YAMMA Pit Fighting’s upcoming pay-per-view event in Atlantic City on April 11; Don Frye, Oleg Taktarov, Marcelo “Pato” Pereira, Sherman Pendergarst, Rex Richards, Tony Sylvester, Chris Tuscherer and Travis “The Diesel” Wiuff.
YAMMA PIT FIGHTING UNVEILS INITIAL FIGHT CARD INFO FOR PAY-PER-VIEW ON APRIL 11
Don Frye to Fight Oleg Taktarov and Gold Medal Olympian Jeff Blatnick to Serve as Commentator for Inaugural YAMMA Pit Fighting Pay-Per-View Event
Los Angeles– Today YAMMA Pit Fighting (YPF), a new mixed martial arts (MMA) organization created by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) founder Bob Meyrowitz, announced that their first matchup will pit Russia vs. U.S.A, as Oleg “The Russian Bear” Taktarov and Don “The Predator” Frye will go toe-to-toe in the organization’s first live pay-per-view event.
The event will air live from the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City on April 11, 2008. Tickets for the event will go on sale March 8, and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.
This first matchup will witness two MMA legends battle in a totally new and unique arena. The veteran fighters will face off in one of the ‘Masters Superfights’, one-on-one matches that feature some of MMA’s most illustrious and legendary fighters. In addition to the Superfights, the April 11th event will showcase the skill and endurance of eight fearsome competitors in a tournament match for the title of YAMMA Heavyweight Champion. Tournament fighters include: Marcelo “Pato” Pereira, Sherman Pendergarst, Rex Richards, Tony Sylvester, Chris Tuscherer and Travis “The Diesel” Wiuff.
“Don Frye needs to do only two things: fly to Russia and stay there for ten years to study Sambo. Then, maybe he’ll be ready,” said Oleg Taktarov about his upcoming face off with Frye.
Jeff Blatnick will serve as a commentator for both the Heavyweight Tournament and “Masters Superfights.” Blatnick, a retired athlete and cancer survivor, has won ten national wrestling titles and various international awards. He was a member of both the 1980 and 1984 United States Olympic Teams, and is famous for his awe-inspiring underdog win at the 1984 Olympics, after having his spleen and appendix removed due to Hodgkin’s disease. This win made him only the second U. S. Greco-Roman wrestler in history to win a gold medal. Since retiring, Jeff has become a successful television sportscaster and has appeared as an expert analyst on NBC, ABC and ESPN.
Don "The Predator" Frye is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter, actor, and professional wrestler who has fought in UFC, PRIDE and K-1. Frye rose to fame fighting in early Ultimate Fighting Championship events, winning the UFC 8 and Ultimate Ultimate 2 tournaments. He is widely considered one of the first "cross trained" MMA fighters, having a background in multiple disciplines including: extensive collegiate wrestling, a 2nd degree black belt in Judo and a professional boxing record. Frye stands 6ft 1in and weighs 220lbs and has a MMA record of 19-6-1.
Sambo and Judo expert Oleg “The Russian Bear” Taktarov is a PRIDE, UFC and Bodog Fights veteran known for calmness during battle and acrobatic takedowns. Taktarov's MMA record is 13-5-2 and he has never been submitted in a MMA match. He stands 6ft tall and weighs 220lb and recently returned to the MMA ring, winning a decisive victory over challenger John Marsh in November 2007.
YAMMA Pit Fighting will return to the popular origins of MMA by reviving the tournament format, in which fighters will participate in multiple fights on their way to claiming the ultimate YAMMA victory, the title of YAMMA Heavyweight Champion. This format will push fighters to the limits of skill and endurance, as victory in each round is rewarded not with extended rest, but with another fight. Some of MMA’s newest and best emerging fighters will be featured in the Heavyweight Tournament fight card and will include:
· Marcelo “Pato” Pereira - a multiple world and Brazil BJJ champion known for this strong chin and very heavy hands with an MMA record of 5-0-0
· Sherman Pendergarst - a 6'1 230 pound former Collegiate wrestler and State High School wrestling champion with a background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing and Kick boxing with an MMA record of 10-8-0
· Rex Richards – a former lineman for the Indianapolis Colts and Machado BJJ brown belt. Richards is a veteran of Strike Force and Art of War with a professional mixed martial arts record of 4-1-0
· Tony Sylvester – a boxing/wrestling expert who is considered to be one of the top up-and-coming heavyweights in the nation with a MMA record of 10-1-0
· Travis “The Diesel” Wiuff - a UFC, Pride and IFL veteran, and current IFO World Champion with a Mixed Martial Arts record of 47-11-0. He is known for his well rounded fighting style with vicious elbows on the ground
The additional three tournament fighters will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster’s extensive network of 81 ticket centers throughout the Delaware Valley including Boscov’s, Marshalls, Tower Records, and select West Coast Video and Gallery of Sound locations or call Ticketmaster’s convenient Charge-by-Phone service at 1-800-736-1420. For Online Information: www.ticketmaster.com
About Rope Partners
Rope Partners, formed by Bob Meyrowitz and Peter Kauff, have over a 20 year track record of pioneering successful ventures in the music, broadcasting and sports industries. As illustrated by their successes in building the largest independent radio syndication company, DIR Broadcasting, The College Television Network, the largest private television network in the United States, and Semaphore Entertainment Group the originator and founder of the UFC.
FIGHTER LINKS
Sherman Pendergarst http://www.shermanpendergarst.com/aboutme.htm
Rex Richards
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=43399007
Friday, March 14, 2008
JEREMY “HALF MAN, HALF AMAZING” WILLIAMS TO TAKE ON ZACK PAGE AT THE LEGENDARY BLUE HORIZON ON APRIL 11TH
PHILADELPHIA— On Friday night, April 11th, Jeremy “Half Man, Half Amazing” Williams will continue on the road to a shot at the cruiserweight title when he takes on Zack Page in a scheduled eight round bout when Vernoca L. Michael and Blue Horizon Boxing Inc. presents a huge night of boxing at The Legendary Blue Horizon in Philadelphia.
Williams, of Long Beach, California is plain and simple a power puncher. The former Heavyweight world title contender sports an impressive record of 42-5-1 with thirty-five knockouts.
Williams turned pro in 1992 and won his first fifteen fights, which included twelve by knockout. That put him in position to take on fellow undefeated heavyweight and 1992 U.S. Olympian, Larry Donald.
Williams lost a close majority decision but wasn’t deterred as he was back in the ring just seven weeks later. That led to an eleven fight winning streak where Williams stopped ten of those foes which led to a shot at the vacant WBO Heavyweight title.
Unfortunately Williams was stopped by Henry Akinwande in three rounds in Indio, California. Williams then went on another streak of eight straight knockouts before coming up short in a bout with perennial contender Maurice Harris.
Williams has gone 7-2-1 since which included victories over Attila Levin (29-1) and Andre Purlette (35-1) and only losing to Brian Neilson (56-1) and currant WBC Heavyweight champion Samuel Peter.
In the time between 2005 and mid-2007, Williams was involved in various acting opportunities and was one of the lead trainers on the second season of The Contender.
August 18th, 2007, Williams started out his Cruiserweight career with a split decision over Gary Gomez (18-8-1) in Sandy, Utah.
Page, Of Warren, Ohio has a record 14-18-1 with five wins by knockouts. Page is a tough veteran who has been in with a plethora of top prospects and ranked fighters from the Heavyweight & Cruiserweight division. Page will fight anyone at a moments notice no matter what the record or size is. He has given up as much as 50 lbs to opponents.
Some of the name opponents Page has fought has been Mike Marrone, Aaron Williams, Alonzo Butler, Lou Del Valle, Dominick Guinn, Mike Mollo, Jason Estrada, Guillermo Jones & Derrick Rossy.
Despite that stiff competition, Page has only been stopped twice which will make Williams work extra hard if he wants to put Page on his list of knockout victims.
One of the co-feature bouts will be an eight round middleweight affair between Blue Horizon fan favorite, Gee Cullmer and Anthony Little.
Cullmer of Philadelphia has a record of 13-1 with three knockouts and has fought his last eight bouts at The Legendary Blue Horizon which includes his last outing where he scored a six round unanimous decision over John Michael Terry.
Little of Akron, Ohio has a record of 7-10-1 with one knockout has fought solid opposition such Andre Berto, Pawel Wolak and James McGirt Jr. He is coming off a draw with George Klinesmith (23-13-3) on February 16th.
Steve Upsher Chambers makes his return to The Legendary Blue Horizon when he takes on the straight forward style of Jaime Morales in a six round Jr. Welterweight affair.
Chambers of Philadelphia is coming off a seven month layoff where he got some quality training in Vero Beach, Florida. He has a record of 15-1-1 (1 NC, 4 KO’s) and has fought every one of his fights at The Legendary Blue Horizon except for one fight.
In his last bout, last September 7th at The Legendary Blue Horizon, Chambers scored a six round unanimous decision over Jason Jordan.
Morales of Philadelphia is a come forward fighter who always is involved in action packed affairs. He has a record of 4-6 with two knockouts and is looking to get back in the win column after being stopped in one round by Daniel Sostre last November in New York.
In a much anticipated four round bout, Simon “One Punch” Carr will be making his long awaited Legendary Blue Horizon Debut. Carr will be battling Jason Quick in a Light Heavyweight bout.
Carr of Philadelphia has built up a big fan base and has had to overcome a lot in his life to get to a record of 4-1-1 with three knockouts. Carr is coming off an eight month layoff after he had a draw with Andre Hemphill last August in a much talked about rematch.
Quick, of New York has a record of 4-3-1 with three knockouts and is itching to get back in the ring after nearly a two year layoff.
Quick won his first four bouts, which includes a fight in 2004 when he had to get off the deck twice to stop William Scales at The Legendary Blue Horizon. Quick, is coming off a six round unanimous decision loss to Anthony Russell of May of 2006.
This will be Quick’s third appearance at The Legendary Blue Horizon.
Ticket prices for this great night of boxing are $200 for Queen Seating, $125 for Presidential seats, $65 for VIP, $55 for Ringside, and $45 for General Admission and can be purchased by calling The Legendary Blue Horizon at 1-215-763-0500 or by logging on to comcasttix.com. Doors open at 6:30 PM / 1st bout begins at 7:30 PM
The Legendary Blue Horizon is located at 1314 North Broad Street in Philadelphia, PA
For more information, log on to www.legendarybluehorizon.com
Contact Marc Abrams; mabrams@15rounds.com
boxing entertainment fight sports mixed martial arts special events sports worldwide
Williams, of Long Beach, California is plain and simple a power puncher. The former Heavyweight world title contender sports an impressive record of 42-5-1 with thirty-five knockouts.
Williams turned pro in 1992 and won his first fifteen fights, which included twelve by knockout. That put him in position to take on fellow undefeated heavyweight and 1992 U.S. Olympian, Larry Donald.
Williams lost a close majority decision but wasn’t deterred as he was back in the ring just seven weeks later. That led to an eleven fight winning streak where Williams stopped ten of those foes which led to a shot at the vacant WBO Heavyweight title.
Unfortunately Williams was stopped by Henry Akinwande in three rounds in Indio, California. Williams then went on another streak of eight straight knockouts before coming up short in a bout with perennial contender Maurice Harris.
Williams has gone 7-2-1 since which included victories over Attila Levin (29-1) and Andre Purlette (35-1) and only losing to Brian Neilson (56-1) and currant WBC Heavyweight champion Samuel Peter.
In the time between 2005 and mid-2007, Williams was involved in various acting opportunities and was one of the lead trainers on the second season of The Contender.
August 18th, 2007, Williams started out his Cruiserweight career with a split decision over Gary Gomez (18-8-1) in Sandy, Utah.
Page, Of Warren, Ohio has a record 14-18-1 with five wins by knockouts. Page is a tough veteran who has been in with a plethora of top prospects and ranked fighters from the Heavyweight & Cruiserweight division. Page will fight anyone at a moments notice no matter what the record or size is. He has given up as much as 50 lbs to opponents.
Some of the name opponents Page has fought has been Mike Marrone, Aaron Williams, Alonzo Butler, Lou Del Valle, Dominick Guinn, Mike Mollo, Jason Estrada, Guillermo Jones & Derrick Rossy.
Despite that stiff competition, Page has only been stopped twice which will make Williams work extra hard if he wants to put Page on his list of knockout victims.
One of the co-feature bouts will be an eight round middleweight affair between Blue Horizon fan favorite, Gee Cullmer and Anthony Little.
Cullmer of Philadelphia has a record of 13-1 with three knockouts and has fought his last eight bouts at The Legendary Blue Horizon which includes his last outing where he scored a six round unanimous decision over John Michael Terry.
Little of Akron, Ohio has a record of 7-10-1 with one knockout has fought solid opposition such Andre Berto, Pawel Wolak and James McGirt Jr. He is coming off a draw with George Klinesmith (23-13-3) on February 16th.
Steve Upsher Chambers makes his return to The Legendary Blue Horizon when he takes on the straight forward style of Jaime Morales in a six round Jr. Welterweight affair.
Chambers of Philadelphia is coming off a seven month layoff where he got some quality training in Vero Beach, Florida. He has a record of 15-1-1 (1 NC, 4 KO’s) and has fought every one of his fights at The Legendary Blue Horizon except for one fight.
In his last bout, last September 7th at The Legendary Blue Horizon, Chambers scored a six round unanimous decision over Jason Jordan.
Morales of Philadelphia is a come forward fighter who always is involved in action packed affairs. He has a record of 4-6 with two knockouts and is looking to get back in the win column after being stopped in one round by Daniel Sostre last November in New York.
In a much anticipated four round bout, Simon “One Punch” Carr will be making his long awaited Legendary Blue Horizon Debut. Carr will be battling Jason Quick in a Light Heavyweight bout.
Carr of Philadelphia has built up a big fan base and has had to overcome a lot in his life to get to a record of 4-1-1 with three knockouts. Carr is coming off an eight month layoff after he had a draw with Andre Hemphill last August in a much talked about rematch.
Quick, of New York has a record of 4-3-1 with three knockouts and is itching to get back in the ring after nearly a two year layoff.
Quick won his first four bouts, which includes a fight in 2004 when he had to get off the deck twice to stop William Scales at The Legendary Blue Horizon. Quick, is coming off a six round unanimous decision loss to Anthony Russell of May of 2006.
This will be Quick’s third appearance at The Legendary Blue Horizon.
Ticket prices for this great night of boxing are $200 for Queen Seating, $125 for Presidential seats, $65 for VIP, $55 for Ringside, and $45 for General Admission and can be purchased by calling The Legendary Blue Horizon at 1-215-763-0500 or by logging on to comcasttix.com. Doors open at 6:30 PM / 1st bout begins at 7:30 PM
The Legendary Blue Horizon is located at 1314 North Broad Street in Philadelphia, PA
For more information, log on to www.legendarybluehorizon.com
Contact Marc Abrams; mabrams@15rounds.com
boxing entertainment fight sports mixed martial arts special events sports worldwide
WBA WORLD MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE CHAMPION - FELIX STURM (GERMANY) VS CHALLANGER – JAMIE PITTMAN (AUSTRALIA) 5th April 2008, Dusseldorf, Germany
Australian boxing has a long and rich history on the world stage, none-more-so than in the middleweight division.Champions of the past include the legendary Les Darcy, Dave Sands and Tony Mundine, however, as great as these fighters were, no Australian has ever won the World Middleweight Title – fast forward to 2008 and one young Aussie fighter has the chance create history – his name?
Jamie “Mr Business” Pittman.
On the 5th April in Dusseldorf, Germany, Jamie “Mr Business” Pittman challenges WBA World Middleweight Champion, Felix Sturm of Germany.
On the line will be a chance at boxing immortality and the ‘riches’ that go along with the ultimate success.
The 29-year-old Sturm comes to the ring as a three-time world title winner. As an amateur he represented Germany at the 2000 Sydney Olympics before turning pro and winning the WBO Middleweight title in 2003. Sturm lost the belt in a hotly disputed bout against all time great Oscar De La Hoya in the US.
Sturm then fought for and won the coveted WBA World Middleweight Title before losing the belt to Spaniard Javier Castillejo in 2006 – Sturm then showed his class by avenging this defeat against Castillejo in a rematch in April 2007 to reclaim the WBA World Title. Sturm’s last bout against the American Randy Griffin in October 2007 ended in a drawn contest, with the Germans record now standing at 31 fights, 28 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw with 12 KO’s.
In short, the German won't be giving away title without one heck of a fight – however, the Australian camp is confident that Pittman can cause an upset and write his name into the boxing history books.
A 2004 Athens Olympian and captain of the Australian boxing squad, Pittman’s amateur credentials are impressive winning the NSW title 8 times, 5 Australian titles and the Oceania championships on 3 occasions. He has represented Australia in over 40 countries around the world, amassing an amateur record of 137 fights for 111 wins. “Mr Business” now brings a perfect professional record into the world championship bout with 16 fights, 16 wins with 7 KO’s. Along the way he was won the Australian Super Middleweight title, WBF World Super Middleweight title, PABA Middleweight title, WBO Asia Pacific Middleweight title and the WBA Pan African title – with the Southern Hemisphere now successfully conquered “Mr Business” has his sights now set on world boxing domination.
The bout on the 5th April will be held at the Burg-Waechter Castello Stadium in Dusseldorf, Germany with a crowd of over 10,000 fans to be on hand to cheer on the German World Champion, however, Pittman will have plenty of Australian support amongst the pro-Sturm crowd with a tour group of around 100 down under fight fans taking the long flight to Europe to cheer on “Mr Business”.
To find out more on Jamie “Mr Business” Pittman log onto http://www.jamiepittman.com/
Thank you for your continued support.
For further information contact Sheldon Kidd of DSP Events on 0428 447 191
DSP EVENTS
mycoast@terrigal.net.au
Jamie “Mr Business” Pittman.
On the 5th April in Dusseldorf, Germany, Jamie “Mr Business” Pittman challenges WBA World Middleweight Champion, Felix Sturm of Germany.
On the line will be a chance at boxing immortality and the ‘riches’ that go along with the ultimate success.
The 29-year-old Sturm comes to the ring as a three-time world title winner. As an amateur he represented Germany at the 2000 Sydney Olympics before turning pro and winning the WBO Middleweight title in 2003. Sturm lost the belt in a hotly disputed bout against all time great Oscar De La Hoya in the US.
Sturm then fought for and won the coveted WBA World Middleweight Title before losing the belt to Spaniard Javier Castillejo in 2006 – Sturm then showed his class by avenging this defeat against Castillejo in a rematch in April 2007 to reclaim the WBA World Title. Sturm’s last bout against the American Randy Griffin in October 2007 ended in a drawn contest, with the Germans record now standing at 31 fights, 28 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw with 12 KO’s.
In short, the German won't be giving away title without one heck of a fight – however, the Australian camp is confident that Pittman can cause an upset and write his name into the boxing history books.
A 2004 Athens Olympian and captain of the Australian boxing squad, Pittman’s amateur credentials are impressive winning the NSW title 8 times, 5 Australian titles and the Oceania championships on 3 occasions. He has represented Australia in over 40 countries around the world, amassing an amateur record of 137 fights for 111 wins. “Mr Business” now brings a perfect professional record into the world championship bout with 16 fights, 16 wins with 7 KO’s. Along the way he was won the Australian Super Middleweight title, WBF World Super Middleweight title, PABA Middleweight title, WBO Asia Pacific Middleweight title and the WBA Pan African title – with the Southern Hemisphere now successfully conquered “Mr Business” has his sights now set on world boxing domination.
The bout on the 5th April will be held at the Burg-Waechter Castello Stadium in Dusseldorf, Germany with a crowd of over 10,000 fans to be on hand to cheer on the German World Champion, however, Pittman will have plenty of Australian support amongst the pro-Sturm crowd with a tour group of around 100 down under fight fans taking the long flight to Europe to cheer on “Mr Business”.
To find out more on Jamie “Mr Business” Pittman log onto http://www.jamiepittman.com/
Thank you for your continued support.
For further information contact Sheldon Kidd of DSP Events on 0428 447 191
DSP EVENTS
mycoast@terrigal.net.au
MATYUSHENKO, HIERON, FABIANO TO DEFEND TITLES AS INTERNATIONAL FIGHT LEAGUE RETURNS TO NEW JERSEY ON APRIL 4 Miletich Fighting Systems
MATYUSHENKO, HIERON, FABIANO TO DEFEND TITLES AS INTERNATIONAL FIGHT LEAGUE RETURNS TO NEW JERSEY ON APRIL 4 Miletich Fighting Systems, American Top Team and Renzo Gracie Academy, Midwest Combat Battle In Camp Matchups At Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. 
NEW YORK– IFL titleholders Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko (Belarus), Jay “The Thorobred” Hieron (Freeport, N.Y./Las Vegas) and Wagnney Fabiano (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) will defend their belts when the International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI) returns to the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J., with a nine-bout card on Friday, April 4. In addition to the three Championship bouts, competition between camps will feature athletes from Renzo Gracie Academy.
Renzo Gracie
Midwest Combat, Miletich Fighting Systems, and American Top Team. Tickets will go on sale on Monday, Feb. 25, and will be available at the IZOD Center Box Office (located at the Meadowlands), www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (201) 507-8900. Of particular interest is the addition of Florida-based American Top Team, which is “outside” of the core IFL camps to compete under the new IFL format which encourages challenges from the top MMA camps across the world. Matyushenko, who defected to the U.S. while a member of the Belarus national wrestling team in the early 1990’s, was the IFL’s first individual champion, capping an unbeaten 2007 by winning the light heavyweight title by defeating Alex Schoenauer last November in Chicago. On April 4.
Jamal “The Suit” Patterson
Matyushenko will battle Jamal “The Suit” Patterson (Jersey City, N.J.), a Colgate Univ. graduate who now serves as regional sales manager for an orthodontics company in addition to his MMA career. Hieron, a Long Island native who will be fighting in front of a decidedly hometown crowd, knocked out Delson “Pe de Chumbo” Heleno (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) in Connecticut in December to claim the welterweight crown. His opponent in New Jersey will be Mark Miller (Chicago), a former machine gunner in the U.S. Marines who was one of the big surprises at 170-lbs. last year in the IFL. Fabiano is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert who used that skill to record five submissions, four of them in the first round, in a perfect 2007, culminating in a win over LC Davis (Kansas City, Mo.) in the featherweight championship in December. He takes on Shad Lierley (Seattle), a former collegiate conference wrestling champion at New York University who moves to 145-lbs. after impressing with two victories and a well-documented thrilling battle with Chris “The Polish Hammer” Horodecki (London, Ontario) last year.
Bas Rutten, IFL Vice President talks with Eddie Goldman.
“I like the local feel of this card,” said Bas Rutten, IFL Vice President, Fighter Operations. “In addition to three outstanding championship matchups, featuring fighters from New York and New Jersey, you have Renzo Gracie’s camp, which was the champion last year, Midwest Combat, which features our top fighters from the Chicago area, and great battles with the Miletich camp and American Top Team, which we are very excited to have on board.” Among the intriguing matchups in the Miletich-ATT pairing are those between welterweights Rory Markham (Chicago) and Emyr Bussade (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and light heavyweights Mike Ciesnolevicz (Williamstown, Pa.) and Lew Polley (Coconut Creek, Fla.). L.C. Davis will also compete against a yet-to-be-determined featherweight opponent. The Gracie-Midwest bouts include a rematch of last year’s exciting Deividas Taurosevicius (Lithuania) vs. Bart “Bartimus” Palaszewski (Wonderlake, Ill.) matchup. Delson Heleno will also fight at 170 lbs; his opponent is TBD. Outside of the camp matchups, Chris Horodecki will battle a yet unnamed lightweight for a planned minimum nine-bout card. IFL East Rutherford, N.J.Friday, April 4, 2008(order TBD) Additional Bouts155 lbs.: Chris Horodecki (London, Ontario) (7-1 IFL, 11-1 overall MMA) vs. TBD American Top Team vs. Miletich Fighting Systems145 lbs.: TBD vs. LC Davis (Kansas City, Mo.) (2-0, 9-1)170 lbs.: Emyr Bussade (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) (0-0, 10-5) vs. Rory Markham (Chicago) (6-2, 12-3)205 lbs.: Lew Polley (Coconut Creek, Fla.) (0-0, 6-0) vs. Mike Ciesnolevicz (Williamstown, Pa.) (5-3, 13-3) Midwest Combat vs. Renzo Gracie Academy155 lbs.: Bart Palaszewski (Wonderlake, Ill.) (8-3, 29-10) vs. Deividas Taurosevicius (Lithuania) (3-0, 9-2)170 lbs.: TBD vs. Delson Heleno (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (6-3, 13-4)*205 lbs.: **Vladimir Matyushenko (Belarus) (5-0, 20-3) vs. Jamal Patterson (Jersey City, N.J.) (4-1, 4-1) Additional Championship Bouts*170 lbs.: **Jay Hieron (Freeport, N.Y.) (6-2, 14-4) vs. Mark Miller (Chicago) (2-1, 8-2)*145 lbs.: **Wagnney Fabiano (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (5-0, 9-1) vs. Shad Lierley (Seattle) (2-1, 2-1) *Championship Bout**Current Title holder About the IFL International Fight League™ (IFL) has its headquarters in New York and offices in Las Vegas. For more information about IFL, please see: www.ifl.tv. ---"You got your passion, you got your prideBut don't you know only fools are satisfied?Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true When will you realize Vienna waits for you"-- Billy Joel, 'Vienna,' 1977
NEW YORK– IFL titleholders Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko (Belarus), Jay “The Thorobred” Hieron (Freeport, N.Y./Las Vegas) and Wagnney Fabiano (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) will defend their belts when the International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI) returns to the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J., with a nine-bout card on Friday, April 4. In addition to the three Championship bouts, competition between camps will feature athletes from Renzo Gracie Academy.
Renzo Gracie
Midwest Combat, Miletich Fighting Systems, and American Top Team. Tickets will go on sale on Monday, Feb. 25, and will be available at the IZOD Center Box Office (located at the Meadowlands), www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (201) 507-8900. Of particular interest is the addition of Florida-based American Top Team, which is “outside” of the core IFL camps to compete under the new IFL format which encourages challenges from the top MMA camps across the world. Matyushenko, who defected to the U.S. while a member of the Belarus national wrestling team in the early 1990’s, was the IFL’s first individual champion, capping an unbeaten 2007 by winning the light heavyweight title by defeating Alex Schoenauer last November in Chicago. On April 4.
Jamal “The Suit” Patterson
Matyushenko will battle Jamal “The Suit” Patterson (Jersey City, N.J.), a Colgate Univ. graduate who now serves as regional sales manager for an orthodontics company in addition to his MMA career. Hieron, a Long Island native who will be fighting in front of a decidedly hometown crowd, knocked out Delson “Pe de Chumbo” Heleno (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) in Connecticut in December to claim the welterweight crown. His opponent in New Jersey will be Mark Miller (Chicago), a former machine gunner in the U.S. Marines who was one of the big surprises at 170-lbs. last year in the IFL. Fabiano is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert who used that skill to record five submissions, four of them in the first round, in a perfect 2007, culminating in a win over LC Davis (Kansas City, Mo.) in the featherweight championship in December. He takes on Shad Lierley (Seattle), a former collegiate conference wrestling champion at New York University who moves to 145-lbs. after impressing with two victories and a well-documented thrilling battle with Chris “The Polish Hammer” Horodecki (London, Ontario) last year.
Bas Rutten, IFL Vice President talks with Eddie Goldman.
“I like the local feel of this card,” said Bas Rutten, IFL Vice President, Fighter Operations. “In addition to three outstanding championship matchups, featuring fighters from New York and New Jersey, you have Renzo Gracie’s camp, which was the champion last year, Midwest Combat, which features our top fighters from the Chicago area, and great battles with the Miletich camp and American Top Team, which we are very excited to have on board.” Among the intriguing matchups in the Miletich-ATT pairing are those between welterweights Rory Markham (Chicago) and Emyr Bussade (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and light heavyweights Mike Ciesnolevicz (Williamstown, Pa.) and Lew Polley (Coconut Creek, Fla.). L.C. Davis will also compete against a yet-to-be-determined featherweight opponent. The Gracie-Midwest bouts include a rematch of last year’s exciting Deividas Taurosevicius (Lithuania) vs. Bart “Bartimus” Palaszewski (Wonderlake, Ill.) matchup. Delson Heleno will also fight at 170 lbs; his opponent is TBD. Outside of the camp matchups, Chris Horodecki will battle a yet unnamed lightweight for a planned minimum nine-bout card. IFL East Rutherford, N.J.Friday, April 4, 2008(order TBD) Additional Bouts155 lbs.: Chris Horodecki (London, Ontario) (7-1 IFL, 11-1 overall MMA) vs. TBD American Top Team vs. Miletich Fighting Systems145 lbs.: TBD vs. LC Davis (Kansas City, Mo.) (2-0, 9-1)170 lbs.: Emyr Bussade (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) (0-0, 10-5) vs. Rory Markham (Chicago) (6-2, 12-3)205 lbs.: Lew Polley (Coconut Creek, Fla.) (0-0, 6-0) vs. Mike Ciesnolevicz (Williamstown, Pa.) (5-3, 13-3) Midwest Combat vs. Renzo Gracie Academy155 lbs.: Bart Palaszewski (Wonderlake, Ill.) (8-3, 29-10) vs. Deividas Taurosevicius (Lithuania) (3-0, 9-2)170 lbs.: TBD vs. Delson Heleno (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (6-3, 13-4)*205 lbs.: **Vladimir Matyushenko (Belarus) (5-0, 20-3) vs. Jamal Patterson (Jersey City, N.J.) (4-1, 4-1) Additional Championship Bouts*170 lbs.: **Jay Hieron (Freeport, N.Y.) (6-2, 14-4) vs. Mark Miller (Chicago) (2-1, 8-2)*145 lbs.: **Wagnney Fabiano (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (5-0, 9-1) vs. Shad Lierley (Seattle) (2-1, 2-1) *Championship Bout**Current Title holder About the IFL International Fight League™ (IFL) has its headquarters in New York and offices in Las Vegas. For more information about IFL, please see: www.ifl.tv. ---"You got your passion, you got your prideBut don't you know only fools are satisfied?Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true When will you realize Vienna waits for you"-- Billy Joel, 'Vienna,' 1977
Hannah Rivera and Friends 10, 000 miles, with Christina Santanmaria, Sophi Russek and Charles Johnson and special guest Andrea Scannell, March 30th
Hannah Rivera and Friends 10, 000 miles, with Christina Santanmaria, Sophi Russek and Charles Johnson and special guest Andrea Scannell, 3 PM Sunday March 30th, at the Reprise Room, in New York City. 
boxing entertainment fight sports mixed martial arts special events sports worldwide
boxing entertainment fight sports mixed martial arts special events sports worldwide
Playhouse Saturdays at Strata; Hip-Hop, Rock, House, Old School, Etc. as well as a Latin Room
RSVP: SATURDAYS@ERICANDLUCK.COM
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Macklin and Campas Ready for War; Put the house on it – the next Ladbrokes.com Fight Night, Candidate for the 2008 “Fight of the Year”
Put the house on it – the next Ladbrokes.com Fight Night looks set to be a sure fire candidate for the 2008 “Fight of the Year” with Irish middleweight champ Matthew Macklin set to do battle with former World Champion Yori Boy Campas at the National Stadium, Dublin on March 22nd.
In 2006 both men were involved in two of the best, if not the best fights of that year – and on the same night. The 29th of September, 2006 is a date neither Macklin or Campas (or indeed any boxing fan) will forget in a hurry.
In Manchester Macklin lost a brave bid for the British light middleweight title against Jamie Moore after 10 torrid rounds of phone booth warfare while just a few hours later on the other side of the Atlantic Campas gave John Duddy the fright of his life losing on a close decision after 12 back and forth rounds of action.
For Macklin this fight represents a major step up in class having moved up a weight in 2007 and successfully recovered from the Moore loss with 3 straight stoppage victories. Campas has shared the ring with some of the modern greats including Oscar De La Hoya and Felix “Tito” Trinidad.
Incredibly his fight with Macklin will be his 103rd outing as a professional with the Mexican warrior having turned pro at the age of 15. In his 20 year pro career he’s compiled an amazing record of 91 wins (73 of them by KO) and just 11 defeats and picked up the World light middleweight title along the way.
Now 36 Campas is determined to prove that he still belongs at the highest level but Macklin who will have new trainer and former two weight world champ Buddy McGirt in his corner in Dublin believes that an impressive win will bring his title ambitions into sharper focus.
“It’s a real step up in class for me and just what I need,” said the Birmingham based Irishman. “Campas is a very seasoned pro, you only need to look at the names on his record to see that.”
It will be the Arizona based Mexican’s second successive trip to Europe and having been beaten by former European champion and world rated Amin Asikainen in Helsinki he’ll be hoping for better luck in Dublin. Macklin has already studied that bout and believes that the seventh round defeat for Campas was not a true reflection of the fight.
“I thought the stoppage was very premature. Campas was still on his feet and firing back and he looked disgusted that it had been stopped. Up until then the last guy to legitimately stop him was Oscar De La Hoya and there was certainly no disgrace in that.
“I won’t really be looking to stop him because when you look for the stoppage it never comes. You have to be patient and anyway I want to get back to boxing a bit more as that side of things was neglected a bit when I was with Billy Graham. People forget that I was a very good amateur boxer and I need to get back to using those boxing skills.
“To be honest it will be difficult to do that with this fight because with the style Campas fights there’s nearly always fireworks and if it does become that kind of fight I won’t be found wanting.”
Macklin flies out to McGirt’s gym in Vero Beach, Florida this weekend to begin a month long training camp in the Sunshine State. “Part of the reasoning behind linking up with Buddy was to get me boxing more again,” explained Macklin.
“Obviously Buddy was a tremendous fighter himself and I’ve been really impressed with him as a trainer. You only have to look at how he turned Arturo Gatti from a brawler to a boxer to see the kind of influence he can have on a fighter so I’ll be hoping for a similar transformation.”
McGirt says he’s excited about working with Macklin. “I’m really looking forward to working with Matthew. I’m currently working with Paul Smith who I took on after working with him on the Contender T.V. series. He trained and sparred with Matthew when they were both in Billy Graham’s gym and Paul highly recommended Matthew to me so I’m excited about it.
“I know all about Campas, he’s a tough, tough veteran who’s been in with everybody and he is still a dangerous guy so it’s a good challenge for Matthew.”
Campas says he won’t be drawn into any trash talking or bold predictions ahead of the fight but promised, “I can only tell the people that they will see a real fight, I can guarantee that.”
His manager Joe Diaz added, “Yori is an incredible guy. He turned pro when he was just 15 and 20 years later he’s still competing at the highest level. He’s ageless and if people think he’s slipping because he got stopped by Asikainen they’re very much mistaken. The fight’s available to watch on YouTube for all to see and anyone can see that It should never have been stopped.
“Yori Boy wasn’t hurt, what happened was that the sponsors logo on the ring came loose and Yori’s feet got caught up in it. He got tagged with a few shots as he was trying to untangle himself and then the referee jumped in and stopped it. It was a crazy decision.
“I don’t make any excuses but in this case people can make their own minds up. After the fight Yori Boy didn’t even have a bruise but the other guy had 28 stitches over his eye and a broken hand. Anyway that’s behind us now. You have to move on and we plan on doing that in Dublin.”
The undercard for the Ladbrokes.com Fight Night is headed by an eagerly anticipated Irish Light Welterweight title rematch between Cavan’s Andrew Murray and Belfast’s James Gorman. The two first met last December at the Kings Hall in Belfast with Murray winning on a technical decision after an accidental clash of heads in the fourth round left Murray unable to continue.
Under Boxing Union of Ireland rules the fight went to the referee’s scorecard and Murray kept his unbeaten record intact courtesy of the early lead he had taken. However even the new champion admitted that the outcome was unsatisfactory and both men are keen to do it all over again and settle affairs more conclusively.
The card will also feature Cuban heavyweight sensation Mike “The Rebel” Perez. Despite only having arrived in his adopted hometown of Cork in mid January the 22-year-old former world Amateur Champion has already racked up two quick fire wins in the pro ranks.
Perez’s manager Gary Hyde believes that with his amateur pedigree the power punching Cuban will bring the world heavyweight title back to Cork.
Another unbeaten heavyweight on the card is unbeaten Belfast banger Martin Rogan. The former Irish Amateur Champion is closing in on a shot at the Irish Professional heavyweight title and will have his first scheduled 8 round contest on next months card.
Irish professional’s Aidan Mooney and Leon Senior will also be in action.
Tickets for the Ladrokes.com Fight Night priced from €60 go on sale from 9am tomorrow morning (Friday, February 15th) from Ticketmaster.ie and all usual outlets.
In 2006 both men were involved in two of the best, if not the best fights of that year – and on the same night. The 29th of September, 2006 is a date neither Macklin or Campas (or indeed any boxing fan) will forget in a hurry.
In Manchester Macklin lost a brave bid for the British light middleweight title against Jamie Moore after 10 torrid rounds of phone booth warfare while just a few hours later on the other side of the Atlantic Campas gave John Duddy the fright of his life losing on a close decision after 12 back and forth rounds of action.
For Macklin this fight represents a major step up in class having moved up a weight in 2007 and successfully recovered from the Moore loss with 3 straight stoppage victories. Campas has shared the ring with some of the modern greats including Oscar De La Hoya and Felix “Tito” Trinidad.
Incredibly his fight with Macklin will be his 103rd outing as a professional with the Mexican warrior having turned pro at the age of 15. In his 20 year pro career he’s compiled an amazing record of 91 wins (73 of them by KO) and just 11 defeats and picked up the World light middleweight title along the way.
Now 36 Campas is determined to prove that he still belongs at the highest level but Macklin who will have new trainer and former two weight world champ Buddy McGirt in his corner in Dublin believes that an impressive win will bring his title ambitions into sharper focus.
“It’s a real step up in class for me and just what I need,” said the Birmingham based Irishman. “Campas is a very seasoned pro, you only need to look at the names on his record to see that.”
It will be the Arizona based Mexican’s second successive trip to Europe and having been beaten by former European champion and world rated Amin Asikainen in Helsinki he’ll be hoping for better luck in Dublin. Macklin has already studied that bout and believes that the seventh round defeat for Campas was not a true reflection of the fight.
“I thought the stoppage was very premature. Campas was still on his feet and firing back and he looked disgusted that it had been stopped. Up until then the last guy to legitimately stop him was Oscar De La Hoya and there was certainly no disgrace in that.
“I won’t really be looking to stop him because when you look for the stoppage it never comes. You have to be patient and anyway I want to get back to boxing a bit more as that side of things was neglected a bit when I was with Billy Graham. People forget that I was a very good amateur boxer and I need to get back to using those boxing skills.
“To be honest it will be difficult to do that with this fight because with the style Campas fights there’s nearly always fireworks and if it does become that kind of fight I won’t be found wanting.”
Macklin flies out to McGirt’s gym in Vero Beach, Florida this weekend to begin a month long training camp in the Sunshine State. “Part of the reasoning behind linking up with Buddy was to get me boxing more again,” explained Macklin.
“Obviously Buddy was a tremendous fighter himself and I’ve been really impressed with him as a trainer. You only have to look at how he turned Arturo Gatti from a brawler to a boxer to see the kind of influence he can have on a fighter so I’ll be hoping for a similar transformation.”
McGirt says he’s excited about working with Macklin. “I’m really looking forward to working with Matthew. I’m currently working with Paul Smith who I took on after working with him on the Contender T.V. series. He trained and sparred with Matthew when they were both in Billy Graham’s gym and Paul highly recommended Matthew to me so I’m excited about it.
“I know all about Campas, he’s a tough, tough veteran who’s been in with everybody and he is still a dangerous guy so it’s a good challenge for Matthew.”
Campas says he won’t be drawn into any trash talking or bold predictions ahead of the fight but promised, “I can only tell the people that they will see a real fight, I can guarantee that.”
His manager Joe Diaz added, “Yori is an incredible guy. He turned pro when he was just 15 and 20 years later he’s still competing at the highest level. He’s ageless and if people think he’s slipping because he got stopped by Asikainen they’re very much mistaken. The fight’s available to watch on YouTube for all to see and anyone can see that It should never have been stopped.
“Yori Boy wasn’t hurt, what happened was that the sponsors logo on the ring came loose and Yori’s feet got caught up in it. He got tagged with a few shots as he was trying to untangle himself and then the referee jumped in and stopped it. It was a crazy decision.
“I don’t make any excuses but in this case people can make their own minds up. After the fight Yori Boy didn’t even have a bruise but the other guy had 28 stitches over his eye and a broken hand. Anyway that’s behind us now. You have to move on and we plan on doing that in Dublin.”
The undercard for the Ladbrokes.com Fight Night is headed by an eagerly anticipated Irish Light Welterweight title rematch between Cavan’s Andrew Murray and Belfast’s James Gorman. The two first met last December at the Kings Hall in Belfast with Murray winning on a technical decision after an accidental clash of heads in the fourth round left Murray unable to continue.
Under Boxing Union of Ireland rules the fight went to the referee’s scorecard and Murray kept his unbeaten record intact courtesy of the early lead he had taken. However even the new champion admitted that the outcome was unsatisfactory and both men are keen to do it all over again and settle affairs more conclusively.
The card will also feature Cuban heavyweight sensation Mike “The Rebel” Perez. Despite only having arrived in his adopted hometown of Cork in mid January the 22-year-old former world Amateur Champion has already racked up two quick fire wins in the pro ranks.
Perez’s manager Gary Hyde believes that with his amateur pedigree the power punching Cuban will bring the world heavyweight title back to Cork.
Another unbeaten heavyweight on the card is unbeaten Belfast banger Martin Rogan. The former Irish Amateur Champion is closing in on a shot at the Irish Professional heavyweight title and will have his first scheduled 8 round contest on next months card.
Irish professional’s Aidan Mooney and Leon Senior will also be in action.
Tickets for the Ladrokes.com Fight Night priced from €60 go on sale from 9am tomorrow morning (Friday, February 15th) from Ticketmaster.ie and all usual outlets.
Thursday at Room Service
boxing entertainment fight sports mixed martial arts special events sports worldwide
Marquez-Pacquiao II Live on Pay-Per-View Saturday, 3/15
JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ vs. MANNY PACQUIAO II
Check out all the articles, photos and more from fight week in Vegas as we build up to the epic rematch between two of boxing's best fighters.
Also, watch the official weigh-in live on HBO.com, today at 5:30 PM ET/2:30 PM PT.
And don't miss Marquez vs. Pacquiao II, this Saturday night on Pay-Per-View at 9PM ET/6 PM PT.
COUNTDOWN TO MARQUEZ-PACQUIAO II & CLASSIC REPLAYS
Another installment in the classic Countdown series, Countdown To Marquez-Pacquiao II features profiles, analysis and forecasts for the second battle.
Plus, watch Pacquiao vs. Marquez I: Pacquiao knocked Marquez down three times in the first round, Marquez orchestrated one of the most impressive comebacks in boxing history, ending the bout in a draw. Check the site for all the ways you can watch, HBO.com!
boxing entertainment fight sports mixed martial arts special events sports worldwide
Check out all the articles, photos and more from fight week in Vegas as we build up to the epic rematch between two of boxing's best fighters.
Also, watch the official weigh-in live on HBO.com, today at 5:30 PM ET/2:30 PM PT.
And don't miss Marquez vs. Pacquiao II, this Saturday night on Pay-Per-View at 9PM ET/6 PM PT.
COUNTDOWN TO MARQUEZ-PACQUIAO II & CLASSIC REPLAYS
Another installment in the classic Countdown series, Countdown To Marquez-Pacquiao II features profiles, analysis and forecasts for the second battle.
Plus, watch Pacquiao vs. Marquez I: Pacquiao knocked Marquez down three times in the first round, Marquez orchestrated one of the most impressive comebacks in boxing history, ending the bout in a draw. Check the site for all the ways you can watch, HBO.com!
boxing entertainment fight sports mixed martial arts special events sports worldwide
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