Sunday, July 15, 2012

In search of a winner; Kozlin, Rodriguez clash again‏; Kozlin, Rodriguez lace ‘em up again in hopes of settling the score from previous fight

Keith Kozlin says there’s no way he didn’t beat Reynaldo Rodriguez the first time they fought last summer. His opponent disagrees.

The only logical solution is to fight again, which these two super middleweights will do Thursday, July 19^th, 2012 when they face off in a six-round intrastate showdown on the undercard of Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports’ “Built To Last” professional boxing event at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, R.I.

Their first fight in July of 2011 – a four-rounder – ended in a draw with both fighters trading knockdowns in the final round. Two of the judges scored it even at 38-38 while the other judge favored Kozlin by a score of 40-36. Now they’ll square off again, this time in a six-rounder, which could be the deciding factor.

“With two extra rounds the first time around, I would’ve at least won or knocked him out. I need those rounds,” said Rodriguez (6-4-1, 3 KOs), a Woonsocket, R.I., native. “I’m definitely in way better shape this time. I’m going to win. With the way I’m training, I don’t think it’ll even go six rounds.”

“[Six rounds] favors me in the long run,” countered Kozlin. “I wouldn’t say I’m a slow starter, but I pick up the pace as I go along. I have a work rate and love to stay busy. I throw a lot of punches. Whatever he brings, I’ll be ready for.”

Both fighters could use a win. After knocking out local favorite Richard “Bobo” Starnino in October, Rodriguez stepped outside of New England and lost back-to-back fights in Washington and California, while Kozlin (6-3-1, 4 KOs), a West Warwick native, hasn’t won since July of 2010 and is 0-2-1 in his last three fights, which includes a loss to Woonsocket’s Joe Gardner in November of 2010, a loss he had hoped to avenge on next week’s card.

“That’s the fight I wanted,” Kozlin said, “but I’ve kind of come to terms with the fact it won’t happen. He’s scared. I know that now. I just need a win. It would do a lot for me. Nobody wants to keep seeing me fight if I lose or get draws. They want to see wins, and they want to see knockouts.”

Kozlin’s confident he’ll come out on top based primarily on his workload over the past 11 weeks, which he admits was a problem prior to his first fight against Rodriguez.

“I saw he had gotten knocked out [against Greg McCoy] before he fought me, so I thought, ‘I can do that! I don’t have to train hard,’” Kozlin said. “I didn’t think it’d be a hard fight.

“I learned my lesson. I learned not to take anyone lightly. I wasn’t anywhere near my peak conditioning for that fight, but I am now and it’ll show.”

Yet regardless of his lack of training, Kozlin still thinks he won the first fight, especially since one of the three judges had him winning all four rounds despite the knockdown.

“He definitely did not win that fight. No way,” Kozlin said. “I got robbed real bad. The one upside he had was a flash knockdown, and then I knocked him down. I outworked him. He was running a lot, so I cut the ring off. I was the aggressor. All in all, it was a good fight, but I overlooked him. I won’t make that mistake again.”

“I thought I slipped, but they called it a knockdown,” Rodriguez said. “It was a good fight, and he’s a good fighter. I have nothing bad to say about him. Hopefully, this fight will be better and I’ll win this time, but, yeah, I think I won the first one. I put more pressure on him in the last 10 to 20 seconds of each round. I basically out-boxed him. I thought I won, but they called it a draw.”

Like Kozlin, Rodriguez is hoping a victory can launch the next stage of his career. The only catch is someone must win, otherwise we could be talking trilogy in the near future.

“This can open a lot of doors. That’s the way I look at it,” he said. “We’ll see on the 19^th.”

♔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.

Reigning WBC USNBC middleweight champion Elvin Ayala will face John Mackey in the 10-round main event next Saturday at Mohegan Sun

‶The Lycan″ returns July 21st. Reigning WBC USNBC middleweight champion Elvin Ayala will face John Mackey in the 10-round main event next Saturday at Mohegan Sun.

Lettin’ it all out!; Vincent breaking out of her shell‏; With three fights under her belt, Vincent looking to take her career to the next level

Believe it or not, the Shelito Vincent who won each of her first three professional fights in dominant fashion was actually a toned-down version of the one we might see Saturday night.

“I’m starting to feel more comfortable in the ring,” said Vincent (3-0), who will put her undefeated record on the line Saturday, July 21st, 2012 against Ivana Coleman of Slidell, La., in a four-round bantamweight bout on the undercard of Jimmy Burchfield’s “The Fire Within” professional boxing show, presented by Classic Entertainment & Sports at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

“Everything is starting to come together. Expect to see a lot of great things coming.”

For Vincent – raised in New London, Conn., and now training in Providence, R.I. – one of the biggest hurdles was adjusting to her new life as a professional boxer, which began in October with a win over Karen Dulin.

Now she’s in search of her fourth consecutive victory under the promotional guidance of Burchfield, who is no stranger to the intricacies of women’s boxing; he helped guide Jaime Clampitt to two world titles during her 10-year career.

“[Signing a long-term contract] is something all of us girls want,” Vincent said. “I’ve always wanted Jimmy to support me. This is the team I’m going to be with for my whole career.”

Burchfield and the rest of the viewing audience next Saturday might witness Vincent’s best performance to date. Her comfort level has increased dramatically within the past nine months, and she’s finally broken out of her shell both in and outside of the ring, which could be bad news for Coleman.

“My last fight was my best fight,” said Vincent, who beat Carmen Cruz unanimously in March to improve to 3-0. “I just felt as though I was in a certain rhythm and everything came together. My combinations were good, I was coming up underneath – all the training and work I put into that fight brought out the best in me.

“Boxing is like anything else; the more you do it, the more comfortable you get. It was like that in the amateurs, too, and now I’m starting to get that same feeling as a pro.”

Coleman has never boxed professionally, but she has a 1-2 record in professional mixed martial arts, so Vincent is expecting the unexpected next weekend, something she’s prepared for in camp by sparring other mixed martial arts fighters.

“The thing I’ve noticed about them is everything they do is wide, whether it’s the way they punch, or their footwork – everything is wide, more so than boxers,” Vincent said. “I’ll try to use my jab and work off that, and just move around more.

“She has a good right hand and hits hard. A lot of times when I spar other MMA girls their feet are all over the place. They’re actually harder to spar with than someone who has boxing skills. They’re more awkward. That’s what I’m expecting.”

Vincent is also expecting tremendous fan support, which has become a theme at each of her professional fights. With a captivating background stemming from her rough childhood, she’s become an ally for troubled youth both in Connecticut and Rhode Island. After this fight, she’ll continue her tour of Connecticut schools, relaying her story to children to help make sure they don’t go through the same thing she went through growing up. She’s also participating in the World Boxing Council’s WBC Cares anti-bullying campaign.

“I love doing this in my spare time. I think it’s my calling,” she said. “I just love working with kids. I think it would’ve been such a big difference in my life I had someone to talk to growing up.”

Part of Vincent’s message is the need for discipline and structure, which she developed later in life through boxing. She turned the corner for good in 2008 and won a national Golden Gloves title before making her pro debut at the age of 32.

“The boxing kept me on track. It made me not afraid. It made me feel strong,” Vincent said. “It brings a lot of stuff out of me. Hitting the bag is like running. If you’re having a bad day, go to the gym, hit the bag and let it all out.

“It’s definitely been the most positive thing for me in my life. Like I always tell people, boxing saved my life.”

Vincent’s new life inside the ring is off to a tremendous start, and with Burchfield in her corner, the sky’s the limit. The female bantamweight division is wide open, and Vincent’s rise to the top could continue Saturday with another impressive performance.

“The ultimate goal is to get some belts and bring them back to CES and New London,” she said. “I want to make everyone in my city proud. To be the best, who doesn’t want that? That’ll be the best feeling in my life. I think I’ll get it – I know I will. I’ll make sure no one else works harder than I do.”

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Preview of Amir Khan vs Danny Garcia: Tonight at 11PM on HBO

AMIR KHAN VS. DANNY GARCIA live on HBO World Championship Boxing

Khan vs. Garcia, a 12-round unification fight for Khan's WBA Super Lightweight Super World Championship, Garcia's WBC Super Lightweight World Championship and the vacant Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight World Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Khan Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. Doors open on fight night at 3:00 p.m. PT and the first bell rings at 3:30 p.m. Khan vs. Garcia will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT in the United States and live on Sky Sports 1HD in the United Kingdom at 2:00 a.m. BST Sunday, July 15.

David Haye vs. Dereck Chisora Saturday July 14 2012 @ Upton Park, West Ham, London, UK TV: EPIXHD.com Time: 6pm ET

Mike Tyson in Mexico, By Gabriel F. Cordero

Mike Tyson in Mexico

By Gabriel F. Cordero

Former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson has arrived Mexico City as a guest of the Mexico Tourism Board and the WBC. Iron Mike will attend a gala dinner and be an honorary tourism ambassador as part of a campaign to promote tourism to Mexico. His Broadway debut in MIKE TYSON: UNDISPUTED TRUTH, directed by Academy Award nominee Spike Lee, starts July 31 at the Longacre Theatre.

CageSport XX: Loaded from end to end‏

When Brian Halquist put together “CageSport XX,” he followed the same plan that’s helped him earn the notation as one of the west coast’s top promoters; putting the fans first.

Halquist, along with his reliable staff, worked tirelessly on an exciting fight card slated for Saturday evening at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, WA.

A limited number of tickets are still available and can be purchased by going to ticketmaster.com or at the Emerald Queen box office.

Headlining the ten-bout event is a three round lightweight battle between Spokane, WA’s Sterling Ford, 15-4, and interstate rival James Marohl, 6-1, of Longview. Both fighters are on the cusp of landing a big fight and have been on a hot streak during the last few years, winning 11 of their last 12 fights combined.

Female standouts “Slick” Sally Krumdiak of Bellingham, WA and “Little” Patricia Vidonic will go toe to toe in the highly anticipated three round co-feature. Krumdiak and Medford, OR’s Vidonic fought most of the top fighters in and around the strawweight division. Both are regarded as upper echelon fighters and believe a victory will earn them a title shot.

Much like the main bouts, the supporting contests features talented combatants looking to move up the ladder. Unbeaten rising stars Cory Vombaur, Justin Harrington Gustavo Lopez and Shaine Jamie will all look to make waves in separate bouts. Additional matches include Jerome Jones, 4-3, against Byron Sutton, 5-3, along with a battle of unbeaten middleweights when Brent Knopp challenges Darrio Mobley.

“We’re putting our best foot forward with this card,” said Halquist. “The CageSport staff did a great job of making this exciting event a reality and I consider it extremely important for every fight to be one that the fans want to see. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, I’d definitely come out for fight night because you’re in for a real treat of incredible MMA fights!”

Former world champion, Female Fighter of the Year and CageSport veteran Miesha Tate is going to be at the fights as the evening’s special guest. A Tacoma native, Tate will be available for a meet and greet, photo ops and autographs throughout the evening for all ticketholders.

Former CageSport standout and Female Fighter of the Year Miesha “Takedown” Tate will appear at “CageSport XX” as a special cageside guest Saturday, July 14 at the Emerald Queen Casino in her hometown of Tacoma, WA.

A universally recognized top ten pound-for-pound fighter, Tate won both of her bouts under the CageSport banner by knockout and is amongst the most famous female martial artists in the world. In her most recent match Tate, 12-3, battled Rhonda Rousey in the main event of a Showtime card. Although she came up short against the unbeaten submission master, Tate earned worldwide recognition as the bout was one of the most viewed in Strikeforce history.

“Miesha is one of the most popular athletes in the area and an inspiration to many male and female MMA fighters,” said Brian Halquist, CEO of Halquist Productions and the creator of CageSport MMA. “I’m glad to have her back and she’s somebody I consider a dear friend.”

Tate will be available to all ticketholders for a meet and greet, photo ops and autographs throughout the evening.

The card is topped by a bout between Sterling Ford and James Marohl as well as a matchup between female superstars “Slick” Sally Krumdiak and “Little” Patricia Vidonic.

★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience©®™

Share SBS w/Family or Friends