxing.

We also discussed the Canelo-Lopez fight, which John Perretti believes is harder to predict. We talked about how that entire televised card actually is stronger than the one headlined by Chavez Jr. and Martinez, the $100,000 bonus on that card for the best knockout, how he was the one who initiated bonuses when he was a matchmaker in MMA, and much more.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City December 1 and 2 for the fourth annual MMA World Expo, featuring an amateur MMA tournament, the Renzo Gracie BJJ Open 2012 tournament, the Big Apple No-Gi tournament, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The 2012 MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 1, and Sunday, December 2, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

Stacked “CageSport XXI” Fight Card Announced!‏

Fight fans will receive a special treat when Halquist Productions’ “CageSport XXI” takes over the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, WA with an unprecedented three feature bouts Saturday, September 29.

For the first time ever, CageSport airs on ROOT SPORTS. Additionally, the broadcast crew is comprised of world famous personality Danny Bonaduce, former UFC announcer Jeff Osborne and two-time fighter of the year Miesha “Cupcake” Tate.

Lightweight Brandon Dudley of North Bend, WA risks his perfect 4-0 record against Springfield, OR resident Emmanuel Sanchez in a three round contest.

Unbeaten in both the pros and as an amateur, Dudley’s forced most of his foes to tap out in the opening round. He’s yet to find himself in any serious danger since entering the octagon and is creating a major buzz amongst MMA fans, who’ve expressed their eagerness to see him fight again.

A winner in his last two bouts, most recently scoring a second round submission over Travis Jackson, Sanchez believes that he’ll be the one to end the hype behind his highly-touted opponent.

Four-time amateur champion Brent “Mankill” Knopp is scheduled to face Brandon Pitts over three rounds in the middleweight division.

The fighting pride of Burien, WA, Knopp’s built a reputation as one of the most explosive strikers in the sport. On July 14, Knopp stopped Darrio Mobley on the “CageSport XX” card.

A natural light heavyweight, Pitts is moving down a division for the biggest challenge of his career. Fresh off a first round TKO on August 4, Pitts plans to use his size and momentum to bring home a victory to Portland, OR. Pitt is trained by 2000 Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling Silver Medalist Matt Linland out of the world famous Team Quest Gym. The gym was started by Linland along with UFC legends Randy Couture and Dan Henderson.

In featured undercard bouts, rising star and Yakima, WA native Julian Erosa risks his unbeaten record against Bend, OR based chokehold master Jason Gybles. Erosa, who forced most of his opponents to tapout, faces the fellow submission artist in a three round lightweight contest.

Featherweight standouts Jacob Boysen and Ryan Mulvihill will meet in a three rounder for Northwest region supremacy.

At 3-0, Boysen most recently stopped Rob Dyer in the opening round. The Seattle, WA sensation has looked fantastic thus far but is taking a major step up in competition.

Mulvihill, of Spokane, WA fought on six “CageSport” cards, providing the fans with quality bouts each time out. Earlier this year, he took the aforementioned Erosa four rounds before losing by submission. A winner in four of his last six, Mulvihill is faced with yet another tough opponent on the 29^th.

“This is going to be a night everybody involved will remember,” said promoter Brian Halquist. “The CageSport brand has grown so much over the years and with the ROOT SPORTS broadcast, things will go to a whole new level. I’m beyond excited for everything that will unfold come September 29!”

Six additional three round undercard matches will take place featuring local standouts Dave Courchaine, Matt Kovacks, Chris Wheaton, Jose Rico, Andy Paves and Damen Wood.

The CageSport series’ highly-anticipated debut on Root TV will feature an outstanding broadcast team of Miesha “Cupcake” Tate, Danny Bonaduce and Jeff Osborne.

The card takes place Saturday, September 29 at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma.

Root Sports is owned and operated by DIRECTV Sports Networks. Root Sports owns regional telecast rights for many professional and collegiate teams including the Seattle Marines, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Utah Jazz, Big Sky Conference and Gonzaga University. They also broadcast Big 12, Pac-12 and Conference USA games for both basketball and football.

A lifelong entertainer with an array of talents, Bonaduce’s a familiar face to people from all walks of life. In 1970, Bonaduce burst onto the scene by starring on the hit show “The Partridge Family”. Danny continued to appear on various shows, most recently making a splash on the critically acclaimed TV series World’s Dumbest. In 2000 Bonaduce landed on the highly rated radio program, The Jamie and Danny Show. Currently, he has a show in Seattle called The Danny Bonaduce Show.

A passionate member of the fight community, Bonaduce is undefeated in the celebrity boxing and wrestling circuit, facing fellow celebrities such as Donny Osmond, Barry Williams, attorney Robert Shapiro, and 6’4 240 lb former baseball MVP Jose Canseco.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

“KNOCKOUT KINGS” BRIAN KENNY TO HOST TELECAST, PAULIE MALIGNAGGI TO SERVE AS GUEST ANALYST, JOSESTIO LOPEZ VS. VICTOR ORTIZ ENCORE PRESENTATION TO AIR

“KNOCKOUT KINGS” NEWS & NOTES: BRIAN KENNY TO HOST TELECAST, PAULIE MALIGNAGGI TO SERVE AS GUEST ANALYST, JOSESTIO LOPEZ VS. VICTOR ORTIZ ENCORE PRESENTATION TO AIR ON FRIDAY, PLUS PRESS CONFERENCE & WEIGH-IN TO BE STREAMED LIVE

Quadruple-header This Saturday, Sept. 15, at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT Live on SHOWTIME®

From MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas

Emmy award-winning broadcaster Brian Kenny, the longtime anchor of ESPN’s SportsCenter and ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights and current anchor and host on MLB Network, and WBA Welterweight World Champion Paulie Malignaggi have been added to the broadcast team for this Saturday's four-fight SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas (SHOWTIME, 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT).

In Saturday’s “Knockout Kings” main event, incredibly popular Mexican superstar and WBC Super Welterweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez defends against breakout star Josesito Lopez.

The 22-year-old, red-headed Alvarez’s fights have garnered higher TV ratings in his home country than the national soccer team. Lopez registered the Upset of the Year when he knocked out Victor Ortiz last June 23 on SHOWTIME. Fireworks are sure to fly in one of the three world title fights at MGM Grand on Saturday.

Kenny, who will host the telecast, will join blow-by-blow announcer Mauro Ranallo, expert analyst Al Bernstein, ringside reporter Jim Gray and special guest analyst, Malignaggi, to help set the stage for a mega fight card on SHOWTIME featuring eight fighters with a combined record of 288-16-5 with 206 KO’s and a knockout percentage of more than 70 percent.

Malignaggi, who’ll be making his debut at ringside for SHOWTIME, will defend his 147-pound world title against Pablo Cesar "El Demoledor" Cano in one of three world title fights on SHOWTIME on Oct. 20 from The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

LIVE STREAMS: SHOWTIME Sports^® will bring boxing fans closer to the action with a live stream of both Thursday’s press conference and Friday’s weigh-in from MGM Grand. For the press conference at The Hollywood Theatre and the weigh-in at the Grand Garden Arena, log on to ustream.tv/shosports. The press conference begins at 1 p.m. PT on Thursday. Friday’s weigh-in begins at 2 p.m. PT.

Websites and blogs may carry the live stream using the embed code at ustream.tv/shosports.

Fans can follow the action and interact on Twitter using the hashtag #CaneloLopez or on Facebook at Showtime Boxing.

JOSESITO LOPEZ VS. VICTOR ORTIZ ENCORE PRESENTATION: This Friday, Sept. 14, Lopez-Ortiz will air in its entirety on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 11 p.m. ET/PT, immediately following INSIDE THE NFL. The fight is also available now FREE ON DEMAND where non-SHO subscribers can watch the action packed fight. Search “SHOWTIME FREEVIEW” on your providers Free On Demand service to locate the program. Not available on all systems in all areas. Check your Free On Demand service

WARD STOPS DAWSON TO RETAIN WORLD TITLES; DEMARCO DEFENDS IN STUNNING FASHION OVER MOLINA, JR. AT ORACLE ARENA IN OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

In perhaps his best and most dominating performance as a pro, Andre "S.O.G. Ward completely dismantled the naturally bigger WBC Light Heavyweight Champion "Bad" Chad Dawson en route to a stunning 10^th-round TKO and successful defense of his WBA & WBC Super Middleweight titles at Oracle Arena.

The card entitled, "WARD-DAWSON WORLD CHAMPIONS-MADE IN AMERICA", before an announced paid attendance of 8,500 appreciative fans, was presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions in association with Gary Shaw Promotions, Antonio Leonard Productions and SOG Promotions.

On the HBO® World Championship Boxing telecast Ward (26-0, 14 KOs), as many expected, utilized his superior quickness to his advantage right from the opening bell and his sharp, crisp punches opened a cut over Dawson's right eye in the second round. In Round 3, Ward's power took over and he sent the New Haven, CT native to the canvas with a left hook to the head. Dawson recovered, but in the fourth round was sent to the deck again in identical fashion.

Ward registered a third knockdown in the 10^th round when he delivered a solid left hook behind Dawson's ear. After issuing a standing 8-count, referee Steve Smoger called a halt to the fight. The time was 2:45 of the 10^th round.

Prior to the knockout, all three judges had Ward with a decided advantage, with only 1 round given to Dawson (31-2, 17 KOs) by two of the judges. Marshall Walker scored the fight 90-89 and both Julie Lederman and David Mendoza saw it 89-80 in favor of the hometown champion.

"I was carrying the weight of being the champion into the ring tonight, and Dawson was a dangerous opponent," Ward acknowledged. "I took the risk of fighting the bigger man. He had the height and reach advantage, but he sacrificed the weight. I was surprised that he wasn't as fast as he looked like he was on the tapes I watched. I could see everything coming from the start of the fight. Virgil kept telling me to turn it up. That's what I did.

"I love to win and the better the competition, the more I rise to the occasion. It might have looked like it was easy, but Chad Dawson was a monster, added Ward, who made the fourth defense of his WBA title and first as WBC champion. "Guys have been asking me what it's going to take to finish the puzzle. Finishing guys off is the last piece of the puzzle and we are on our way to doing that."

Classy in defeat, Dawson said: "I did everything I had to do to prepare for this fight. He (Ward) was a lot faster than I thought he was. He is strong too. I don't take anything away from him because he is definitely one of the best. I just felt like I couldn't get anything off tonight. I didn't have a problem with the weight; the weight was fine. I am going to go back to 175 and decide what I am going to do next. Andre Ward is a hell of a champion."

In the co-main event, Mexico's Antonio DeMarco jumped on John Molina right from the opening bell with a barrage of unanswered punches causing referee Jack Reiss to stop the contest at 0:44 of the first round. DeMarco retained his WBC Lightweight title.

"I dedicated this fight to Los Mochis, Mexico for all my fans," DeMarco exclaimed. "John Molina was a very strong person. I told him to keep working hard and to get back on top."

Demarco, normally a fighter who patiently tries to break down his opponents slowly and methodically, reverted to an ultra-aggressive style to stun his opponent. I'm a different person in the ring when I see somebody hurt ," said the champion. When I see him hurt now I jump on him."

Next up for DeMarco could be a title defense against fast-rising young star Adrian Broner. Insisted DeMarco: "Yes, I am willing to fight Adrian Broner anytime, anywhere. Tomorrow!!!"

"I was very disappointed at myself and with the stoppage. I wasn't hurt. I thought for sure I would be able to fight my way out of that, but it was a tough hole to fight out of. Instinctively I wanted to fight back right away (instead of taking a knee and and eight-count). I didn't feel in enough trouble for Jack Reiss to stop it. Take nothing away from them (DeMarco & Reiss). They did their job. I've gotta come back from this. Jack Reiss is one of the best refs and DeMarco is a great champion."

Results from Oakland, CA

WBA/WBC SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE

Andre Ward (26-0, 14 KOs, Oakland, CA), W TKO 10 over Chad Dawson (31-2, 17 KOs, New Haven, CT).

Ward retains WBA & WBC Super Middleweight Titles.

WBC LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE

Antonio DeMarco (28-2-1, 21 KOs, Los Mochis, MX) W KO1 over John Molina, Jr. (24-2, 19 KOs, Covina, CA); DeMarco retains his WBC Lightweight Title.

HEAVYWEIGHTS

Franklin "Yah Yah" Lawrence (18-2-2, 13 KOs, Indianapolis, IN) W TKO7 (3:00) over Homero Fonseca (9-6-3, 2 KOs, Peirsaw, TX)

Malik Scott (35-0, 12 KOs, Philadelphia, CA) W TKO8 over Bowie Tupou (22-2, 16 KOs, Los Angeles, CA)

MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Tony Hirsch (13-5-2, 6 KOs, Oakland, CA) W UDEC over Roberto Yong (5-6-1, Sacramento, CA)

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS

Ricardo Williams (20-3, 10 KOs, Cincinnati, OH) W MDEC 6 over Anthony Lenk (13-2, 7 KOs, Los Angeles, CA)

FEATHERWEIGHTS

Randy Guerrero (1-0, Gilroy, CA) MAJ DRAW 4 vs. Juan Urbina (0-1, Santa Ana, CA)

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Ward vs. Dawson "Made in America" features a 12-round World Championship bout Saturday, Sept. 8

Ward vs. Dawson "Made in America" features a 12-round World

Championship bout between Super Middleweight World Champion,Andre Ward and Light Heavyweight World Champion, Chad Dawson as well as a co-featured lightweight championship bout between Antonio DeMarco and John Molina Jr. The night of boxing will take place Saturday, Sept. 8 from the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. The event will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 9:45 p.m., ET/PT.

The event is promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions in association with Antonio Leonard Promotions and SOG Promotions and sponsored by Corona, City of Oakland, Azad Watches and 95.7 The Game.

MAURO RANALLO TO HOST & MARK ‘TOO SHARP’ JOHNSON TO SERVE AS GUEST ANALYST ON SEPTEMBER 8 SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING TELECAST ALONGSIDE AL BERNSTEIN

No. 1 Contender Olusegun Ajose Faces No. 2 Contender Lucas Matthysse

For Vacant WBC Interim Super Lightweight Championship

This Saturday, Sept. 8, at 9 p.m. ET/PT Live on SHOWTIME®

From Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas

Veteran sportscaster Mauro Ranallo and International Boxing Hall of Famer Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson will join this Saturday’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast, live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Ranallo will host the show and call the blow by blow action alongside two International Boxing Hall of Famers — longtime SHOWTIME boxing analyst Al Bernstein and special guest analyst Johnson — for Saturday’s WBC Interim Super Lightweight Championship bout between the WBC’s No. 1 contender Olusegun Ajose and No. 2 contender Lucas Matthysse and the co-featured bout featuring J’Leon Love vs. Ramon Valenzuela.

Known for his enthusiastic calls and knowledge of combat sports, Ranallo joins the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING team after spending more than five years as lead play-by-play announcer for STRIKEFORCE mixed martial arts (MMA) on SHOWTIME.

A lifelong boxing fan, Ranallo is thrilled for the opportunity to join the recent Hall of Fame inductees at ringside.

“I am very excited about joining the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING team,” Ranallo said. “Having covered combat sports for over two decades, I look forward to calling some of the best boxing action on the planet.
“My first main event could redefine the Big Bang theory with one of the sport’s biggest punchers, Lucas Matthysse, looking to showcase his preternatural punching power. However, it won’t be easy against a slick technician such as the undefeated Olusegun Ajose.”
The first African American to win a flyweight and super flyweight world title, Johnson is, at the age of 40, the youngest boxer in history to get inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He was also the first fighter born and raised in Washington, D.C., to enter the Hall.

A speedy, talented southpaw, who last fought in 2006, Johnson could box or brawl and was a fixture on pound-for-pound lists in late 1990’s and early 2000’s.

Johnson and Bernstein were both members of the Hall’s 2012 class.

“It is a great honor and privilege to join a network like SHOWTIME, which has produced some of the greatest shows and memories in boxing history,” Johnson said. “I’m as excited to be a part of the world-class SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING team as I was when they first told me I would be finally getting my first world title shot after waiting three years for it. This is a dream come true for me. I’ve been studying and I’m ready to go. I look forward to bringing a unique insight to the SHOWTIME audience.

“There are not too many places that you will be able to see and hear two Boxing Hall of Famers at once, so to be granted this opportunity and to work alongside Al Bernstein, whom I entered the Boxing Hall of Fame with this year, makes it that much sweeter.”

Johnson, a veteran of 50 fights, knows what both Ajose and Matthysse need to do if they want to walk out of the ring a world champion.

“The fight between Olusegun Ajose and Lucas Matthysse is going to be very exciting,” Johnson said. “Although Matthysse feels like he didn’t close the gaps and could have possibly won those fights against Devon Alexander and Zab Judah, he came back with a great knockout against Humberto Soto this past June where he was able to use his strength and outwork him.

“Ajose is a guy who has 30 wins with 14 knockouts and no losses and is a surely a power puncher. However, we will see how well he adjusts outside of his comfort zone, the U.K. (United Kingdom) when he comes to the bright lights of Nevada against the experienced Matthysse. This will be the first time both of these guys get to be front and center as the main event on a platform like SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING.”

Ajose vs. Matthysse, a 12-round fight for the vacant WBC Interim Super Lightweight World Championship taking place Saturday, September 8 at The Joint At Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with DiBella Entertainment, Gary Shaw Productions and Arano Box Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will air live at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) with middleweight prospects J’Leon Love and Ramon Valenzuela squaring off in a 10-round co-featured bout presented in association with Mayweather Promotions. Preliminary fights will air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

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