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Librado Andrade-Aaron Pryor Jr. Set For May 6

Published

9 years ago

April 25, 2011

LIBRADO ANDRADE TO FACE AARON PRYOR JR. IN MAY 6
“SÓLO BOXEO TECATE” MAIN EVENT

ENRIQUE ORNELAS, RANDY CABALLERO, DEONTAY WILDER & PALM SPRINGS-AREA FIGHTERS ALSO FEATURED AT FANTASY SPRINGS RESORT CASINO IN INDIO, CALIF.

LOS ANGELES, April 25 – It’s a family affair on Friday, May 6, as brothers Librado Andrade and Enrique Ornelas headline an intriguing doubleheader at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. The theme of family continues further with the main event, as Andrade will square off against Aaron Pryor Jr., the son of the legendary Hall of Fame boxer, Aaron Pryor, in a ten-round light heavyweight bout.

In the co-featured bout, scheduled for eight rounds in the light heavyweight division, Ornelas will face an opponent to be named. Also in action, unbeaten rising star and Coachella local hero, Randy Caballero, battles an opponent to be announced in a six round junior featherweight contest.

Andrade vs. Pryor Jr. is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with DiBella Entertainment and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate. Doors open at 6:00pm PT on fight night and the first bell rings at 7:00pm PT. The TeleFutura broadcast begins at 11:30pm ET / PT (10:30pm CT).

Tickets, priced at $25, $35 and $45 are on sale now and available for purchase at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

Fans at home can also be part of the action by participating in Cinturón Tecate and voting for the fighter in the main event who displayed the most character in the ring by sending a text message to 55333. Voting will be open through the end of the weekend.

Born in Jesus del Monte, Guadalajara, Mexico, currently residing in La Habra, Calif. and one of the toughest men in the 168-pound weight class, Librado Andrade (29-3, 22 KO’s) has a relentless style that has made him feared throughout the division. A three-time world title challenger (Lucian Bute twice and Mikkel Kessler) who has become a bona fide star in an unlikely place – Canada – the 32-year-old Andrade will fight for the first time back home in California since 2008. He looks to keep his momentum going forward towards another title shot following his eighth round technical knockout over former World Champion Eric Lucas last May.

The son of former Junior Welterweight World Champion Aaron Pryor, Aaron Pryor Jr. (15-3, 11 KO’s) is a Cincinnati Golden Gloves title holder now carving out his own niche in the professional game. Pryor is a daunting sight at 6’ 4”and has won three of his last four bouts, including an impressive decision victory over Dyah Davis last November. Now looking to get back in the win column after a hard-fought decision loss against unbeaten Edwin Rodriguez, Pryor believes he has the talent and style to beat Andrade on May 6.

Andrade’s younger brother by two years, Enrique Ornelas (30-7, 20 KO’s) is a crowd-pleaser as well, with the kind of punching power that can short-circuit any opponent’s night. A fearless battler who has been in the ring with future Hall of Famer Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins, current Super Middleweight World Champion Robert Stieglitz, former World Champion Bronco McKart and top contender Marco Antonio “Veneno” Rubio, Ornelas is pleased to be fighting back home in California and promises a big night for all his fans on May 6.

20-year-old Randy Caballero (9-0, 5 KO’s) has gotten off to a fast start in 2011, defeating Manuel Ortega, Hugo Ramos and Felix Perez in successive bouts. On May 6, he will make his fifth appearance at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, and he will undoubtedly have a legion of his growing fan-base in attendance that night.

2008 U.S. Olympic Bronze medalist Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (15-0, 15 KO’s) is back in action on the May 6 card and he will be looking to keep his amazing knockout streak intact against an opponent to be named in a six round heavyweight bout. After a 6-0 run in 2010, the Tuscaloosa, Alabama native began his 2011 campaign in February with a second round technical knockout over DeAndrey Abron and the 6-foot-7 warrior is looking more intimidating with each fight.

In undercard action will be a host of Coachella Valley-area natives looking to please their hometown fight fans. Palm Springs’ Hugo Ramos (3-8-2, 1 KO) will square off against San Bernardino’s Juan Sandoval (2-6-1, 2 KO’s) in a four round featherweight match and Indio’s own Alfredo Madrigal (1-0) takes on debuting Palm Springs native Mario Villareal in a four round junior featherweight bout.

Tecate, cerveza con carácter, is the largest beer brand to sponsor boxing matches in the U.S. Part of its commitment to make boxing accessible to consumers is the title sponsorship of “Sólo Boxeo Tecate,” which creates an opportunity for local fans to witness some of the most exhilarating fights by today’s up-and-coming prospects. Additionally, Tecate has been a primary supporter of Golden Boy Promotions’ marquee events since 2007, and has launched a variety of initiatives to ensure consumers are part of the boxing experience, including boxer autograph signing sessions, commemorative cans, PPV mail-in rebate offers, and most recently the launch of a mobile museum “Tecate Museo de Boxeo,” which showcases decades of the most memorable moments in the sport.

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The Sweet Science

Articles

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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Articles

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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Articles

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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