Articles

NEWS ON: Gamache Talks Nielsen, Gingras-Velasquez, Dargan’s Next

Published

9 years ago

May 22, 2014

Joey Gamache: Beating Chudinov in his backyard motivates Nielsen

Patrick Nielsen’s coach is confident that his boxer can handle the pressure of fighting in front of thousands of Russian fans when he meets Dmitry Chudinov for the interim WBA World Middleweight Championship in Moscow.

”For Patrick it doesn’t matter if he fights in Denmark or Russia. It’s a square ring no matter where you fight,” says two-time world champion Joey Gamache.

”Patrick is motivated and inspired to go into someone’s backyard and say; Hey, I’m going to beat you.”

Ahead of the fight against Dmitry Chudinov on June 1st in Mytishchi Arena Patrick Nielsen is preparing himself with his team in Torrevieja, Spain.

”Things are going very well. Patrick is getting excellent sparring from some tough guys. He’s working hard, looking sharp. You can see the excitement in his eyes. He’s pushing hard every day.

”Our focus is only on Chudinov, but we’re aware of how big an opportunity this is and we’re going to take advantage of that.”

“The fight is a really great match up between two exiting fighters. Lefty versus righty. Chudinov’s defensive tools will be tested against an unpredictable southpaw like Patrick.

”Chudinov is a solid fighter with a good amateur background. He doesn’t have Patrick’s experience on a professional level, but the guy is very capable. You know, he puts his punches well together, but there is no secret to how he fights.

Chudinov says he wants to win convincingly going for the knockout…

”Well, he has to build himself up, but he’s not going to knock out Patrick. Patrick hasn’t been down as a pro, Chudinov has.

“Patrick to me is the more explosive guy. Chudinov may be physically stronger. But I don’t see him as a one-punch knockout fighter. Patrick is the younger guy coming in. He has got the height, he has got the reach; whatever Chudinov offers Patrick offers better.”

Patrick Nielsen, Joey Gamache
Photo Credit: Photo Wende

Forty-two-year old veteran Jaime Velazquez, left, of Central Falls, R.I., will battle Lincoln, R.I., light heavyweight Rich Gingras for the vacant New England title Friday, June 6th, 2014 in the eight-round main event of “Unstoppable,” presented by Classic Entertainment & Sports at Twin River Casino.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, May 22nd, 2014

CES MEDIA ALERT

Velazquez, Gingras battle for New England title in summer kickoff at Twin River

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (May 22nd, 2014) — The last time Rich Gingras fought for a title, he only had the belt in his grasp for a few fleeting moments due to a bizarre scorekeeping gaffe that ultimately left him empty-handed.

This time, he’d prefer to take matters into his own hands, not leave the decision up to somebody else.

“This time, I’m bringing it home,” Gingras said. “It’s not going down like that.”

The heavy-hitting Gingras (13-4-1, 8 KOs) will face veteran Jaime Velazquez (11-6-2, 2 KOs) for the vacant New England Light Heavyweight Title Friday, June 6^th, 2014 in the eight-round main event of “Unstoppable,” presented by Classic Entertainment & Sports at Twin River Casino.

The 42-year-old Velazquez, a native of Central Falls, R.I., returned to boxing in February, ending a 15-year drought by agreeing to face 45-year-old former two-time world champion Glen Johnson on just two week’s notice.

After pushing Johnson for four hard rounds, Velazquez is confident he can “hang with these young guys,” even if it means stepping back within his boundaries.

“No knock on Gingras, because he’s a hell of a nice kid, but he’s a local fighter,” Velazquez said. “Don’t get me wrong, I am, too, but at least I know it.

“I don’t have my trainer blowing smoke up my ass telling me I’m going to be a world champion. I work hard, train hard, and I listen. Then I hope for the best. I’m 42, and that’s OK.”

Thus begins the buildup toward another highly-anticipated regional showdown between two ring-savvy veterans, certainly not the first time Gingras has found himself in the middle of a border war at Twin River.

In July of 2013, he fought Providence’s Vladine Biosse for Biosse’s N.E. Super Middleweight Title. Gingras was originally announced as the winner by majority decision until state regulators discovered a scorekeeping error. Gingras was incorrectly awarded an extra point on one of the judge’s scorecards. The fight was scored a draw, not a win for Gingras, so Biosse retained his title.

“I assumed I had done more than enough to win,” Gingras said, “but, as boxing goes, judges see different things. I wish I was more patient, but I learned a lot over the past year. I’ve progressed tenfold since my first fight of 2013.

“The big show doesn’t scare me anymore. I’m pretty seasoned at this point.”

Now he’s fighting for the same belt, except in the 175-pound division, where he fought twice between 2009 and 2012. He hasn’t fought since November when he lost to Peter Manfredo Jr., but the time off – albeit not planned – might’ve been a blessing in disguise for Gingras, who admits his “fighting spirit” was worn out after suffering a draw and a defeat in the span of four months.

“It felt good to walk away,” he said. “I wanted to keep fighting, but my mind and body needed a break.”

“He’s had more time to make some of the corrections he needed to make,” said Gingras’ trainer, Orlondo Valles. “When I started training him, I didn’t have time to help him with different things or for him to learn what I was teaching him. During this time off, we were able to work on them a lot more. His conditioning is on point and he’s stronger than ever. He looks like a beast.”

Trained by Roland Estrada, the father of heavyweight contender and former U.S. Olympian Jason Estrada, Velazquez fought Johnson at 180 pounds in February and will now return to light heavyweight, where he spent the majority of his career before retiring in 1999.

“It was good to step in with someone like Johnson, but it was a tough fight on two week’s notice,” Velazquez said.

“It won’t be like that this time. Rich is a good fighter – real tough kid. He does what he has to do to win. He’s hungry. So am I. I know I can fight better and longer than I did last time.”

Added Estrada: “Jaime got the notice to fight with four weeks, but because he was already training, we felt that was ample time to train for a guy like Gingras.”

Tickets for the event are priced at $41, $76 and $126 (VIP) and can be purchased by calling 401-724-2253/2254, online at www.cesboxing.com or www.ticketmaster.com, or at the Players Club at Twin River. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

The undercard features the return of Hyannis, Mass., heavyweight Jesse Barboza (8-1-1, 5 KOs), who will face Jamal Woods (4-11-3, 4 KOs) of Forrest City, Ark., in a four-round bout. Barboza has won four consecutive fights since 2013, including a unanimous-decision win over Glenn Thomas in March. Pawtucket, R.I., middleweight Thomas Falowo (11-2, 7 KOs), fresh off a win in February, and unbeaten Boston heavyweight Donnie Palmer (4-0-1, 4 KOs) will also be featured in separate six- and four-round bouts, respectively.

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Ellen Haley

ehaley@mainevents.com

Main Events

Undefeated Karl “Dynamite” Dargan Will Defend His USBA Atlantic Coast Region Lightweight Title Against Anthony Flores Jun. 21 at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs

Wilkes-Barre, PA:In another exciting Philly vs. Philly showdown on NBCSN Fight Night Karl “Dynamite” Dargan (15-0, 7 KOs) will defend his USBA Atlantic Coast Region Lightweight Title in ten rounds against Anthony Flores (11-4-1, 6 KOs) on Jun. 21 at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. Last month’s “Battle for Philadelphia Bragging Rights” on NBCSN Fight Night featured an exciting grudge match victory for Philly’s own Steve “USS” Cunningham over Philly-trained Amir “Hardcore” Mansour for the USBA Heavyweight Championship.

Ramesis Gil vs. “Dynamite” Dargan

Photo Credits: Rich Graessle/Main Events

This will be the second ten round fight in Dargan’s career. The first was the ten round unanimous decision over Michael “Lefty” Brooks of Oceanside, NY when Dargan won the USBA Atlantic Coast Region Lightweight Title on the special edition of Fight Night on NBC on Nov. 16, 2013 at Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, NY. A lot of buzz has surrounded Dargan, 28, lately and his high-profile relationship with singer/reality star Lil’ Mo but he insists he is focused on the big picture, “This is bigger than Philly vs. Philly. I already own Philly. I am on a whole bigger mission. Come Jun. 21st if he is not special he is not going to last all these rounds with me. People ain’t seen the best of me yet.”

“Dynamite”

Photo Credits: Rich Graessle/Main Events

Main Events CEO Kathy Duva likes what she sees from Dargan: “Dynamite seems very focused on this fight. He knows he has to go out there and really make a statement. At 15-0, it’s time for him to move up to a bigger stage. This is the first step. With an impressive win, we’ll be knocking on the doors of the lightweight champions, but no one should ever take a fight against a tough Philly fighter like Flores lightly.”

Victor Valenzuela vs. Anthony Flores

Photo Courtesy of Ray Bailey

“It is always hard to find opponents willing to get into the ring with Dargan. We knew we wanted Dynamite to be the co-feature on Jun. 21 and I was turned down by ten different potential opponents,” said Main Events’ matchmaker Jolene Mizzone. She added, “It says a lot about Flores that he was willing to take this fight.”

Ramesis Gil vs. Anthony Flores

Photo Courtesy of Greg Cohen Promotions

Flores, 26, is coming off a huge upset unanimous decision six-round win over then-undefeated Mike Faragon last month. This will be Flores’ first career ten-round fight. Flores has won two straight decisions (the other a six-round unanimous decision victory over Ramesis Gil Feb. 7 in Philadelphia), but he has some losses on his record so this fight may be do-or-die for him. “I am so excited and grateful for the opportunity to fight on NBCSN. This is exactly the type of fight I need to take my career to the next level,” said Flores. About the Philly vs. Philly match-up, he added, “Both me and Dargan are from Philly and we know each other so I can promise you this, my fight with Dynamite will be explosive!!”

Chazz McDowell vs. Karl Dargan

Photo Credits: Rich Graessle/Main Events

Greg Cohen, Flores’ promoter, said, “Anthony Flores is a kid who put himself in this terrific position by beating top prospect Mikey Faragon. He is now looking to take on another undefeated top prospect in Karl Dargan and when he wins this bout he will have to be considered a top contender in the lightweight division. It’s always great working with Main Events and I’m sure this will be another first class promotion.”

About June 21:

June 21 features Anatoliy “The Gladiator” Dudchenko and Nadjib Mohammedi in a twelve-round light heavyweight bout for the #1 position in the IBF live on NBCSN Fight Night from Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in Wilkes-Barre, PA. The Fight Night telecast will begin at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT with a ten-round co-feature lightweight fight between Philly natives Karl “Dynamite” Dargan and Anthony Flores for the USBA Atlantic Coast Region Lightweight Title. The card is presented by Main Events and Peltz Boxing in association with Greg Cohen Promotions. The undercard will be announced shortly. Ticket information is coming soon as well.

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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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