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Yonnhy Perez Readies For Vic Darchinyan

Published

13 years ago

March 31, 2011

Orange, CA (March 30, 2011) – Former IBF bantamweight world champion Yonnhy “El Colombiano” Perez (20-1-1, 14 KOs), who is set to clash against former two-division world champion Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan (35-3-1, 27 KOs) as the co-feature of “The Bantamweight Tournament Final: Winner Takes All” discusses his experience with training for the first time is his native homeland of Cartagena, Colombia.

Here is what he had to say upon arriving to Los Angeles late last Sunday:

How was training in Colombia?

Training in Colombia was great. I am strong and I have my speed back. I am doing everything to get back into the limelight and into a title contention position. The fight with Abgeko was a great learning experience for me and I don't want that
to happen ever again. I never cut any corners during this or any other training camp so I feel sharp and in great shape to face Darchinyan on April 23.

How is training in Colombia different from training in the U.S.?

Well, there are a lot of obvious differences. The weather in Colombia was excruciatingly hot, but I am used to it. I would rather have this than Air Conditioning. I enjoyed the humidity of Cartagena. I began my days at the gym much earlier and I also had a huge selection of sparring partners, I was in my element, close to my wife and kids, close to my parents and siblings. That is what made me train even harder while I was there.

Were you staying home with your wife and kids or were you apart from them?

I was home with my sons Mateo and Yonnhy Jr., and I was helping my wife with the day-to-day upbringing of our children. I have not been home for a long period of time and I have missed a lot of my kid's activities. So when they had me home recently they and I was able to take Yonnhy Jr. to school and help take care of my 2-year-old Mateo who is a handful.

What is going on with the construction of your new house? Were you involved with
that?

My wife was involved and doing everything by herself. It was too much for her as the building is almost finished. When I was there I would get up and go running at 4:30 am, then get to the gym after I would drop off my nine-year-old son at
school and I supervise the construction and get the needed materials right around lunch time. I was involved, as much as possible, in every detail and the 4-unit complex will look great once is completed.

What in particular are you doing to prepare yourself mentally and physically for Vic Darchinyan?

It isn't an easy task to prepare for Darchinyan. He has an unorthodox style, he is a great champion and a heavy handed opponent. I just need to stay focused and listen to my trainer, my manager and promoters. They have laid the path for me
and it has worked thus far. Physically I will be ready and I am preparing myself to go to war with a great champion with the conviction that I will be the last man standing.

How has training in Colombia affected your family?

It has affected us all in a positive way. It was extremely difficult to be away from home in Los Angeles away from my family. I have my LA family that has been there for me, they are the Zamora family that took me in and made me part of their
life. I will never forget that and I will always thank them for it, but I was growing apart from my most important treasure, my wife and kids, and by being back in Colombia put us back to where we need to be – we have each other like it should be. My trainer, Danny Zamora, made the effort to come to Colombia and start camp there; he left his 2-year-old twin boys home and is sacrificing. But if I needed inspiration or a real meaning to what I do, it's all there at home. I will have been in Los Angeles for a month before the fight so now that I am back I am fine-tuning myself and Vic will have his hands full on April 23.

About “The Bantamweight Tournament Final: Winner Takes All”

“The Bantamweight Tournament Final: Winner Takes All” will take place on Saturday, April 23, LIVE on SHOWTIME® (10:30 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles.

Joseph King Kong Agbeko (28-2, 22 KOs), of Accra, Ghana, will defend his International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight world championship against undefeated rising star Abner Mares (21-0-1, 13 KOs), of Hawaiian Gardens, Calif. by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, who defends his WBC Silver bantamweight championship in the tournament final.

In what will be a hotly contested co-feature, former two-division world champion Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan (35-3-1, 27 KOs), of Sydney, Australia, by way of Vanadzok, Armenia, and former IBF bantamweight world champion Yonnhy “El Colombiano” Perez (20-1-1, 14 KOs), of Santa Fe Springs, Calif., by way of Cartagena, Colombia, will clash in the tournament consolation bout.

Tickets, priced at $200, $100, $75, $50 and $25, are available online at Ticketmaster.com, and via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available at STAPLES Center Box Office.

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The Sweet Science

Articles

2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

8 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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Articles

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

Published

8 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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Articles

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

Published

8 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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