Boxing Insider Notebook: Chisora, Pacquiao, Mayweather Promotions, and more…

By: William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of February 4th to February 11th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

Chisora Gives Statement on Johnson and Fury

Dereck Chisora aims to make quick work of Kevin Johnson this Saturday (February 15th) at the Copper Box Arena (London, UK) to send a warning to rival Tyson Fury .

Chisora defends his WBO/WBA International Heavyweight titles against the tough American, who took big-punching Fury the distance in December 2012, and knows he needs an impressive showing to keep on track for his summer grudge match with the Manchester traveller.

Canadian fans may watch all the action on Fight Network, starting at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT), while Americans can view on both cable and satellite pay-per-view for a suggested retail price of $24.95 via DIRECTV, iN Demand, DISH, Avail-TVN. Integrated Sports Media is distributing this major British boxing event in the United States on behalf of Fight Network. It may also be viewed in the United States on GFL.TV.

Undefeated Fury took Chisora’s British and Commonwealth titles and unbeaten record in July 2011 and features as chief support on the undercard this Saturday in a ten-rounder against American Joey Abell.

Del Boy looked razor sharp today as he went through a media work-out at his Finchley base with trainer Don Charles, putting the final touches to his seven-week training camp.

He knows that he’ll have to be at his best against veteran Johnson. As well as Fury, Johnson has taken the heavy shots of former WBC King Vitali Klitschko, taking him the distance in May 2009.

“Johnson’s a good strong American fighter with a good reputation, just what I need to make me perform to my best,” Chisora said. “He’s a tough boy, he’s taken Fury and Klitschko the distance, and if I can become the first man to stop him in then it send a big message to Fury and the rest of the heavyweights out there. The focus is on Johnson for this fight, Fury will be there in the background and he’s next, but I’m going out there to put everything on the line and take him out.”

Floyd Mayweather Jr. to Promote at Turning Stone

Some of the top fighters of Mayweather Promotions will compete on “ShoBox-The New Generation” on February 28th at Central New York’s Turning Stone Resort Casino Event Center in Central New York. Mayweather Promotions will feature two of its top fighters on the card. J’Leon Love (16-0) will compete in the main event on Showtime while lightweight prospect Mickey Bey (19-1-1) will be on the co-feature bout.

St. Patrick’s Day Golden Boy Live Event Announced for Boston

Boxing will experience the luck of the Irish when the popular Golden Boy Live! series fittingly heads to Boston for a one-of-a-kind St. Patrick’s Day celebratory night of fights on Monday, March 17. Golden Boy Promotions is teaming up with Murphy’s Boxing U.S.A. and Back East Promotions to bring boxing back to Beantown for a stellarfight card at the House of Blues that will air live on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes. In the welterweight main event scheduled for 10 rounds, local hero Danny O’Connor takes on Virginia’s Andrew Farmer and the co-feature will see one of Ireland’s favorite sons, Dublin’s Jamie Kavanagh face off against an opponent to be named in an eight-round lightweight bout.

The card will feature a host of New England’s top talent including undefeated heavyweight Alexis Santos in the six-round televised opening bout against an opponent to be determined, debuting 2012 Irish Olympic Silver Medalist John Joe Nevin, as well as Ryan Kielczewski, Billy Traft, Rashidi Ellis and others in non-televised action.

“I can’t imagine there can be a better place to have a boxing event on St. Patrick’s Day than in Boston,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “We’ve partnered with Ken Casey and his company and we’re going to bring the great boxing fans of this city the fights they want and deserve. On March 17, the only place to be in Boston is at the House of Blues.”

“There has been a huge resurgence of boxing in Boston and it’s exciting that a global promotional company like Golden Boy Promotions has taken notice and is coming to Boston to partner with us,” said Ken Casey, founder of Murphy’s Boxing U.S.A. and Back East Promotions, as well as a founding member of the legendary Irish punk band the Dropkick Murphys. “St. Patrick’s Day in Boston is the perfect way to kick off this new partnership and this will hopefully lead to bigger and better fights here in Boston, home to some of boxing’s most loyal fans.”

Molina Working Hard, Preparing for Defense Against Charlo

IBF Junior Middleweight Champion “King” Carlos Molina (22-5-2, 6 KO’s) took a break from training yesterday to hang out with all-time-great “Iron” Mike Tyson in Chicago.
Molina, 30, is deep in preparations for his upcoming fight, his first title defense against unbeaten, but unproven, Jermall Charlo (17-0, 13 KO’s) on the Showtime PPV undercard of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Alfredo Angulo on March 8 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
“We always have a good game plan going in and we’ll have one this time,” said Molina. “We have to train to beat him a number of different ways because you never know what will happen on fight night.”
Molina says he’s not taking 23-year-old Charlo, rated #5 IBF, #5 WBO, #13 WBC, lightly, despite his being unproven against top-flight opposition.
“It’s hard to tell what he’ll bring,” said Molina. “But he’s undefeated, so you have to take him seriously. I’ll be ready for anything.”
Molina is sparring, once again, with undefeated cruiserweight contender Dimar Ortuz, among others.
“Dimar gives me a lot of movement and fights me on the inside and the outside. And he’s very strong, so no matter who I fight on fight night, they’re never as strong as he is.”
TMZ Sports Reports: Manny Pacquiao Eats Aborted Duck Fetuses
In a story that’s not really a story, TMZ Sports reports that Manny Pacquiao likes to eat eggs that are filled with unborn baby ducklings. It’s actually considered a delicacy in the Philippines and called Balut. You may have seen it as a dare on the television show called Fear Factor, but to Filipinos it’s a hard site to stomach.
See more here: http://www.tmz.com/2014/02/07/manny-pacquiao-balut-philippines-duck-eggs-fetus/

Don King Announces Cleveland Show

In front of his hometown crowd, famed boxing impresario Don King will pay tribute to America’s great military, our fighting men and women, wounded warriors and veterans who have served as our nation’s vanguards in the protection of our liberties and freedom.

King, whose first boxing promotion was staged Aug. 28, 1972, as a charity event to benefit the minority Forest City Hospital at Cleveland Arena, King’s hometown featuring Muhammad Ali, comes back to Cleveland with “Cleveland Show for People Care,” an action-filled boxing event at the Cleveland State University Wolstein Center, Friday Feb. 21, 2014.

“For our great fight card on Feb. 21, we’re calling it ‘Cleveland Show for People Care: Let’s Do it for Cleveland, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.’”

Over 40 years after promoting the biggest boxing events all over the world the most famous heavyweight boxers such as Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Ken Norton, Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson, Don King wants to help Mayor Frank G. Jackson and his hometown Cleveland with a major boxing event featuring the next generation of young boxers and the evolution of future champions that will be seen by millions of sports fans all over the world and help put Cleveland, Ohio back on the map.

“It’s going to be a terrific night of fights, a dynamite show in Mayor Frank G. Jackson’s great city of Cleveland, in Gov. John R. Kasich’s great state of Ohio. We will be in a city and a state where people are the most important.”

“Cleveland is a great city and I want to thank Don King for bringing this event back to his hometown. It shows how much Cleveland has to offer and that we are a world-class city,” said Mayor Jackson. “And, it shows that Clevelanders never forget where they come from.”

Friday, Feb. 21 at the Wolstein Center marks the historical return of Don King to the place where it all started. This will be the 40 year anniversary of the “Rumble in the Jungle,” that pitted Muhammad Ali against George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) on the continent of African.

The first time Angelo Santana appeared on ShoBox: The New Generation he scored one of the most memorable knockouts of 2012. The second time, he suffered the only loss of his career in a shocking upset. Now, in his third consecutive ShoBox appearance, Santana (14-1, 11 KOs) will look to regain his status as one of the most promising – and feared – boxing prospects of today. But it won’t be an easy test as he takes on the more experienced Hank Lundy (23-3-1, 11 KOs) in the compelling 10-round lightweight main event.

Opening the telecast, live on SHOWTIME® (10:45 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast). will be a 10-round super lightweight bout featuring one of the most exciting prospects in boxing, Amir “Young Master” Imam (12-0, 11 KOs), and Jared “The Quiet Storm” Robinson (14-0, 6 KOs) in a battle of unbeatens. The electrifying, power-punching Imam has won 11 consecutive fights by knockout, all but one inside three rounds.

Iron Mike Productions’ Latin Stable in Action February 22nd

Like many boxing promoters in North America, Hall of Famer “Iron” Mike Tyson’s stable of Iron Mike Productions (IMP) fighters are predominately Latino (see classic photo gallery below). Many of his top Latino fighters will be in action February 22 as IMP launches its new monthly boxing series, “KO Kings of Tomorrow,” at Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

The IMP boxing series will be broadcast worldwide as low-cost pay-per-view events over Universal Streaming Network, live from Sands Bethlehem Event Center, for only $4.99 via http://www.ustream.tv/universalstreamingnetwork.

IMP’s Latino contingent of fighters are led by International Boxing Federation (IMP) junior lightweight champion Argenis “The Thunderstorm” Mendez and two-division world titlist Joan “Little Tyson” Guzman.

“The great Latino fighters in history are true legends of the ring,” Tyson said. “My business partner, Garry Jonas, and I are confident that our Latino fighters will always strive to reach the level of those gladiators.”

The Feb. 22nd “KO Kings of Tomorrow” card is stacked with IMP Latino contenders and prospects such as world-rated featherweight Claudio “The Matrix” Marrero (14-1, 11 KOs), who faces Mexican invader Jose Angel “Pepe” Beranza (36-28-2, 28 KOs) in the eight-round main event, plus two-time Dominican Republic Olympian Juan Carlos Payano (14-0, 8 KOs) versus Mexican bantamweight German “Panteonero” Meraz (46-28-1, 25 KOs) in the eight-round co-feature. Marrero is rated No. 9 by the World Boxing Association (WBO), while Payano is ranked No. 2 by the WBA (the No. 1 spot is unrated), No. 10 by the World Boxing Council (WBC) and No. 15 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF).

Kovalev to Face Agnew on March 29th on HBO

Dating back to December 2011,Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (23-0-1, 21 KOs) has demolished all seven opponents that he has faced by knockout in an average of less than four rounds per bout. On Saturday, March 29 he’ll be looking to continue the streak and score his 22nd KO when he returns to the ring for his 2014 debut to defend his WBO World Light Heavyweight Title against undefeated challenger Cedric Agnew (26-0-0, 13 KOs) live from the Ballroom at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ.Kovalev vs. Agnew will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Darkbeginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Presented by Main Events in association with Caesars Atlantic City, tickets for the light heavyweight world title showdown are on sale now through TicketMaster online athttp://www.ticketmaster.com/ or via phone (800) 736-1420. Fans can also contact Main Events for tickets at (973) 200-7050. Ticket prices are $26, $51, $77 and $152. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. ET. Undercard bouts will be announced shortly.

“I am excited to be back on HBO and for my first fight at Boardwalk Hall,” said Kovalev. “I promise to put on an exciting show!”

Mario Barrios Victorious on Fox Sports Undercard

Last night San Antonio’s undefeated super bantamweight standout, Mario Barrios (2-0, 1 KO), marched forward with an impressive 4-round unanimous decision victory against Manuel Rubalcava (1-7) at the Cowboys Dance Hall, San Antonio, Texas. The 18-year old phenom, dropped his opponent twice before the bout ended.

“This was a good fight for me as I got the rounds needed to improve on my craft,” said Barrios. “After I put him down twice he started to move around the ring and the fight went the distance which is good because I know I’m not always going to knock out my opponent. Rubalcava showed a lot of heart while surviving and I’m happy I got the victory. I’m ready to get back in the ring.”

Barrios looks to return to the ring on March 7th at the Pala Casino Spa and Resort in Pala, California. Opponent to be announced.