News Wrap: On Arreola, Josesito, Ring 8 Meeting

SHOWTIME SPORTS® MOVES AHEAD WITH DOUBLEHEADER

ON JUNE 23 AFTER INJURY FORCES CHRIS ARREOLA

TO WITHDRAW FROM FIGHT WITH MIKE MOLLO

Victor Ortiz vs. Josesito Lopez & Humberto Soto vs. Lucas Matthysse Bouts Will Air Live

From STAPLES Center in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET/PT (Delayed on the West Coast);

Preliminary Bouts on SHOWTIME Extreme Begin at 7 p.m. ET/PT

NEW YORK (June 15, 2012) – An injury has forced heavyweight Chris Arreola to withdraw from his scheduled June 23 fight against Mike Mollo, which was slated to open the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast on SHOWTIME®.The premium network will move ahead with a doubleheader featuring two 12-round fights.

In the main event, former World Champion “Vicious” Victor Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KO's), of Ventura, Calif., will face Josesito Lopez (29-4, 17 KO's), of Riverside, Calif., for the WBC Silver Welterweight Championship. The co-feature will match world-ranked fighters, former Three-Time World Champion Humberto “Zorrita” Soto (59-7-2, 34 KO’s), of Los Mochis, Mexico, and hard-hitting Lucas Matthysse (30-2, 28 KO’s), of Chubut, Argentina, in a battle for the WBC Continental Americas super lightweight title.

The doubleheader emanating from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, Calif. will air live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). It will be preceded by preliminary bouts airing live on SHOWTIME Extreme at 7 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). In the main match-up on SHOWTIME Extreme, Jermell Charlo (17-0, 8 KO’s), of Houston, risks his perfect record against Denis Douglin (14-1, 8 KO’s) of Marlboro, N.J., in a 10-round junior middleweight bout. Also featured on the SHOWTIME Extreme telecast will be an eight-round super lightweight clash between undefeated Omar Figueroa (17-01, 14 KO’s), of Weslaco, Tex., and veteran Alain Hernandez (18-10-2, 10 KO’s) of Tijuana, Mexico.

Tickets priced at $250, $150, $100 and $50 are available online at www.staplescenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800)745-3000 or at STAPLES Center box office.

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MATTINGLY CALLS IN THE BIG GUN:
JOSESITO LOPEZ
TO THROW THE FIRST PITCH SUNDAY
AT DODGER STADIUM

Los Angeles (June 15) – Former NABF Lightweight Champion Josesito Lopez will be spending a special Father's Day this Sunday at Dodger Stadium as he kicks off the official fight week for “Ortiz vs. Lopez” on Saturday, June 23 at STAPLES Center. Lopez will be giving his best impression of Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw when he takes the mound before Sundays game. Just prior to that, he will be signing autographs with fans at the “Viva Los Dodgers” event in lot 6 of the Dodger Stadium parking lot.

Lopez lives and trains in Riverside, Calif., and is a big fan of the home town teams in Southern California. “I'm a huge baseball fan,” said Lopez. “It's a great honor to be throwing out the first pitch in front of the great fans of Los Angeles. The success the Dodgers are having this year under their new ownership with Magic Johnson is amazing.”

“Ortiz vs. Lopez” is a 12-round fight main event for the vacant WBC Silver Welterweight Championship between Victor Ortiz and Josesito Lopez on a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING tripleheader.

The June 23 event it being promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions and Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Corona, DeWalt Tools and AT&T.

Tickets priced at $250, $150, $100 and $50 are available online at www.staplescenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800)745-3000 or at STAPLES Center box office.

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NEW YORK, NY (June 15, 2012) – Undefeated middleweight contender Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin and the late World Heavyweight Champion Gene Tunney's son, writer Jay Tunney, will be special guest speakers at Ring 8's next monthly meeting this coming Tuesday evening (7:00 PM / ET, June 19), at the historic Waterfront Crabhouse in Long Island City, New York.

Quillin (27-0, 20 KOs) recently won an impressive 10-round decision over four-time world champion Ronald “Winky” Wright, which solidified Quillin's reputation as America's No. 1 middleweight as well as one of the top 160-pound boxers in the world.

Born in Michigan, Quillin lives in Manhattan, where he also is a boxing instructor at the Trinity Boxing Club. Sending Wright into retirement helped him crack The Ring Magazine (#10) and ESPN (#9) rankings for the first time. The talented Cuban-American is rated No. 5 by the World Boxing Association (“WBA”), No. 8 by the World Boxing Organization (“WBO”) and No. 12 by the World Boxing Council (“WBC”).

In 1928, Gene “The Fighting Marine” Tunney retired from boxing as the first undefeated world heavyweight champion in modern times, as well as one of the most famous athletes of that era, largely due to his two victories over Jack Dempsey. Tunney retired with a 65-5-1 (48 KOs) pro record with his only loss coming as a light heavyweight to another great, Harry Greb.

In retirement, Tunney befriended writers and scholars including Ernest Hemingway, Thornton Wilder and George Bernard Shaw. Tunney's son, Jay, documented his father's friendship with Shaw, writing the acclaimed book, The Prizefighter And The Playwright.

“We're excited to have two guest speakers from such diverse backgrounds,” Ring 8 president Bob Duffy said. “Quillin's father left Cuba 32 years ago to find freedom in America. Peter has gone from sleeping on floors into one of the best middleweights in the world and a future world champion. Jay is the son of a famous boxer who is a literary giant with extensive knowledge of boxing. I got to know him at the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame induction dinner when he accepted on behalf of his father going into the inaugural class. Jay will be selling his book and showing exclusive footage from the Tunney-Dempsey fights. I'm sure that, together, Jay and Peter will give our members a memorable evening.”

Formed in 1954 by an ex-prizefighter, Jack Grebelsky, Ring 8 became the eighth subsidiary of what was then known as the National Veteran Boxers Association – hence, RING 8 – and today the organization's motto still remains: Boxers Helping Boxers.

RING 8 is fully committed to supporting less fortunate people in the boxing community who may require assistance in terms of paying rent, medical expenses, or whatever justifiable need.

Go on line to www.Ring8ny.com for more information about RING 8, the largest group of its kind in the United States with more than 350 members. Annual membership dues is only $25.00 and each member is entitled to a buffet dinner at RING 8 monthly meetings, the third Tuesday of every month, excluding July and August. All active boxers, amateur and professional, are entitled to a complimentary RING 8 yearly membership.