Boxing Chatter: Oscar, Couture, Hopkins

Lots of boxing is going on this week beginning on Thursday in San Bernardino County then traveling to Los Angeles County where two good fight cards take place on Friday. First, there is a Golden Boy sighting and then there is the Thursday fight card at San Manuel Reservation in Highland, California:

Golden Boy and Randy Couture

Golden Boy Promotions announced that an open workout for the media takes place today at the Wild Card for Bernard Hopkins. Also in attendance will be Oscar De La Hoya and UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture. Incidentally, Couture’s gym is about one mile from the Wild Card Boxing Club.

Is this some kind of special announcement for a merger between Golden Boy Promotions and UFC?

Is Randy Couture taking on the winner of Hopkins and Winky Wright?

Stay tuned.

San Manuel Casino fight

Junior middleweights Rob Frankel (19-7-1) and Mike Gonzalez (10-0-1) fight for the GBU America’s title at San Manuel Casino on Thursday night. The fight card is promoted by Ringside Ticket.

Frankel, a veteran out of Denver, will try to use his experience to stop Puerto Rico’s Gonzalez who has nine knockout wins. The Puerto Rican fights out of Milwaukee.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information call (800) 359-2464.

Vicente Escobedo

Lightweight prospect Vicente Escobedo will be fighting on Thursday at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

The talented Escobedo is now trained by Nacho Beristain who also trains world champions Rafael and Juan Manuel Marquez.

Escobedo should look much sharper under the perfectionist eyes of Beristain. The fight won’t be televised.

Quiet Cannon fight card

Lightweight prospect John Molina will be fighting at the Quiet Cannon in Montebello on Friday June 22.

Molina is one of the best young fighters in Southern California and packs hellfire in both fists. He’s trained and co-managed by Ben Lira of South El Monte. Molina faces Francisco Gil (8-5, 6 KOs) in a six-round lightweight bout.

Also on the talent-heavy fight card will be junior welterweight Cleotis “Mookie” Pendarvis. For tickets and information call (323) 781-4871.

Wilmington, California

Cuba’s heavyweight Damian Norris finds himself across the ring from an old adversary Jason Gavern at the Longshoreman’s Memorial Hall in Wilmington on Friday. In their first encounter a year ago, Norris hung the only loss on Gavern with a close split-decision.

Count on Gavern seeking revenge, especially since Norris was blown out by Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola. Gavern really wants a match with Arreola and the only way to get it is through Norris.

Also on the card will be Michael Franco who fights out of the High Desert area. Franco improves every single fight. He has serious power in both hands  and good speed to go with it. He’s one of those fighters who can go all the way. He only has seven pro fights. For information call (951) 283-9893 or (323) 646-6576.

Mexican baby-face

Mexico has another baby-face fighter named Julio Garcia (40-2) who will be facing a slick junior middleweight from Philadelphia Troy Browning.

Though only 20-years old Garcia already has 42 professional fights with 34 knockout wins. The junior middleweight fight will be televised on ESPN on Friday night.

Perhaps Garcia will meet another baby-face fighter in the near future named Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. who at 21 years of age has 33 professional fights with 25 knockouts.

Elena Reid at Pechanga

Arizona’s Elena “Baby Doll” Reid (18-3-5) who holds the WIBA flyweight world title will tentatively meet Korea’s Ji Young Kim for the vacant IFBA super flyweight title on July 2, at the Pechanga Resort and Casino. It’s the main event.

“It’s going to be great,” said Reid, who trains in Las Vegas. “I don’t know much about her but she has about eight fights.”

The strikingly beautiful Reid is known for fighting Germany’s Regina Halmich to a draw in their first encounter. She lost in the rematch but felt she did enough. Now she holds the WIBA title and seeks another title. The fight will be shown on Fox Sports Net.

“Everything is signed and we’re ready to go,” said Reid.