By: William Holmes
The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of September 15th to September 22nd, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.
Bradley vs. Rios Set for November 7th
Timothy Bradley Jr. and Brandon Rios will face off on Saturday, November 7th at the Thomas & Mack Center, located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 P.M. ET.
“I am excited to get back into the ring on November 7th against a very game and very dangerous Brandon Rios,” said Bradley. “I know that Rios is dedicated to giving the fans what they pay for and so am I. I guarantee you that the Thomas and Mack Center will once again deliver a great event.”
“We’ve been looking for a big fight and at last we have it. I’ll be ready,” said Rios.
Bradley has a record of 32-1-1 and Rios has a record of 33-2-1.
Vasyl Lomachenko (4-1) is scheduled to open up the televised portion of the card be defending his WBO Featherweight title against Romulo Koasicha (24-4) of San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
Spotlight Back on American Heavyweights as Wilder and Breazeale Compete on PBC on NBC
The Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama will be the host site for the next PBC on NBC Card. Heavyweight world champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (34-0) will make his second title defense when he takes on Johann Duhaupas (32-2) in the main event of the evening.
The co-main event will be between 2012 US Olympian and undefeated heavyweight prospect Dominic Breazeale (15-0) and Fred Kassi (18-3) in a ten round heavyweight bout that kicks off the televised coverage at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Heavyweight Charles Martin (21-0) is also scheduled to compete on the televised portion of the card as he gets set to face Vicente Sandez (15-4) in a ten round bout.
“People are finally excited again about the heavyweight division,” said Wilder. “There are a lot of young guys coming up looking to make a name for themselves, like Dominic and Charles. For the first time in a long time, an American is the heavyweight champ and the title is staying right here. For the longest time, our division was THE division in boxing and now you are seeing a resurgence of that. Fighting on network TV gives us the opportunity to showcase ourselves to such a wider audience. People in our country have been waiting for a star in the division for a very long time, and I can promise you, I am the man for the job.”
“This is a huge opportunity for me to show the world that I am one of the best in the entire heavyweight division. Deontay has brought real life and real interest back to the division here in the U.S. We are here to show the world that we are the best that the heavyweight division has to offer and we are here to stay,” said Breazeale.
Joseph Diaz and Frankie Gomez to Return to Fantasy Springs Resort casino
Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. (17-0) will return to the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino on Friday, October 23rd when he faces Ruben “Canelito” Tamayo (23-6-4) in the ten round main event of Boxeo Estelar on Estrella TV.
Frankie Gomez (18-0) will also be on the card as he gets set to face Jorge “Pantera” Silva (19-9-2) in a ten round welterweight bout in the co-main event of the night.
Amateur standout Angel Bojado and St. Louis’ KeAndre Gibson (13-0) are also scheduled to appear on this card.
Pacquiao Says Street View Will Help Philippine Tourism
Manny Pacquiao was quoted by the Macau Daily Times as stating that images of the Philippine capital and the country’s main tourist spots on Google’s Street View will help attract more visitors to the country. The Philippines has become the 69th country included in Google’s Street View.
Pacquiao is quoted as saying the google project will support “our goal of making the Philippines a top tourist destination in Asia.”. In jest, he also said that he may “need a rematch with Mayweather” to raise money to bring more visitors to Sarangani but that the images will do that for him.
Read more at http://macaudailytimes.com.mo/boxing-pacquiao-says-street-view-will-help-philippine-tourism.html
Arthur Abraham Defends WBO Crown on November 21st in Hannover
“King” Arthur Abraham (43-4) is back on November 21st with a voluntary defense of his WBO World Super Middleweight Title against an as yet unnamed opponent at the TUI Arena in Hannover, Germany.
Abraham is fresh off a victory over Robert Stieglitz on July 18, 2015 when he won a sixth round knockout to bring an end to their four fight saga.
“After beating Stieglitz for the third time, I felt like I’d been liberated,” said the two-weight World Champion. “I’ve always had confidence in my punching power. My opponents should beware, and the fans should rejoice as there are plenty more knockout victories to come!”
Abraham suffered a partially fractured jaw during the fight but is now fully recovered. An opponent for his title defense will be announced shortly.
Former WBO Junior Middleweight Champion Demetrius Andrade Returns October 17th
Former WBO Jr. Middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade will return to the ring on Saturday night, October 17th when he takes on Dario Fabian Pucheta at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.
The bout will be for the WBO International Jr. Middleweight Title.
This will be the first time that Andrade (21-0) has fought in 16 months. He was last seen in the ring with a 7th round stoppage over Brian Rose on June 14th, 2014. Pucheta has a record of 20-2.
Andrade (21-0, 14 KO’s) will be returning for the first time in 16 months, and the October 17th bout will be the fight that will springboard Andrade back to a world title.
Andrade defended his title with a 7th round stoppage over Brian Rose on June 14, 2014 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Pucheta of Benos Aires, Argentina has a record of 20-2 with 11 knockouts. The 28 year-old has won three in a row which includes his last bout when he stopped Bethuel Ushona (32-2) on October 4, 2014 in Windhoek, Namibia.
“It’s about time that I get back in the ring. I am happy to be fighting at home in front of my fans. It is the most comfortable place in the world to be, and I look forward to regaining my title and defending in front all my loyal fans. I just want to thank them for their support during the last year. I look forward to seeing all of my fans at the fight,” said Andrade.
“I am looking forward to Demetrius getting back in the ring. We have been in the gym training hard, and he will be ready to put on a good performance on October 17,” said Andrade’s father/trainer, Paul Andrade
Undercard Shaping up For the Puerto Rican Boxing Classic In Philadelphia
Popular lightweight Victor Vasquez, of Philadelphia, hopes to extend his modest three fight winning streak when he takes on Tyrell Samuel, of Baltimore, MD in the six round semi final as part of the Puerto Rican Boxing Classic on October 2nd at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.
Headlining the seven bout card will be an eight round junior lightweight contest between world-rated Jason Sosa, of Camden, NJ and Jorge Pazos of Chumuchil, Mexico.
Vasquez has a record of 19-9-1.
Junior middleweight Ismael “Tito” Garcia of Vineland, NJ will go against Yusmani Abreu of Cuba, in a six round match.
The seven bout card is anticipated to draw a sellout crowd.
