EliteXC Weigh-In: Kimbo, Tank And More‏

EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw, and Tank Abbott pose after Friday's weigh-in at the Holiday Inn at Coral Gables, Fla. Kimbo takes on Tank in EliteXC's eagerly anticipated main event Saturday at the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami.

Photos: TOM CASINO/EliteXC


Tickets for a spectacular 11-bout event start at $35 and are available at Ticketmaster locations, online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/ and at the BankUnited Box Office at the University of Miami. Doors open at 7 p.m. The first fight is 7:30.

Antonio "Big Foot" Silva (left), Shaw and Ricco Rodriguez pose after the weigh-in.

Scott Smith (left) and Kyle Noke square off Friday.


With Shaw the man in the middle, Edson Berto (left) squares off with Yves Edwards after the weigh-in on Friday.


James Thompson (left) and Brett Rogers face off after the weigh-in.


SHOWTIME will televise five fights including the long-awaited, highly anticipated, must-see Kimbo-Tank confrontation live at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast), while six non-televised undercard bouts will be streamed live on the leading MMA internet site, ProElite.com.

In addition to Kimbo-Tank, the SHOWTIME telecast will include: Silva vs. Rodriguez; Thompson vs. Brett Rogers; Noke vs. Smith; and Berto vs. Edwards.
A non-televised undercard streamed live at ProElite.com will include: Rafael Feijao vs. John Doyle; Mike Bernhard vs. Lorenzo Borgameo; Eric Bradley vs. Mikey Gomez; Mario Rinaldi vs. Dave Herman; Jon Kirk vs. Yosmany Cabezas; and Moyses Gabin vs. Jirka Hlavaty.


In addition to the fights being streamed live, fans can watch pre- and post-fight interviews on ProElite.com. The 11 contests are scheduled for three, 5-minute rounds.
(BOUT SHEET WITH WEIGHTS AND PHOTOS ATTACHED)
Fighter pages (televised bouts): Kimbo (http://kimboslice.proelite.com/), Tank (http://tankabbott.proelite.com/), Silva (http://antoniosilva.proelite.com/), Rodriguez (http://riccorodriguez.proelite.com/), Thompson (http://jamesthompson.proelite.com/), Rogers (http://brettrogers.proelite.com/), Noke (http://kylenoke.proelite.com/), Smith (http://scottsmith.proelite.com/), Berto (http://edsonberto.proelite.com/), Edwards (http://yvesedwards.proelite.com/).

Fighter pages (non-televised bouts): Gabin (http://moysesgabin.proelite.com/), Hlavaty (http://jirkahlavaty.proelite.com/), Borgameo (http://lorenzoborgame.proelite.com/), Bernhard (http://mikebernhard.proelite.com/), Bradley (http://ericbradley.proelite.com/), Gomez (http://mikeygomez.proelite.com/), Rinaldi (http://mariorinaldi.proelite.com/), Herman (http://daveherman.proelite.com/), Kirk (http://jonkirk.proelite.com/), Cabezas (http://yosmanycabezas.proelite.com/), Feijao (http://rafaelfeijao.proelite.com/), Doyle (http://johndoyle.proelite.com/).

Mike Martinez: Fighting Mad!

Mike Martinez: Fighting Mad!
By Andre Courtemanche

You wouldn't like him when he's angry.

"They used to call me 'The Incredible Hulk' in the Marine Corps," laughs easy-going junior middleweight Mike Martinez. "Sometimes I get mad in there."

In much the same way they say "everyone has a plan until they get hit," Martinez is the most unassuming and sociable person you'd ever meet -- until he gets hit.

"It's an amazing thing to watch the transformation," says Martinez's promoter, Kerry Daigle of Keeppunching Entertainment. "Mike is so well-liked and friendly and then when he gets in that ring, it's like he's trying to punch through his opponents."

Martinez will be seen turning green on February 23, as he is scheduled to appear on the "Johnson vs. Gonzalez" Fight Night for Climate Change at the Civic Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana.



"I'm pretty comfortable," relates the 26 year old about possibly fighting on pay-per-view. "In the ring, it's just me and him and there is nothing outside of it, so I'll be fine."

Martinez waited until his stint in the armed forces had finished before turning professional. By that time, he had racked up some impressive credentials. "I won the National PAL in 2002 and the National Ringside in 2003. I had about 250 amateur fights and was ranked #2 in the country. For a while I was on the USA Team. And then in the Marine Corps, I won five All-Marine championships and was nominated for Athlete of the Year one time."

He also holds an amateur victory over current undefeated welterweight prospect Andre Berto. "He was a year or two younger than me," explains Martinez in his typically humble manner. "Everybody told me that was an absolute war, but I just out-hustled him. He got tired and I didn't."

Despite his habit of getting angry once the leather starts flying, Martinez retains much of his wits in the ring. He describes his style as "smart aggression," and, like the dogged reporter Mr. McGee from the TV version of "The Incredible Hulk," says he can use constant pressure to make an opponent break down.

However, fighting as a professional started out in a maddening way for the West Texas native. He lost his pro debut via split decision in the other fighter's home state and dropped a split decision in his third fight as well.

After seven fights, Martinez's record stands at a modest 5-2, 2 KOs -- a fact that doesn't seem to make him angry. "I was trying to manage myself and taking fights on one day's notice and it really showed. I would go and give the guys hell and I couldn't seem to pull out the decision. You know how that goes. Now that I have Kerry, I'm going undefeated and hopefully it stays that way."

Martinez came to meet promoter Daigle through best friend Blake Prevost, a 10-1 light heavyweight, also fighting under the Keeppunching banner. With Daigle's help, the affable Martinez has put his career back on track.

"I get along with everybody. My biggest thing is do to people what I want done to me. I try to treat everybody pretty equal. Everybody is real nice when I fight in Louisiana. I feel like the crowd is mine. I stand on the ropes and they cheer me on. It's a good feeling. Plus there are a lot of good looking girls in Louisiana."

We all react differently under fire. Some run, some hide, and some fight. Mike Martinez gets fighting mad. With a new promoter making sure he takes the right fights at the right time, it could be a whole new episode for "The Hulk."

He hopes he'll be getting mad at world champions some day soon.

Tickets for the February 23 "Johnson vs. Gonzalez" Fight Night for Climate Change are on sale now at all Ticketmaster outlets and the Lake Charles Civic Center Box Office (call 337.491.1432) and are priced at $200 (Limited Ringside Seats); $125 (Floor Seats); $48.50 (Floor Riser Seats); $48.50 (Gold 100 Level Seats); $32.50 (Silver 200 Level Seats); and $15 (Bronze 300 Level, General Admission Seats).

HBO Sports would like to invite you and your readers to a screening of "JOE LOUIS America's Hero...Betrayed."

HBO Sports would like to invite you and your readers to a screening of "JOE LOUIS America's Hero...Betrayed." HBO Sports, Everlast, and the Harlem Police Athletic League will be presenting this screening on Thursday February 21 at the Harlem PAL located at 441 Manhattan Avenue (119th Street), New York, NY 10026. The screening will be held at 2:00 pm (doors opening at 1:30 pm).The event is free and open to the public. There will be free t-shirts, keychains and movie snacks! The screening will be held in the main gymnasium on the first floor of the center to commemorate the newly renovated JOE LOUIS BOXING GYM by HBO Sports with new equipment donated by EVERLAST. Please join us Thursday February 21st for this exciting event!

About the film: Born May 12, 1914, in LaFayette, Alabama, Joseph Louis Barrow - who became known as the "Brown Bomber" - was America's first true cross over athlete. He was the first black sports star worshipped by both black and white fans, he was respected not only for his boxing talents, but also for showing the world what a person of color could do if given the opportunity. When he fought, the world stood still. The film under scores his importance during a critical time in America'shistory. From the Great Depression through World War II and into the 1950's, Joe Louis was the poster boy for the American way of life. In 1938, when Louis defeated Germany's Max Schmeling, his victory was interpreted as democracy's defeat of Nazism, boosting public morale and transforming him into a true American hero. "HE WAS A CREDIT TO HIS RACE - THE HUMAN RACE" - Jimmy Cannon

http://www.hbo.com/events/joelouis/