By: William Holmes
The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of September 8th to September 15th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.
Mayweather vs. Berto to Premier on Showtime on September 19th
The welterweight world championship bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Andre Berto will premiere on Showtime next Saturday, September 19th. The delayed telecast of Mayweather vs. Berto will also include the junior lightweight world championship bout between Roman Martinez and Orlando Salido II. These bouts will be immediately followed by the premiere of ALL ACCESS: Mayweather vs. Berto Epilogue. The Sports Emmy Award-Winning “Epilogue” shines the spotlight on fight week and takes viewers inside the ropes and into the mind of a prizefighter.
Canelo Alvarez Re-Signs Multi-Fight, Multi-Year Contract Extension with Golden Boy
Golden Boy Promotions has announced that Mexican superstar and former WBC and WBA Super Welterweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (45-1-1) has re-signed with the company for a multi-fight, multi-year contract extension.
“I am loyal, it’s part of my character and that’s why I am extending my contract with Golden Boy Promotions,” said Alvarez. “Golden Boy Promotions knows how to build a fighter and elevate him to a world stage as they have done with me and continue to do with amyn others. I look forward to working with Golden Boy throughout my career.”
“Canelo Alvarez is no longer the future of boxing- he is the present, and with a win on Nov. 21 against Miguel Cotto, he will solidify his status as best in the business,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “It has been a privilege to promote him during his meteoric rise, and we now look forward to many more highlights in a career already filled with many of them.”
Donation Page Set up for Family of Davey Brown
On September 11th David Browne was knocked out in the 12th round of a charity boxing bout. Something went wrong and on the 15th of September while in the hospital Davey passed away with his wife and father by his side.
He has left behind a wife and two kids. You can donate to help his family at https://www.mycause.au/page/111016/rip-davey-brown-his-beautiful-wife-2-kids-need-our-support
Amir Khan Moved to Launch Syria Aid Drive After Photo of Boy Dead on Beach
Amir Khan has stated that he was upset by the picture of the tiny toddler clad in just a T-shirt and shorts and has decided to do something to help.
He is leading a joint campaign with the Penny Appeal and the Amir Khan Foundation to hand out vital supplies to refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict.
He stated, “It was after I saw the pictures of the innocent children, the kids dying on the shore of the sea, parents losing the children. When I saw that one picture I wanted to read more about it, see what’s really going on, and when I read all about it, it did really upset me. That’s the reason I got my team together- the Amir Khan Foundation and also the Penny Appeal and said ‘Let’s do something for these people, these people need our help.”
You can read more about his efforts on the Belfast telegraph at http://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/boxer-khan-moved-to-launch-syria-aid-drive-by-boy-beach-death-photo-31527892.html
Andre Berto Talks Crap on Mayweather
Andre Berto spoke to TMZ Sports after his fight with Mayweather and told them that Mayweather doesn’t fight fight, he runs, and he also stated more.
The video can be viewed at http://youtu.be/sH3Ncobv59Q
Roy Jones Jr. Granted Russian Citizenship
Roy Jones Jr. was granted a Russian passport by Vladimir Putin after he expressed his desire to be granted citizenship of Russia. This request came after Jones visited Russia and met with Putin over tea.
Danny O’Connor Faces Gabriel Bracero on PBC on NBCSN
Massachusett’s welterweight Danny “Bhoy” O’Connor (26-2) will take on Brooklyn’s Gabriel “Tito” Bracero (23-2) in a 10 round rematch of their 2011 bout won by Bracero, as the main event of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBCSN on Saturday, October 10th from the Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, Massachusetts, with televised coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
The co main event will be between Jonathan Guzman (19-0) and Danny Aquino (17-2) in a ten round bout. The opening televised bout will be between Ryan “The Polish Prince” Kielczweski (23-1) and Rafael “Dynamite” Vazquez (16-1) in a featherweight bout.
Twenty Boxers Qualify for Olympic Trials
Twenty elite men officially qualified for the Olympic Trials for Men’s Boxing on Friday in semifinal action at the Pathway to Glory Olympic Trials Qualifier II for Men in Philadelphia. The women concluded competition at their Olympic Trials Qualifier in Baltimore with championship matches and consolation bouts on the final day of the event.
Light flyweights Adrian Servin (Phoenix, Ariz.) and two-time national champion Leroy Davila (Princeton, N.J.) clinched the first berths of the night in their semifinal bouts. Servin won a third round TKO over Angel Rosa (West Haven, Conn.) and Davila took a unanimous decision over Slade Corvin (Chattanooga, Tenn.) to advance to the Olympic Trials.
In the flyweight division, Jay Crenshaw (Houston, Texas) pulled out a 2-1 decision over 2012 Olympic Trials champion Eros Correa (San Jose, Calif.) to move on to his first Olympic Trials. 2014 National Golden Gloves champion Christian Carto (Deptford, N.J.) joined Crenshaw on the qualified list with a 3-0 decision over Khalid Twaiti (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
Junior and World Champion and Youth Olympic gold medalist Shakur Stevenson (Newark, N.J.) earned his berth in the Olympic Trials with a 3-0 win over Cristian Williams (Chicago, Ill.). Stevenson will face off with Mikhail Montgomery (Macon, Ga.) in the bantamweight championship bout. Montgomery moved on with a 3-0 decision over Rudy Garcia (Los Angeles, Calif.).
Lightweights Israel Mercado (Montclair, Calif.) and Elijah Pierce (Oklahoma City, Okla.) punched their tickets for the Olympic Trials with unanimous decision wins over Martino Jules (Allentown, Pa.) and Rolando Romero (Las Vegas, Nev.) respectively.
Hometown boxer and 2015 National Golden Gloves champion Jaron Ennis (Philadelphia, Pa.) had the crowd on their feet during his bout with 2014 USA Boxing National Champion Abraham Nova (Albany, N.Y.). Ennis won a 3-0 decision to move on to the championship bout where he will face Jamaine Ortiz-Rodriguez (Worcester, Mass.).
Two Philadelphia boxers will face off in the welterweight division final round contest on Saturday following victories from 2015 USA Boxing youth national champion Mark Dawson (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Paul Kroll (Philadelphia, Pa.) in tonight’s semifinal action. Dawson defeated Daquan Johnson (Clementon, N.J.) while Kroll won a 3-0 decision over Javaune James (Miramar, Fla.).
Two-time middleweight national champion Leshawn Rodriquez (Medford, N.Y.) finally qualified his Olympic Trials berth on Friday with a 3-0 decision over Omar Murillo (Boardman, Ore.). Trevor Lattimore (Bridgeport, Conn.) joined him in the championship round with a 2-1 win over Moses Tyalor (Detroit, Mich.) on Friday night.
Boxers from the two coasts will battle in the light heavyweight championship contest. Jonathan Esquivel (Anaheim, Calif.) earned a unanimous decision over Richard Rivera (Hartford, Conn.) to move on to a match-up with Elvis Figueroa (New Haven, Conn.)
2014 WSB and World Championship Team Trial silver medalist qualified his Olympic Trials berth with a 3-0 victory over Alvin Davie (Miami, Fla.). He will challenge Hakim Lopez (Lithonia, Ga.) in tomorrow’s finals.
Manase Raikadroka (Inglewood, Calif.) and Alante Green (Cleveland, Ohio) claimed the final two spots with wins in the super heavyweight division.
The women’s event in Baltimore concluded with six bouts at the Baltimore Harbor Hotel on Friday. Three women claimed the last three Olympic Trials berths while another three ladies took gold in the championship bouts.
Hometown boxer Franchon Crews (Baltimore, Md.) enjoyed an outstanding week of boxing on her home turf and she closed the event with a 3-0 win over Iesha Kenney (Alexandria, Va.) to not only win gold but also the Outstanding Boxer award.
2012 World Champion Tiara Brown (Fort Myers, Fla.) concluded her run through the tournament with a 2-1 win over Samantha Kinchen (Lexington, Ky.) in the lightweight division.
Jamie Mitchell (Las Vegas, Nev.) took gold in the flyweight division with a 3-0 win over Giovanna Camacho (Colorado Springs, Colo.).
Flyweight Melanie Costa (Norton, Mass.), lightweight Amelia Moore (Millersville, Md.) and middleweight Cierra Taylor (Rochester, N.Y.) all won their consolation bouts to move on to the Olympic Trials for Women’s Boxing and officially conclude qualifying for the Olympic Trials for Women’s Boxing.
The men’s event will conclude with 10 championship bouts at 4 p.m. on Friday at the Holiday Inn Philadelphia Stadium.
Nielsen and Markussen Score KO Victories
Patrick Nielsen and Rudy Markussen both scored KO victories at the Arena Nord in Frederikshavn to set up a Danish mega-fight later this year.
Nielsen, the current WBA International Super Middleweight Champion, scored a knockout victory over Samir Santos Barbosa.
“I was pleased with my performance,” said Nielsen, who recorded his first KO victory since moving up to 168 lbs earlier this year. “It feels great to have got the stoppage. This is the first of many for me at super middleweight. From now on I’m only going to get better and better.”
Markussen returned from a close to a three year absence from inside the ring, and was able to stop his opponent Ramazi Gogichashvili inside one round.
“It felt great to be back in the ring,” said Markussen. “It took a lot of training and discipline to get in shape, and tonight, it paid off. I ruled the arena! Gogichasvili is not a bad fighter, and when he hit me, he hit me hard. The pressure was on but I delivered. He hit hard, but I hit harder. I’m still the ‘Hard Hitter’ and everyone knows it’s a big risk for Patrick to fight me.”
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