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Wednesday, February 13, 2008

From WBC President Jose Sulaiman:WORLD BOXING COUNCIL NEWS

WORLD BOXING COUNCIL NEWS

Mexico City- “I would like to respond to erroneous interpretations and accusations in certain news reports that we at the WBC and boxing commissioners in Mexico ignored a request, reportedly sent by the Association of Boxing Commissions in the United States to the boxing commission in Leon, Guanajuato, to not allow Tommy Morrison to fight on the February 9 event presented by Top Rank, Zanfer, and a local promoter.



“Nobody in Leon received any correspondence from the ABC. Neither had the ABC contacted the mayoral office of the city or the WBC in regards to such a request. The WBC would have forwarded the request ourselves, out of courtesy, if the ABC had contacted us.

“Morrison went through the same thorough medical examinations as all the other boxers, but nobody, in the commission or out of it, had any idea of any boxing suspension.

“Except for the California state commission, the ABC and state commissions in the US never contact Mexican commissions or Mexico ’s National Boxing Federation, and very rarely contact the WBC, regarding boxers’ suspensions.

“Countless boxers from Mexico have gone and still keep going to fight in the United States while they have been medically suspended in Mexico – having been recently knocked out or with other impediments - but none of the suspension notifications sent by Mexican commissions to US commissions have ever been respected, while many Mexican boxers have been hurt and others suffered irreversible damage, and even death.

“This is the reason that the WBC has been wanting to meet with the ABC, so that the US boxing commissions, together with the Mexican commissions, could find mutual agreements for the safety and welfare of boxers and boxing. Mexican state commissions are integrated into the National Boxing Federation, which is the one that could work with ABC, but it seems that ABC only wants to deal with individual state boxing commissions and not the NBF, which will serve no purpose.

“The incident involving Tommy Morrison shows the importance of the meeting between the ABC and the Mexican commissions. A meeting has been agreed to, but not yet scheduled. We hope that it will be scheduled soon. If the ABC is not interested in making agreements with the Mexican commissions, we would like to meet with state commissions in the US individually to address these problems.”

FONFARA VS. RINCON FEATURED IN CHICAGO ON FEBRUARY 15TH‏

Junior middleweights Andrzej Fonfara and Francisco Rincon will battle in a special feature attraction bout on February 15th at CELEBRATION, a terrific evening of world class professional boxing at Cicero Stadium, presented by Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions and Bob Arum’s Top Rank Incorporated.

CELEBRATION marks the 10th anniversary of Chicago’s 8 Count Productions, HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING.

Tickets for CELEBRATION are available in advance by calling the 8 Count Productions offices at 312-226-5800. Cicero Stadium is located at 1909 S. Laramie, just minutes from the Eisenhower and Stevenson Expressways. Doors for this event will open at 5:30pm with the first bell at 6:30pm.

A native of Warsaw, Poland, now living in Chicago, Fonfara, 8-1 (3KO’s) has built a huge following in Chicago since making his pro debut in June of 2006. The 20 year old former amateur standout is coming off a crowd pleasing first round knockout of Dave Saunders on November 16, 2007 at Cicero Stadium.

With four straight wins in 2007, Fonfara is looking to start 2008 in similar fashion and continue his rise amongst the hottest young prospects in boxing.

Rincon, born in Coahuila, Mexico, currently residing in Dallas, Texas

has fought three times in Chicago including wins over tough veterans Gilbert Venegas and Fabian Luque. He also holds a decision win over rising Bronx, New York, prospect Frankie Figueroa.

In his most recent bout in Chicago, the 24 year old Rincon and Chicago fan favorite Luciano Perez thrilled the packed house at the Aragon Ballroom on August 25, 2006 with a memorable “blood and guts” battle that left both warriors widely respected in the Chicago boxing community in their off-TV war.

Said Pesoli about the Fonfara/Rincon bout, ‘This is a real solid test for Fonfara, he gets better each time out. However, Rincon is a true Mexican warrior who will battle every second of every round. Our fans are in for a terrific fight as both guys have much to gain with a victory.”

The full fight card for CELEBRATION is;

Mike Alvarado vs. Jesus Rodriguez, ten rounds, junior welterweights

Alejandro Perez vs. Jorge Cardenas, eight rounds, super bantamweights

Francisco Rodriguez vs. Andre Wilson, eight rounds, bantamweights

Andrzej Fonfara vs. Francisco Rincon, six rounds, junior middleweights

Freddie Cuevas vs. Victor Villareal, six rounds, middleweights

Ivan Popoca vs. Guadalupe Diaz, four rounds, junior welterweights

The open to the public weigh-in will be held at 7pm on Thursday, February 14th at Club Aquarius, 2459 N. Pulaski on the Northwest side of Chicago.

Along with Chicago’s 8 Count Productions and Bob Arum’s Top Rank Incorporated, CELEBRATION 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 Master of Ceremonies for CELEBRATION will be Lupe Contreras, the internationally recognized voice of Latino boxing.

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

Iran “The Blade” Barkley Uncensored Interview --Part 1 By David Selwyn

Iran “The Blade “ Barkley; Uncensored Interview Part 1
By David Selwyn



Iran “The Blade” Barkley is a five-time world champion who made his name with a third round knockout win over Thomas Hearns in Las Vegas in 1988. Before he fought Hearns, the champion’s trainer Emanuel Steward knew Barkley had the attitude to be dangerous. “He’s not that skillful, but he just don’t give a damn”. Sure enough, battered and on the brink of defeat, Barkley found the right hand to drop Hearns on his back.



Seconds after regaining his feet, Hearns was rescued by the referee. Four years later, Barkley became the only man to defeat Hearns twice, when he out pointed him over 12 rounds to win the WBA Light heavyweight title. This victory also made Barkley a member of an elite group of fighters who have won world titles in three separate weights.

D.S.: How did you get involved with the sport of boxing?
I.B.: I first got involved with my sister. In the Bronx at St. Marys Gym. She was a street fighter. The whole family knew how to fight.

D.S.: I know the South Bronx produced some pro boxers. Who was around with you back in the days?
I.B.: Well you know we had a lot of guys. Gods bless the dead, Davey Moore. This other Spanish fighter I forgot his name. He died in the ring. Alex Ramos was here.

D.S.: What about Mitch “Blood” Green? I heard that you hung around with him. Tell me about what you guys did back in your youth.
I.B.: Back in the days we hung back in the days. We were in Gangs together. The gang stuff lead us into boxing.

D.S.: What was the toughest thing about boxing? Was it the training, the actual fighting or the business? What did you dislike the most?
I.B.: I disliked the business of boxing. Business was like you do what you had to do. You train hard and do what you got to do and everybody is lying and cheating and telling you YO there is not enough money for this there is not any money for that. So you know you learn as you go on.



D.S.: Your promoter for most of your career was Bob Arum of Top Rank Boxing. What could you tell me about him?
I.B.: While in my dealings with him, certain things he did and certain things he didn’t do. I don’t want to make this a racial thing, but I think he is a racist.

D.S.: So you think he is a racist?
I.B.: Yeah I think he is a racist, I mean 10 years ago he had black and white fighters and Hispanic fighters. Now he claims he just cornered the Hispanic market. You know what I’m saying. How can you say you cornered the Hispanic market when you made all your money off black fighters? The only black fighter he had lately was Floyd Mayweather and he don’t even have him now

D.S.: So you think he does not like black people and purposely does not promote black fighters.
I.B.: Yeah he don’t like black fighters you know all the chances he had to help me, I was one of his prime fighters. You know he brought George Foreman back after 15 years. Why couldn’t he bring me back after 15 years? He needed me when I had to do what I had to do when he didn’t think it was sensible to have me. It didn’t want me no more.

D.S.: Don’t you think it was a matter of money? When you were in you prime he felt he could make money with you and when you were not in your prime he felt you could not make money. I think it’s a money issue.
I.B.: That’s bullshit. You know what I’m saying, at the time the only one who was getting payed was Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns, Roberto Duran and Marvin Hagler and Hagler did not get payed until he fought Leonard. So me and Hagler were the only ones being abused. We were the two hard fighters in his stable. If Hagler did not fight John “The Beast” Mugabi I would have been the one to fight Mugabi, but Hagler took care of Mugabi and I took care of Tommy Hearns.



D.S.: Would you have liked to fight Marvin Hagler?
I.B.: If I had to fight Hagler I would have fought him. At that time Hagler was a little bit ahead of me.

D.S.: What do you think about the state of boxing today?
I.B.: The state of boxing today is that I’m the reason why these guys are getting payed today. Me and Hagler opened the doors for these guys getting payed the way they are getting payed. These ain’t no fights today. Everybodys just getting payed. The fans are not getting what they want to see. These guys are not fighting. They are just getting payed and pampered. They want a lot of money and get a lot of money. There is only a handful that are earning their money but the rest of these guys are just getting payed.

D.S.: Whom would you pay to see, who would you buy a ticket to see?
I.B.: I would pay to see Bernard Hopkins. I would buy a ticket to see Floyd Mayweather and also to see Roy Jones Jr. Those are the guys I would pay to see.
Writers Note: Part II with my conversation with Iran will follow. Iran will talk about the myth of Sex and Boxing

The ROOTS: Live at the Apollo February 22

Senator Serrano To Honor Iran Barkley on 2/18; Celebrating Black History Month and Congressman José E. Serrano, will honor the Bronx boxing legend

New York, NY- State Senator José M. Serrano, as part of an annual event celebrating Black History Month with his father, Congressman José E. Serrano, will honor Bronx boxing legend Iran "The Blade" Barkley on Monday, February 18th.



Mr. Barkley was born, raised and continues to live in the South Bronx community. In 1988, against strong odds, he defeated Thomas Hearns by TKO to become the Middleweight Champion of the World.



The day's other honorees include: Dean Meminger, Bronx Reporter for NY1 News; and Dr. Samuel J. Daniel, President and CEO of North General Hospital.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Jermain Taylor

LAS VEGAS, NEV.– Boxing’s two best middleweights -- undefeated world champion KELLY “The Ghost” PAVLIK (32-0, 29 KOs), from Youngstown, Ohio, and former undisputed world champion JERMAIN “Bad Intentions” TAYLOR (27-1-1, 17 KOs), from Little Rock, Arkansas -- hosted separate media conference calls this week.



Promoted by Top Rank and DiBella Entertainment, the 12-round Pavlik-Taylor II battle will take place Saturday, February 16, at MGM Grand, and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.



This is Norman Horton. On behalf of Team Taylor and DiBella Entertainment, we would like to welcome and thank you for your participation today.

On the line we have Jermain Taylor, his trainer Ozell Nelson, and his promoter, Lou DiBella. We will have an opening statement from Lou DiBella, and then we will open up for questions. I present, Lou DiBella.



Lou DiBella: Thank you everybody for joining us. On Saturday night the 16th, I think we have a historic night of boxing, and really one of the most justified and competitive and exciting main events that I can remember.

I was thrilled to be involved in the first fight. While the outcome wasn’t what we wanted, it was a great night for boxing, and a terrific, explosive seven rounds of boxing.



On the 16th there’s a terrific undercard it features Ronald Hearns and his toughest fight to date. It features two great title fights at 115 pounds, Fernando Monteil against Martin Costillo, and Cristian Mijares, who might be the best young 15 pounder in the world, against Jose Navarro. Those are two terrific appetizers to what’s going to be a great main course.

I listened in a little bit yesterday to the phone call that Jack Loew, and Arum and Kelly Pavlik had. They’re very confident -- I understand their confidence, but it seemed a little bit to me like they bordered on cockiness and maybe a little bit of insulting, sort of undertone. They’re entitled to do that, but I think maybe if they look back on that last fight, they’ll remember a second round where the fight could easily have ended, and we’d be talking very differently on this phone call.


Kelly deserves all the credit in the world for ending that fight in the seventh round, but that fight could have easily ended in the second. I believe then that I promoted the better fighter in the contest. I believe now that I promote the better fighter in the rematch. And it’s my firm belief that on February 16, that last fight’s going to be erased and the result is going to be different. I also think - I anticipate that there’s going to be some questions, which I’d like to nip in the bud right here, about the election of the rematch immediately. But I think that that is one of the reasons why I am so proud to have promoted Jermain Taylor from his first fight through his career.



He has never run away from a challenge; he has never lost confidence in himself. He has never been anything but a great champion and a great competitor, and I fully expected him to elect that rematch -- it didn’t surprise me in the least. I know why he elected it -- because he knows he can win. And on February 16, he will win.

Ozell - and Ozell’s back in the corner in the lead trainer. That’s a place he’s used to being; that a place he was throughout Jermain’s amateur career, and he has never been out of Jermain’s corner -- not as an amateur; not as a professional.

I had the chance to go camp and watch these guys work, see how hard they’re working, see how well they’re working, and I’m thrilled to be involved in this event. I’m thrilled that I’m going to be there on February 16, when Jermain Taylor, once again, establishes his supremacy in the middleweight classes. And, you know, Ozell and Jermain -- there’s no need for little speeches -- they’re going to do most of their talking on the night of February 16. But we’ll open it up right now for questions and get right to the meat of things and what you guys want to hear.

So, we’ll open it up for questions. Go ahead Norm.

Norm Horton: Thank you Lou. We’ll take the first question now.

Chris Givens: Hey Jermain, Lou, Norm, everybody.

Lou DiBella: Hello Chris.

Chris Givens: Jermain, I know that you always have a lot of anticipation before you fight as it gets close -- we’re only ten days away now. I’m wondering if this time it’s a little bit of a different sense of anticipation based on the circumstances of this fight. Is it different now than it is normally about ten days before a fight for you?

Jermain Taylor: Yes, it’s very different, it’s all about revenge now. I’m just going in there getting back everything this man took from me.

Chris Givens: What is training like right now as we’re getting this close to it? I mean, you’re not having to leave Vegas this time, but what - where are you right now?

Jermain Taylor: Just the other day I did about 18 rounds in the gym. I’m in great shape and it’s been a great training camp here in Las Vegas. I’ve got to give it to Ozell my trainer, he stepped up, and everything’s going perfect.

Chris Givens: This time a lot of the early betting lines are out, and I think this time you’re going to be a rather heavy underdog, a position that you’re not used to. Does that change your approach to anything, knowing that you’re not going to be the favorite fighter in this one?

Jermain Taylor: Oh no, it doesn’t make a difference at all. I’m going in there and take care of business. Fights that have me as the underdog are the fights when I look my best.



Chris Givens: Ozell? Are you on the line Ozell?

Ozell Nelson: Yeah, I’m here Chris.

Chris Givens: I want to ask you a question. Jack Loew, he’s made this comment to the media several times recently, and he mentioned it again yesterday on the phone. When the question was asked about his thoughts of you being in the corner that his standard response has been that, “Jermain makes a lot of amateur mistakes. He’s brought a lot of mistakes with him.” You’re the one who taught him those mistakes so he’s happy that you’re back in the corner because you taught him those mistakes.

Wondered if you had a response for that and what your feeling on that comment is?

Ozell Nelson: Well, I would say they are the same bad habits that kept Kelly from making the Olympic team so Jack can say what he wants to say. I’m not going to get into a tick for tack with Jack. Years ago there was a hit movie “Ghost Busters” on February 16th we will be looking to bust the Ghost.

Chris Givens: Okay, and are you pleased at this point, with where Jermain is in training?

Ozell Nelson: I’m very pleased with Jermain. Jermain been working hard, he’s been doing everything that I asked him, and we are just ready for this fight.

Chris Givens: All right, thanks guys. I’ll let somebody else get in now. Thank you.

Dan Rafael: Thanks. Hi Norm, Ozell, Lou, Jermain. How are you guys today?

Jermain Taylor: Hello Dan.

Dan Rafael: Quick question Jermain. You mentioned in some of your opening remarks about, you know, now it’s about revenge, getting everything back that the man took from you. One of those things that you can’t get back -- win or lose -- is the middleweight championship.

Did you give any thought to taking the fight at middleweight, even though I know your contract said you had the option to do it at 160? There’s been a lot of debate about - or rather the contract said you could do it at 166. Did you think about maybe (unintelligible) and trying to do it at 160, and making it for the championship?
Dan Rafael: And how important, and what - and how important is that to you?

Jermain Taylor: It’s not important to me at all, but, I just want the fight to begin. I don’t care what weight or whether it’s for the belt or not. I just want to get in there and get back what I lost with Kelly, because I know I can beat the guy.

Dan Rafael: Do you think it detracts at all from the match? I mean it’s a great fight -- we all know that -- but does it detract in any way, shape or form, maybe from the public interest that it’s not a championship fight?

Jermain Taylor: I don’t think so. I think that here’s a guy who beat me. He beat me for the championship, but you know, can he do it again, or was it just - or did he just get lucky? People want to see good fights and that’s what me and Kelly are going to give them.

Lou DiBella: I want to pop in here for a second.

Dan Rafael: Sure Lou.

Lou DiBella: If Jermain wasn’t such a great champion, the first fight probably wouldn’t have happened because guys like myself and Al Haymen were saying, “JT, the weight’s been a problem for you. You don’t need this now. Go up at 68, there’s plenty of guys in the higher weight classes. Take your first fight at 68 here.” And what JT felt strongly about was, you know, Pavlik was there, people were saying they wanted to see the fight, and he was going to suck it up and make the weight in that first fight, no matter what to make that fight happen. And that’s because he’s a great champion. He probably shouldn’t have fought that fight at 60, and there was no way this one was going to be at 60.



So I mean, I think people got a sensational night of boxing the first time, one of the best middleweight fights I’ve seen since Hagler/Hearns. Arum and I have talked many times about that and he’s seen them all, and we agree on that one. And you’re going to see, you know, more of the same. This fight continues now -- this epic continues into the eighth round, I think that’s what the public cares about. You know, there was no way in the world this rematch could have been at 60.

Dan Rafael: Okay. Jermain let me follow-up with what Lou was saying there. How many times have you gone over that second round in your mind, and how many times have you kicked yourself, or you know, punished yourself emotionally, mentally, for now being able to finish it when he was so clearly in trouble?

Jermain Taylor: Well, I think about it all the time. What comes into my head is how I could have trained harder or finish him off in the second round.. And all the should haves, could haves in the world is not going to change anything.

Dan Rafael: Do you watch it at all or do you just don’t even bother looking at it?

Jermain Taylor: I have watched it a couple of times, but not a lot. It’s not something I like looking at.

Dan Rafael: Okay. What would you do differently if you have him in trouble in the rematch? You know, you get him hurt or you have him knocked down -- how would your approach change? You know, I can appreciate the fact you were trying to finish him off, but you know, a combination of you being unable to certainly, Kelly, his heart and his will, had something to do with that. But if it happens again, and you’re in a similar situation with the way you punch, certainly a possibility, what will you do differently if you have him in that kind of condition again?

Jermain Taylor: If I get him in that position again, I’m going to finish him. That’s what I’m training for. I just felt like I wasted a lot of energy. I threw a lot of stupid punches and I should have put them together, gone to the body, uppercuts, I could have done a lot of things I didn’t do.

Dan Rafael: You know Jermain, a lot of people would look at it say it’s the second round of a fight, you’re a well conditioned professional athlete; you are a reigning world champion. How is it conceivable that somebody of your youth and experience wouldn’t have energy in the second round of a fight?

Jermain Taylor: I underestimated him just a little bit and paid the price for underestimating him. Kelly was in great shape for the fight and I should have been in better conditioned for the fight, my mindset wasn’t right.

With this training camp, it’s all work. I’m talking about every day; I’m talking about getting up doing what I’m supposed to do every day. And it wasn’t like that last camp, I’ll be honest with you.

Dan Rafael: Ozell, could you address that for a minute about, you know, what you guys have talked about or gone over in your training camp? That if Jermain does put him in a position where he’s got him in trouble the way he did in the first fight, how to approach going after him to finish him off, and to still have energy, whether it’s the first round of the fight, second round, or the tenth round?

Ozell Nelson: Well, in this training camp right here, we’ve been doing a lot of hard digging work, lot of bag work, lot of gut-checking work. I mean like we do 12 rounds - all right were not done in 12 rounds, we going two more.

And so, I want to make sure this time around if Jermain gets him hurt in the seventh, eighth, ninth, he’s out of there. Jermain is going to have the stamina, the wind, and he’s got the experience to get him out of there. And he will get him up out of there this time.

Dan Rafael: One more thing for you Ozell. When you went through the first training camp with Emanuel, and you were watching the way things were going, did you have a notion that maybe Jermain was taking him a little bit lightly, or he wasn’t in the great shape? Because, you know, again, you know, it seems sort of surprising that he would run out of gas in the second round.

Ozell Nelson: Well, I wanted to add a little bit more core work to it, but you know, as Emanuel Stewart being a Hall of Famer, great trainer, we both looked at Jermain in training and thought he was looking great. And so, as I guess, as we all kind of took Kelly a little lightly. We thought that Jermain was going get him out of there, but he didn’t. So now, we know that Kelly comes to fight; he knows that he’s in great shape, and this time that we are turning over all stones -- we are not leaving no stones unturned. Jermain will be prepared for grudge fight, toe-to-toe, we will be able to do that.

Dan Rafael: Okay. Ozell, thank you. Jermain thank you. Good luck to you guys next week.

Jermain Taylor: Thank you.

Franklin McNeil: Hi guys, how you doing?

Jermain Taylor: All right.

Franklin McNeil: My first question is for you Jermain. It has to do with, you know, a lot is being talked about - a lot is being said about knock downs and knock outs, but when I look back at this fight, you were leading on all three judge’s score cards by a relatively large margin. And you were doing that using your speed and elusiveness, for the most part. Is that something that you’ve looked back - when you look back at that fight and say, “I was beating this guy.” Do you take anything from that?

Jermain Taylor: I do. I mean I was beating this guy half-ass. I wasn’t even all the way there. I mean, to be honest with you, in those later rounds, I went into a survival mode.

I was tired, and I just felt like I didn’t do what I was supposed to do in training camp. And this time I’m doing exactly what I’m suppose to do… I feel like I lost what it took to become world champion and that’s why I’m not world champion anymore.

Franklin McNeil: And leading in to that fight, Manny for the most part, was talking about you having to look spectacular, knock-outs, things of that nature. Is it more important, at this point, to look spectacular or to do what Jermain does best, and just win this fight using all your tools? What’s more important now?

Jermain Taylor: Just go in there and win this fight. I should have been more relax in this fight. I wasn’t even trying to feel him out. I caught him with something that I didn’t even know hurt him. Preparation is important and I will be well prepared for this fight and come away with a victory

Franklin McNeil: And also in the previous fight, a lot was made of people’s perception of you, that you had to look good again. Is that something you’ve put behind you? Is this about, just Jermain Taylor or this again, trying to prove something to fans and people even in your hometown?

Jermain Taylor: I’m not trying to prove nothing to nobody. I’m not trying to prove nothing. It’s all about me this time. It’s all about going in there and just making Kelly look like nothing. I was beating him on just half-ass stuff, so imagine what’s going to happen this fight.

Franklin McNeil: And one more question. You have to go to the catch weight. Kelly Pavlik’s perspective is that he’s big or he’s stronger -- that the catch weight of 166 is going to be advantageous to him. Why is it advantageous to you? Why is coming in heavier going to be advantageous to you in this fight?

Jermain Taylor: It’s just easy. I mean, it’s easy I’m making the weight, and I was moving up one way or another. I have been fighting at 160 since I turned pro and it was time.

Franklin McNeil: Okay, thanks guys. Thanks a lot.

Tom Pedulla: Yeah, hey Jermain. I wanted to ask you about the decision to make Ozell the lead trainer. Can you just talk about what went in to that and what was, I guess, the dissatisfaction with Manny Stewart?

Jermain Taylor: I can’t speak nothing bad about Manny Stewart. He’s a Hall of Fame trainer and a friend of mine. The chemistry just did not flow over from training camp when it came fight time. He taught me a lot and I learned a lot from him. I still use some of the things he taught me in the gym, right now.

And, as far as me and Ozell, he’s been with me from the start. He built the engine. Ozell is much, much more than a trainer to me in the ring and out. He knows me and knows what buttons to push to get the best out of me.

When I started boxing it was all about hard work -- all about hard work and dedication. And if you put 100% in, you get 100% out. I just feel like these last few fights I haven’t been doing that. I haven’t been going 12 rounds in the gym like I used to go. I haven’t been getting up every morning and doing my five miles of road work. I haven’t been doing it.

In this training camp, that’s exactly what it’s back to. It’s back to Ozell, its back to hard work; it’s back to getting up every morning and doing what I was supposed to do. In which I know what I’m supposed to do, I just wasn’t doing it.

Tom Pedulla: So in other words, he just has the ability to get that out of you?

Jermain Taylor: He does and I know everything will turn out just fine. I want to please him and I know he wants me to look good. I want to go in there and do exactly what I’m suppose to do.



Tom Pedulla: Ozell, could you maybe address why you feel you’ve been able to get to Jermain in that way, and bring out the best in him?

Ozell Nelson: Just like Jermain was saying we’ve been together forever. I know him and he know me, and he know that when I took him on a brick job, I let him look at me -- watch me work -- everything. I worked hard all day, and he saw the effort that was put in. I was teaching him hard work and dedication and I let him know I was expecting the same thing out of him. Hard work and dedication -- do what you suppose to do.

So, on that note, we work real good together, and he knows that it’s back to hard work and dedication, and that’s what it takes.

Tom Pedulla: Thank you.

Tim Smith: Good afternoon guys. Jermain, just sort of listening to what you were saying and the questions about the training in the previous fights and in particular, this previous fight with Pavlik. It sounds like maybe you knew the things that you should have been doing, but you were not doing them. And you didn’t feel like maybe you were getting - you were being motivated to maybe get out of bed and run at, you know, 5 o’clock in the morning and do the five miles?

I’m wondering if you - if maybe you began to just sort of, you know, take things for granted that you were still the champion. That, you know, even though you had a couple of lackluster fights, that maybe you didn’t feel like you needed to push yourself as hard? I mean, can you sort of speak to that a little bit? I mean, I don’t know whether that was the case or not, but I’m asking you.

Tim Smith: Did you just sort of take things for granted a little bit maybe?

Jermain Taylor: Yes, that’s exactly what happened. I took it for granted. In the sport of boxing, you can’t take things for granted. Because in boxing, anything could happen in the ring. And it’s all about being in shape. A person can win a fight just by being in shape, and Kelly proved that. I know what it took to get there, and I wasn’t doing it. So yes, I took it for granted.

Tim Smith: At what point in the fight with Pavlik did you say, “Oh boy, I’m in trouble here?” in terms of just your physical conditioning?

Jermain Taylor: I would say somewhere around the sixth, seventh round where I started getting real tired. And then I started going into a survival mode, backing up to the rope, I just wasn’t doing what I was supposed to do. But I knew that I was still in the fight and one punch can change anything and I knew I had enough of a punch to take him out.

Tim Smith: Looking back at that fight, you said you’ve only watched it a couple of times, but I’m sure you picked up on some of your mistakes. Other than just the physical conditioning, what do you think, strategy wise, was perhaps one of your biggest flaws in that particular fight?

Jermain Taylor: Strategy wise, I couldn’t tell you. With Kelly you know how he’s going to fight, he comes right at you, he got a good punch and he comes to fight.

Tim Smith: Okay. Would you be satisfied winning a decision in this fight? Will that satisfy you?

Jermain Taylor: Well, first I want to win the fight, if it’s a knockout, decision, TKO, I will take it, but I would like to put something on him sending a big statement.

Tim Smith: Mmm-hmm. Okay. All right so; we’ll see you next week, and success to you. Thanks a lot.

Eddie Goldman: Thank you. Hi Jermain, hi Lou, hi everybody. How’s everybody doing today?

Jermain Taylor: How you doing?

Eddie Goldman: Good, thank you. Jermain, at the pre-fight press conference for the first fight, you may remember Emanuel Stewart got up and gave a very impassioned speech, saying that you were still a better athlete than Kelly Pavlik. You had better amateur credentials, better pro credentials, had fought much better fighters than he had. Do you think any of that contributed to you in under-estimating him before that fight?

Jermain Taylor: I don’t know. A lot of things could havecontributed to that.. Just by me being world champion, beating the guys that I wasn’t supposed to beat. Going to the Olympics, a lot of things. I got too comfortable. I could sit here and make excuses all day, but it really dosen’t make a difference. I didn’t do what I was supposed to do and he capitalized on it.

Eddie Goldman: What’s going to be going through your mind differently this time, as you approach the fight? And what was going through your mind as you got in to that fight?

In other words, how mentally, you’re going to be looking at him -- also, since you fought each other, you each traded punches, and you know his power and his strengths.

Jermain Taylor: I know that I’m in tip-top shape now. I know that I can go 12 rounds easy. I thought in that last training camp, I didn’t know that I could go 12 rounds, and I’ll be honest with you, because I didn’t go 12 rounds in the gym it show in the last fight. I’m much better prepared for this fight physically and mentally.

Eddie Goldman: So that’s what your training is focused on now?

Jermain Taylor: Going into this fight, I know that I’m in tip-top shape. Knowing you are in shape mentally and physically is a good feeling to have going into this fight. I have something to prove to a lot of people.

Eddie Goldman: Do you want to make a prediction for this fight or just see what happens?

Jermain Taylor: I’m not going to make any prediction about this fight, it all business and I have to take care of my business and that’s victory

Eddie Goldman: We’ll do that. Okay, good luck on the fight.

Jermain Taylor: Thanks.

Michael Woods: How you doing? Thanks for taking the time. First question is for Lou, and then I’d like, after Lou speaks, to get Ozell, and then Jermain to weigh in on it.

Lou, I’m wondering what were some of the things that you heard in the conference call that led you to label Loew and Pavlik bordering on cocky, and you referred to the insulting undertones. What did you hear?

Lou DiBella: I think I heard the same things all of you did, and a couple of guys made reference to it. There were pot shots taken at, you know, Jermain’s quote-unquote, amateur style, you know, Ozell teaching him his mistakes. Well, if Ozell taught him his mistakes, he also taught him enough to beat Bernard Hopkins twice to become the undisputed middleweight champion of the world, and to have been in a position where he was seconds away, and one punch away from having Kelly flat on his back.

So I found that a little bit insulting, and frankly I’ve always respected Jack Loew and I thought he’s been a class act. I felt that there were a lot of comments on that call that were, you know, derogatory. But you know the truth, I liked it. I liked it because if they’re that cocky, they’re making a big frigging mistake. And I hope they are that cocky.

Michael Woods: Mmm-hmm.

Lou DiBella: If they’re that cocky, I’m confident that the next time he’s doing the chicken dance, he’s not going to finish the round.



Michael Woods: Mmm-hmm. Ozell, what about what Lou just said? Are you seeing them as being over confident?

Ozell Nelson: Well, I don’t really know Jack that well, but, people say a lot of things and they won the fight and if he wants to talk the talk…..so be it. I’m not concerned about anything that Jack is saying.

Michael Woods: Mmm-hmm.

Ozell Nelson: They call Kelly Pavlik the ghost, well Jermain’s gone be the ghost buster come February, just like the hit movie “Ghost Busters”..

Michael Woods: Mmm-hmm.

Lou DiBella: So you’re going to be calling us the ghost busters after the 16th.

Michael Woods: All right. I’ll be calling you the ghost busters after the fight. JT, what about it man? Are those guys being insulting and derogatory? Is this getting you pissed off?

Jermain Taylor: Have you notice the only person really talking is Kelly’s trainer, not Kelly. Jack’s not in the ring, Kelly knows what happen in the second round and that fight should have been over. His ass was beaten and he knows it, but I give him credit, he got up and did what he had to do to win the fight.

Lou DiBella: I mean one thing to be clear about…

Michael Woods: Yeah.

Lou DiBella: We’re not losing sleep over it. No one’s upset here.

Lou DiBella: If that’s how they’re walking into this fight, then they may have a much longer night than they’re anticipating -- or maybe a much shorter one.

Michael Woods: Mmm-hmm. And last thing JT; is there a possibility that this loss was maybe the best thing that happened to you because it worked you up out of a malaise?

Jermain Taylor: I know what it took to get here, and I know what took in my life. It was a wake-up call for me and sometimes we that in life. Yes, it made turn out to be the best thing that happen to me.

Jermain Taylor: Because right now, I feel like I’m at the top of my game. I feel like I’m in shape, I’m going 12 rounds with no problem. I’m doing all kind of hard work; I’m doing whatever I want to do in the ring. I feel very good mentally and physically.

Michael Woods: Yeah. It’s funny, after the call yesterday I thought those guys were doing a really good job, like psychological preparation, everything. Kelly sounded great, and I’m like, damn, I’m leaning towards them. And then I’m hearing you guys today, and I’m leaning towards you, and so I’m feeling like it’s a 50/50. Good luck. Thanks everyone, I appreciate it.

Jermain Taylor: All right, appreciate it.

William Trillo: Thanks for taking my call Jermain. Jermain, you just said a few minutes ago that you had lost something over your last three fights. And there’s no denying, even your own trainer there, you know. We’re all going to agree than Emanuel Stewart is a world-class trainer, and there’s no denying that you’re a world-class, top of the rung, fighter.

How is it that that combination didn’t work, and how -- bottom line -- how did you lose the fire in those three fights?




Jermain Taylor: I don’t know about the combination of things that didn’t work. I mean, me and Manny are friends and I still talk to him today. You know, he’s a great guy, I love him to death. I think it was more me. It was more of my mindset than anything. I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to do. I wasn’t thinking the way, how I used to think. I get up in the morning and run. You know, just because this is what I do, I’m a boxer, this is what I do. Like I said before, it was a wake-up call for me.

William Trillo: Did you know back then that you were cutting corners, or did it take that loss for you to finally realize that the corners were being cut?

Jermain Taylor: It took that long. It took me getting my butt kicked -- and just like I said on the call, it was just a shame to say that, but that’s the truth. And you know, if you know anything about me man, I’m going to keep it real with you whether it hurt me or help me, whatever. I’m going to keep it real with you. You know, it’s a shame to say that, but that’s what it took. It took a butt kicking to get me back on track and now I feel like I’m back on track and can’t nobody beat me when I’m at the top of my game.

William Trillo: Lou, back during those fights where Jermain was winning, but was winning with criticism -- I’m sure you won’t deny that -- did you see the fire was lost? Was there a concern in you? And going into the first Pavlik fight, did you feel that the fire that Jermain possessed when he beat Bernard was no longer there?

Lou DiBella: You know, I - you know it’s easy to say that kind of thing with 20/20 hindsight, but whatever you say about Jermain and however he’s looked at in the ring when he’s had a bad night or - he’s a professional. He always conducts himself like a professional so, I never walked in thinking, “No he’s unprepared, no he doesn’t have the fire.”

And in fairness to him also, a couple of those fights that we made for him -- and I’m talking about the business people, and people around him -- because Jermain would fight anybody, were not the kind of fights you’re going to walk in and look great in. I mean, try looking great against Winky Wright or Cory Spinks.

William Trillo: Agreed.

Lou DiBella: So, you know, there was that aspect. In the Pavlik fight, I got a little worried when there were all the prognostications of, “we’re going to knock him out in two or three rounds”, etcetera. And you know, as Jermain said, Emanuel’s a great, great trainer, and there’s no pointing to where the problem lied, but there’s also no question that there was some issue with communication. There was some issue with that corner gelling during those fights.

And maybe also as Jermain, you know, like said, he keeps it real. You know, it’s an athlete himself -- he’s the guy that gets into the ring, you know. I don’t get into the ring and no matter how much, you know, Ozell Nelson or Manny Stewart had to do with helping him prepare, the guy that walks into that ring is Jermain Taylor.

So, you know, I’m confident now. I hear the hunger again, I hear the desire, and I hear the fire that, you know, it’s hard to hear when you’re already sitting at the top. When you get knocked down, and you got to be man enough to get up, that’s when you want to hear what you’re hearing right now, and I’m very confident right now, that this is the best of Jermain Taylor and that he’s going to walk into that right and take care of business, you know. I…

William Trillo: Well…

Lou DiBella: …think it’s human nature that when you’ve had fights after - you know, when you go back-to-back with Bernard Hopkins, and follow it up with Winky Wright, that at some point there’s going to be a letdown. It’s also human nature that when you work your whole life to get out of poverty, and all of a sudden you’re sitting on millions of dollars, there’s going to be a letdown. Sometimes you need to be kicked in the ass to get motivated again. So, you know, Jermain Taylor is always be - is always going to be, you know, has always been a professional. He’s always been a terrific athlete; now he’s a motivated, hungry athlete again, and I think you’re going to see something special on February 16.

William Trillo: Great answer Lou.

Jermain, you’ve always been stand up with us. Good luck next week, we look forward to the fight.

Jermain Taylor: Okay, thank you.

John Whisler: Hey Lou, how are you doing?

Lou DiBella: Good John.

John Whisler: Well, you touched on it kind of already, you know, with Manny. I think there was some sense that under him, that, you know, it wasn’t clicking with Jermain and Manny, it wasn’t working. And some had even said to me that almost looked like Jermain had regressed a little bit. You know, through his career, it may not have been fair, but even in winning, people would say, I think, kind of the consensus was, “he’s a great athlete, a good fighter, but he has just not put it all together yet.” Is that fair, and is that accurate at all?

Lou DiBella: Well, if you watch Hopkins 1 and 2, I don’t think it’s fair or accurate. I mean, I think, look at Bernard Hopkins’ career and look at those two fights. You know, I don’t care how close you thought the first one was, Jermain fought him second-to-second, round-for-round. You know, I thought we won the fight, but as even as you can be, and I didn’t think there was a question in the world that we won the second fight. So…

John Whisler: Mmm-hmm.

Lou DiBella: …this is a young man that walked in there and beat a guy that’s going to go in to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, and beat him twice as a young fighter. No, I don’t think that there’s been a - that Jermain’s career’s been a disappointment by any means.

Do I think that you’ve seen the best of Jermain Taylor yet, no? But I’m going to emphasize “yet”, you know. I think that after those Hopkins wins, to put him in a situation that we put him in -- and I’ve, you know, I’ve been with Jermain since he turned pro so I take some of this responsibility. You know, to make a Winky Wright fight where it’s impossible to look good, to make a Cory Spinks fight when it’s impossible to look good. I mean, to some extent, we set him up for some of the criticism he had.

And with respect to the Kelly Pavlik fight, well you know, Jermain’s taken all the responsibility himself, and that’s because he’s a man, and a champion. When he gets in there and he beats the you-know-what out of this kid on February 16, I think that a lot of these questions will stop.

And I’ll also remind you he’s still - this is not a thirty-something year old athlete, this is still an athlete in his 20s, and I expect to see -- I think the best is yet to come.

Jerry Glick: Hello everybody, I hope I find everybody well.

Jerry Glick: Jermain, when you had him hurt in the first fight……I know you chased after him and you kind of ran out of gas, but what do you feel you did wrong technically, as a finisher? Could there have been anything else that you could have done at that moment? And did you do anything in training to rectify that?

Jermain Taylor: I could have did a lot of things different. You know, hit the body and make him bring his hands down, and then go back to the head. I could have done a lot of things different. And what I’m doing in the gym is I’m working the body, I’m throwing a lot of punches to the body and using my jab the way I’m suppose to.

Jerry Glick: Yesterday I had the pleasure of talking to Lou at the Broadway Boxing press conference, and he mentioned that you’re a 175 pound body, who was in a 160 pound division, and now 166. Can you comment on that, on your - on that you’re really more of a light heavyweight or are you not?




Jermain Taylor: I’ve heard that a lot and fighting at 160 for my entire career was hurting me. I glad to be fighting at this weight. I was moving up anyway.
Jerry Glick: All right, thank you very much and I wish you luck.

Jermain Taylor: Thank you.

Norman Horton: We’re going to take one more questions then we’re going to be closing this teleconference. Next question..

Norman Horton: Last question.

Rizwaan Zahid: Hey Jermain, how’s it going?

Jermain Taylor: Going good. How you doing?

Rizwaan Zahid: I’m all right man. Just a quick couple of questions. It’s like, I guess - I’m not sure if it’s been asked yet, but if you win this fight with Kelly, will there be a third fight?

Jermain Taylor: When I win this fight with Kelly, I don’t care. Like I told you man, like I told everybody, I don’t care. Whoever they put in front of me, that’s who I fight. If they bring them to me I will fight whoever; it doesn’t make a difference.

Rizwaan Zahid: Okay. And, just another one. Okay, well after Pavlik, let’s say you beat him, what - I mean with Calzaghe moving up, is there any other one, I mean anyone specifically at least, you want to try to hit in this middleweight division?

Lou DiBella: I’m going to have to jump in right here.

Rizwaan Zahid: What’s that?

Lou DiBella: We’re focused on February 16, and it’s my job to go to Jermain with the biggest opportunities and the biggest stuff that’s out there. I’m already starting to look in to it, but I’m not discussing with him or…

Rizwaan Zahid: Okay.

Lou DiBella: …or with anybody else, what follows Kelly Pavlik because we have business to take care of on February 16, and it’s serious business.

Rizwaan Zahid: Okay, fair enough.

Lou DiBella: When Jermain, when Jermain beats Kelly Pavlik, then frankly we’re going to have every opportunity in the world to fight whoever we want, from Joe Calzaghe to Roy Jones, to anybody else out there. The only thing I can tell you with certainty is we will never fight at 160 pounds again.

Rizwaan Zahid: Okay, fair enough. Just one more quick one if you don’t mind? What would you say, just to sum it up quickly, what you say was your weakest point in the first fight, and like, maybe not necessarily what you lack in skill or what you didn’t do. What would you plan to do in the second fight a little differently?

Jermain Taylor: Just train a lot harder. That’s all I can tell you man. Just train a lot harder than what I did in that first training camp. Just train, go in there with the mindset of knowing that you in the best shape of your life. And not just talking it, actually being in the best shape of your life.

Rizwaan Zahid: Okay. Okay, great man. Anyway, just good luck next week, and we’ll see the fight, and good luck.

Jermain Taylor: Thanks.

Norman Horton: I’d like to thank everyone. And in closing, Ozell, Jermain, or Lou, do you have any closing remarks?

Jermain Taylor: I don’t have any.

Lou DiBella: Just from my standpoint, be there on February 16, because you’re going to see history, you’re going to see one of the best pay-per-view fight cards in recent years, and you’re going to see a rematch that’s going to live up to all the hype. And you’re going to watch Jermain Taylor regain middleweight supremacy.

And thank you all for joining us and I look forward to seeing you on February 16.

Norman Horton: Thank you Lou, Jermain and Ozell. This will close our conference call.



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NO HOLDS BARRED: Charles Farrell and the Next Great Fights in Boxing

NO HOLDS BARRED: Charles Farrell and the Next Great Fights in Boxing
http://nhbnews.podOmatic.com/entry/eg/2008-02-08T01_27_15-08_00

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the award-winning boxing writer, and our correspondent on this show, Charles Farrell.

Our main subject in this lengthy discussion is the bountiful schedule for boxing over the next few months.

Among the fights we discuss are the February 9 welterweight fight between Paul Williams and Carlos Quintana; the February 16 rematch between Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor, plus the junior bantamweight fights of Fernando Montiel vs. Martin Castillo and Cristian Mijares vs. Jose Navarro; the February 23 heavyweight unification fight between IBF champ Wladimir Klitschko and WBO champ Sultan Ibragimov; the March 1 rubber match between junior featherweights Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez, whose two battles last year are leading candidates for 2007 fight of the year; the March 8 card featuring the long-delayed WBC heavyweight title fight between Oleg Maskaev and Samuel Peter, along with lightweight champ Juan Diaz vs. Nate Campbell and heavyweights John Ruiz and Jameel McCline; the March 8 cruiserweight title fight between David Haye and Enzo Maccarinelli; the March 15 rematch between super featherweights Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez; the March 22 fight between lightweights Joel Casamayor and Michael Katsidis; the April 12 rematch between welterweights Antonio Margarito and Kermit Cintron; the April 19 fight between Joe Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins; and more.

Towards the end of this discussion, we also take aim at the less-than-mediocre quality of boxing journalism, especially in the U.S.

To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click the link at the start of this message, scroll down that page, and just press the play button on the player.

You can also download it by scrolling down that page and clicking on the download link (right-click to save it).

Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes at http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=150801513&s=143441.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter (http://iancarpenter.com/).

Make sure to check out my regular weekly boxing show SecondsOut Radio. On this week's edition, we focus on the state of women's boxing. We spoke with NABF atomweight champion Suszannah Warner (8-6, 2 KOs), who won a four-round unanimous decision in a non-title fight over the previously-unbeaten Becky Garcia (5-1, 3 KOs), Friday, Feb. 1, at the Fort McDowell Casino in Fountain Hills, Arizona. There were two women's fights on Star Boxing's "Punchin' at the Paradise 8" card at the Utopia Paradise Theater in the Bronx, New York, which was held Thursday, Jan. 31. Right after her fight, we spoke with Alicia Ashley (14-7-1, 1 KO), who won an eight-round unanimous decision on that card over Brooke Dierdorff (4-2-1, 3 KOs) to win the vacant NABF women's super bantamweight title. We also spoke with former New York City Golden Gloves champion, super bantamweight Ronica Jeffrey, who won her pro debut, also on that card, with a four-round unanimous decision over Karen Dulin, also making her pro debut. And we spoke with Jill Diamond, NABF Women's Division Chair, a member of the WBC Championship Committee, and the World Boxing Cares Chair, about the state of women's boxing today. 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.

Make sure to check out my regular articles on the ADCC News at http://www.adcombat.com and on FightBeat.com at http://fightbeat.com.

NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

Art of War (http://www.artofwarlive.com), the undisputed arena fighting championship, promoted by SUN Sports and Entertainment, producing world class mixed martial arts events. For more information, check out their web site, ArtOfWarLive.com (http://www.artofwarlive.com).

IFL, the International Fight League (http://ifl.tv/), the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) (http://msn.foxsports.com/story/1636002) in the U.S., and to check your local listings for dates and times. Check out the IFL web site (http://ifl.tv/), for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule, at http://ifl.tv/TV-Schedule.html.

Gladiator Challenge (http://gladiatorchallenge.com/), shaking up the mixed martial arts world since 1999, and now with 30 shows per year. For more news and info, check out their web site, GladiatorChallenge.com (http://gladiatorchallenge.com/).

BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com), your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Gladiator Magazine (http://gladmag.com/), for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com) or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear (http://jiujitsuprogear.com/).

FightBeat.com (http://fightbeat.com/), for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

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Enjoy!

Unbeaten junior welterweight prospect Mike Alvarado will battle Jesus “CHUY” Rodriguez in the ten round main event

An outstanding evening of world class professional boxing on Friday, February 15th at Cicero Stadium presented by Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions and Bob Arum’s Top Rank Incorporated.

CELEBRATION marks the 10th anniversary of Chicago’s 8 Count Productions, HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING.

Tickets for CELEBRATION are available in advance by calling the 8 Count Productions offices at 312-226-5800. Cicero Stadium is located at 1909 S. Laramie, just minutes from the Eisenhower and Stevenson Expressways. Doors for this event will open at 5:30pm with the first bell at 6:30pm.

The Denver based Alvarado brings a record of 19-0 (13KO’s) into battle against the Salinas, California native Rodriguez, 17-2 (5KO’s). This will be Alvarado’s fourth Chicagoland appearance in the last year, the past three being broadcast on SOLO BOXEO TECATE.

In his most recent local battle, the heavy handed Alvarado knocked out Jorge Alberto Padilla in the eighth round at the Congress Theater on August 24, 2007. Prior to that, the 27 year old prospect knocked out Francisco Campos on June 8, 2007 and won a majority decision over Carlos Molina on February 16, 2007 at Cicero Stadium. The back and forth war with Molina had the packed house on their feet for the duration of the fight.

Rodriguez is riding a nine bout winning streak, most recently taking a decision over previously unbeaten Omri Lowther on October 19, 2007 at Raley Field in Sacramento, California, a bout broadcast on SHOBOX. The winning streak also includes wins over Hector Alatorre, Carlos De La Cruz and Freddie Barrera.

The full fight card for CELEBRATION is;

Mike Alvarado vs. Jesus Rodriguez, ten rounds, junior welterweights

Alejandro Perez vs. Jorge Cardenas, eight rounds, super bantamweights

Francisco Rodriguez vs. Andre Wilson, eight rounds, bantamweights

Andrzej Fonfara vs. Francisco Rincon, six rounds, junior middleweights

Freddie Cuevas vs. TBA, six rounds, middleweights

Ivan Popoca vs. TBA, four rounds, junior welterweights

The open to the public weigh-in will be held at 7pm on Thursday, February 14th at Club Aquarius, 2459 N. Pulaski on the Northwest side of Chicago.

Along with Chicago’s 8 Count Productions and Bob Arum’s Top Rank Incorporated, CELEBRATION 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 Master of Ceremonies for CELEBRATION will be Lupe Contreras, the internationally recognized voice of Latino boxing.

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

KELLY PAVLIK, JERMAIN TAYLOR FERNANDO MONTIEL, MARTÍN CASTILLO CRISTIAN MIJARES, JOSE NAVARRO BOB ARUM and LOU DIBELLA NEWS CONFERENCE LUNCHEON


THE BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL, BEVERLY HILLS – Boxing’s top two middleweights --undefeated middleweight champion KELLY “The Ghost” PAVLIK and former undisputed world champion JERMAIN “Bad Intentions” TAYLOR -- along with World Boxing Organization junior bantamweight champion FERNANDO MONTIEL and his opponent, former world champion MARTÍN CASTILLO, and World Boxing Council super flyweight champion CRISTIAN MIJARES and his opponent, three-time world title challenger JOSE NAVARRO, plus promoters Bob Arum and Lou DiBella, will host a news conference luncheon at The Beverly Hills Hotel. Promoted by Top Rank and DiBella Entertainment, all three 12-round battles will take place Saturday, February 16, at MGM Grand, and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. EST / 6 p.m. PST.

NO HOLDS BARRED: What They Dare Not Tell You

NO HOLDS BARRED: What They Dare Not Tell You
http://nhbnews.podOmatic.com/entry/eg/2008-02-12T05_27_29-08_00
On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman offers a timely and essential commentary on a number of major controversies in the combat sports.
The topics include a review of last Saturday's upset of Paul Williams by Carlos Quintana, the need for a Mayweather-Cotto fight, and this coming Saturday's rematch between Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor; the disastrous debut of Brock Lesnar in UFC, and how that company more and more positions itself similarly to the staged pro "wrestling"; the necessity of understanding real wrestling for understanding mixed martial arts; the purchase by the UFC owners of the assets of Pride even though that organization was well-known as being a front for the Yakuza, the Japanese mob, and the subsequent lawsuit by the main figures in Zuffa, UFC's parent company, against the former owners of Pride; the possibility that the growing number of controversies, lawsuits, and outrages committed by the UFC management could jeopardize their getting sanctioned in New York; why other mixed martial arts promoters should disassociate themselves from the UFC management and the direction they have taken; how most of what claims to be the mixed martial arts media miserably fails to cover these issues; and more.
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Make sure to check out my regular weekly boxing show SecondsOut Radio. On this week's edition, we begin by reviewing some important fights of the past week. Discussed are the successful defense by Holly Holm of her IFBA welterweight title over Belinda Laracuente, the entertaining draw between Chevelle Hallback and Melissa Hernandez for the still-vacant IFBA lightweight title, and the surprising upset by Carlos Quintana over the previously-unbeaten Paul Williams by unanimous decision to capture his WBO welterweight title. We next focus on a highly-anticipated rematch coming up this Saturday, February 16, in Las Vegas. When Jermain Taylor, then undefeated and the middleweight champion of the world, first fought Kelly Pavlik last Sept. 29 in Atlantic City, he was a clear favorite going into that bout. Taylor hurt and dropped Pavlik in the second round of that fight, but could not finish him. Pavlik regrouped and went on to drop, and stop, Taylor in the seventh round, winning the fight and the title with a thunderous TKO. Now the rematch is at hand, although it will be at a catch weight of 166 pounds and not for the middleweight title. Still, the legacy of both men is on the line, and the future of their careers will be in large part determined by the outcome of this fight, as they each vow to be the decisive winner this time out. At a prefight news conference in New York, we spoke with the middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (32-0, 29 KOs) about this rematch. We spoke with Jermain Taylor (27-1-1, 17 KOs) on a media teleconference call about his approach to this fight. And we spoke with Taylor's trainer, Ozell Nelson, about what changes their team plans to make in this rematch with Pavlik, and about Taylor's engaging manner. This fight will be telecast in the U.S. on HBO Pay-Per-View. 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.
Make sure to check out my regular articles on the ADCC News at http://www.adcombat.com/ and on FightBeat.com at http://fightbeat.com/.
NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
Art of War (http://www.artofwarlive.com/), the undisputed arena fighting championship, promoted by SUN Sports and Entertainment, producing world class mixed martial arts events. For more information, check out their web site, ArtOfWarLive.com (http://www.artofwarlive.com/).
IFL, the International Fight League (http://ifl.tv/), the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) (http://msn.foxsports.com/story/1636002) in the U.S., and to check your local listings for dates and times. Check out the IFL web site (http://ifl.tv/), for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule, at http://ifl.tv/TV-Schedule.html.
Gladiator Challenge (http://gladiatorchallenge.com/), shaking up the mixed martial arts world since 1999, and now with 30 shows per year. For more news and info, check out their web site, GladiatorChallenge.com (http://gladiatorchallenge.com/).
BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com/), your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
Gladiator Magazine (http://gladmag.com/), for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com/) or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear (http://jiujitsuprogear.com/).
FightBeat.com (http://fightbeat.com/), for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
Thanks, Eddie Goldman
No Holds Barred blog http://nhbnews.blogspot.com/
No Holds Barred podcast http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/
No Holds Barred on MySpace http://www.myspace.com/nhbnews

Enjoy!

GOLD-SELLING MIAMI RAPPER PITBULL TO PERFORM DURING ELITEXC’S SPECTACULAR MMA EVENT SATURDAY, FEB. 16, AT BANK UNITED CENTER

LOS ANGELES– From the stage to the cage, without missing a beat.

Pitbull, a hugely popular, gold-selling Miami-based hip hop superstar, will perform during EliteXC’s highly anticipated Mixed Martial Arts event in Miami, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 16, at BankUnited Center at the University of Miami.



The main event will feature Miami’s YouTube legend, Kimbo Slice, against MMA pioneer and fellow street brawler, Tank Abbott, of Huntington Beach, Calif., but the opportunity for the hometown fans to witness live the extraordinarily talented Pitbull is worth the price of admission.

Since he burst on the national scene as a featured performer on Lil Jon’s double platinum selling album Kings of Crunk in 2002, the phenomenal Pitbull has had three smash albums -- his gold-selling debut M.I.A.M.I (2004), El Mariel (2006) and the recently released The Boatlift (2007).

The Boatlift showcases Pitbull’s lyrical prowess as he crusades through 18 tracks penning clever and captivating rhymes on each song. Pitbull has created an incredibly diverse album ranging from R&B-influenced sounds like the first single "Secret Admirer" featuring Lloyd, to hypnotic club banger “Go Girl” teaming with Trina and Young Boss, and current Afro-Cuban melodic single “The Anthem” with a bombastic chant by Lil Jon. "The Anthem" is No. 15 on the Top 40 Rhythm chart and breaking big on Mainstream Top 40 (Pop) radio.

Cuban-American MC Pitbull surpassed gold status for more than 500,000 copies sold of his debut album M.I.A.M.I.: Money Is A Major Issue in the United States. The accomplishment gave Pitbull the biggest-selling bilingual hip-hop debut since Cypress Hill’s 1991 self-titled debut, and put him in the rare category of Latino rappers who have achieved major success in English-language radio. In addition to being the No. 1 Latin artist on MySpace, Pitbull unleashed his sophomore album El Mariel in late 2006 spawning the No. 1 Latin Rap hit, "Dime".

Tickets for a 10-bout event start at $35 and are available at all Ticketmaster locations, online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/ and at the BankUnited Box Office. Doors open at 7 p.m. ET; first fight is at 7:30.

Besides an exciting heavyweight brawl between Kimbo (1-0) and Tank (9-13), a tremendous undercard will include Antonio “Big Foot’’ Silva (9-1), who lives in Coconut Creek, Fla., vs. former UFC champion Ricco Rodriguez (27-7), of Staten Island, N.Y., Australian Kyle “The Ozzie’’ Noke (11-2), the bodyguard of the late Steve “Crocodile Hunter’’ Irwin, vs. Scott “Hands Of Stone’’ Smith (12-5), of Sacramento, Calif., Edson Berto (13-4-1), of Tampa, Fla., vs. Yves Edwards (32-13-1) of Conroe, Tex.

About ProElite, Inc.
ProElite Inc. [PELE.PK] delivers the most exciting entertainment experience in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) with live arena-based entertainment events, cable television programming on Showtime Networks and community-driven interactive broadband entertainment via the Internet. ProElite embraces MMA with the highest levels of honor, integrity, discipline and self-esteem all the while remaining inclusive for fighters, fans and schools. ProElite’s live fight division, EliteXC, delivers spectacular live MMA fight events that showcase the world’s top fighters [elitexc.com]. ProElite’s interactive business, ProElite.com, capitalizes on the growing popularity of the sport of mixed martial arts by building a community of MMA enthusiasts. In addition to streaming the most exciting live fights to the web, ProElite expands the fan base of the sport by providing a comprehensive set of online social networking tools for fans, fighters and organizations. ProElite.com – Empowering the Fight Community TM

Contacts: EliteXC (Brener Zwikel & Associates, Inc.) Dan Clavadetscher / John Beyrooty

For PITBULL interviews, information, and publicity materials please contact:
Joe Wiggins TVT Records Urban Publicity

Pitbull resources
www.myspace.com/pitbull
http://www.pitbullmusic.com/

Ali "Hurricane" Oubaali will be featured on ESPN2, February 15th, live from the Mohegan Sun Arena Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut

Ali "Hurricane" Oubaali (20-3, 17 KO's) will be featured on ESPN2, February 15th, 2008, in a co-main event fight against The British Champion Ashley " The Treasure " Theophane (22-2-1-, 7 KO's), the bout is scheduled for 10 rounds, in the Junior Welterweight division, live from the Mohegan Sun Arena Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Ali OubaaliImage and video hosting by TinyPicAidemmediapr

D.B.B.S. Entertainment presents; Rasheeda Da Georgia Peach & Jess J tha Boss, Live on stage in Tulsa, Oaklahoma Feb 15, 2008

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TOUGH-TALKING, CROWD-PLEASING PHIL BARONI SIGNS MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT WITH ELITEXC

LOS ANGELES– One of the toughest-talking, hardest-fighting, most colorful competitors in Mixed Martial Arts, Phil “The New York Bad Ass’’ Baroni, has signed a multi-year contract with Los Angeles-based ProElite, Inc.’s Live Fight Division, EliteXC.

“You know any Jersey boy like me likes a ‘New York Bad Ass’ and Phil’s definitely as bad as they come,’’ said EliteXC Live Events President, Gary Shaw, who made the announcement Saturday. “Phil is a promoter’s dream. He’s a character but also as courageous a fighter as I’ve been around.

“But what I truly love about him is he always comes not only to fight but to win and put on a show. He’s a crowd-pleaser extraordinaire. This is a great addition to the EliteXC family and we are thrilled to sign him. Fans can expect to see Phil back in the cage and fighting his heart out very soon.’’

Baroni’s next fight is March 15 on the EliteXC Hawaii-based Icon Sport promotion. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“This is a great deal and opportunity. I appreciate EliteXC sticking with me and believing in me enough to sign me,’’ said Baroni (http://philbaroni.proelite.com/), whose last fight came against Frank Shamrock (http://frankshamrock.proelite.com/) on June 22, 2007.

A native of Long Island, N.Y., Baroni didn’t win an incredibly exciting slugfest that lived up to its hype and anticipation, but he showed as much grit and determination as anyone could expect.

“I’m looking forward to returning to the cage and kicking (butt),’’ said Baroni, whose EliteXC contract will allow him to continue to perform for Strikeforce. “Everybody knows I got hurt early and couldn’t do everything I wanted to do against Shamrock. But I’m 100 percent now, ready for anybody. I pity the guy I fight next, or the one after that. Trust me, everybody is going to pay from here on out.’’

For more information on EliteXC and other MMA-related stories, including bios, video-on-demand, photos, stats, Fantasy Fight Game TM and more, please visit ProElite.com and EliteXC.com.

ProElite, Inc.

ProElite Inc. [PELE.PK] delivers the most exciting entertainment experience in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) with live arena-based entertainment events, cable television programming on Showtime Networks and community-driven interactive broadband entertainment via the Internet. ProElite embraces MMA with the highest levels of honor, integrity, discipline and self-esteem all the while remaining inclusive for fighters, fans and schools. ProElite’s live fight division, EliteXC, delivers spectacular live MMA fight events that showcase the world’s top fighters [elitexc.com]. ProElite’s interactive business, ProElite.com, capitalizes on the growing popularity of the sport of mixed martial arts by building a community of MMA enthusiasts. In addition to streaming the most exciting live fights to the web, ProElite expands the fan base of the sport by providing a comprehensive set of online social networking tools for fans, fighters and organizations. ProElite.com – Empowering the Fight Community TM

Contacts:EliteXC (Brener Zwikel & Associates, Inc.), Dan Clavadetscher / John Beyrooty

FREDDIE CUEVAS RETURNS TO THE RING THIS FRIDAY NIGHT IN CHICAGO‏

Middleweight veteran “CLASSY” Freddie Cuevas will return to the ring this Friday night, February 15th to take on Dominican Luis Hodge at CELEBRATION, an outstanding evening of world class professional boxing marking the 10 year anniversary of Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions, HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING.

Tickets for CELEBRATION are available in advance by calling the 8 Count Productions offices at 312-226-5800. Cicero Stadium is located at 1909 S. Laramie, just minutes from the Eisenhower and Stevenson Expressways. Doors for this event will open at 5:30pm with the first bell at 6:30pm.

Cuevas’ return marks his first fight in Chicago in almost three years. Long a favorite amongst Chicago fight fans, Cuevas, 25-9-1 (17KO’s) had previously announced his retirement after his battle with middleweight contender John Duddy at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 2006.

The 28 year old Hodge, 5-5 (3KO’s) is making his second appearance in Chicago, previously battling highly regarded Polish prospect Andrzej Fonfara on September 17, 2007 at the Congress Theatre.

Speaking after a sparring session at JABB Boxing Gym, the 38 year old Chicago based Cuevas spoke about his comeback,

“The time off has been great for my body. After the Duddy fight I needed a rest. I’ve been a pro since 1995 and had always been either fighting or training to fight without giving my body a break.”

“Now, things that bothered me like my shoulder, my elbow and my back all feel fine. I’ve changed my workout schedule and regimen and feel better than I’ve felt in years.”

“I really had no intention of coming back except that in the last six months while I’ve been training just to keep in shape, my body has responded well and I want to give it one more shot.”

Speaking about fighting back in his hometown of Chicago for the first time in almost three years, Cuevas said, “I’ve fought all over the country and in Europe and often times people have traveled to see me fight in Vegas, New York or Atlantic City. However, I’ve always felt great fighting here, the fans have been very supportive since I turned pro in 1995.

Chicago was the site of Cuevas’ biggest wins of his career, seventh rounds knockouts of former world champions Wilfredo Rivera and Charles Murray in 2002.

CELEBRATION, an outstanding evening of world class professional boxing, presented by 8 Count Productions and Bob Arum’s Top Rank Incorporated is headlined by an outstanding battle between junior welterweight prospects Mike Alvarado and Jesus “CHUY” Rodriguez.

As part of the CELEBRATION event, Rocky Martinez and Mike "FLY" Garcia
will be inducted into the 8 Count Productions Hall of Fame.

The full fight card for CELEBRATION is;

Mike Alvarado vs. Jesus Rodriguez, ten rounds, junior welterweights
Alejandro Perez vs. Torrence Daniels, eight rounds, super bantamweights
Francisco Rodriguez vs. Andre Wilson, eight rounds, bantamweights
Andrzej Fonfara vs. Francisco Rincon, six rounds, junior middleweights
Freddie Cuevas vs. Luis Hodge, six rounds, middleweights
Ivan Popoca vs. Guadalupe Diaz, four rounds, junior welterweights

The open to the public weigh-in will be held at 7pm on Thursday, February 14th at Club Aquarius, 2459 N. Pulaski on the Northwest side of Chicago.

Along with Chicago’s 8 Count Productions and Bob Arum’s Top Rank Incorporated, CELEBRATION 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 Master of Ceremonies for CELEBRATION will be Lupe Contreras, the internationally recognized voice of Latino boxing.

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 http://www.8countproductions.com/ and http://www.jabbboxinggym.com/

For more information on Bob Arum’s Top Rank Incorporated, please visit.
http://www.toprank.com/

CREATING CONTENDERS SINCE 1998

Bernie Bahrmasel
Publicist/8 Count Productions