Articles

Roc Nation Running Show Friday, April 17

Published

9 years ago

March 31, 2015

You want to know who Miguel Cotto is fighting next, and same goes for Roc Nation building block Andre Ward. That will come soon enough, but for now Roc has some news on their next show, which comes April 17. Me, I’m liking the choice of the main eventer, someone I’ve been eager to get a closer look at.

Here is the release:

ROC NATION SPORTS TO PRESENT NEXT throne boxing EVENT

ON APRIL 17 LIVE ON FOX SPORTS 1

FROM THE GRAND THEATER AT FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO

Undefeated Russian Cruiserweight Murat Gassiev and

Texas Native Felix Cora Jr. to Battle in Main Event

Roc Nation Artist Performance to Complement Boxing for Unique Fan Experience

—Tickets Are On Sale Now—

NEW YORK (March 31, 2015) – Roc Nation Sports is pleased to announce that the second edition throne boxing is set for Friday, April 17, 2015 at The Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut and will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT. Headlining the event will be undefeated Russian cruiserweight sensation Murat “Iron” Gassiev defending his IBF Intercontinental Cruiserweight Championship against veteran Felix “Bad News” Cora Jr. of Galveston, Texas in a 12-round main event.

Tickets priced at $90, $60 and $30, plus any Ticketmaster charges, are on sale now and are available for purchase at ticketmaster.com, foxwoods.com or by calling (800) 200-2882. One dollar from each ticket sold will be donated to the Muhammad Ali Center.

Supporting the main event, several of boxing’s hottest young fighters will be featured on the April 17 throne boxing undercard including Dusty Hernandez-Harrison, Junior Younan and Wellington Romero.

In addition to the great action inside the ring, the April 17 edition of throne boxing, sponsored by Jaybird, TapouT Muscle and Tequila CAZADORES®, will feature several notable Roc Nation touches that offer an unprecedented fan experience, including a live musical performance and a name DJ to keep the energy at a high level throughout the event.

“All of us at Roc Nation Sports are extremely excited to continue our throne boxing series on FOX Sports 1 on April 17 at Foxwoods,” said Roc Nation Sports’ COO of Boxing David Itskowitch. “We plan to continue where we left off with our premiere throne boxing event in January by bringing great fights, a unique musical performance and an unparalleled fan experience which we know will capture the attention of both avid boxing fans and a new fans alike.”

“Through our relationship with Roc Nation Sports, we are pleased to again bring some of the sport’s top fighters to FOX Sports 1 in April and look forward to another great event,” said Patrick Crakes, Senior Vice President Programming, Research & Content Strategy, FOX Sports.

“We are thrilled to partner with Roc Nation Sports to bring boxing and music fans under one roof for this spectacular event,” said Monique Sebastian, VP of Entertainment and Entertainment Marketing for Foxwoods Resort Casino. “This unique experience will forever change the boxing landscape and Foxwoods sets the perfect stage for this exciting event.”

Undefeated cruiserweight Murat “Iron” Gassiev (20-0, 13 KO’s) of Vladikavkaz, Russia has the boxing world buzzing. The twenty-one year old IBF Intercontinental Cruiserweight Champion is known for his fast hands and superior balance and has been called “the second coming of Gennady Golovkin” by his trainer, Abel Sanchez, who also trains Golovkin. Gassiev made his professional debut before a hometown crowd in September of 2011, defeating Roman Mirzoev via a four-round unanimous decision victory. For the next three years Gassiev dominated the competitive Russian professional circuit, racking up impressive wins over the likes of Levan Jomardashvili in June 2013 and Ivica Bacurin in December of the same year. His victory over Bacurin, a hard-fought, ten-round unanimous decision win, earned Gassiev the WBC Youth Cruiserweight World Championship. Only two months, later Gassiev outlasted a vastly more experienced Ismail Abdoul in scoring a twelve-round unanimous decision victory to win the vacant IBF East/West Europe Cruiserweight Championship. On October 31, 2014, Gassiev scored his most impressive victory to date, stopping Engin Karakaplan via first-round technical knockout to win the vacant IBF Intercontinental Cruiserweight Championship. With the goal of becoming a world champion, Gassiev moved to the United States in late 2014 and began training in Big Bear, Calif. under the guidance of Sanchez. He made his American debut on January 23 of this year at Quiet Cannon in Montebello, Calif. where he dominated Terrance Smith en route to fourth round technical knockout victory. Sanchez has predicted that Gassiev will “clean out the cruiserweight division in a couple of years” and then make the leap to heavyweight. Before he makes that leap, he has to get past a formidable opponent in Felix Cora.

Felix “Bad News” Cora Jr. (25-6-2, 14 KO’s) of Galveston, Texas is on a quest to have his name spoken in the same breath as his hometown hero, the legendary Jack Johnson, the first African American Heavyweight Champion of the World. Cora began fighting at the age of eleven, following in the footsteps of his father who was a Golden Gloves champion. Cora began his career with a six-year undefeated streak, compiling a record of 20-0-2 along the way. On June 25, 2004 he defeated Michael Simms for the vacant USBA cruiserweight title with a twelve-round majority decision in Rosemont, Illinois. He added the NABF cruiserweight title to his trophy case with an eighth-round technical knockout of Arthur Williams at the Coeur d’Alene Casino in Worley, Idaho on October 27, 2005. Following a successful NABF title defense against Darnell Wilson, Cora suffered defeats in his next two fights, with both losses coming at the hands of undefeated fighters in Vadim Tokarev of Russia and Matt Godfrey. Following those setbacks, in late 2008/early 2009 Cora was a participant in the fourth season of the hit reality show The Contender. Most recently, Cora has put together a three-fight winning streak including an eleventh round knockout win over Laudelino Jose Barros in Barros’ hometown of Sao Paulo, Brazil in October of 2013 and, in his most recent fight in March of 2014, a second round knockout of Andrae Cathron before a hometown crowd in Galveston. He now has his sights set on victory number four of his winning streak with Gassiev standing in the way.

Hailing from Washington, DC with an undefeated professional record, 20 year-old Dusty Hernandez-Harrison (25-0, 13 KO’s) has been referred to as “Washington’s best boxing prospect since Sugar Ray Leonard” by the Washingtonian Magazine. He made his professional debut as the youngest licensed professional fighter in the United State on June 11, 2011, less than a month following his 17^th birthday. Most recently, Hernandez-Harrison headlined Roc Nation Sports’ inaugural throne boxing event at The Theater at Madison Square in a fight televised by FOX Sorts 1 on January 9, 2015, capturing the vacant WBC Continental Americas Welterweight Championship with a dominant ten-round unanimous decision victory over Tommy “The Razor” Rainone.

Brooklyn, New York’s undefeated super middleweight Junior “The Young God” Younan (6-0, 5 KO’s) is considered one of New York City’s best boxing prospects. Younan began fighting competitively at age eight and only two years later was called a “boxing prodigy” by the New York Times. He compiled an amateur record of 90-5, racking up an impressive series of titles along the way. Less than a month after his 18^th birthday, Younan made his professional debut on November 9, 2013 at the Aviator Sports and Events Center in Brooklyn, stopping Kenneth Schmitz in the first round. In his most recent fight on August 13, 2014, he scored a first round knockout win over Marlon Farr at BB King’s Blues Club in New York City.

Fighting out of Newburgh, New York, by way of the Dominican Republic, Wellington “W.A.R.” Romero (5-0-1, 3 KO’s) was a highly decorated amateur who was a proud member of the 2012 Dominican Olympic Boxing Team at the 2012 Games in London. Prior to that, he captured a bronze medal at the 2010 Central American Games and made back to back appearances at the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championship and the 2011 Pan American Games. On October 26, 2013, Romero made his pro debut, defeating Victor Galindo via a four-round unanimous decision at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In his most recent fight, Romero maintained his unbeaten run by scoring a first round knockout win against Lee Kreisher on January 9 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

On fight night, doors open at 6:30 PM with the first bout to take place at 7:00 PM.

For more information please visit www.rocnation.com. Follow Roc Nation on Twitter and Instagram @rocnation and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RocNation.

About Roc Nation Sports

Roc Nation Sports, a sub-division of Roc Nation, launched in spring 2013. Founder Shawn “JAY Z” Carter’s love of sports lead to the natural formation of Roc Nations Sports, helping athletes in the same way Roc Nation has been helping artists in the music industry for years. Roc Nation Sports focuses on elevating athletes’ career on a global scale both on and off the field. Roc Nation Sports conceptualizes and executes marketing and endorsement deals, community outreach, charitable tie-ins, media relations and brand strategy. Roc Nation Sports launched its boxing division, a full service promotional company which represents world champions Miguel Cotto and Andre Ward, in August 2014. Roc Nation Sports’ roster includes premiere athletes such as Robinson Cano, Skylar Diggins, Kevin Durant, Geno Smith, Victor Cruz, CC Sabathia, James Young, Hakeem Nicks, Dez Bryant, Ndamukong Suh, Rusney Castillo, Yoenis Cespedes, Jaelen Strong, Todd Gurley, Wilson Chandler and Erick Aybar.

About FOX Sports 1

FOX Sports 1 is the fastest growing sports cable network in television, reaching over 85 million subscribers. Premiering in August 2013, the national sports network puts fans first with 24/7 coverage of the most compelling sporting events in the world – MLB, NASCAR, UFC, college football and basketball, world-class soccer and more. FOX Sports 1 is proud to be the home for The Ultimate Fighter in addition to covering LIVE main card fights; college football including Big 12, Pac-12 and Conference USA games; and Big East, Big 12, Pac-12 and Conference USA college basketball including the Big East men’s basketball tournament. FOX Sports 1 features consistent coverage from the world’s most prestigious soccer competitions like the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and CONCACAF Champions League, as well as coverage of FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015 and 2019 and FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2018 and 2022. For more information, visit www.foxsports1.com.

About Foxwoods Resort Casino

Foxwoods Resort Casino is one of the premier entertainment destinations in the Northeast. As the largest resort casino in North America, Foxwoods offers a vast array of gaming in six casinos; AAA Four-Diamond hotels, restaurants from gourmet to quick service, world-renowned spas, award-winning golf, state-of-the-art theaters, and exclusive retailers. Perfect for both recreation and business, Foxwoods provides modern and versatile convention and meeting space to infuse new life into any meeting or event. Foxwoods Resort Casino is owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. For a comprehensive look at Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation visit Foxwoods.com.

Media Contacts:

Ron Berkowitz, Berk Communications & Marketing LLC for Roc Nation Sports, (212) 888-5755 (O), (917) 887-6277 (M), ron@berkcommunications.com

Jana Fleishman, Roc Nation, jf@rocnation.com

Lauren Menache, Berk Communications & Marketing LLC for Roc Nation Sports, (212) 889-0440 (O), (914) 469-5087 (M), lauren@berkcommunications.com

Eddie Motl, FOX Sports 1 Communications, (212) 556-2486 (O), eddie.motl@fox.com

Ashley Polo, Foxwoods Resort Casino, (860) 312-3100 (O), (860) 949-2773 (C), apolo@foxwoods.com

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Michael Woods

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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