By: William Holmes
The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of December 3rd to December 10th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.
TMZ Reports: Pacquiao Owes 18 Million to IRS
TMZ reports that the IRS claims Manny Pacquiao owes the government federal income taxes from 2006 to 2010, totaling $18,313.668.79 in debt . The amount reaches as high as $8,022,915.87 from 2009.
With tax problems in the Philippines and in the United States, it appears Pacquiao desperately needs a big money fight.
Read more at http://www.tmz.com/2013/12/10/manny-pacquiao-irs-tax-united-states-18-million/
50 Cent Moves from James Kirkland to Big Apple Boxing Show on December 20th
Boxing promoter/rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson intends to parlay the tremendous excitement from James “Mandingo Warrior” Kirkland’s awesome performance this past weekend into a memorable evening of entertaining boxing on Friday night, December 20 as his company, SMS Promotions, presents “Big Apple Boxing” at Resorts World Casino NYC in Jamaica, Queens, New York.
Kirkland (32-1, 28 KOs), who is the most recent boxer signed by 50 Cent’s SMS Promotions, destroyed previously unbeaten and world-rated Glen “Jersey Boy” Tapia (20-1, 12 KOs), live on HBO last Saturday night from Atlantic City (NJ). Fighting for the first time since March 24, 2012, when he defeated current International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior middleweight champion Carlos Molina, Kirkland’s SMS Promotions debut stole the entire show in an thrilling, all-out war that mercifully ended in the sixth round as referee Steve Smoger halted the action with Kirkland unloaded powerful shots on an overmatched Tapia.
Now, 50 Cent has shifted his focus to “Big Apple Boxing,” featuring seven of the best under-25 boxing prospects in the world.
“The prospects on this card are well prepared and highly motivated,” 50 Cent said. “We saw a lot of action this weekend in Atlantic City and will continue the excitement at our next installment of Big Apple Boxing.”
Unbeaten junior lightweight prospects Joel Diaz, Jr. (13-0, 11 KOs) and Wanzell Ellison (9-0-1, 5 KOs) headline “Big Apple Boxing” in a 10-round bout. The 21-year-old Diaz, fighting out of Palmdale, California, faces his toughest test to date in Newark’s (NJ) 24-year-old Ellison.
A 10/12-round junior welterweight match between 23-year-old undefeated Amir “Young Master” Imam (11-0, 10 KOs), of Albany (NJ), and cagey Mexican veteran Sergio “Sirenito” Perez (28-15, 9 KOs) has been added to the card as the co-feature.
Arizona junior welterweight “Magic Man” Luis Olivares (6-0, 4 KOs), 21, puts his undefeated record on the line against Tony “Sugar Boy” Walker (5-3-1, 3 KOs) in one of five six-round fights. The others include undefeated Puerto Rican junior middleweight Emmanuel “Pirata” De Jesus (8-0, 5 KOs), 20, vs. Antonio Fernandez-Chaves (4-13-2), from Brockton, Massachusetts by way of the American Virgin Islands; Washington D.C. super bantamweight Thomas “KO” Snow (16-1, 10 KOs) vs. Hartford’s Nate Green (4-0, 1 KO), and 23-year-old Cincinnati welterweight Donte Strayhorn (3-1) vs. New York’s Sam Moura (0-2).
Scheduled to fight in four-round matches are former U.S. amateur star, 20-year-old Tennessean Ryan “Blue-Chip” Martin (1-0, 1 KO) vs. Las Vegas lightweight Eric Jamar Goodall (1-2), and pro-debuting Brooklyn bantamweight Mafato Kamogawa vs. native New Yorker Michelle Cook (0-0-1).
Chisora Tops Copper Box Arena Card
Heavyweight destroyer Dereck Chisora headlines promoter Frank Warren’s first event of 2014 when he makes the first defence of his European title on another title-packed extravaganza at London’s Copper Box Arena on Saturday 8th February.
The red-hot Finchley star, will be joined by British stars Billy Joe Saunders, who defends his British and Commonwealth Middleweight titles, former WBO World Light-Heavyweight Champion Nathan Cleverly making his cruiserweight debut and challenging for the Commonwealth title, new WBO European Super-Middleweight Champion Frank Buglioni, plus English Welterweight Champion Bradley Skeete.
All the action will be live and exclusive on The Channel of Champions BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/Virgin Ch. 546).
Chisora, who has turned his career around this year with sensational power-packed performances, is on course for a second world title shot and needs another crucial win to keep in prime position and awaits news of who will be in the opposite corner.
“I’m excited to be entering 2014 with a potential world title shot on the horizon. I’ve shown this year that I mean business and when I’m fit and in shape, nobody in the division can beat me. The hunger and desire is there burning away and I won’t stop until the world title is strapped around my waist. I’m disappointed that David Price vacated, that was a great domestic showdown for the fans, but he’s gone another route, and Fury is looking at other options, and Wilder doesn’t want to know about me. Either way I’m on course for the world title and I’ve just got keep doing what I’m doing and win.”
Hatfield ace Saunders makes his return to the ring after a hard twelve months that has seen him win four back-to-back fights going the full twelve-round distance and beating his main domestic rival in John Ryder.
Saunders makes the third defence of his prized British title, which means he would make the belt his own property if his wins, and also puts his Commonwealth title on the line against a challenger to be confirmed.
Warren said he would be keen to move Saunders up a division to super-middleweight to challenge former Beijing Olympic team mate James DeGale in a cracking all-British showdown, while Saunders also had some stinging words for rival Chris Eubank Jr.
Saunders said, “I’d take James DeGale in heart beat. I don’t care about moving up a weight to fight him. It’s a massive fight that the public deserves to see and what British boxing needs. We’re friends, but this is business, he knows that, so let’s do it and give the fight fans what they want. I’m confident I’d come away the winner in that fight. As for Chris Eubank Jr., he’s a complete joke, he calls me out and we offer him the fight, but then his team come back and says that he’s not ready to fight me yet. I would take great pleasure in smashing him to pieces and shutting that big mouth up.”
Cleverly, the former WBO World Light-Heavyweight Champion, returns to action after he was due to fight on the last Copper Box Arena show in November but had to withdraw after sustaining a back injury whilst doing dead-lifts with weights.
Cleverly will go straight back into championship action when he takes on rugged Australian Daniel Ammann for the Vacant Commonwealth title.
He said, “I’ll be fit and ready for February 8th and I’m looking forward to making my cruiserweight debut at long last. The injury was a blow as I would have liked to have had that fight against Ammann in November so that I could look to fight for the world title sooner. It’s a massive incentive for me to become a two-time and two-weight world champion and I’m focussed on achieving that dream.”
Emmanuel Rodriguez to Face David Quijano
One of Puerto Rico’s upcoming stars, Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Rodriguez ( 7-0, 5 KO’s ) from Vega Baja, will face former world title contender David Quijano ( 15-3-1 , 9 KO’s ) from Caguas in the duel scheduled for eight rounds at the super flyweight division ( 115lbs ) on Saturday, December 21 at the Cosme Beitia Coliseum in Cataño, Puerto Rico.
In amateur boxing, Rodriguez was a former Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games gold medalist, Azerbaijan’s 2010 World Youth Championships silver medalist, 2011 Puerto Rico National Champion, among other achievements.
“I recognize the experience and dedication of Quijano , but I know I have the talent to dominate him and prove my caliber on fight night” said ‘Manny’ Rodriguez, who trains in Guaynabo, under the tutelage of former world champion , Iván Calderón and Félix Pagán Pintor.
In June 2012 , Quijano captured the WBO Latino superflyweight title of 115 pounds by TKO in the tenth round over, Filipino Juanito Rubillar. In 2010, Quijano captured WBC’s version of the USNBC title over fellow Puerto Rican Miguel ‘el Loco’ Robles by split decision .
Quijano last fought in December 2012 against WBO world champion Omar Narváez , who dominated the Puerto Rican for 12 rounds in a fight held in Argentina .
“I have in my favor the experience and desire to win”, said Quijano “the people of ‘Manny’ will realize the mistake they made by facing me. I’m nobody’s steppingstone, I’m the one who’s gonna defeated in a wide margin, Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Rodríguez”.
In a guaranteed war at 112 pounds , Emmanuel ‘Popeye ‘ Ramirez ( 6-0 , 4 KO’s ) from Carolina will face Jesús ‘ Chiquito ‘ Soler ( 4-1 , 2 KO’s ) from Arecibo in a scheduled 6 -round bout.
Don King Hypes up Braehmer vs. Oliveira
There was a press conference on December 10th, 2013 at the Kempinski Hotel Bristol in Berlin, Germany to hype up Saturday’s fight at Jahnsportforum Neubrandenburg between Juergen Braehmer (41-2) and Marcus Oliveira (24-2-1) for the WBA Light Heavyweight World Championship.
Juergen Braehmer: “I’m well prepared, in perfect shape and ready to go for Saturday’s world championship fight. It won’t be Don King fighting me with his words on Saturday but Marcus Oliveira, who will feel the power of my fists. I never make a prediction ahead of a fight but I can tell you that it’s going to be massive at the Jahnsportforum!”
Marcus Oliveira: “Like Braehmer said, this will be a fight to remember this Saturday. I believe in my strengths to guide me to victory here in Germany. I know I have the tools to beat him and become a world champion.”
Kalle Sauerland: “The first words coming to my mind when talking Juergen Braehmer is ‘What a great comeback!’. Now he has the chance to really make those words count and crown himself a world champion in Neubrandenburg. It’s going to be tough but believe me when I say that Juergen Braehmer will become the WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion this Saturday! ”
Don King: “Christmas comes early this year in Germany. All of you watching the fight between Oliveira and Braehmer will be presented with a great fight. Juergen Braehmer is a tremendous fighter but when Marcus Oliveira steps inside the ring of the so-called Four-Gate-City, all portals will be closed and he has nowhere to go. It’s going to be packed, it’s going to be weird – you have never seen before such a spectacle in here!”
Andre Ward Suing his Promoter
Andre Ward is claiming that Goossen Tutor Promotions illegally trapped him into staying with the promotional company the rest of his career…and he now wants out.
Ward signed a deal in 2004 with Goossen Tutor and is currently locked in to a series of contracts that locks him up until 2016.
More can be found at http://www.tmz.com/2013/12/09/andre-ward-suing-promotion-company-boxer/
HBO’s Boxing’s Best for 2013
It’s a holiday treat for HBO Boxing fans. Over five consecutive nights in late December, the HBO2 service will present 10 of the year’s standout fights, spotlighting some of the biggest names in the sport in riveting performances. Featured are signature wins by Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Timothy Bradley Jr.and Carl Froch plus breakout victories by rising stars Gennady Golovkin, Adonis Stevenson and Sergey Kovalev.
Starting Monday, Dec. 23, HBO2 will replay 10 major league showdowns from this year over five consecutive nights. Each night the doubleheader of action starts at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT. Fight fans will get to revisit the most memorable, most significant and most compelling bouts that were televised on HBO, including a couple of slugfests that are clear favorites for “Fight of the Year” honors.
The “Boxing’s Best” lineup includes:
Monday, December 23 at 11:00 p.m.
Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler II
Sergey Kovalev vs. Nathan Cleverly
Tuesday, December 24 at 11:00 p.m.
Timothy Bradley Jr. vs. Ruslan Provodnikov
Miguel Cotto vs. Delvin Rodriguez
Wednesday, December 25 at 11:00 p.m.
Brandon Rios vs. Mike Alvarado II
Gennady Golovkin vs. Matthew Macklin
Thursday, December 26 at 11:00 p.m.
Timothy Bradley Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez
Adonis Stevenson vs. Chad Dawson
Friday, December 27 at 11:00 p.m.
Manny Pacquiao vs. Brandon Rios
James Kirkland vs. Glen Tapia
Lionell Thompson and Ryan Coyne Looking to Steal the Show
When light heavyweights Ryan Coyne, 21-1, 9 KOs, and Lionell Thompson, 14-2, 9 KOs, lock horns in their 10-round co-feature bout Saturday night, the two boxers will be fighting for both the win and to steal the nationally televised show. The prime opportunity opens the NBC Sports Network telecast beginning at 8PM, December 14th, from Resorts International Hotel and Casino. The season-ending edition of Fight Night, titled “Road to Redemption”, is once again expected to garner big ratings, and the fighters would like nothing more than to grab the event’s headlines with everyone watching.
The main event is an anticipated 10-round heavyweight showdown between Amir Mansour, 19-0, 14 KOs, and Kelvin Price, 14-1, 6 KOs. It too is a terrific matchup, but the Coyne-Thompson fight could very well give the spotlight bout a real run for its money. Both Coyne and Thompson have something to prove, and are expected to go all-out when the bell rings, each looking for their own versions of redemption.
The crowd-pleasing Coyne is a St. Louis southpaw who is coming off the only loss of his career. Known as “The Irish Outlaw”, Ryan knows that an impressive win over Thompson would simultaneously revive his career momentum and help him crack the 175-pound rankings. Such a victory would also almost certainly keep him fighting on national TV, where he can continue to win fans and build his profile.
Coyne said, “Regarding, Lionell Thompson. I read this morning that he’s ready to destroy me and I’ve been built up and protected. That I’m facing destruction because he’s sky high and in tip top shape. Well that’s lovely. That’s his job. You’re supposed to be in shape and riding high… I spent my fall racking up rounds in Germany knocking Marco Huck out of his title defense and even bringing Marcus Oliviera down to our camp to spar for this bout. I don’t need to brag about my preparation. I’m a professional.” He added, “I just need to defeat him and that is the only thing that matters on Saturday night in Atlantic City.”
The outspoken Thompson recently made some noise with his guarantee to knock Coyne out. He says it’s a sure thing. So on Saturday, it will be time for the Buffalo, NY native boxer to either put up or shut up. Thompson has impressed many times previously, but is still working to make fans forget his loss to Sergey Kovalev last year. Thompson took the fight with just two weeks’ notice and the loss came just three fights before Kovalev became champion. However Thompson wants redemption and he wants to land a rematch with the new champ. Backing up his words in a big way against Coyne might just get him what he wants.
Thompson stated, “I don’t know too much about Coyne. I heard he’s a tough guy, so I am looking towards a tough fight. I know he’s a southpaw. That’s ok, for the last 5 months I have been sparring with a lot of southpaws. I plan to keep backing this guy up. We’ve got some tricks we’re going to use Saturday night.” He added, “I am in tip top shape. I’m ready to go out there and give an impressive, victorious performance. I’m so excited to be on NBC Sports Network. I just can’t wait for the opening bell on Saturday.”
Both Coyne and Thompson are determined to make the most of the big opportunity that lies before them this weekend. Winning keeps one on track and moves the victor a step closer to the goal of fighting for the world light heavyweight championship. Both fighters need the “W”, and plan to do everything possible to claim it. Having their hand raised is the bottom line, but it wouldn’t hurt if while trying to secure this critical victory, Coyne and Thompson put on a fight that steals the show.