News: Andrade, Ramos, Szpilka, Marquez, CES, more
U.S. OLYMPIAN DEMETRIUS ANDRADE TO MAKE PRO DEBUT ON OCTOBER 23 IN AIRWAY HEIGHTS, WASH., TELEVISED LIVE ON VERSUS NETWORK
2008 U.S. Olympian Demetrius Andrade of Providence, Rhode Island, will make his pro debut on a sensational world championship fight card on Thursday, October 23, 2008, in the Pend O’reille Pavillion at Northern Quest Casino, located at North 100 Hayford Road in Airway Heights, Washington. The main event and co-featured fights will be televised live on the Versus network, and Demetrius’ fight will open the telecast.
The fight was announced today at a news conference at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.
Only 20 years old, Demetrius is a top professional prospect at 154 pounds and a former international amateur standout.
Dan Rafael wrote on ESPN.com: “Demetrius Andrade, the 2008 U.S. Olympic boxer widely regarded as the No. 1 professional prospect from Team USA, is turning pro. Andrade entered the Olympics as the reigning world amateur welterweight champion. He also was a two-time U.S. National champion and two-time national Golden Gloves champion.
“Although Andrade won a pair of Olympic bouts in Beijing to advance to the quarterfinals, he lost a controversial 11-9 decision to South Korea’s Kim Jung-Joo in one of the most questionable results in a tournament littered with debate over the inconsistent scoring.”
In the main event scheduled for 12 rounds, Cristobal Cruz, 36-11-1 with 23 knockouts, of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, will battle Orlando Salido, 31-9-2 with 20 knockouts, of Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico, for the vacant International Boxing Federation featherweight world championship. Salido and Cruz are the IBF’s two top-rated contenders.
More exciting fights will complete the card. All bouts subject to change without notice.
Doors open at 4:00 P.M., first fight at 5:00 P.M. (Pacific Time)
Ticket prices: $25, $45, $60, $75.
Tickets are available at Northern Quest Casino Box Office – 509-481-6700, and Ticketswest – 800-325-SEAT, and www.ticketswest.com.
RISING BOXING STARS PUT THEIR PERFECT RECORDS TO THE TEST
Los Angeles, September 22 – Goossen Tutor Promotions’ latest finds, super bantamweight Rico Ramos (6-0, 4 KOs) and junior welterweight Mike Dallas, Jr.(5-0, 1 KO) will showcase their talent on the undercard of the Soboba Casino doubleheader featuring WBO Welterweight Champion Paul “The Punisher” Williams taking on Andy Kolle in a 10-round middleweight bout and in the companion bout, WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Champion and world rated Cristobal “The Nightmare” Arreola will be taking on the tough Puerto Rican challenger from New York, Israel “King Kong” Garcia.
The card will take place at Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, Calif. and be televised on VERSUS starting at 6 PM Pacific Standard Time.
As a precursor to the exciting main televised bouts, Rico Ramos will take on Manuel “Diablito” Sarabia (16-26-9, 10 KOs) who hails from Los Mochis, Mexico in a 6 round fight. The experienced Sarabia represents a fighter who brings a 50-fight career into the ring, whose last 13 fights have all gone the distance, against the 6 career bouts of Ramos.
“I’ve heard these are the type of opponents that make you or break you with their experience,” stated Ramos. “Come Thursday, I’m not only looking to win, but I looking to stop him.”
Also in action, Bakersfield, California’s Mike Dallas, Jr. (5-0, 1 KO) who recently came off of an impressive 1st round knockout against James Helmes at the Tachi Palace & Casino will face Guadalajara’s, Mexico featherweight Jose Luis Noyola (23-5-1, 12 KOs) in a 4-round junior welterweight bout.
Said, Dallas, Jr., “I’ve been running and training real hard for this opportunity. I understand my opponent has close to 30 professional fights and he’s a former NABF champion. I need to earn his respect from the sound of the bell so he understands that I’m coming to fight!”
“Both Mike and Rico have shown tremendous gains since their pro debuts and with Thursdays opponents we’ve stepped it up with the experience factor for both of them in these bouts,” said Goossen Tutor matchmaker Tom Brown. “I believe they will be able to overcome this with their talent.”
The Soboba doubleheader is promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions and will air live on VERSUS.
Tickets priced starting at $20 are available at Soboba box office or www.Ticketmaster.com. Arena doors open at 4 PM; Casino open all day, all night.
About VERSUS:
VERSUS celebrates real competition across all platforms (VERSUS.com, VERSUS on Demand and VERSUS HD). Now in more than 73 million homes, the network is the national cable home of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Stanley Cup Playoffs as well as best-in-class events such as The Tour de France, Davis Cup Tennis, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), IndyCar Series and Professional Boxing. The network also offers collegiate sports featuring nationally ranked teams from top conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 12, Mountain West and Ivy League. VERSUS features the best field sports programming on television and is a destination for sports fans, athletes and sportsmen to find exclusive, competitive events that audiences can’t find elsewhere. VERSUS, a wholly owned company of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK) is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.
SEMINOLE WARRIORS BOXING TEAMS UP WITH BULLIT KNOCKOUT PROMOTIONS TO SIGN POLISH AMATEUR STAR ARTUR SZPILKA
HOLLYWOOD, FL, September 25 – Every four years, the ritual is the same, as promoters look to inject the sport of professional boxing with the top amateur talent in the game. This year, Seminole Warriors Boxing has teamed up with prominent Polish promoter Bullit Knockout Promotions to sign a young man they believe is the future of the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions – Artur Szpilka.
“Of all the amateur fighters we’ve been watching over the last few months, there was no question in my mind that Artur was one of best,” said Leon Margules, Executive Director of Seminole Warriors Boxing. “He’s got a great style for the pro game, a maturity you don’t find in too many young pros, and the determination to work hard and win a pro title. We’re excited to see how he progresses, and I think he’s going to be a popular fighter not only in the United States and Europe, but around the world.”
The 19 year old prospect, a Polish National Amateur Champion as well as the European Union Champion, will make his professional debut in October on a date to be announced shortly.
Szpilka joins countrymen and stable mate Krzysztof Wlodarczyk and Tomasz Adamek in a talent-rich cruiserweight division that has recently had many strong showings by Polish athletes. Now it’s Szpilka’s turn.
“I feel a great responsibility to my country and my fans to deliver great performances and to eventually win a world championship,” said Szpilka. “With Bullit Knockout Promotions and Seminole Warriors Boxing on my side, I’m confident that great things are in my future.”
Raul Marquez plans to spoil “King” Arthur’s mega-fight plans against Pavlik or Wright IBF middleweight title fight Oct. 4 on PPV in U.S. & Canada
HOBOKEN, N.J. (September 25, 2008) – Former world champion Raul “El Diamente” Marquez, who overcome the destruction of Hurricane Ike, recently broke his Houston training camp and departed for Germany, where on October 4th he challenges unbeaten International Boxing Federation middleweight champion “King” Arthur Abraham, headlining a pay-per-view card airing in the United States and Canada live from Bamberg, Germany.
Abraham-Marquez is promoted by Wilfried Sauerland, presented by Sauerland Event and its Managing Director, Christian Meyer, in association with Seminole Warriors Boxing. The broadcast is being distributed in the United States and Canada by Integrated Sports for live viewing at 3 PM/ET – 12 PM/PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, TVN, DirecTV, DISH Network, Viewer’s Choice Canada, and Bell ExpressVue, for a suggested retail price of only $24.95. A replay will be shown that same night starting at 9 PM/ET. Al Bernstein and Nick Charles will call the action.
“I don’t talk trash-talk,” Marquez said right before leaving Houston, “but we took on Hurricane Ike, so Arthur Abraham should be nothing. We still don’t have electricity in my house, I’ve been staying at my sister-in-law’s house, and we had to wait 1 ½ hours for gas. I’m very positive about this fight. We’re going over there to win.
“I fought in Germany as an amateur and I’m sure some of Abraham’s coaches remember me. You read about needing to knockout your opponent over there to get a draw (laughs). I just hope the judges are fair. The judges are from America, Mexico and England. Wayne Kelly from New York City is the referee. I couldn’t ask for a better situation over there. All I can hope for is a fair decision. I’m glad this fight is on pay-per-view so people can judge for themselves. If there’s controversy, people back home will be able to see it and know who really won.”
Abraham (27-0, 22 KOs), rated No. 2 by The Ring and ESPN, captured the IBF middleweight title early three years ago by way of a fifth-round knockout of Kingsley Ikeke (23-1). Eight successful title defenses have followed against Edison Miranda twice, Shannon Taylor, Kofi Jantuah, Sebastian Demers, Khoren Gevor, Wayne Elcock and Elvin Ayala.
The 37-year-old Marquez (41-3-1, 29 KOs), rated No. 2 by the IBF as well as No. 8 by The Ring and ESPN, earned his title shot against Abraham by defeating previously unbeaten No. 1 contender Giovanni Lorenzo (26-0) in their IBF title eliminator on the June 21.
Marquez, a 1992 U.S. Olympian who owned the IBF junior middleweight title belt in 1997, is motivated by talk about Abraham fighting Kelly Pavlik or Winky Wright next year. “It’s like they’re ignoring me,” Marquez explained. “They’re looking ahead. I was a 4-1 underdog my last fight and I’ve trained even harder for this one. Only two out of 35 writers picked me to win my last fight and it’s pretty much the same thing for the Abraham fight. Abraham’s people are looking beyond me. I want to spoil all that talk about him fighting Pavlik or Wright in his next fight. Nobody’s giving me much of a shot but I’m ready.
“My game plan is to make him fight. He’s powerful and strong; I am, too. And I’m motivated by him looking ahead. I’ve gone back to my roots with my father (Arturo) and brother (Aldo) in my corner the last four fights. I tried some different trainers but my father made me an Olympian and world champion. I’m older and wiser now. I’m getting hit and cut less. I think my father’s the best trainer in the world. After I beat Abraham he’s going to be Trainer of the Year.”
Despite taking off 1 ½ years to work as a broadcaster, Raul is still much more battle tested in the ring than Abraham – 269 to 161 in rounds fought – having fought world champions Jermain Taylor, Shane Mosley, Fernando Vargas and Yori Boy Campas.
“This isn’t going to be an easy fight and Abraham knows it,” Marquez added. “I have a lot more experience than him having fought Mosley, Taylor and Vargas, as well as other experienced fighters like Campas, (Keith) Mullings, (Jose Alfredo) Flores and (Bronco) McKart. I’ve fought guys with all kinds of different styles. I’m left-handed and I think that’s going to give Abraham problems. I’ve watched tapes of his fights and I think he had problems against (southpaw) Ian Gardiner. Even at 37, I will bring courage, power, great conditioning and keep a steady pace like I did in my last fight.
“After losing to Jermain Taylor, to get this far and fight for a world title again, well, it’s amazing. It’s weird but I feel better now than I ever have. Ten years after I was world champion, 16 years after I made my pro debut (Oct. 3, 1992), I want it (world title) more and appreciate boxing more than ever. I love everything about boxing.”
The 10-round co-feature on the PPV show from Germany has former NABO champion Otis “Triple OG” Griffin (19-3-2, 7 KOs), of Sacramento, taking on Yugoslavian-born Enad Licina (14-1, 8 KOs), now living in Germany, for the vacant IBF Intercontinental cruiserweight belt. Additional undercard bouts to be part of the PPV card will soon be announced.
For more information about the Abraham-Marguez PPV go to www.integratedsportsnet.com or www.warriorsboxing.com
Maloney Goes Massive With Big London Show
Frank Maloney returns to the capital city in a big way when the South London based promoter puts on a thrilling fight card at historic York Hall in Bethnal Green, headlined by Ian Napa’s exciting challenge of European bantamweight champion Carmelo Ballone on Friday, October 17, 2008.
The UK’s most skillful boxer, Napa, 17-6 (1), won the British title last year and his three scintillating defenses of the domestic crown have led the 5’1 dynamo to a second crack at the European trophy but in order to claim Continental glory, the flashy 30 year old must surmount a difficult opponent.
After cleaning out the bantamweight division in his native Belgium, 32 year old Ballone, 21-2 (10), proved his pugilistic acumen on a wider playing field by capturing the European Union belt against Spanish bomb thrower Ivan Pozo in 2003, which led to a close and controversial split decision loss to European kingpin Simone Maludrottu in the champion’s home country of Italy two years later.
Ballone got another opportunity at European honors and made the best of it by stopping Romanian spoiler Eugen Sorin Tanasie in 2007 to claim the vacant title. In May, Ballone crushed the challenge of Valery Yanchy, extinguishing the Belarus titlist in the tenth round.
Can Ballone enter the lion’s den of York Hall and emerge still in possession of the European bantamweight title? Ian Napa and a packed house of rabid supporters say not and have thrown forth the challenge to the hard as nails Belgian in what could turn out to be the fight of the year in England.
Maloney has stacked the undercard with typically competitive matchmaking and chief support on October 17 will be provided by the do or die battle of former British and Commonwealth lightweight champion Graham Earl, 25-3 (12), against ruthlessly efficient contender Henry Castle, 18-4 (10), who has stopped five of his last seven victims and has vowed to end the career of Earl as part of his quest to rule over the United Kingdom’s lightweight scene.
One of the top light welterweights on the planet, Commonwealth champion Ajose Olusegun, 24-0 (12), will also feature on the card as the Londoner stays busy in hopes of turning his #3 WBC position into a world title shot.
Red-hot undefeated featherweight prospect Akaash Bhatia, 12-0 (3), makes an appearance on the bill as does bruising welterweight Mark Thompson, 16-1 (10), and outstanding light middle hopeful Sam Webb, 11-1-1 (3), will meet former Commonwealth welter title challenger Gilbert Eastman, 20-6 (13).
A handful of Maloney’s top prospects round out the lineup as lightweight Liam Shinkwin, 1-0 (0), joins heavyweights Tom Dallas, 1-0 (0), and Larry “War Machine” Olubamiwo, who makes his professional debut.
For further information or press credential requests contact the NEW address of ftm.press@gmail.com
Tickets to “Dapa Napa”, Ian Napa vs. Carmelo Ballone for the Bantamweight Championship of Europe at York Hall, London, England on Friday, October 17, 2008 are priced at £75 and £35 and are available by logging onto www.frankmaloney.com or by calling the Box Office at 0871 226 1508.
Sky Sports will televise the action live on SS1 starting at 9:30pm.
CES building foundation for 2009 title runs
PROVIDENCE (September 23, 2008) – Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES) has promoted eight shows this year in three different states, including four broadcast nationally on ESPN, in order to build a foundation for world and regional title runs by its fighters in 2009.
“I’ve been a boxing promoter for a long time and we know how to build champions here,” CES president Jimmy Burchfield said. “I’ve promoted some great fighters over the years – 5-time world champion Vinny Paz, Ray Oliveira, Scott Pemberton, Gary Balletto and others – but I’ve never had a stronger Team CES, top to bottom, as right now. We have a stable of world and regional title contenders, cagey veterans hoping to make another title run, and a group of very talented prospects. CES has worked hard in 2008 to set the stage for making a lot of noise next year in boxing.”
Leading the charge is NABF cruiserweight champion Matt “Too Smooth” Godfrey, rated No. 4 by the WBC and knocking on the door of a world title shot. Godfrey has had three notable victories by knockout on ESPN against Shaun George, Felix Cora, Jr. and Emmanuel Nwodo in Matt’s most recent fight. Godfrey’s only loss was earlier this year in Germany to unbeaten Rudolf Kraj by 12-round decision in a WBC title eliminator.
Super middleweight Peter “The Pride of Providence” Manfredo, Jr. (31-5, 16 KOs, star of The Contender I, had one world title shot, albeit an abbreviated one against WBO champion Joe Calzaghe that was prematurely stopped by the referee in the third round. WBC rated No. 15 Manfredo, who is co-promoted by CES and Tournament of Contenders, was developed by CES before leaving for The Contender. CES and the Tournament of Contenders are tentatively co-promoting a show November 13 in Providence, headlined by Manfredo versus Sakio Bika, winner of The Contender III, for the IBO title.
While Godfrey and Manfredo are the two CES fighters closest to world titles shots, several other CES fighters are in line for regional championship bouts, including undefeated 22-year-old light featherweight title-holder Matt “Sharp Shooter” Remillard (15-0, 9 KOs), who already owns the WBC Youth and USNBC title belts. Another challenger is heavyweight Jason “Big Six” Estrada (14-1, 3 KOs), 2004
Olympian, who has steadily climbing-up the ranks with victories against Lance Whitaker and Robert Hawkins. Another hot prospect is 22-year-old, “Awesome” Aaron Williams (18-1-1, 12 KOs), the nine-time U.S. national amateur champion.
Power punching Joey “KO Kid” Spina (23-1-1, 16 KOs), former WBC Inter-Continental and USNBC champion, campaigns as a super middleweight but has also fought in the light heavyweight division, in which, he is rated No. 12 by the WBO and No. 17 by the WBC.
CES also features veterans such as former world title challengers, heavyweight Charles Shufford and light heavyweight Kingsley Ikeke (24-3, 13 KOs), as well as junior middleweight Ossie Duran (23-6-1, 9 KOs) and undefeated heavyweight “Baby” Joe Mesi (36-0, 29 KOs), who has temporarily put his boxing career on hold to run for a state senate seat in New York.
Other bright prospects in the CES stable include super middleweight Brian Macy (5-0, 2 KOs), 2000 U.S. National PAL champion; lightweight “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy (11-0-1, 6 KOs), super middleweights Angel Camacho, Jr. (11-0, 4 KOs).
Go to www.cesboxing.com for more information about CES.