Boxing Insider Notebook: Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini Film, Adamek, Scott, Chisora, and more

By: William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of July 8th to July 15th covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

Edwin Rodriguez Wins Million Dollar Super Four

Edwin Rodriguez (24-0) faced Denis Grachev (13-2-1) on Saturday Night in Monte Carlo, Monaco in the light heavyweight division in the finals of the Monaco Million Dollar Super Four. Rodriguez smashed Grachev in the first round and had a very fast night. Grachev had defeated Zsolt Erdei and Rodriguez had defeated Ezequeil Maderna in the opening round of the Super Four tournament. Grachev was dropped twice before the fight was finally stopped at 2:50 of the first one.

Khabib Allakhverdiev (19-0) fought on the same card against Souleymane M’Baye (40-5-1) in the junior welterweight division. Allakhverdiev was never in trouble and knocked down M’Baye twice, once in the second round and once in the eighth round. The referee stopped the bout at 2:27 of the eleventh round.

Stieglitz Decisions Kiyota

Robert Stieglitz (45-3) fought Yuzo Kiyota (23-4-1) in the super middleweight division on Saturday night in Dresden, Germany. Kiyota was a huge underdog coming into the fight and was nearly swept on the cards. Kiyota suffered a bad cut over his left eye due to a head but in the eighth round and the doctor advised that the fight should be stopped in the tenth round. The judges scored it 100-89, 99-90, and 99-90.

Kell Brook Defeats Carson Jones

Kell Brook (30-0) met Carson Jones (35-10-3) in a rematch on Saturday in Hull, England. Brook was previously supposed to fight Devon Alexander for the IBF Welterweight bout but that was postponed because of an injury to Brook. Instead Brook met Jones in the junior middleweight division in a rematch of a previous fight in which Jones gave Brook a much tougher time than expected.

Brook knocked Jones down in the second round with a right uppercut and another time in the eighth round. Brook jumped on Jones when he got back to his feet and the referee stopped it at 1:07 of the eighth round.

Grano Ready for Breakthrough Against Adamek

Heavyweight Tony Grano, 20-3-1, 16 KOs, has been trying to punch his way through the heavyweight division since 2005, but the boxer has yet to secure the signature win needed to truly make his mark. Grano has battled and beaten a number of solid heavyweights and took home a few minor belts, but nothing that Grano has accomplished thus far has led to the breakthrough he so desires.

Grano could take a big step toward his goal on August 3rd when he encounters the biggest challenge of his career, former two-division world champion Tomasz Adamek, 48-2, 29 KOs. The 10-round fight is part of the triple header to be nationally televised by NBC Sports Network as part of their Fight Night boxing series.

Mickey Bey and Badou Jack Face their Toughest Tests on Friday

Two of Mayweather Promotions’ most talented boxers, lightweight Mickey “The Spirit” Bey Jr. and world-rated super middleweight Badou Jack, will try to keep their unbeaten records intact when they face John “The Gladiator” Molina Jr. and Farah “Quiet Storm” Ennis, respectively, in co-featured fights on ShoBox: The New Generation live on SHOWTIME® this Friday, July 19 (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from The Joint At Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Bey, a former amateur standout from Las Vegas by way of Cleveland, is 18-0-1 with 9 KO’s. Molina (25-3, 20 KO’s) is a former world title challenger from Covina, Calif. Sweden’s Jack, a 2008 Olympian for Gambia who also resides in Las Vegas, is 14-0 with 10 KO’s. Philadelphia born-and-raised Ennis (21-2, 12 KO’s) is a former NABF champion who’s won four in a row. Both bouts are scheduled for 10 rounds.

“I should have been champion many years ago,” said Bey, who’s been reunited with his original trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr. “When I’m on point, there isn’t anybody who can hang in there with me. It’s just a relief to be signed with Mayweather Promotions, who’s got my best interest in mind on every level. You’re going to see better performances out of me just because of that.

Amir Mansour Returns on August 23rd

Friday Night Fights returns to the Rollins Center on Aug. 23 with a headline title bout between two Top Ten U.S. heavyweights, unbeaten sensation Amir “Hardcore” Mansour, ranked No. 10, and Maurice “Mo Bettah” Harris, ranked No. 9. Mansour, 18(14)-0 of Penns Grove, N.J., and Harris, 26(11)-17-2 of East Orange, N.J., will battle 12 rounds for the vacant U.S. Boxing Association heavyweight title. A win for Mansour would propel him into the Top Ten heavyweights in the world.

It´s on: Huck vs. Arslan II in Stuttgart, Germany on September 14!

Team Sauerland can finally confirm that the hotly anticipated rematch between Marco Huck (36-2-1, 25 K.o.´s) and Firat Arslan (33-6-2, 21 K.o.´s) is official. The WBO Cruiserweight Champion takes on his mandatory challenger at the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair will once again trade blows on September 14 in a fight that promises to be a real cracker.

Last time round, the two Germans met on November 3. Back then Huck won by a disputable unanimous decision (115-113, 115-113 and 117-111) at the Gerry Weber Stadion in Halle/Westphalia, Germany. Right after their thrilling encounter Arslan demanded a rematch.

“I still believe that I won our first fight. I should be the world champion”, said the former WBA Titlist who lives close to the city of Stuttgart. The 42-year-old cruiserweight recently defeated Varol Vekiloglu and therefore made the WBO mandatory status his own. “I won’t let my second chance to capture the crown just slip away. This is a fight right on my own home turf.”

Malik Scott Ready for Chisora

Malik “King” Scott is ready to take on former British and Commonwealth champion and former world title challenger Dereck “Del Boy” Chisora on Saturday night, July 20th at London’s Wembley Arena.

Coming off a highly-disputed draw against 2008 Russian Olympic bronze medalist Vyacheslav Glazkov, the still-undefeated Philadelphia native currently fighting out of Van Nuys, CA, and his offensive-minded trainer, Jesse Reid, acknowledged that Malik will have to put on a dominating performance in Chisora’s backyard in order to come out with a win and move into the top 5 of the world rankings of the major boxing organizations and closer to an opportunity to fight for a World Title.

“They call it ‘boxing;’ I call it ‘fighting,'” Reid exclaimed. “The way you win is to fight and that is just what Malik will be doing. Boxing is for defense and you have to be a crowd-pleaser. People come to watch heavyweights because they are pleasing to watch and they knock people out. Malik is not a vicious puncher, but he is an accurate puncher and he is like a bullet in there. He’s the kind of guy that can really cause a lot of damage and hurt somebody and we are going to try and capitalize on that in this fight.”

“I started training for this fight about three months ago by going to Russia for about a month to spar with a couple of heavyweights there,” Scott (35-0-1, 12 KOs) disclosed. “And now I’ve been back with Jesse for about two months. We’re working with a lot of good sparring and we’re working to get in top condition so we can really hurt this guy bad.”

Romero Set to Defend IBF Title Against Martinez in Atlantic City

Gary Shaw Productions in association with Thompson Boxing Promotions are proud to announce Jhonatan Romero (23-0, 12 KOs) vs. Kiko Martinez (28-4, 20 KOs) for the IBF junior featherweight title as the co-feature attraction to Daniel Geale (29-1, 15KOs) vs. Darren Barker (25-1, 16KOs) live on HBO Boxing After Dark®.

The 12-round championship bout will take place at the Revel Casino-Hotel, Atlantic City’s newest and largest casino resort.

Romero, who hails from Colombia, recently captured the vacant IBF super bantamweight title when he traveled to Mexico and defeated Alejandro Lopez on his home turf.

“I’m very thankful to my promoters Gary Shaw and Thompson Boxing for getting me this fight on HBO,” said Romero. “In my last fight I accomplished my dream of becoming a world champion and now it’s time to defend it. I know Martinez is a big puncher but I believe my boxing skills will prevail in this fight. I’m coming to win and win impressively.”

Patrick Nielsen to face Patrick Majewski on September 7 in Frederikshavn

WBA Intercontinental Middleweight Champion Patrick Nielsen (19-0, 9 KOs) faces the toughest test of his career so far when he takes on Patrick ‘The Machine’ Majewski (21-1, 13 KOs) at the Nordic Fight Night in Frederikshavn on September 7.

Nielsen’s latest opponent is relishing the opportunity to face the 22 year-old southpaw. ”This is a fight I was more than happy to accept,” said Majewski. ”I can’t wait to come to Denmark and fight for his title. I am already ranked well with the WBC and WBO and this is an opportunity for me to move up the WBA rankings. I believe it will be a competitive fight but I am confident that when the final bell rings I will be taking the belt home with me.”

Nielsen shares his opponent’s confidence. ”This will be a tough test but one I am more than ready for,” said the fighter from Albertslund. ”I will come prepared as always and fight with my heart. After the Andino fight my confidence is high and I know I have what it takes to take this guy out.”

Stampede Kills 18 in Indonesia Boxing Match

USA Today has reported that a tragedy has occurred in Indonesia after spectators rioted to protest a local boxer’s loss in a championship match in eastern Indonesia. The victims were mostly women, and were trampled to death as spectators scrambled out the stadium to escape the riot that broke out.

More information can be found at http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/boxing/2013/07/14/indonesia-boxing-match-stampede-18-killed/2516703/

Jose Ramirez to Attend ESPYS Award Party at Playboy Mansion

2012 U.S. Olympian Jose Ramírez will be attending the exclusive star-studded ESPYS award party taking place next week at the famous Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills, Calif. Ramírez, who is involved in a number of charities and high-profile endorsements, will also participate in an ESPYS red carpet event benefitting the Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation.

Promoted by Top Rank, Ramirez (4-0, 3 KOs), of Avenal, Calif., returns to the ring, Saturday, August 17, in a junior welterweight bout that will be televised nationally as the co-main event of “Solo Boxeo Tecate,” live on UniMás, from the Laredo Energy Arena in Laredo, Texas.

Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini Film Out Today

“The Good Son”, the poignant story of prizefighter Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini has been released on July 16th on cable-on-demand and iTunes; and theatrically August 9th. During the early 1980s, Boom Boom was one of the most popular athletes in America. He inspired boxing fans with his grit and courage in the ring and captivated the public with a remarkable personal tale, until his career took a tragic turn.

More can be found at http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/thegoodson/