The “Fighting Garcias Team” of Oxnard, California, will return to Chicago this Friday night, March 14th as undefeated lightweight prospect Brandon “BAM BAM” Rios takes to the ring in the co-main event at MARCH BADNESS, another evening of world class professional boxing presented by Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions, HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING.
The 21 year old Rios, 15-0 with ten knockouts, will battle Kansas City native Alvin Brown, 26-10 (12KO’s) in the scheduled eight rounder. Rios is trained by the father and son duo of Eduardo Garcia and former junior lightweight champion of the world, Roberto Garcia at the famed La Colonia Youth Boxing Club in Oxnard.
Said Roberto Garcia, “We’ve always enjoyed coming to Chicago over the last few years whether it’s been with Fernando Vargas, Brandon or my brother Mikey. The crowds have been terrific to fight in front of and we’re thrilled to bring Brandon back along with my nephew Javier this time.”
In a battle of undefeated prospects, 20 year old Javier Garcia, 2-0-1 (2KO’s) will face 22 year old Michoacan, Mexico native, Jose Guzman, 5-0 (4KO’s) in a four rounder at MARCH BADNESS. Guzman currently resides in nearby Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Speaking about Rios’ preparation, Roberto would say, “Brandon has been training like a lion the last three months. We’ve had excellent sparring against (WBO featherweight champion) Steven Luevano along with my Mikey and Javier. He realizes his time is now and he’s very motivated. He’s had 15 fights and the time to make a move in the rankings is this year.”
Rios has fought twice in Chicago, dismantling Jaime Alvarado in the first round on July 15, 2005 at the Aragon Ballroom in his local debut and winning an eight round battle over Humberto Tapia on December 22, 2006 at Cicero Stadium. The Rios/Tapia war was one of the finest clashes of the year in the SOLO BOXEO Friday night series.
In his last bout, Rios won a six round slugfest over Carlos Madrid on May 25, 2007 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Brown’s eleven year career is highlighted by battles with world champions and highly ranked fighters including Wayne McCullough, Rogers Mtagwa, Priest Smalls, Marcos Ramirez, Emmanuel Lucero and Edel Ruiz.
MARCH BADNESS is headlined by an outstanding lightweight clash between former world champion Javier “EL Chatito” Jauregui and world ranked contender Miguel “EL Anestesista “Huerta.
Along with Dominic Pesoli's 8 Count Productions and Bob Arum’s Top Rank Incorporated, MARCH BADNESS is presented by TCF Bank, Tecate Beer and AeroMexico, Mexico’s premier airline travel headquarters. The SOLO BOXEO TECATE broadcast will be viewed in 42 US markets and 70 foreign countries.
The full MARCH BADNESS card is as follows;
Javier Jauregui vs. Miguel Huerta, twelve rounds, lightweights
Brandon Rios vs. Alvin Brown, eight rounds, lightweights
Victor Polyakov vs. Derrick Findley, eight rounds, middleweights
Leo Martinez vs. Miguel Angel Figueroa, six rounds, lightweights
Gadiel Andaluz vs. Fred Fleming, four rounds, lightweights
Javier Garcia vs. Jose Guzman, four rounds lightweights
As part of the evening’s events, a drawing for an autographed pair if boxing gloves signed by Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquaio will be held between fights. Marquez and Pacquaio will battle the following night, Saturday, March 15th at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
The Master of Ceremonies for MARCH BADNESS will be Lupe Contreras, the internationally recognized voice of Latino boxing.
The open to the public weigh-in for MARCH BADNESS will take place on Thursday, March 13th at 7pm at EL Jimador Restaurant, 1600 N. Mannheim Rd in Stone Park, just north of Lake St.
8 Count Productions was started by Dominic Pesoli in 1998 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland. In 2003, Pesoli along with former featherweight contender Mike Garcia opened JABB Boxing Gym, a 6,000 square foot venue dedicated to the finest Chicagoland boxers of all talent levels.
To view the seating chart and poster for this event or for more information on 8 Count Productions and JABB Boxing Gym, please visit www.8countproductions.com and www.jabbboxinggym.com
For more information on Bob Arum’s Top Rank Incorporated, please visit
www.toprank.com
CREATING CONTENDERS SINCE 1998
Bernie Bahrmasel
Publicist/8 Count Productions
www.8countproductions.com
boxing entertainment fight sports mixed martial arts special events sports worldwide
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
“A FISTFUL OF SHAMROCKS” SHOW AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN ON MARCH 15TH
The final press conference for the pre-St. Patrick’s Day Madison Square Garden extravaganza called “A Fistful of Shamrocks” was held today, March 10th, at Jack Demsey’s Irish pub on East 33rd Street in midtown Manhattan. The show is being promoted by the newly created Celtic Ropes Promotions (www.celticgloves.com).
The 10 round main event features undefeated James Moore, 14-0 (10 KOS), a native of County Wicklow, Ireland, who fights out of Queens. He is facing the seasoned veteran and former world title challenger J.C. Candelo, 27-9-4 (18 KOS), of Colombia.
In the co-feature, New York’s other undefeated junior middleweight sensation Pawel “Raging Bull” Wolak, 19-0 (13 KOS), a native of Debica, Poland, who resides in Arlington, New Jersey, will square off against Dupre “Total Package” Strickland, 18-2-1 (7 KOS), of Shreveport, Louisiana.
Also featured will be lightweight Oisin Fagan, 20-5 (15 KOS), of Oklahoma City via Dublin; super middleweight Simon “Slick Fighting Irish” O’Donnell, 5-1 (2 KOS) of County Galway, Ireland; London junior welterweight Steve O’Meara, who will be making his pro debut; featherweight Jae Sung Lee, 8-1 (5 KOS), of Hanam, Korea; bantamweight Khabir Suleymanov, 2-0 (1 KO), of Ukraine; featherweight Joe Rosa, 1-2-1, of Puerto Rico; welterweight Luis Ruiz, 2-0, of Puebla, Mexico; welterweight Martin Wright, 4-0-1, of Brooklyn; and middleweight Bryant Pappas, 5-0 (5 KOS), a hard-punching Yonkers, New York, police officer.
A special junior middleweight female attraction features Cristy “Code Red” Nickel, 7-5 (4 KOS), of New York, vs. Oliva Fonseca, 1-1-2 (1 KO) of Philadelphia. Nickel, who counts Katie Couric among her A-list of clients, was recently named one of the top personal trainers in New York by Allure magazine.
Other luminaries in attendance included New York State Athletic Commissioner Ron Scott Stevens; longtime promoters and trainers Lou Duva and Don Elbaum; and matchmaker Bruce Silverglade.
Here’s what everyone had to say:
James Moore: “I could have taken an easier fight, but I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to just knock someone out and not learn anything. I need to take the right steps at the right time, and that’s what this fight against Candelo is about. I can’t wait to show everyone what I’m made of.”
James Moore and Kristal Hart

Harry Keitt, trainer of James Moore: “We took no shortcuts because we took this fight very seriously. James is in tremendous shape. I wish Pawel luck, but I have the future champion in James Moore.”
Pawel Wolak: “I train right, not just hard. I stay healthy and eat natural. I’m even reading books on nutrition. My full potential is still two years off, but I am getting stronger and more ready in each fight.
Pawel Wolak
”
Patrick Ford, two-time featherweight title challenger and trainer of Wolak: “People said Pawel won’t go anywhere because he’s a white guy. Well, that’s the end of that conversation. Pawel is a great fighter because he comes to fight, not to dance or box. Once the bell rings, he never stops punching.”
Ivan Edwards, manager of Wolak: “Pawel does whatever it takes to win: knees, elbows, etc. When we started working together, he told me he had four dreams: to fight in Atlantic City, Poland, MSG and Chicago, where there are lots of Polish fans. On March 15th he will have accomplished three of them. All that is left is fighting in Chicago.”
Cristy Nickel: “Thank you to Celtic Gloves for allowing me to showcase my talents at MSG, which is the place to be on March 15th. I’m thrilled to be part of such a great show.”
Oliva Fonseca: “I’m honored to be fighting in New York, at MSG, against Cristy Nickel. I’ve heard she is a very good fighter.”
Jae Sung Lee: (through interpreter Pearl Kim): “I am young and passionate and honored to fight in New York and at MSG. My preparation is going well. I want to prove something in America.”
Ron Scott Stevens: “I commend Celtic Gloves and am very proud of the shows they’ve been doing and how much they respect the rules and regulations.”
Lou Duva: “This is the way to do things, with all of these different nationalities. Celtic Gloves should be commended for putting on this show. You put on a show like this and people will talk about it for a long time.”
Don Elbaum: “This is an incredible fight card because James and Pawel are exciting and honest boxing prospects. Ireland and Poland are very proud of them. We will see them both knocking on the door for world titles very soon.”
In addition to boxing, live Irish music will be performed by the band “Big Girl’s Blouse.”
Door open at 6:30 P.M. and the fights will begin at 7:00 P.M. Tickets, which range from $400 to $50, can be purchased through Ticketmaster at 866-448-7849 or by calling Celtic Gloves at 917-559-8467 or Gleason’s Gym at 718-797-2872.
For sponsorship and advertising opportunities, contact Mike O’Sullivan at 516-242-0428
Check out Celtic Gloves Promotions on the web at: www.celticgloves.com
boxing entertainment fight sports mixed martial arts special events sports worldwide
The 10 round main event features undefeated James Moore, 14-0 (10 KOS), a native of County Wicklow, Ireland, who fights out of Queens. He is facing the seasoned veteran and former world title challenger J.C. Candelo, 27-9-4 (18 KOS), of Colombia.
In the co-feature, New York’s other undefeated junior middleweight sensation Pawel “Raging Bull” Wolak, 19-0 (13 KOS), a native of Debica, Poland, who resides in Arlington, New Jersey, will square off against Dupre “Total Package” Strickland, 18-2-1 (7 KOS), of Shreveport, Louisiana.
Also featured will be lightweight Oisin Fagan, 20-5 (15 KOS), of Oklahoma City via Dublin; super middleweight Simon “Slick Fighting Irish” O’Donnell, 5-1 (2 KOS) of County Galway, Ireland; London junior welterweight Steve O’Meara, who will be making his pro debut; featherweight Jae Sung Lee, 8-1 (5 KOS), of Hanam, Korea; bantamweight Khabir Suleymanov, 2-0 (1 KO), of Ukraine; featherweight Joe Rosa, 1-2-1, of Puerto Rico; welterweight Luis Ruiz, 2-0, of Puebla, Mexico; welterweight Martin Wright, 4-0-1, of Brooklyn; and middleweight Bryant Pappas, 5-0 (5 KOS), a hard-punching Yonkers, New York, police officer.
A special junior middleweight female attraction features Cristy “Code Red” Nickel, 7-5 (4 KOS), of New York, vs. Oliva Fonseca, 1-1-2 (1 KO) of Philadelphia. Nickel, who counts Katie Couric among her A-list of clients, was recently named one of the top personal trainers in New York by Allure magazine.
Other luminaries in attendance included New York State Athletic Commissioner Ron Scott Stevens; longtime promoters and trainers Lou Duva and Don Elbaum; and matchmaker Bruce Silverglade.
Here’s what everyone had to say:
James Moore: “I could have taken an easier fight, but I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to just knock someone out and not learn anything. I need to take the right steps at the right time, and that’s what this fight against Candelo is about. I can’t wait to show everyone what I’m made of.”
James Moore and Kristal Hart

Harry Keitt, trainer of James Moore: “We took no shortcuts because we took this fight very seriously. James is in tremendous shape. I wish Pawel luck, but I have the future champion in James Moore.”
Pawel Wolak: “I train right, not just hard. I stay healthy and eat natural. I’m even reading books on nutrition. My full potential is still two years off, but I am getting stronger and more ready in each fight.
Pawel Wolak
”

Patrick Ford, two-time featherweight title challenger and trainer of Wolak: “People said Pawel won’t go anywhere because he’s a white guy. Well, that’s the end of that conversation. Pawel is a great fighter because he comes to fight, not to dance or box. Once the bell rings, he never stops punching.”
Ivan Edwards, manager of Wolak: “Pawel does whatever it takes to win: knees, elbows, etc. When we started working together, he told me he had four dreams: to fight in Atlantic City, Poland, MSG and Chicago, where there are lots of Polish fans. On March 15th he will have accomplished three of them. All that is left is fighting in Chicago.”
Cristy Nickel: “Thank you to Celtic Gloves for allowing me to showcase my talents at MSG, which is the place to be on March 15th. I’m thrilled to be part of such a great show.”
Oliva Fonseca: “I’m honored to be fighting in New York, at MSG, against Cristy Nickel. I’ve heard she is a very good fighter.”
Jae Sung Lee: (through interpreter Pearl Kim): “I am young and passionate and honored to fight in New York and at MSG. My preparation is going well. I want to prove something in America.”
Ron Scott Stevens: “I commend Celtic Gloves and am very proud of the shows they’ve been doing and how much they respect the rules and regulations.”
Lou Duva: “This is the way to do things, with all of these different nationalities. Celtic Gloves should be commended for putting on this show. You put on a show like this and people will talk about it for a long time.”
Don Elbaum: “This is an incredible fight card because James and Pawel are exciting and honest boxing prospects. Ireland and Poland are very proud of them. We will see them both knocking on the door for world titles very soon.”
In addition to boxing, live Irish music will be performed by the band “Big Girl’s Blouse.”
Door open at 6:30 P.M. and the fights will begin at 7:00 P.M. Tickets, which range from $400 to $50, can be purchased through Ticketmaster at 866-448-7849 or by calling Celtic Gloves at 917-559-8467 or Gleason’s Gym at 718-797-2872.
For sponsorship and advertising opportunities, contact Mike O’Sullivan at 516-242-0428
Check out Celtic Gloves Promotions on the web at: www.celticgloves.com
boxing entertainment fight sports mixed martial arts special events sports worldwide
SecondsOut Radio: Marquez-Pacquiao 2 Preview, Weekend Review
SecondsOut Radio: Marquez-Pacquiao 2 Preview, Weekend Review On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, at http://www.secondsout.com/radio/,host Eddie Goldman begins by reviewing this past weekend's major fights. We discuss the WBC heavyweight title fight won by Samuel Peter (30-1,23 KOs) over Oleg Maskaev (34-6, 26 KOs) by a sixth-round stoppage,and the lightweight title fight won by Nate Campbell (32-5-1, 25 KOs)over Juan Diaz (33-1, 17 KOs) by a split decision in Cancun, Mexico.The comments of the announcers on HBO, which telecast these fights in the U.S., are particularly criticized here. We also review the cruiserweight unification bout won by David Haye (21-1, 20 KOs) over Enzo Maccarinelli (28-2, 21 KOs) by a second-round TKO in London, UK, telecast in the U.S. on Showtime and in the UK on Setanta. This coming Saturday, March 15, the long-awaited rematch between WBC super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (48-3-1, 35 KOs) and Manny Pacquiao (45-3-2, 34 KOs) finally is set to take place. In their first bout, held at featherweight on May 8, 2004, Pacquiao dropped Marquez thrice in the first round, but Marquez recovered and was able to outbox Pacquiao for much of the remainder of the fight. The result was a controversial split draw. Now they will meet again in a bout in Las Vegas which will be shown in the U.S. on HBO Pay-Per-View. We spoke with Manny Pacquiao and his trainer and confidant Freddie Roach about what to expect March 15 on a media teleconference call this past week, and have that discussion for you here. 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. Thanks, Eddie Goldman No Holds Barred bloghttp://nhbnews.blogspot.com/ No Holds Barred podcasthttp://nhbnews.podomatic.com/ The Boxing Standardhttp://boxingstandard.com/ No Holds Barred on MySpacehttp://www.myspace.com/nhbnewsboxing entertainment fight sports mixed martial arts special events sports worldwide
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