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NEWS ON: Andrade-Canelo, 200th ShoBox, Next Friday Night Fights

Published

10 years ago

July 16, 2014

WBO Jr. Middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade to Canelo Alvarez: “The line forms behind me”

Philadelphia (July 16, 2014)– After a successful trip of the United Kingdom, WBO Jr. Middleweight champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade (21-0, 14 KO's) wants to make it clear that he is the man to beat at 154 pounds and wants Canelo Alvarez and his promoter Oscar De La Hoya to know that he would be interested in facing the Mexican star in a fall bout.

“I read some comments that Oscar made to Lara after the fight that there is a line about 10 people deep to fight Canelo and Lara would have to get to the back of it. What Oscar failed to mention is that line forms behind me.” said the undefeated champion.

“I am the WBO champion and I am undefeated. As I look down the rankings, I just defeated my mandatory Brian Rose and Alvarez is ranked number-two by the WBO. He will be elevated to number-one and I am ready and willing to fight him for my title. I just hope he would be prepared for the beating I will put on him.”

Andrade is promoted by Banner Promotions and Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing.

LANDMARK 200^th SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION TELECAST

FEATURES QUADRUPLE HEADER FILLED
WITH SIGNIFICANT TESTS FOR YOUNG PROSPECTS

Friday, July 25 LIVE on SHOWTIME^® at 10 p.m. ET/PT

NEW YORK (July 16, 2014) – ShoBox: The New Generation will celebrate its 200^th telecast on Friday, July 25 the same way it started 13 years ago: matching highly regarded prospects in what could be the toughest fights of their careers.

The quadruple header, live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast), features eight fighters with a combined record of 115-5-1, including a matchup of two undefeated fighters, the 75^th such occurrence on the prospect developmental series.

The landmark 200^th edition of SHOBOX is promoted by GH3 Promotions and Greg Cohen Promotions.

In the main event from Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, N.Y., undefeated middleweight prospect Antoine Douglas (14-0, 9 KOs), of Washington, D.C., will take a big step-up in opposition when he faces once-beaten, former world title challenger Michel Soro (23-1, 13 KOs), of France by way of Ivory Coast, in a 10-round bout.

The co-feature showcases a matchup of undefeated-yet-untested prospects, each taking an important step. Hard-hitting super middleweight prospect Jerry Odom (11-0, 10 KOs), of Washington, D.C., will take on Cuban amateur standout Vilier Quinonez (8-0, 5 KOs), of Miami by way of Cuba, in an eight-round match.

In another eight rounder undefeated welterweight Cecil McCalla (18-0, 6 KOs), of Randallstown, Md., will face Oscar Godoy (13-2, 6 KOs), of Watsonville, Calif., and in the opening bout of the telecast, unbeatenWanzell Ellison (11-0, 5 KOs), of Newark, N.J., will square off with Tony Lewis (17-2, 7 KOs), of Ontario, Canada, in an eight-round super featherweight bout.

Antoine Douglas will make his second appearance of 2014 on ShoBox, where he scored an impressive unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Marquis Davis this past Jan. 17. A highly regarded prospect and former amateur champion, Douglas and his sister, Tyrieshia, were the only brother-sister duo to qualify for the 2012 U.S. Olympic trials.

The 21-year-old Douglas is coming off two consecutive knockout wins inside of two rounds, the latest a second round TKO of veteran, former world title challenger Luca Messi. Douglas, who has been pushed to the eighth round just once in his career and will be fighting in his second scheduled 10-rounder, will take on his toughest challenge to date in Soro.

The only blemish on Michel Soro’s record was a unanimous decision loss in the hometown of Ukrainian junior middleweight world champion Zaurbek Baysangurov in 2012. Since the defeat, the Frenchman has produced five wins in a row back home in France and is coming off a fifth- round TKO ofAlexey Ribchev.

Soro is experienced in distance fights, having gone 12 rounds three times and 10 rounds twice. But the 26-year-old will be making his U.S. debut and fighting at a catch-weight of 157 pounds after campaigning for most of his career at 154.

The Jerry Odom-Vilier Quinonez matchup features two undefeated fighters, both with solid amateur pedigree, facing off at similar points in their professional careers, the quintessential ShoBox matchup.

The heavy-handed, 21-year-old Odom was undefeated entering his last bout in April when he won a four-round unanimous decision over Edgar Perez. Highly regarded yet inexperienced, Odom will be fighting in his first eight-round fight. He has not been past the fourth and has never been scheduled for more than six rounds.

Like many Cuban boxers, the 29-year-old Quinonez got a late start as a professional and didn’t turn pro until 2010 at the age of 25. He has campaigned in Florida for most of his career and is coming off a first-round TKO of Edgar Perez, who happens to be the only fighter that pushed Odom to the distance.

Quinonez is guided by veteran trainer Orlando Cuellar, trainer of former world champion Glen Johnson, who may need to focus on his pupil’s conditioning for this scheduled eight rounder. Quinonez has never been past the fourth round and has only been scheduled for six rounds once.

The 29-year-old McCalla was an accomplished amateur with 150 fights, but he’s faced mostly inferior opposition as a professional. McCallla is one fight removed from a career-best win over durable veteran Eric Mitchell and is coming off a six-round unanimous decision win over the outmatched Antonio Chaves Fernandez.

McCalla, who has never been past the sixth round, will be fighting in his third scheduled eight-round match, while Godoy has an eight-round split-decision victory on his record.

Godoy, 24, has won nine fights in a row since his last loss and is just two fights removed from a career-best second-round knockout over of battle-tested veteran Rogelio Castaneda Jr., who has faced the likes of Lucas Matthysse, Lamont Peterson and Demetrius Hopkins. The Santa Cruz-area boxer is coming off a majority decision over Victor Fonseca on March 14.

The 25-year-old Ellison is unbeaten yet untested as a professional. He had 90 amateur fights and appeared in the National Golden Gloves twice, but he has fought mostly limited opposition since turning pro in 2009. He is coming off a split-decision win against previously unbeaten Iain Weaver on April 4, but prior to that he defeated four fighters with losing records.

The Canadian Lewis, 26, has faced decidedly tougher opposition as a pro. He is coming off an extremely hard-fought 10-round unanimous decision loss to undefeated prospect Ivan Redkach this past Jan. 17 on ShoBox in which he was knocked down in the first round and suffered a cut on his forehead in the sixth from an accidental headbutt. Lewis is also more experienced, having boxed more than double the amount of rounds than Ellison (92-45).

Barry Tompkins will call the ShoBox action from ringside with Steve Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughanproducing and Rick Phillips directing.

The landmark 200^th event ShoBox: The New Generation is promoted by GH3 Promotions and Greg Cohen Promotions.

July 16, 2014

Jr. Welterweight Contenders Mayfield, Taylor Headline ESPN Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates

WBO Jr. Welterweight Titlist Chris Algieri Interviewed Ringside

The July 18 edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra and ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates presentado por Corona Extra will feature Jr. Welterweight contenders Karim “Hard Hitta” Mayfield (18-1-1, 11 KOs) and Emanuel “Tranzforma” Taylor (17-2, 12 KOs) in the 10-round main event. Friday’s show from the Paramount Theater in Huntington, N.Y, will air live at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and WatchESPN. The card is promoted by Star Boxing.

Commentators:
Bernardo Osuna (@osunaespn), filling in for Joe Tessitore, will be ringside with analyst Teddy Atlas describing the action for ESPN2, while studio hostTodd Grisham will provide the latest boxing news and highlights. Commentators Alex Pombo and Delvin Rodríguez will call the fights for Noche de Combates on ESPN Deportes, while Claudia Trejos and Leopoldo González will anchor the studio. WBO Jr. Welterweight Titlist Chris Algieri Interview:
Undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) Jr. Welterweight titlist Chris Algieri will be interviewed ringside by Atlas and Osuna this week on Friday Night Fights. According to news reports, Algieri, who fought on Friday Night Fights in February, agreed to terms on Tuesday to fight Manny Pacquiao for Pacquiao’s Welterweight belt in November. Algieri defeated former titlist Ruslan Provodnikov in June to become the new Jr. Welterweight titleholder.

Main Event:
Both fighters are looking to get back to their winning ways — California’s Mayfield is coming off a 10-round unanimous decision loss to Thomas Dulorme. Taylor, who hails from Maryland, is looking to rebound from a 10-round unanimous decision loss to Algieri. “We feel like Emanuel Taylor is a pretty good fighter, but I just feel like he's not going to be able to mess with Karim,” said LaRon Mayfield, Mayfield’s brother and manager. “I feel like Karim's not going to be at a disadvantage in height. He should be able to touch him with that jab and put all his punches where they need to be….This fight, I see Karim coming out victorious.”

Co-Feature:
Friday’s eight-round co-feature will pit undefeated Welterweight Cletus “The Hebrew Hammer” Seldin (13-0, 10 KOs) of New York against Virginia’s “The Mongolian Mongoose” Bayan Jargal (17-5-3, 10 KOs). Seldin is coming off a seventh-round TKO win over Wilfredo Acuna, while Jargal is looking to score a victory following a 10-round unanimous decision loss to 1996 U.S. Olympian Zahir Raheem.

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2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

9 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

9 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

9 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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