By: William Holmes
The following is the boxinginsider.com notebook for the week of October 8th to October 15th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.
Demyanenko Victorious in Return
Vitaliy Demyanenko (21-0) won a lopsided unanimous decision against Robert Valenzuela (65-63-1) in the welterweight division on Thursday night in Oklahoma, City, Oklahoma. Demyanenko had little trouble beating Valenzuela and won a clean sweep with scores of 60-54 on all three scorecards.
DeGale Defeats Mohoumadi
James DeGale (13-1) scored a decision victory over Hadillah Mohoumadi (13-3-1) on Saturday night at Greenhithe, England. DeGale, a 2008 Olympic Gold Medliast, won by scores of 119-109, 117-111, and 116-112. The fight was closer and tougher than expected, but DeGale was able to pull off the victory and continue to progress after his 2011 loss to George Groves.
Adonis Stevenson Stops Donovan George
Adonis Stevenson (19-1) stopped Donovan George (23-3-1) on Friday night in Montreal. This bout was set up to determine the mandatory challenger for Carl Froch’s belt. Stevenson was in control from the opening round, and dropped George twice in the fifth round, once in the sixth round, and twice more in the 12th round. The referee stopped it at 0:55 of the last round after the final knockdown.
David Lemieux (27-2) knocked out Alvaro Gaona (11-2) in the first round in a super middleweight clash. This bout was over quick at 2:48, after Lemieux knocked Gaona down in the first round with a straight right hand, and then he finished Gaona with a left hook.
Thomas Oosthuizen Returns November 10th
Thomas “Tommy Gun” Oosthuizen (20-0-1) returns on November 10th to defend his IBO Championship against former world title challenger Fulgencio Zuniga (25-5-1). Oosthuizen will be defending his IBO Super Middleweight Title on the line and the bout will take place at the Emperor’s Palace in South Africa.
“Tommy Oosthuizen is the best fighter to come out of South Africa in many years,” said co-promoter Lou DiBella, who promotes Oosthuizen with Rodney Berman. “He is one of the best young 168 pounders in the world and is already a serious title contender. The future is limitless for Tommy Oosthuizen and, in 2013, I expect him to further solidify his championship credentials.”
Ruiz Travelling to Japan to Unify Against Kameda
On December 4th Huge “Cuatito” Ruiz (31-1) will relinquish his Interim WBA World Bantamweight Championship to fight “Regular” WBA Bantamweight Champion Koki Kameda (28-1) at the Bodymaker Colosseum in Osaka, Japan.
The hard-punching 26-year-old Ruiz won his interim title in January 2011 with a nine-round technical decision over Alvaro Ruiz, after Ruiz was cut by an accidental headbutt. He has successfully defended the belt four times since then, three by way of knockout.
25-year-old southpaw Kameda is a two-time world champ. He won the WBC Flyweight title in November 2009, but lost it via close decision in his first defense. He then moved up to bantamweight and won his current belt with a December 2010 unanimous decision over Alexander Munoz. He has since made four successful defenses. Kameda is one of the most popular boxers in the world based on TV ratings. His fights draw over 50% of Japanese homes.
Arthur Abraham Returns December 15th
WBO Super Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham (35-3) will be returning on December 15th after he dethroned Robert Stieglitz to win the WBO Belt. He will be defending his title for the first time in Nuremberg, Germany for the first time agast Mehdi Bouadla (26-4). Tickets can be bought online at www.eventime.de
Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini movie, The Good Son Screens at Philadelphia Film Festival
Ray Mancini was the lightweight boxing champion in the 1980s and became a national hero.
The tells the story of Ray’s rise from the steel city of Youngstown, Ohio to the lights of Las Vegas. It is a tale of fathers and sons, struggle and triumph, heartache and love, compassion and forgiveness. The documentary is an emotional compilation of interviews with Ray Mancini and individuals who have influenced his life, including Ed O’Neill, Mickey Rourke, Sugar Ray Leonard and Jiwan Kim, who’s father, Duk Koo Kim tragically lost his life in the ring with Ray Mancini.”
Screenings are scheduled for: Friday October 19th, 2:40 p.m. and Wednesday October 24th, 4:44 p.m. at the Bourse Theater, 400 Ranstead St., Philadelphia, PA 19106 and Sunday October 21st, 12:05 p.m at the Rave Theater 6, 4012 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
Previews for the film can be found here.
ShoBox November 9th Main Event Announced
ShoBox’s November 9th event has been titled “Night of the Olympians”. Olympian Gary Russell Jr. (20-0) and Russia’s Vyacheslav Gusev (20-2) will square off in the ShoBox Main Event at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. In addition, five American Boxers who competed in the Olympics will be fighting on this card. They are Dominic Breazeale, Marcus Browne, Terrell Gausha, Errol Spencer, and Rau’shee Warrenn. Tickets can be bought online here.
Erik Morales Training Camp Notes
Erik Morales, the first Mexican fighter to become a four division world champion, is preparing for his rematch against Danny “Swift” Garcia taking place next Saturday. Morales still maintains his camp at the high altitude of the Centro Ceremonial Otomi located in Temoaya, Estado de Toluca, Mexico and has already spent 12 weeks training under the guidance of his father Jose “Olivaritos” Morales.
“I had a very good training camp and I am ready,” said Morales. “All I have to say is that I am ready to put a great show next Saturday night.”
His training routine included running at 8:00 a.m., working out in the gym at 5:30 p.m. with four sparring partners including Rodrigo Juarez and Saul “Cobra” Carreon. Last Monday, Morales impressed his team with his stamina and tenacity during an intense 12 round sparring session.
“Training camp was excellent and I strongly believe I will have no problems making my mark on the division [140 pounds]. My body responded well to my training regimen and I feel that this time the outcome will be different. I want to be a world champion again.”
