BWAA Awards Stream News; Also, Pacman Anthem, Shaw Signings

NEW YORK (June 5, 2012)— The 87th annual Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) Awards Dinner will be streamed LIVE AND FOR FREE On www.gfl.tv on Wednesday night.

The awards dinner will take place from the Copacabana in New York City and some of the greatest boxers in the world will be honored.

Heading the program will be the awarding of the 2011 Fighter of the year to World Super Middleweight champion Andre Ward.

Ward had a stellar 2011 as he won the coveted World Boxing Classic with a terrific performance over Carl Froch in December.

Also in attendance will be WBC Heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko who will be presented James A. Farley Honesty and Integrity Award.Klitschko and brother Wladimir are more than just world champions as they are true gentlemen and have done massive amounts of charity work all over the world.

Future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins will receive a special recognition for his breathtaking win over Jean Pascal last May to become the oldest man ever to win a world championship.

Hopkins’ good friend Dewey Bozella will receive the Bill Crawford Award for overcoming adversity.

Bozella spent twenty-five years in prison for a murder he did not commit only to make a successful pro debut at age fifty-two.

Ward’s trainer Virgil Hunter will pick up the Eddie Futch trainer of the year.

Delvin Rodriguez and Pawel Wolak will be on hand to receive the Fight of the Year from their scintillating fight that was ruled a draw last July in New York.

All of those great figures plus many other big names in boxing will be there and all will appear on the webcast for exclusive interviews.

“This is definitely the biggest night in the sport and Jack Hirsch and his organization put on a great event every year,” said gfl.tv Director of Boxing Acquisitions and host of the live webcast Marc Abrams.

“To have all of these great fighters and personalities being honored and present and under one roof is great. This is the top of the sport and to have everyone from up and coming superstars like Andre Ward to men who have done it in Bernard Hopkins and Vitali Klitschko is something the fans around the world will really enjoy. This truly is the Academy Awards of boxing.”
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LAS VEGAS, NEV. (June 5, 2012) — American Idol’s JESSICA SANCHEZ is confirmed to sing the National Anthem before the Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley World Welterweight Championship, Saturday, June 9, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Sanchez will be singing before a live audience of over 16,000 fans and tens of millions of viewers worldwide watching it live on Pay-Per-View.

The 16-year-old San Diegan was the runner-up in the 11th season of television’s No. 1 rated show, AMERICAN IDOL on FOX. Sanchez quickly became a fan favorite this season with her powerhouse vocals, often garnering high praise from the judges each week.

Prior to IDOL, Sanchez competed on the first season of AMERICA’S GOT TALENT when she was only 11 years old.

Sanchez will be joining the rest of Season’s 11’s Top 10 on the road this summer for the American Idols Live! Tour, which will begin July 6 in Detroit.

Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs), boxing’s only eight-division world champion and the lone congressional representative from the Sarangani province in the Philippines, will be defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight championship crown against WBO junior welterweight champion Bradley (28-0, 12 KOs), of Palm Springs, Calif., Saturday, June 9, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. The Pacquiao-Bradley world championship fight will be produced and distributed Live by HBO Pay-Per-View®, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with MP Promotions, Tecate, AT&T and MGM Grand, remaining tickets to Pacquiao vs. Bradley are priced at $1,200, $900, $600 and $400. Ticket sales at $1,200, $900, $600 and $400 are limited to 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

An all-new edition of HBO’s all-access reality series 24/7 PACQUIAO/BRADLEY debuts on Friday, June 8 (8:00-8:30 p.m. ET/PT), the night before the welterweight title showdown.

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June 5, 2012 – Gary Shaw Productions and Universal Promotions have recently signed long term contracts with three blue chip prospects and two amateur standouts from Puerto Rico. These five fighters will be a wonderful addition to the already strong lineup of fighters representing Team Puerto Rico, such as Jose “The Sniper” Pedraza, Thomas “La Tormenta” Dulorme, Jonathan “Mantequilla” Gonzalez, Luis “Orlandito” Del Valle, and Jorge “Machito” Maysonet Jr. All five boxers will be in action on the Friday, June 15 at the Mario “Quijote” Moráles Coliseum in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

Gary Shaw started “Team Puerto Rico” with the goal of bringing the best Puerto Rican fighters from the Island, to the center stage of the boxing world.

“Javier Bustillo, president and CEO of Universal Promotions is a wonderful partner to work with,” said Gary Shaw. “Together both companies are making a commitment to the Island and the people of the Island. We have a plethora of talent emerging from Puerto Rico and there is no doubt about it, we will have the next Puerto Rican star. With the addition of these five fighters, along with the others we represent, sky is the limit for Team Puerto Rico.”

MEMBER OF PUERTO RICAN NATIONAL TEAM 2008
Giovanny “La Tarántula” Rodríguez (6-0, 4 KOs) born August 24, 1988 in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, is an undefeated professional boxer in the super-welterweight division (154 lbs) who now resides in Trujillo Alto, PR.He started boxing at the age of 11 and had an outstanding amateur record of (111W-17L).

Amateur Background
•    2005 – 132 lbs Puerto Rico’s National Jr. Olympic Champion
132 lbs Silver Medalist at Junior Olympics National Tournament
(Colorado, USA)
•    2006 – 139 lbs Puerto Rico’s National Jr. Olymp Champion
139 lbs Gold Medalist at Jr. Olympics National Tournament
(Texas, USA)
•    2008 – 152 lbs Puerto Rico’s National Champion
Silver Medalist at Cheo Aponte International Tournament
•    2009 – 165 lbs Gold Medalist at Olympic Cup International Tournament

MEMBER OF PUERTO RICAN NATIONAL TEAM 2005-10
Carlos Joel Narváez “Kid” Sánchez (4-0, 4KOs), born September 29, 1988 in Manatí, Puerto Rico, is a 23 year old undefeated professional superflyweight (115 lbs), residing in Bo. Morovis, PR. He started boxing at age 13 with trainer Angel Ortíz, who guided him to many national championships. Nárvaez became the 106 lbs Youth National Champion at age 15.The following year, he repeated history in the same category, and qualified for the Junior Olympic Tournament, representing Puerto Rico in Texas. As an adult, he managed to stay on top as a National Champion in various weight classes, represented Puerto Rico internationally. He ended amateur career with an astonishing record of (115W-18L). In 2006, Narváez graduated from Jaime Collazo School in Morovis, PR. His post-secondary studies were conducted at the Technological Institute of Manatí, in the field electronics. All of Narvaez’s wins as a pro have all been first round knockouts.

Amateur Background
•    National 2005 Gold 106 lbs – International Junior Olympics, 106 lbs.Texas (Silver Medal)
•    National 2006 Gold 112 lbs – International Independence Cup 112 lbs. Domingo, Dominican Republic
•    National 2007 Gold 112 lbs – International Tournament in Ecuador, (Bronze Medal)
•    National 2008 Gold 106 lbs – International Golden Gloves, 112lbs, ( Silver Medal )
•    National 2009 Gold 119 lbs – Golden Gloves, 112lbs, ( Silver Medal )
•    National 2010 Gold 119 lbs

MEMBER OF PUERTO RICAN NATIONAL TEAM 2010
Edgardo “Eggie” Laboy (2-0, 1KO) born February 16, 1990, is a 22 year old super-bantamweight (122 lbs) from Ponce, Puerto Rico.  He started boxing at the age of 12 with trainers Jose Gomez and Ramon Rivera.  As an amateur he compiled a record of (68W-17L)

Amateur Background
•    National 2008 Gold Cabo Joe’s Tournament
•    National 2009 Gold Mayor Cup of Aguas Tournament
•    National 2005-2010 Southern Region Champion (119 lbs)

MEMBER OF PUERTO RICAN NATIONAL TEAM 2011
Emmanuel “Pirata” De Jesús, was born on May 23, 1993 in Carolina, Puerto Rico and currently lives in Canóvanas, PR. He started boxing at age 11 and accumulated an amateur record of (40W-15L). With great boxing skills, De Jesus will compete at the super-welterweight division under the guidance of trainer Jesús Ayala.

Amateur Background
•    2011 PR National Champion (152 lbs)
•    2001 Bronce medal at  Pre-Panamerican Games in Panamá
•    2011 Panamerican Games in Guadalajara 4th place, lost bronce medal fight
•    2010 Bronce at “Copa Romana” in Dominican Republic
•    2009 Gold – Junior National Tournament  (category 15-16 year olds)
•    2009 Gold – Junior Panamerican Games in Quito, Ecuador
•    Metropolitan Regional Champion at age 15
•    National Youth Champion at age 16 (152 lbs)

MEMBER OF PUERTO RICAN NATIONAL TEAM 2010
Luis “Yeyé” Rodríguez born August 27, 1990 in Carolina, Puerto Rico is a 21 year old amateur star who fights at super-lightweight. He started boxing at age 15 currently resides in Villa Esperanza, Carolina, PR where he is guided by his trainer Jose Bonilla. He ended his amateur career with a record of (42W-8L)

Amateur Background
•    2010 Bronze medal at “José ‘Cheo’ Aponte Tournament”
•    2010 Olympic Cup – Bronze medal
•    2010 National Champion 141