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Camp Notes For Guerrero, Katsidis, Ahead Of April 9 PPV

Published

10 years ago

March 17, 2011

The Sweet Science

APRIL 9 “ACTION HEROES” CAMP NOTES

Part 2 – Undercard Working Hard

Las Vegas, NV (March 17) – Training camp continues to heat up for the April 9 “Action Heroes” pay-per-view fighters whose training camps are in full swing around the globe. Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero and Michael Katsidis “The Great,” who will meet in an explosive 12-round lightweight battle immediately before the main event, are sticking to their usual training regimens that have helped the two fighters compile 55 wins between them. “Action Heroes” will take place at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev. and televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View®.

ROBERT “THE GHOST” GUERRERO – VIVA LAS VEGAS

Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero is training in Las Vegas (at Johnny Tocco's and Pound for Pound Gyms) for the first time in his career. Why did he make the move to “Sin City?”

“Since my wife is cancer free, I am able to move camp to Las Vegas, away from distractions at home,” said Guerrero. “Plus, I'm fighting here so I figure I will get used to the atmosphere in Las Vegas.”

Guerrero stepped away from the ring for eight months in 2010 to care for his ailing wife Casey, but now that her cancer is in full remission, Guerrero has been able to reestablish himself as one of the top-rated lightweights in the sport. Despite the change of location, everything else in Guerrero's camp has remained the same. Regular camp members who made the trip with Guerrero to Vegas include his head trainer and father Ruben Guerrero, who has been in his corner since he first walked into a boxing gym at age nine, and Guerrero's manager/nutritionist Bob Santos who keeps his diet on track with fruits, vegetables and proteins.

“As far as my training routine, we are keeping everything the same as if we were back at home,” Guerrero continued. “My thinking is why would I change something that has been working?”

The biggest obstacle involved with changing locations for Team Guerrero has been getting a lay of the land.

“Because this is our first camp in Las Vegas, we have to get used to the area in terms of where everything is located. We had to find the grocery stores, gyms, etc., but we have a good routine now,” said Guerrero.

MICHAEL KATSIDIS “THE GREAT” – THE SIMPLE BARE NECESSITIES

Camp Location: Pai, Thailand (near Chang Mai) and Naklua, Thailand (near Bangkok)

Michael Katsidis “The Great” is a fighter who marches to the beat of his own training drum. While it is not uncommon for fighters to isolate themselves during training, Katsidis takes this to another level as he trains in Thailand and travels over 3,600 miles from his native Towoomba, Australia for camp. For over seven years, Katsidis has called Thailand his pre-fight home as his team owns and operates three private training locations in the country.

Katsidis enjoys the simple, humble lifestyle that Thailand offers. He does not rely on state-of-the-art training equipment, but rather the bare necessities. (See photo of Flintstone-like weights made of stones.).

“I would say our camps are very 'old school,'” said Katsidis. “In order to make it through, you have to be hungry. I leave little room for luxuries to distract me from my goals. During down time, I like to read or watch movies to relax my mind, but I mostly rest in preparation for the next day's work.”

Katsidis' trainer/manager Brendon Smith has been with the Australian warrior since he was 11 years old and works closely with Katsidis to oversee their three training facilities. With training times varying as they move from location to location, there is not usually a regimented training schedule.

“If it's not broken, we don't fix it,” continued Katsidis. “We have had really great camps here and I am learning from each one. There aren't any major adjustments from camp-to-camp. The one difference this time is that I am fighting a southpaw and there are adjustments to be made there, but otherwise, everything is standard practice.”

# # #

“Action Heroes,” featuring Morales vs. Maidana in a 12-round junior welterweight bout and Guerrero vs. Katsidis in a 12-round lightweight battle is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Erik Morales' Box Latino and Universum Box Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, AT&T, DeWalt Tools and Tres Generaciones. Guerrero vs. Katsidis is presented in association with Sampson Boxing. The bouts will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets for “Action Heroes” priced at $350, $250, $150, $75, $50 and $25 are on sale now and available to charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

A stacked slate of undercard bouts, including the rest of the HBO Pay-Per-View broadcast, will be announced at a later date. For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @boxlatino, @terrible100, @ChinoMaidana, @TeamGuerrero, @MickKatsidis or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing. Follow HBO Boxing newsat www.hbo.com/boxing,Facebook at www.facebook.com/hboboxingand on Twitter www.twitter.com/hboboxing.

The Morales vs. Maidana pay-per-view telecast, which begins at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $44.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Morales vs. Maidana fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.

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2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

5 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

The WBC World Super Featherweight title bout between Francisco Vargas and Takashi Miura came on one of the biggest boxing stages of 2015, as the bout served as the HBO pay-per-view’s co-main event on November 21st, in support of Miguel Cotto vs Saul Alvarez.

Miura entered the fight with a (29-2-2) record and he was making the fifth defense of his world title, while Vargas entered the fight with an undefeated mark of (22-0-1) in what was his first world title fight. Both men had a reputation for all-out fighting, with Miura especially earning high praise for his title defense in Mexico where he defeated Sergio Thompson in a fiercely contested battle.

The fight started out hotly contested, and the intensity never let up. Vargas seemed to win the first two rounds, but by the fourth round, Miura seemed to pull ahead, scoring a knock-down and fighting with a lot of confidence. After brawling the first four rounds, Miura appeared to settle into a more technical approach. Rounds 5 and 6 saw the pendulum swing back towards Vargas, as he withstood Miura’s rush to open the fifth round and the sixth round saw both men exchanging hard punches.

The big swinging continued, and though Vargas likely edged Miura in rounds 5 and 6, Vargas’ face was cut in at least two spots and Miura started to assert himself again in rounds 7 and 8. Miura was beginning to grow in confidence while it appeared that Vargas was beginning to slow down, and Miura appeared to hurt Vargas at the end of the 8th round.

Vargas turned the tide again at the start of the ninth round, scoring a knock down with an uppercut and a straight right hand that took Miura’s legs and sent him to the canvas. Purely on instinct, Miura got back up and continued to fight, but Vargas was landing frequently and with force. Referee Tony Weeks stepped in to stop the fight at the halfway point of round 9 as Miura was sustaining a barrage of punches.

Miura still had a minute and a half to survive if he was going to get out of the round, and it was clear that he was not going to stop fighting.

A back and forth battle of wills between two world championship level fighters, Takashi Miura versus “El Bandido” Vargas wins the 2015 Fight of the Year.

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Jan 9 in Germany – Feigenbutz and De Carolis To Settle Score

Published

5 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

This coming Saturday, January 9th, the stage is set at the Baden Arena in Offenburg, Germany for a re-match between Vincent Feigenbutz and Giovanni De Carolis. The highly anticipated re-match is set to air on SAT.1 in Germany, and Feigenbutz will once again be defending his GBU and interim WBA World titles at Super Middleweight.

The first meeting between the two was less than three months ago, on October 17th and that meeting saw Feigenbutz controversially edge De Carolis on the judge’s cards by scores of (115-113, 114-113 and 115-113). De Carolis scored a flash knock down in the opening round, and he appeared to outbox Feigenbutz in the early going, but the 20 year old German champion came on in the later rounds.

The first bout is described as one of the most crowd-pleasing bouts of the year in Germany, and De Carolis and many observers felt that the Italian had done enough to win.

De Carolis told German language website RAN.DE that he was more prepared for the re-match, and that due to the arrogance Feigenbutz displayed in the aftermath of the first fight, he was confident that he had won over some of the audience. Though De Carolis fell short of predicting victory, he promised a re-vamped strategy tailored to what he has learned about Feigenbutz, whom he termed immature and inexperienced.

The stage is set for Feigenbutz vs De Carolis 2, this Saturday January 9th in Offenburg, Germany. If you can get to the live event do it, if not you have SAT.1 in Germany airing the fights, and The Boxing Channel right back here for full results.

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2015 Knock Out of the Year – Saul Alvarez KO’s James Kirkland

Published

5 years ago

December 29, 2015

The Sweet Science

On May 9th of 2015, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez delivered a resonant knock-out of James Kirkland on HBO that wins the 2015 KO of the Year.

The knock-out itself came in the third round, after slightly more than two minutes of action. The end came when Alvarez delivered a single, big right hand that caught Kirkland on the jaw and left him flat on his back after spinning to the canvas.Alvarez was clearly the big star heading into the fight. The fight was telecast by HBO for free just one week after the controversial and disappointing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fight, and Alvarez was under pressure to deliver the type of finish that people were going to talk about. Kirkland was happy to oblige Alvarez, taking it right to Alvarez from the start. Kirkland’s aggression saw him appear to land blows that troubled the young Mexican in the early going. Alvarez played good defense, and he floored Kirkland in the first round, displaying his power and his technique in knocking down an aggressive opponent.

However, Kirkland kept coming at Alvarez and the fight entered the third round with both men working hard and the feeling that the fight would not go the distance. Kirkland continued to move forward, keeping “Canelo” against the ropes and scoring points with a barrage of punches while looking for an opening.

At around the two minute mark, Alvarez landed an uppercut that sent Kirkland to the canvas again. Kirkland got up, but it was clear that he did not have his legs under him. Kirkland was going to try to survive the round, but Alvarez had an opportunity to close out the fight. The question was would he take it?

Alvarez closed in on Kirkland, putting his opponent’s back to the ropes. Kirkland was hurt, but he was still dangerous, pawing with punches and loading up for one big shot.

But it was the big shot “Canelo” threw that ended the night. Kirkland never saw it coming, as he was loading up with a huge right hand of his own. The right Alvarez threw cracked Kirkland in the jaw, and his eyes went blank. His big right hand whizzed harmlessly over the head of a ducking Alvarez, providing the momentum for the spin that left Kirkland prone on the canvas.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez went on to defeat Miguel Cotto in his second fight of 2015 and he is clearly one of boxing’s biggest stars heading into 2016. On May 9th Alvarez added another reel to his highlight film when he knocked out James Kirkland with the 2015 “Knock Out of the Year”.

Photo by naoki fukuda

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