81st Annual NY Golden Gloves Championships Finals live from Madison Square Garden; Actress vs Dancer, Student vs Teacher and more classic matchups

All the boxing ring's was the stage for the 81at Annual Daily News Golden Gloves Amateur Boxing Tournament, Thursdy April 17th and Friday April 18th at the WAMU Theatre at Madison Square Garden. The best amateur boxers in the New York City Metro area put their dukes up for two nights of fights, in front of thousands of fans at the world greatest arena. A total of 31 championship bouts were held over the two days, featuring 62 men and women boxers. The Daily News Golden Gloves has served as a launching point for the careers of world champion boxers such as Emile Griffith, Jose Torres, Floyd Paterson, Howard Davis and Riddick Bowe. The Golden Gloves comprises of nearly 30 nights of elimination bouts held throughout the New York metropolitan area over three months. It is the most prestigious, oldest and largest amateur boxing tournament in the world. Nearly 700 fighters- including more than 40 women- fought in the Golden Gloves this year.



For live video interviews of Nisa Rodriguez, Franchon Crews, Laura Ramirez and Livingstone Joseph, Iran Barkley, Sadam "world Kid" Ali and many more of your boxing favorites go to Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience the Channel- Online at http://www.youtube.com/ELEmpress1

165 Pound Novice- Marcus Browne 17 now (2 KO's, 2 decisions, 1 bye) of the Rockaways who is a student at Concord H.S, where he still trains Marcus Browne defeated Shaka Davidson 25 (1KO, 3 decisions, 1 bye) who is a personal trainer and lives in Mount Kisco New York.

Marcus Browne


114 Pound Women- Keisher "Fire" MCleod Wells 30 of Gleasons Gym (2 decision) a three time champion at 110 pounds, who lives in Brooklyn, won the decision over Alexis Asher 25 of Gleasons Gym (1 bye) the defending champion from Brooklyn, who is a personal trainer and dancer.

Keisher "Fire" MCleod Wells


178 Pound Novice- Joseph Smith, Jr. 18 of Vetereans Memeorial Gym (3 KO's, 1 decision, 1 bye) who is a tree cutter for the LIRR, from Mastic, L.I., won the decision over Sean Monaghan 26 of Freeport PAL (3 decisions, 1 KO, 1 bye) a bricklayer who is a resident of Long Beach.

Joseph Smith Jr.


Sean Monaghan


141 Pound Open- Livingstone Joseph 23 of NYC PAL (2 KO's, 1 decision) who is from Manhattan is a two time Golden Gloves champion. Livingstone Joseph defeated Mike Brooks 20 of Freeport PAL (2 decisions, 1, bye) who is ranked nationally, Brooks who is empolyed as a cook, lives in Oceanside, L.I.

Livingstone Joseph and the Legend Iran Barkley


119 pound Women- Christina Cruz 25 of Gleasons Gym (1 KO, 1 decision) who is a personal secretary from Manhattan defended her championship defeating Christina Rosa 29 of Westbury PAL, who is a jeweler and living in Garden Park City, L.I.

Christina Cruz


138 Pound Women- Chinazo Rena Anakwe 24 of Team Free Form (1 bye) who is enrolled in the Actors Studio AFA program at Pace University and who lives in Brooklyn New York, won a decision over Kathleen Walsh 18 of Heavy Hitters Boxing Club (1 decision) who is from Ronkonkoma, L.I., and works as a lifeguard.

Chinazo Rena Anakwe


Mr & Mrs Flaco and Keisher MCleod-Wells and Chinazo Rena Anakwe


125 Pound Open- Emmanuel Gonzalez 20 of Betances Boxing Club (1 decision, 1 bye) who is an apprentice bricklayer from the Bronx, and who was a finalist in 2007, came back in 2008 to defeat Marcos Hernandez 19 of Gleasons Gym (1 decision, 1 bye) who is a resident of Brooklyn New York, studying humman services at BMCC.

Emmanuel Gonzalez


Emmanuel Gonzalez


Team Emmanuel "Manny" Gonzalez


165 Pound Open- Phillip Jackson Benson 23 of Gleasons Gym (1 KO, 1 decision, 1 bye) who was a novice champion in 2006 and who reached the open final last year, defeated Michael O'Connor 20 of NYC PAL (2 decisions, 1 bye) who was the the novice
champion at 141 pounds in 2005, O'Connor lives in the Bronx New York.

Phillip Jackson Benson


Laura Ramirez 17 of NYC PAL (1 KO, 1 decision) who is from the Bronx, is a student at Harry S. Truman H.S., Laura Ramirez defeated Ruth O'Sullivan 32 of Gleasons Gym ( 1 decision, 1 bye) who is a social worker at the Supreme Court. O'Sullivan is a two time champion and resides in Brooklyn New York.

Laura Ramirez


Laura Ramirez and Livingstone Joseph


Super Heavyweight Novice- Daniel Torres 26, Black Hand Combat (3 decisions, 1 bye) from East Norwich, L.I., who is employed as a Carpenter, defeated Davone Jones 27 of Gleasons Gym (3 decisions, 1 bye) who is employed as a hospital worker and lives in the Bronx.

Daniel Torres


154 Pound Women- Nisa Rodriguez 17 of Betances Boxing Club (1 KO) is a student at SoBRO in the Bronx. This is Nisa Rodriguez's first Golden Gloves tournament, Rodiguez's win came over Justine Herrera 30 of Gleasons Gym (1 KO) who is an administrator at Columbia University, and who was a finalist in the 2006 Golden Gloves.

Nisa Rodriguez


141 Pound Novice- William S. Whitt 19 of Ardon Sweet Science (4 decisions, 1 bye) who is from Sunset Park Brooklyn, is a field worker for the NYC Human Rights Commission. Whitt defeated Paul Diaz-Laru 30 of Church Street Gym ((1 KO, 4 decisions) who is from the Lower East Side in Manhattan. Diaz-Laru is the manager of the Battery Park Community Center.

William S. Whitt


William S. Whitt and trainer


165 Pound Women- Christina Jensen 19 of Vetereans Memorial Gym (1 decision) who is from L.I., is studying criminal justice at Briarcliffe College. Jensen defeated Jennifer Egan 25 of Gleasons Gym (1 bye) who is a resident of Brooklyn New York. Egan is a teacher at the Shallow Middle School in Bensonhurst.

Christina Jensen


Heavyweight 201 Pound Open- Mitchell Balker 24 of Mendez Boxing Gym (2 decisions) who was born in Suriname and a citizen of the Netherlands, Balker came to New York to compete in the Golden Gloves. Mitchell Balker won a close decision over Norman Neely 18 of NYC PAL (1 bye) who is employed as an elder care worker. Neely resides in the Bronx New York.

Mitchell Balker


Norman Neely


176 Pound Women- Tressa Dugan 32 of NYC PAL (1 bye) who is a recent arrival to Manhattan from Atlanta, is a sales manager at L'Oreal. Tressa Dugan lost a close decision to Iris Y. Murillo 20 of Heavy Hitters Boxing Club ((1 bye) who is from Bay Shore L.I., and works as an administrator at the Stony Brook Hospital.

Tressa Dugan


Team Tressa Dugan


Heavyweight Novice- Jerry Gaspard 28 of Church Street Boxing Gym (3 decisions, 1 bye) who lives in Brooklyn New York, owns and operates a fitness center. Gaspard defeated Ngoli Okafor 33 of Mendez Boxing Gym (2 KO's, 2 decisions) who is employed as a personal trainer and lives in the Bronx.

Jerry Gaspard


Amanda Serrano 19 (1 KO) who is a personal trainer from Bushwick New York, and competing in her second Golden Gloves, pulled off the victory, with a decision over Jody-Ann Weller 29 of New York Boxing Gym (1 decision) who is a research scientist, from Pomona New York, this is Jody-Ann Weller's second trip to the finals. Amanda Serrano is the younger sister of Cindy Serrano who is also a professional fighter.

Amanda Serrano


Jody-Ann Weller


Emile Griffith, "Mean" Joe Green, Sadam "World Kid" Ali, Junior Jones and Brendan Smith


"Mean" Joe Green, Sadam "World Kid" Ali, Junior Jones


Nagy Aguillera and guest attends the 81st Annual Golden Gloves at Madison Square Garden, in New York City


Female fighter Franchon Crews attends the 81st Annual Golden Gloves at Madison Square Garden, in New York City


Monte Barrett Junior Jones and "Mean" Joe Green attends the 81st Annual Golden Gloves at Madison Square Garden, in New York City


Ronny Vargas and Melissa Hernandez attends the 81st Annual Golden Gloves at Madison Square Garden, in New York City


Cara Castronuova and MC Goddess attends the 81st Annual Golden Gloves at Madison Square Garden, in New York City


Aaron Davis and Chris Smith attends the 81st Annual Golden Gloves at Madison Square Garden, in New York City


Vanessa Greco Team Free Form member, attends the 81st Annual Golden Gloves at Madison Square Garden, in New York City


Tony Mitchell, the former tennis player attends the 81st Annual Golden Gloves at Madison Square Garden, in New York City


©®™ 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

DIAZ OPENS CAMP IN PREPARATION FOR SHOWDOWN WITH PACQUIAO

CHICAGO, IL- World Boxing Council Lightweight Champion David. Diaz opened up camp this morning at JABB Boxing Gym in Chicago in preparation for his title defense against THE MEXICUTIONER, Manny Pacquiao on June 28th at the

Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Said Diaz, “It’s time to go to work, everything is signed, the tickets are going on sale on Saturday and I’m thrilled to start camp.”

Diaz and his team, manager/trainer Jim Strickland and co-trainer Mike Garcia were met by a special guest this morning as Chicago Blackhawks head coach, Hall of Famer Denis Savard stopped by to offer his best wishes to David.

While posing with David and his team for pictures, Savard stated, ‘Hopefully next year I’ll bring the Stanley Cup to put alongside David’s world title belt. I want my team to be tough and keep fighting to the end, that’s what has made David a world champion.”

Savard was enthusiastic about Diaz’s showdown with Pacquiao, “I’ll be there at Mandalay Bay on June 28th. David and Manny are both warriors and it will be a great fight to see in person."

Last month Diaz aced his open tryout with the Blackhawks during the in-between periods celebrity shootout, drilling a goal through the mousetrap sized target from the blue line. “He can fight and he can shoot, I can always use a guy like that”, said Savard.

Tickets for Pacquiao vs.Diaz, priced at $600, $400, $300, $200 and $100, go on sale This Saturday! April 19, at 10 a.m., at the Mandalay Bay box office and at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers, Macy’s West at the Fashion Show Mall, and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000 or Mandalay Bay (702) 632-7580. Tickets are also available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Dubbed "Republica Enemy No. 1," Pacquiao (46-3-2, 34 KOs), from General Santos City, Philippines, has blitzed through the best fighters Mexico has had to offer since 2003including Erik Morales (KO 3, TKO 10), Marco Antonio Barrera (TKO 11, W 12), Juan Manuel Marquez (W 12, D 12), Oscar Larios (W 12), Emanuel Lucero (TKO 3), Hector Velazquez (TKO 6) and Jorge Solis (KO 8). Pacquiao was named 2006 Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring magazine for his two spectacular knockout victories of Mexican icon and three-division champion Morales, as well as his dominating 12-round unanimous decision over former world champion Larios. The hard-hitting southpaw has won 22 of his last 23 bouts including 2007 victories over Barrera and Solis. Pacquiao’s 12-round split decision victory over Marquez earlier this year not only avenged a disputed draw from their 2004 battle, it also made Pacman a four-division world champion.

Diaz (34-1-1, 17 KOs), from Chicago, will be making the second defense of his title. He successfully defended it against the three-division world champion Morales last summer winning a hard-fought unanimous decision over the future Hall of Famer. Although behind on the scorecards early, Diaz remained cool and rallied before the raucous hometown Chicago crowd of 10,000 to capture the decision. He swept the championship rounds and won the decision by scores of 114-113, 115-113 and 115-112. With the victory, Diaz cemented his place among the best lightweights in the sport and one of the most popular and respected athletes in the sports-crazy town of Chicago. A member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, Diaz, with 12 years of experience as a professional, is more than prepared to handle the pressures that come with battling boxing’s pound-for-pound most exciting fighter.

The Pacquiao vs. Diaz pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Pacquiao vs. Diaz fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.

SecondsOut Presents Selcuk 'Mini Tyson' Aydin vs Lucky Lewele‏

This Saturday (April 26th) welterweight powerhouse "Mini-Tyson" Selcuk Aydin (14-0-0, 12 kos) is coming home to Trabzon to fight for the vacant WBC international championship against former title holder "Babawazoo" Lucky Lewele (25-4-0) from South Africa. Trabzon's sport fans already go crazy about the upcoming show. It will be the first night of professional boxing ever to be held in the small city at the Black Sea.

Aydin arrived in Trabzon on Monday night and had to go through all kinds of interviews and autograph sessions since he returned home.

Whenever he stops by in a café fans start surrounding him, take pictures with their idol and tell them that they'll pray for his victory.

"I expected some excitement but the support of all the people is just overwhelming!" states Aydin. "I am highly delighted with all the enthusiasm and deeply touched. I promise all my fans that I will show a great fight and blow away Lewele to win the belt for my city and my country!"

On the undercard heavyweight sensation Odlanier Solis doesn't fight for a title but for his trip to Las Vegas! Only if Solis beats unbeaten Georgian prospect Mamuka Jikurashvili (20-0-0, 14 kos) convincingly he can go on to give his US debut on May 17th in Primm, Nevada at the "Night of the Rising Stars" headlined by "El Ciclon de Guantanamo" Yuriorkis Gamboa.

Also on the card: Middleweight prospect Mahir Oral (21-1-2) who gives his comeback after a long injury break and unbeaten heavyweight Yakup Saglam (12-0-0, 11 kos) who will fight for the Interim International German Championship.

"I am very proud to bring another big boxing night to Turkey", states promoter Ahmet Öner.

And the next show isn't far. On May 30th Sinan Samil Sam will fight against Matt Skelton for the vacant European heavyweight championship in Istanbul, also on SecondsOut (except UK)

Preview these exciting fighters at http://www.youtube.com/secondsout