With the upset win over Travis Kauffman still fresh in his mind and his single loss recently avenged, Tony Grano was undoubtedly looking towards bigger and better things for himself in a wide open heavyweight division. It seems as though his opponent, the 6’6 258 pound Nicolai Firtha was brought in as a test to get Grano ready for the big boys of the heavyweight upper echelon. If it was, Grano failed miserably.

At the start of the fight, Firtha wisely used his longer reach and kept Grano at the end of his jab. Frustrated, Grano swung wildly with left hooks and ate even more jabs as a result. Each jab Firtha landed had an audible thud and Grano seemed at a loss as to how he would get inside. Eventually, he did manage to find his way inside and in his best moment in the fight, unleashed a string of body shots followed by a left hook, right hand combo that momentarily buzzed Firtha. For a fleeting second it seemed as if Grano was going to gain control of the fight. That second quickly passed when Firtha landed a chopping right hand inside that shook Grano up and had him backpedaling. A follow up right hand dropped Grano at the end of the round and as he rose, the bell to end round one sounded.

Round two was even worse for Grano who again had trouble getting inside and began to eat jab, right hand combos from the increasingly confident Firtha. Even in close Firtha took command, shoving around the smaller Grano and landing good shots inside. Grano seemed completely out of his depth as round two wore on and Firtha kept banging away, dropping Grano for a second time via another flush right hand. When Grano rose it was clear that he was out of it as he retreated to the ropes where Firtha tee’s off, landing perhaps more than 10 flush, unanswered head shots. As referee Dick Flaherty jumped in to stop the fight, Grano was trying gamely to fire back which prompted those in the audience to boo the stoppage. Though it may have seemed a bad time to stop the fight, Grano nearly fell from his unsteady legs after the fight was over and most likely would have been seriously hurt had the fight not been called. Time of the stoppage was 2:15 of round two.

Perhaps it was overconfidence that caused Grano to put in such a poor performance against the taller and heavier Firtha but the fact remains that Grano has been dropped in 4 of his last 5 fights; all but one against sub-par opposition. His chin is shaky at best and in a division where every fighter has the ability to end things with one punch, Grano’s future as a contender is unclear. Regardless of Grano’s stance in the heavyweight picture, all credit should be given to Firtha who came in thinking upset and backed it up with his fists. Firtha is now 18-7-1 7KOs while Grano slips to 17-2-1 13KOs.

In the bizarre co-main event, Hartford CT’s Mike Oliver earned victory via an 8th round DQ against Miami FL’s Mauricio Pastrana. The fight started well for Oliver who was more aggressive than usual, throwing multiple punches in combination and forcing the physically stronger Pastrana against the ropes. Pastrana had little to offer in return and mostly covered up and tied up for the first three rounds. In the fourth, it started to become obvious that Pastrana was getting frustrated as he began to try and rough Oliver up on the inside. This included trying to spin Oliver when the fighters were in a clinch and as a result, Oliver also began to get frustrated. The two exchanged at close range as the seconds to the fourth round dwindled down and when the bell finally rang, neither fighter let up. Referee Michael Ortega had to physically separate both fighters as they continued to wing punches.

Oliver switched over to boxing in the fifth and tried to create distance between himself and Pastrana who was content to eat shots for a chance to get inside. When he did get there, Pastrana seemed at a loss for what to do and again tried to maul Oliver in the clinch. During the 6th round Pastrana actually threw Oliver to the canvas in a clinch, prompting referee Michael Ortega to dock him a point. The dirty tactics continued in the 7th when Pastrana was again deducted a point for an infraction that was unclear to those sitting at ringside. Oliver came out of a clinch clutching his arm before Ortega took a point from Pastrana and it’s likely that he twisted Oliver’s arm in an attempt to slow his offense. Ironically Pastrana had been doing well earlier in the round by landing flush right hands inside and it’s likely that the only round he picked up on the scorecards was nullified by the point deduction. At the start of the 8th and final round, it was clear that Pastrana was too far behind to win on the cards and perhaps desperate and out of options, Pastrana again threw Oliver to the canvas when the two were in a clinch. Referee Ortega had seen enough at that point and DQ’d Pastrana at 43 seconds of the 8th. Regardless of the outcome, Oliver looked good in his performance and has begun to get himself back on track for a title shot. His record is now 24-2 8KOs. Pastrana, who deserved the DQ, drops his 7th fight in the last 8 and is now 35-14-2 23KOs.

Junior welterweights Edwin Soto (New Haven, CT) and Bryan Abraham (Schenectady, NY) battled to a 4 round majority draw in a fight that was as close as it’s verdict. From the onset Soto tired to press the action behind a jab, right hand combo but mid-way through the first Abraham began to counter him with well timed counter rights. Every round was close and scoring them depended on whether you favored Abraham’s harder counter shots, or Soto’s aggressiveness. In the end two judges favored neither, scoring the fight an even 38-38. The third judge had it 39-37 Abraham. Both fighters notch a draw to their records with Soto now at 4-0-1 2KOs and Abraham at 2-3-2 2KOs.

Up and coming light heavyweight prospect Joe Smith Jr. of Long Island, NY notched another impressive KO win to run his undefeated record to 5-0 5KOs. Smith’s opponent Walter Foster Jr. (4-3-1 4KOs) of Berkeley, MO was outgunned from the start and was put to the canvas via a right hand in the opening ten seconds of the fight. Foster, who was more off balance than hurt, tried to land a few right hands after getting up but was kept constantly out of position by the jabs and hooks of Smith. Smith also began to drop left hooks to the liver of Foster and it seemed only a matter of time before Smith overwhelmed him. That moment came in the second when Smith landed a left hook to the top of Foster’s head that dropped him on all fours. Foster rose on shaky legs and a follow up flurry from Smith was enough to convince referee Dick Flaharety to stop the fight. Time of the stoppage was 1:39 of round 2. Smith is swiftly becoming a prospect to keep an eye on and seems to have a bright future ahead of him.

Though he shares a famous last name, super middleweight Rick Dawson doesn’t possess nearly the same skill-set as his brother. His 4 round unanimous decision over Toledo, OH’s Jeremiah Jones was punctuated by a distinct reluctance on the part of both fighters to engage one another. Dawson was the fighter coming forward but did little in the way of punching. His best moments were found when he utilized his lead right hooks, a few of which he was able to follow with straight left hands. Jones fought like a scared fighter for the majority of the bout and did even less punching than the cautious Dawson. The final scores read 40-36 and 39-37 (twice) all in favor of Dawson who is now 2-0 1KO. Jones dropped his third fight in a row and stands at 1-4-1.

Junior welterweight Frankie Trader (7-0 2KOs)of Philadelphia, PA pot-shotted his way to a dull 4 round unanimous decision against Springfield, MA native Noel Gracia (2-4-1 1KO.) Trader landed nearly every punch he threw but was so sparing in his output that it made a dominant performance tedious to watch. Garcia attempted to land wild right hands but missed consistently and was never in contention at any point during the fight. Scores at the end of the scheduled 4 rounds were 40-36 across the board.

Local featherweight Luis Rosa of New Haven, CT won every second of his 4 round bout en route to a last minute stoppage of Seldon, NY’s John Passantino. Rosa opened up with a two fisted body attack and didn’t let up at any point during the fight. Passantino did well to soak up the punishment but offered little in return and finally took a knee late into the fourth. After he rose, a final flurry from Rosa was enough to convince referee Danny Schiavone to end the one-sided affair. Rosa improves to 3-0 2KOs while Passantino loses his debut and stands at 0-1. Time of the stoppage was 1:15 of round 4.

In the opening bout of the evening pro debuting Jonathan Vasquez (Fall River, MA ) sparked out fellow junior welterweight Carlos Hernandez (Bridgeport, CT) in the first round of a scheduled 4 rounder. A counter left hook early in the round dropped Hernandez mid-punch. Hernandez rose and continued fighting only to eat another vicious counter left hook that laid him prostrate on the canvas and in need of medical attention. After the ring was cleared, the official time of 2 minutes 18 seconds was announced and Vasquez got hear himself declared the victor for the first time in his fledgling pro career. Hernandez lost his second bout in as many appearances and will hopefully recover from the truly brutal knockout he suffered.

SAN ANTONIO – By the 10th round, Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was marching forward, legs wide, feet crossing over, left shoulder lowered and ready to fire a hook. He no longer respected John Duddy’s ability to hurt him at all. That says more about Chavez’s conditioning, chin and heart than it says about Duddy.

Saturday night in the main event of “Latin Fury 15,” before 8,172 Texans at Alamodome, Chavez (41-0-1, 30 KOs) went toe-to-toe with Duddy (29-2, 18 KOs), a throwback Irishman if there ever was one, handled him roughly and won a unanimous decision by scores of 120-108, 116-112 and 117-111, in the first 12-round fight of Chavez’s career. The 15rounds.com scorecard concurred, 117-112.

After two rather even opening rounds that might even have favored the Irishman, Chavez began to employ a jab that trainer Freddie Roach had implored him to learn in training camp. It worked, backing Duddy up and successfully keeping him off. Throughout the night, Chavez’s surprising speed, power and ability to relax while under fire proved the difference.

Duddy got the fight his people hoped for; much of the night Chavez stood in the center of the ring and traded with him. It was of no use, though, as Chavez was simply too young, too fit and too good for Duddy to figure him out.

“I fought a very strong fighter tonight,” Chavez said of Duddy. “A real warrior.”

Accompanied by his famous father to ringside, Chavez comported himself in every way as a main-event attraction on Saturday.

“There’s a new star in boxing!” said an elated Bob Arum after the match.

Duddy, a consummate sportsman, also offered praise to Junior.

“I thought it was a good fight,” he said in the ring after the cards were read. “I take my hat off to Julio Cesar Chavez.”

LEGENDS FIND A WAY
Although his name was only the second-most-famous in the ring Saturday night, Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera was easily its greatest fighter.

Facing Brazil’s Adailton de Jesus (26-5, 21 KOs) after a long layoff, Barrera (66-7, 43 KOs) found a way to neutralize the younger man and cruise to a decision victory by unanimous scores of 100-90, 98-92 and 99-91.

After a somewhat uneventful opening round, Barrera began the second with a commitment to the left hand – hook, uppercut, hook – that made his longtime fans smile. It also made De Jesus wince, as a Barrera left to the body quickly lowered the Brazilian’s right elbow and sent him spinning leftwards and away.

By the end of round 4, though, Barrera’s age and softness began to tell. Despite maintaining his placid expression from bell to bell, Barrera found himself clipped by left hooks that he would never have been hit with in his prime. He also forced his first clinch of the fight, validating the concerns of those who noticed his less-taut midsection at the Friday weigh-in.

But any veteran of 72 prizefights knows a few tricks, and Barrera – arguably the smartest fighter of his era – knows more than most. Without increasing the match’s pace, Barrera began to control it. He jabbed De Jesus on the way in, hooked him hard on the way back and rested in the moments between. Despite bloodying Barrera’s nose in the eighth, De Jesus, whose trunks rose practically to his sternum, often found himself reduced to complaining about low blows.

The match’s final two rounds brought no new action, and the fighters embraced afterward, both knowing whose performance had won the day.

In the co-main event of “Latin Fury 15,” Barrera proved himself an intelligent competitor who still resents the hell out of anyone who tries to hit him. And he can still easily beat b-level opponents. But as the old master approaches his 37th birthday, one wonders if he’ll not soon run out of reasons to fight on.

MARTINEZ WINS BATTLE OF SAN ANTONIO
Raul Martinez and Gabriel Elizondo may have come of age in the same amateur program, but they were in two different professional classes Saturday night.

Martinez (27-1, 16 KOs) came out scowling at Elizondo (22-4-1, 10 KOs), his friend and fellow resident of the Alamo City, and never relented throughout, winning every round, dropping Elizondo four times and eventually forcing referee Rafael Ramos to stop the match at 2:00 of Round 7.

After a competitive start to the fight, in the opening moments of round 3 Martinez saw Elizondo start a jab, took a step back and blasted him with a right-hand lead that buckled the veteran. Elizondo’s conditioning and pride kept him upright, though, and the next five minutes made a fairly even affair that nevertheless favored Martinez.

But early in the fifth round, an accidental collision of heads put Elizondo in an uncertain place. Ninety seconds later, both men started right hands, Martinez’s got there first, and Elizondo dropped to the canvas for a second time.

Round 6 began with a fight in the crowd, which brought Alamodome spectators to their feet, and ended with Elizondo being felled once more, this time by a Martinez left hook at 2:59. Elizondo rose again, though, and withstood Martinez’s onslaught for the first two minutes of the seventh.

But a last right cross from Martinez ended Elizondo’s night. Referee Ramos did not so much as begin his count, choosing instead, and wisely, to wave his hands over his head and declare Martinez the Texas junior bantamweight champion.

TORTOISE BEATS HAIR
Salvador Sanchez II came to Texas for the second time in 2010 and waged a battle of patronymic importance against a second Mexican named Villa, Saturday. Unluckily for Sanchez, Tomas proved twice the hombre Jaime was.

Texan Tomas Villa (23-7-4, 14 KOs) battered Tianguistenco’s Sanchez (19-4-2, 9 KOs) – the nephew of famous Mexican champion Salvador Sanchez – and chased him around the ring before ultimately decisioning him by unanimous scores of 77-75, 79-73 and 78-74.

Sanchez proved to have inherited little more than hair and charisma from his uncle Salvador, never establishing pop enough in his punches to keep Villa off him. But for a flurry every two or three rounds, Sanchez’s gloves slapped and his power wanted, and despite Villa’s plodding manner and predictable attack, Sanchez was unable to win a single round on all three judges’ cards.

Too bad. Sanchez had charmed San Antonio’s fight aficionados all week. His class as a person will be missed, even if his class as a fighter won’t be.

LEDEZMA KEEPS SAN ANTONIO UNDEFEATED
The last match on Saturday’s untelevised undercard saw a third battle of Texas, as San Antonio middleweight Emanuel Ledezma (9-1-1, 2 KOs) squared off with Houstonian Nelson Ramos (4-1, 2 KOs). As it turned out, Ramos’ 0 had to go, and Ledezma won a unanimous decision by scores of 39-37, 39-37 and 40-36.

SON OF PHOENIX SHINES
Top Rank matchmakers are very excited about young Phoenix super lightweight prospect Jose Benavidez (7-0, 7 KOs), and Saturday, Texans got a chance to see why. Wasting little time without seeming to be in a hurry, Benavidez made quick work of Rhode Island’s Josh Beeman (4-7-2, 2 KOs), stopping him at 1:20 of round 1.

Benavidez, who is extremely tall for a fighter weighing only 138 1/2, kept Beeman at the end of a long jab before wading in with two hooks to Beeman’s body. The first shot, a right hook, did little more than tilt Beeman leftwards and open him for a second shot. And that was a left hook to the button, Beeman’s liver, that brought a decisively early end to the match and kept Benavidez’s perfect knockout record intact.

OH! HENRY
Houston’s Omar Henry (10-0, 8 KOs) began Saturday’s third fight by tearing out his corner and assaulting Idaho middleweight Hilario Lopez (12-10, 8 KOs), throwing a dozen unanswered punches in 30 seconds and showing why Texans are so excited about “O. Henry.” But as much as Henry committed to his punches, winging them with the baddest of intentions, he was unable to chop down Lopez.

Henry finally cracked the light-hitting Lopez’s granitic chin in round 4, dropping him with two minutes to go in the bout. Lopez would not be stopped, though, finishing the fight on his feet, despite bleeding from above his right eye. Still, the match was not close, and Henry won decisively, 40-34, on all three official scorecards.

LONE STAR SCRAPPERS
The evening’s second undercard match featured a theme similar to its first – two Texans swinging freely – as San Antonio super lightweight James Cantu (6-0, 3 KOs) matched up with Laredo’s Antonio Gamez 3-3-1, 1 KO) for four entertaining rounds. Ultimately, Cantu prevailed via unanimous decision scores of 39-36, 39-36 and 40-35, after dropping Gamez in round 3 and winning enough of each the match’s other three stanzas.

Saturday’s action began with a six-round Texas welterweight battle between San Antonio’s Jose Juan Fuentes (6-1, 3 KOs) and Fort Worth’s Rogelio Barron (12-7, 4 KOs). Fuentes started the match in every way the classier fighter but then found himself assaulted by right hands and hit the canvas in both rounds 1 and 3.

In the end, though, Barron’s conditioning betrayed him, and Fuentes dusted himself off to win by TKO at 1:12 of round 5, when a succession of unanswered right hands forced the referee’s hand.

As scheduled, Saturday’s first bell rang at 6:25 P.M. local time.

Despite fighting through a badly swollen left eye, Pablo Cesar Cano remained undefeated by scoring a ten round split decision over former three time world title challenger Oscar Leon in Mexico City.

Cano is now 20-0-1. Leon is 28-13.

Marco Antonio Periban scored a fifth round stoppage over Jason Naugler in a scheduled eight round Light Heavyweight bout.

The bout was halted as Periban landed ten successive blows but none of the shots were of major consequence.

The bout was halted at 1:37 of round five for Periban who is now 8-0 with five knockouts. Naugler of Canada is now 18-13-1.

Ivan Cano scored a first round stoppage over Adrian Quiroz in a scheduled six round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Cano dropped Quiroz with a wicked right hand and finished him off with another flush right that forced the referee to stop the fight.

Cano is 7-3 with five knockouts. Quiroz is 5-2

SAN ANTONIO – Friday afternoon at the Arneson River Theatre on the River Walk, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Ireland’s John Duddy both made the 160-pound weight limit for their “Latin Fury 15” main event. Or at least Duddy did. Chavez didn’t. And then Chavez did.

“He was a little bit over,” promoter Bob Arum said afterwards of Chavez’s first trip to the scale. “Then they moved it back (to 160), and he still made it. Nothing to get excited about.”

But that’s exactly what members of the Duddy camp did, at least initially. After Duddy made 159, a crowd gathered for the weighing of Chavez, who climbed on the scale, came close enough to 160 for WBC officials, and then quickly walked to strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza for the customary swigging of sportsdrink. But Duddy manager Craig Hamilton was unconvinced.

One of Duddy’s cornermen followed Chavez and blocked his path to rehydration, ensuring that if Chavez were in fact over-weight, it would be discovered upon his return to the scale – before he could attribute his missed weight to anything he’d since drank. All went well on Chavez’s second visit to the scale, though, and members of both camps left without further incident.

Friday’s weigh-in happened at a particularly charming spot along the River Walk. With fans gathered on grass-covered amphitheater steps before the stage, participants in the televised portion of Saturday’s card arrived via river taxi, floating up Rio San Antonio then disembarking to take the stage. Above a black “Furia de Mexico” banner hung the five Hugman Bells that commemorate the city’s founding Spanish missions – San Antonio de Valero (Alamo), San Jose, San Juan, Concepcion and Espada.

Also attending the weigh-in were co-main event fighters Marco Antonio Barrera – who weighed 141 pounds – and his opponent Adailton De Jesus, who made 138. Next to the scale were local attractions Gabriel Elizondo and Raul Marquez, two friends who will fight on Saturday’s broadcast; Elizondo weighed 114, and Marquez was a half pound heavier. Finally, Salvador Sanchez II – fighting Tomas Villa in “Latin Fury 15’s” first televised bout – took the scale and weighed 125 1/4, with Villa making 126 1/2.

Saturday’s card will happen at Alamodome and comprise a total of nine bouts. Doors open at 5:30 P.M., and the opening bell is scheduled to ring at 6:30. 15rounds.com will have full ringside coverage.

Program Lineup Through Friday July 2
Date Sport Event Price
Fri Jun 25 17:30PM ET MMA Wild Bill’s Fight Night 28 $9.99 More info
Sat Jun 26 24:30AM ET Boxing Conspiracy Fury $FREE! More info
Sat Jun 26 18:00PM ET Boxing Amateur Boxing at Gleason’s Gym (Sat., 6/26/10) $FREE! More info
Sat Jun 26 19:30PM ET MMA PFC III PA Fighting Championships $9.99 More info
Wed Jun 30 20:00PM ET MMA Elite Championship Cage Fighting 12 $9.99 More info

MMA

Tuff Nuff – July 2
Fri Jul 2 22:00PM ET
Click here to watch this event on GoFightLive!

Tuff-N-Uff returns to the Orleans Hotel & Casino on July 2 with two eight-woman tournaments; Larry Mir,cousin of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, also headlines. The co-feature sees a rematch of an exciting but controversial contest from May 30, as Zach Grossman (1-1) meets Barry Prevost (2-2) for a second time.

Among the early favorites in the 125-pound bracket are Virginia’s Nicole Hess (2-1), North Carolina’s Jenn Yum (5-1) and fighting twin Jillian Lybarger (2-1). Hess, who meets Jenn Yum (5-1), is no stranger to title fights. All three of the MiKiDo MMA product’s fights have been contested with a title on the line, and Hess has delivered with first-round submissions in two of the three outings. Hess now looks to rebound from the first loss of her career after dropping a split-decision result to Audrey Pang this past November.

The winners of the first-round contests in both tournaments will return for the semifinal round on Aug. 6, while two new champions will be crowned in the Sept. 24 final round.

For full fight card and more details about this event, visit GoFightLive.tv or click here

Elite Championship Cage Fighting 12
Wed Jun 30 20:00PM ET
Click here to watch this event on GoFightLive!

Elite Championship Cage Fighting 12

For full fight card and more details about this event, visit GoFightLive.tv or click here

PFC III PA Fighting Championships
Sat Jun 26 19:30PM ET
Click here to watch this event on GoFightLive!

Steve Blackman the lethal weapon of WWF (WWE) fame is putting on PFC III PA Fighting Championships. The show features fighters from all over the country as well as several local talents, the 14 fight card is a mixture of amateur and professional bouts.

The co main events feature Shawn Daughenbangh taking on Lucas Emeigh for the middleweight title and Dennis Bermudez taking on Joseph Carroll. Bermudez trains out of Blackman MMA while Emeigh trains out of the Damage Inc camp in Johnstown PA.

For full fight card and more details about this event, visit GoFightLive.tv or click here

Wild Bill’s Fight Night 28
Fri Jun 25 17:30PM ET
Click here to watch this event on GoFightLive!

Big Night of Fights from Georgia Tonight featuring Aric ‘Cage’ Nelson from the reality tv show ‘Daisy of Love’ fighting Georgia standout Clay Harvison from X3 Sports in Marietta. There is definite bad blood between these fighters.

This show will feature a HOT female main event – Tyra Parker vs Amy Stacey. Another top female bout features Justine Kish vs Linda Cunningham is also on the card.

For full fight card and more details about this event, visit GoFightLive.tv or click here

No telling who was first to say that fathers fight so their sons don’t have to. But I’m guessing it was a mom, who from a ringside seat sat like a horrified witness on that inevitable night when dad got bloodied, bruised and stitched up.

It is a powerful sentiment, as simple as it is sensible. But sorry, mom, it doesn’t always apply. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the most notable example. From his father and uncle, he inherited instinct and skill, perfected them and transformed them into a family business. Mayweather Jr. makes it work. Marvis Frazier didn’t. Former heavyweight great Joe Frazier’s son should have listened to mom before Mike Tyson sprinted out of a corner in 1986 and launched him into unconsciousness. Joe would have lasted longer.

On the scale between Mayweather and Marvis, it’s hard to say where Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. belongs. A better idea, perhaps, is forthcoming Saturday night when the son with his dad’s legendary name, athletic royalty in Mexico, faces Irish middleweight John Duddy at The Alamodome in San Antonio on a pay-per-view card.

Duddy’s credentials (29-1, 18 KOs) say that Chavez (40-0-1, 30 KOs) is finally being weaned off a sliver-spoon diet of soft opposition. It’s a step or two in an attempt to quell impatience with a young fighter whose name represents an impossible collection of expectations. Chavez’ dad is a scarred personification of Mexican pride in a stubborn willingness to endure punches and punishment in the battle to fight, always fight on.

But it’s only a name. I’m not sure whether Chavez’s 24-year-old son will ever become a good fighter. But I am sure that he will never be his father. He can’t change his name to World B Free, but he can begin to abdicate expectations that he become a chip off of Mexico’s indestructible myth. After only a four-week camp, the move to trainer Freddie Roach is still in the experimental stage. If it begins to work against Duddy, however, it might be another step in allowing him to forge an identity, a fighter in his own right instead of just Jr.

“It came to a point in my career that if I wanted to do better,’’ said Jr., whose doubters grew after he tested positive for a banned substance after his last fight seven months ago against unknown Troy Rowland. “If I wanted bigger and better things I had to make a change. I did it because I knew I needed it for my career, I still want to do great things in boxing and that’s what motivated me. I thought: Do I want to stay where I am or do I want to get better? This opportunity came and I took it and I’m very happy that I did.

“Any time you make a move to the unknown you get nervous. I wasn’t sure what to expect but once I made the decision I knew I would be capable of doing anything he asked of me. I knew I could a lot of things and wouldn’t be here now if I couldn’t.”

Unlike his compact father’s heavy-handed style of fighting on the inside in a battle of attrition, the son is longer and seemingly built for tactics dictated by a long jab and agile footwork. The knowledge, perhaps instinct, is there, Roach said in a conference call Wednesday from San Antonio.

“He has enjoyed the work, he really has,’’ Roach said, almost as though he was surprised.

Roach, like everybody else, had heard the stories about a questionable work ethic. Doubts about Jr.’s willingness to fight on were further fueled by a late arrival to Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles. It was beginning to look as if Jr. had inherited only his father’s diva-like reputation for arriving for news conferences or workouts whenever it suited him. But, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said, Jr. was late only because of a paperwork delay in acquiring a visa.

“There were a lot of warning signs about how he is lazy and doesn’t want to work and would last a week with me,’’ said Roach, who agreed to work Jr.’s corner after Arum and Top Rank matchmaker Bruce Trampler pointedly urged Jr. to watch the work ethic exercised by Manny Pacquiao in training for Joshua Clottey. “He is a great kid, great to work with, and is very disciplined. He gets up in the morning and does his roadwork every day, comes in the gym and sparred up to 12 rounds with three sparring partners. Overall, it was a real good experience and we enjoyed each other’s company and it was a pleasure.

“I was going to give him one more day to arrive in camp before deciding I wasn’t going to have enough time with him, but then he showed up. We had four weeks together and obviously it would have been better to have more but next time around we’ll get better and better. We know what we have in front of us and we’ll be ready for it.’’

For Jr., San Antonio represents a time and place, a career cross roads, for his father and maybe one for him. He was seven years old in 1993, when his father escaped from the Alamodome with a draw with Pernell Whitaker. Most of the ringside media scored it for Whitaker. The record crowd, about 60,000 Chavez partisans, didn’t boo. They left quietly, also knowing they had just witnessed a great escape. It was a moment when there were some sure signs of erosion in the Mexican icon. JC Superstar was neither super nor a star.

Seventeen years later, the son returns to the scene with a chance to show that he is his own man, a grown-up instead of a Jr.

Even mom couldn’t argue with that.

Word out of Scotland is that Ricky Burns gets his long awaited World Title shot when he challenges Roman Martinez for the WBO Super Featherweight crown on the 4 September in Glasgow at the Kelvin Hall. Burns 27, steps up in class against unbeaten Puerto Rican Martinez who will be making his third defence. Martinez ironically won it on British soil when he stopped Nicky Cook back in March 2009.

Also scheduled for the undercard is an intriguing Commonwealth Featherweight title fight between experienced champion John Simpson who fights on home soil & unbeaten prospect Stephen Smith. Simpson an 8 year veteran who sports a 21-6(9) ledger is also a former British champion. For his part Smith 24, puts his 10-0(6) record on the line along with his reputation as one of the top prospects in Britain. Smith narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2008 Olympics but has taken vengeance sweeping aside all before him in the pro ranks. This will be his acid test though.

Also appearing is Paul Appleby who makes his debut fighting for Frank Warren. It will be one time bright prospect Appleby, still only 23’s first fight in 16 months when he fought valiantly though ultimately unsuccessfully against Martin Lindsay.

SAN ANTONIO – Wednesday afternoon in Alamodome’s cavernous but air-conditioned arena, “Latin Fury 15” participants, managers and trainers joined Top Rank’s Bob Arum on stage for their final press conference before Saturday’s card. Some wore jeans, others wore t-shirts, three even wore blazers. But only one had green Chuck Taylors on.

That would be Ireland’s John Duddy, of County Derry in the North, proudly wearing a color that’s as universally associated with Ireland as any color is with any land. Duddy will fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for the WBC Silver middleweight title in Saturday’s main event.

And yes, Top Rank knows what you might think about that.

“A lot of people say, ‘What the hell is the WBC Silver belt?’” said Bob Arum from the stage on Wednesday. “The winner becomes the WBC mandatory challenger, so it has great significance.”

Duddy confirmed the significance when his turn at the podium came, describing a world title shot – in this case with Sergio Martinez, the middleweight champion – as being a dream of his since childhood. But first he must beat Chavez.

“I’ve had this fight on my mind for a long time,” Duddy said of battling the son of Mexico’s most famous champion. “It’s a crossroads fight for us both.”

One of the themes of this week’s promotion has been Duddy’s family in Northern Ireland, specifically the uncle after whom he was named, John Francis Duddy, who was killed during a demonstration on Jan. 30, 1972 that came to be known as “Bloody Sunday.” Last week, a 10-volume tribunal report exonerated the Irish citizens killed that day, concluding all were unarmed. Duddy’s uncle, known colloquially as Jackie, will be honored with the tolling of a 10-count before Saturday’s main event.

While last week’s Saville Report brought joy to long-suffering members of Duddy’s family, on Wednesday Duddy emphasized how important it was to him to have their permission before using his prizefight as a way of honoring Jackie Duddy.

“My family were thrilled with this decision,” Duddy said when asked about the tribunal’s finding. “But I was never a part of that (struggle). I don’t want to seem to be jumping on the bandwagon.”

Duddy confirmed, though, that he would be fighting in his uncle’s honor with the blessing of his aunts and uncles Saturday, and also the blessings of his father – who will be in Alamodome.

But neither father nor son is likely to see much green in the Alamo City, at least not without it accompanied by Mexican red and white. Asked if he thought maybe his opponent would be the crowd favorite at an event alternately called “La Furia de Mexico,” Duddy was quick but charming in his answer.

“No maybe about it,” he said. “They better be for Chavez.”

Then he smiled and promised there was a chance he’d convert the crowd and have them “singing ‘Juan’ Duddy” by the end of the night.

SALVADOR SANCHEZ REMEMBERED
Leading Saturday’s “Latin Fury 15” telecast will be Salvador Sanchez II, the nephew of Salvador Sanchez, a Mexican fighting legend who made nine professional appearances in Texas, including four in San Antonio. The younger Sanchez is eager to garner a fraction of the acclaim his uncle won in a career defined by 10 world title fights.

“To be here, where my uncle defended his title, is an honor,” said Sanchez, Wednesday afternoon.

RAUL MARTINEZ WANTS TO BE YOUR CHAMPION
Local interest will also focus itself on Saturday’s second televised card when Raul Martinez and Gabriel Elizondo, two friends who grew up together in San Antonio’s amateur program, put their camaraderie aside and prove there are no friends in the prizefighting ring.

“It’s a great privilege, a great honor, to be fighting on this card,” said Martinez from Wednesday’s podium. “I want to show San Antonio they’ve got a future world champion here.”

Martinez also acknowledged the city’s last world champion, Jesse James Leija, whose Championfit Gym hosted an open workout Tuesday.

ALAMODOME CONFIGURED FOR 15,000
Saturday night, Alamodome will have roughly half its seats curtained-off. An upcoming convention will take the south side of the building, with the north side reserved for boxing. This is great news for local fans. A quick peek at the ringside area Wednesday revealed that upper-deck seats are also covered in curtains, meaning that every seat Saturday will be a good one.

Top Rank officials confirmed ticket sales have been pleasantly brisk, but plenty of seats still remain available.

FRIDAY WEIGH-IN ON THE RIVER
The weigh-in for “Latin Fury 15” will happen along the River Walk at 1:30 P.M. on Friday afternoon at the Arneson River Theatre, just north of La Villita. It is open to the public.

Anyone willing to brave June’s humidity will be rewarded with perhaps the most picturesque setting in which any boxing weigh-in has yet been conducted.

WATCH FOR FREE
JOHN McDERMOTT has promised fans he won’t be beaten by nerves when the bell rings in his return clash against Tyson Fury.

Manchester Romany gypsy Fury (10-0) risks his English heavyweight title against the Essex man (25-6) at The Brentwood Centre on Friday June 25 in a contest that also doubles as a final eliminator for the British title.

McDermott admits he constantly worries before fights, but insists he will be cool when they cross paths nine months after their epic first battle which Fury controversially won on points.

Big John, 30, said: “I do worry beforehand, but when I get in them I am gutsy and will push anyone until the end.

I worry about silly things sometimes, but that is just me.

“I always question myself and ask ‘Am I ready?’ but I know I am ready for this fight. This is a big one for me.”

In a big clash of prospects Southern Area heavyweight champion Larry ‘The War Machine’ Olubamiwo meets North Shields Dave Ferguson (12-2) in a British heavyweight title eliminator.

Other heavyweight bruisers on the bill includes Olympic bronze medallist David Price (6-0), Tom Dallas (10-0) and debutant Damien Campbell.

Also boxing on Maloney’s latest knockout show is are Ashley Sexton (9-0-1), Menay Edwards (3-0), Tony Hill (4-1) and Lewis Pettit (1-0).

Tickets are available prices £40 and £90 from 0871 226 1508 and www.frankmaloney.com

With a victory over Bernabe Concepcion on July 10, WBO Featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez will showdown with Rafael Marquez on September 18th, this according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“The only one who doesn’t agree to this deal is a guy named Bernabe Concepcion,” Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who promotes Lopez and Concepcion, said. “But we made our deal with Showtime and we have the MGM on hold.”

“I’m really excited about this fight because I believe Marquez wins the fight,” said Gary Shaw, who promotes Marquez. “I think ‘Juanma’ is overrated. [Showtime’s Ken] Hershman told me Top Rank’s deal with him was done and Beltran told me we were all buttoned up and done. So all we are waiting for is the July fight and for ‘Juanma’ to come out victorious and healthy.”

“That’s always a big rivalry (between Puerto Rican and Mexican fighters) and we’re doing the fight on the Mexican holiday,” Shaw said. “What could be bigger?”

Said Arum, “It’s a sensational fight and a great fight particularly for that date because it’s the 200th anniversary of Mexican independence.”

“Rafael Marquez really wanted this fight,” Shaw said. “He believes he wins the fight and that it’s a great opportunity for him. If he beats ‘Juanma’ he knows that anyone who doubted that he should be in the Hall of Fame won’t be able to doubt him anymore.”

“If Marquez beats Lopez, he’s got some more really big fights in the division,” Shaw said. “The next fight I’d try to make is with [Top Rank-promoted titlist Yuriorkis] Gamboa.”

“I look at the fight like another Barrera-Morales kind of fight because of their styles and the way they’re going to come and bomb each other, and not take a backward step,” Arum said.

So it’s a case of repeat or revenge, Manchester’s Tyson Fury fights for his old title this Friday at the Brentwood International centre just off the A12 against the man he won it from John Mcdermott last September in a highly controversial decision that the fight fraternity deemed a robbery that lent in favour of the Mancunian beanpole!

The villain of the peice was referee Terry O’Connor who awarded the decison along with the vacant belt to Fury, and it caused outrage let alone fury amongst many a fan let alone those in boxing.
It was almost Henry Cooper v Joe Bugner revisited, as the much younger Fury was adjudged the winner, clearly through out the contest Fury seemed to run out of ideas has Mcdermott was clearly outfighting and out hustling his far more inexperienced fellow protagonist through the ten rounds, but Fury unlike Bugner has’nt been on the end of the public’s disgust and rightfully so, then again neither should have Joe in the first place.

It was even believed that the ref O’Connor had a long running grudge with Mcdermott’s father Stan whom O’Connor boxed when he was a pro heavyweight himself and this was possibly the reason behind the ridiculous scoring, {for the record I gave Mcdermott the decision by six rounds}.
None the less Fury was stripped of the belt due to the nature of the decision and now finds himself challenging again for the vacant crown against his old nemesis, the decision even warranted a meeting with the British Boing Board of Control and they made a rematch compulsory.

In the post fight interview Mcdermott said “what do I have to do to win” well now he has the chance to get justice, at a earlier press conference Fury failed to show much to the annoyance of promoter Frank Maloney, but now the press conference has been rescheduled for the Wednesday before the actual fight and should be interesting to say the least.

So to the fight and to tell the truth I see Mcdermott exact revenge and the fight flow in a similar vein to there first meeting, Fury has boxed twice since then and injured his hand in doing in his next fight that caused a postponement of the rematch that should have taken place before Christmas last year, Mcdermott has not boxed since but should’nt be too rusty despite the lay off, I see Mcdermott being that too experienced and winning as wide if not a wider points decision this time around, and if we have a similar kind of decision, just like the billing of there first fight ‘collosal’ and the billing of this the rematch ‘conspiracy Fury’ look for it too be a collosal conspiracy and a lot of fury chucked in for good measure!

Despite my view Lenny Lee one of the most famous faces in British boxing, {you’d know his face, his the old chap on the apron in the corner of many a big fight and many a small fight, okay literally any fight on t.v and not on t.v}, Lenny thinks it’ll go in favour of Tyson, and while on the subject of old timers and Tyson, remember it was Cus D’amato Mike Tyson’s former guardian and trainer that once said it took ten years to make a good ten round fighter, that’s why I’m going for Tyson to lose, Fury that is not Mike!!!!!!!!!!

Also featured on the undercard is Dave Ferguson going up against Larry Olubamiwo the Southern Area heavyweight champ, in what is a final eliminator for the Fury-Mcdermott rematch, though it was reported it was a final eliminator for the British title, this is obviously nonsense as neither man is out of the novice stage yet, despite Larry becoming Southern Area champ in his last fight when he beat Southampton’s Colin Kenna inside of a round on the Shinny Baayar- Ashley Sexton card at Dagenham, and talking of Sexton, he will also be appearing on this show since that disapointment against Bayaar that ended in a draw, hoping to get a rematch with the Mongolian, Sexton’s the grandson of former West Ham footballer and Manchester United manager Dave Sexton and also the great grandson of former pro light heavy Archie, dad of Dave naturally.

Also featured are light heavy Menay Edwards, Olympic bronze medalist David Price who hopes to one day challenge for the richest one.

Also featured are heavyweights Damian Campbell making his debut and prospect Tom Dallas, lower down the scales you have Tony Hill at middle, Lewis Pettitt at super bantam and Ben Jones at super feather

Tickets available are £40, if you’d like to purchase then go to www.frankmaloney.com for more details.

I hope to see you there

I’ve been Michael Angelo Serra and you’ve been reading for the last couple of minutes!

any comments to micksnice@aol.com

SAN ANTONIO – Tuesday afternoon, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and his new trainer Freddie Roach conducted an open workout for local media that was much more than advertised. Far from the scripted, lather-me-up-for-the-press exercises these events usually comprise, Chavez and Roach worked long and hard. And it looked like one of them needed it.

Chavez (40-0-1, 30 KOs) arrived later than initially planned at Jesse James Leija’s Championfit Gym – part of “Latin Fury 15” fight week festivities – though not for the reasons some might expect. Originally scheduled to walk through the paces before Saturday’s co-main event star Marco Antonio Barrera, Chavez instead had his costar go first so that Chavez could have more time for stretching, shadow boxing and lots of pad work.

Before working on his new charge’s balance, timing and occasionally questionable defense, Freddie Roach answered questions with typical honesty.

“More time would have been better,” Roach said of his short training camp with Chavez. “He’s not lazy. He’s trying. But he doesn’t have all the moves yet.”

Asked to list Chavez’s strengths, Roach treated his guy’s height and reach.

“He has a great jab, but he doesn’t use it as much as I want him to,” Roach said. “He’s not 100 percent there right now.”

If Roach thought he was getting a lazy underachiever in Chavez – a label that has haunted the young Mexican with the country’s most famous name – he was pleased to learn that was not the case.

“He’s actually a very nice kid,” Roach said. “I was really surprised.”

When asked what most concerns him about Ireland’s John Duddy (29-1, 18 KOs), Chavez’s Saturday opponent, Roach was candid.

“Duddy has a pretty good right hand,” he said. “My guy tends to get hit with those.”

Probably a few left hands, too. Once Alex Ariza, Roach’s strength and conditioning coach, was done stretching Chavez and watching him shadow box, Roach put on the hand pads and began a session with Chavez that could best be called instructive. Trainer and fighter looked well-rehearsed and tightly in-sync while doing 1-2s but quickly stumbled on dead patches when their focus turned to hooks and defense.

As Roach promised, Chavez looked particularly susceptible to right crosses, as his left hand strayed low much of the time. More troublesome still were the balance issues Chavez showed while trying to come off the ropes by pivoting leftward on his lead foot. A rudimentary move, the pivot’s requisite weight shift befuddled Chavez enough for Roach to spend the better part of a round on it, belying the merits of Chavez’s pristine record and making ringsiders wonder what will happen if Duddy forces Chavez to the ropes Saturday.

That match will be the main event of a nine-fight card promoter Top Rank will stage at Alamodome, downtown.

MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA BACK IN FIGHTING TRIM
Also present Tuesday afternoon were Mexican three-division world champion Marco Antonio Barrera (65-7, 43 KOs) and undefeated Phoenix hopeful Jose Benavidez (6-0, 6 KOs). Barrera will fight little-known Brazilian lightweight Adailton De Jesus (26-4, 21 KOs) in Saturday’s co-main event, while Benavidez will face Rhode Island’s Josh Beeman (4-6-2, 2 KOs) in the card’s opening bout.

After skipping rope, doing some light shadow boxing and saluting gathered fans, Barrera took a shower, changed and greeted the media, looking trimmer than he had during a press conference last month.

Asked how high his weight had climbed after his loss to Amir Khan 15 months ago, Barrera was truthful if not proud.

“One forty-seven,” Barrera said. “I let it go a little. It was the highest it has ever been. But I have lost the weight slowly, little by little. I feel good.”

PHILADELPHIA (June 22, 2010)—On Wednesday night, July 14th, Boxing returns to The Arena in South Philadelphia as No Limits Promotions presents a night of world class boxing that will be seen all over country as the first show of the Comcast Boxing Series.

In the main event, undefeated cruiserweight and Israeli sensation, Ran Nakash battles former Light Heavyweight champion Lou Del Valle in a Cruiserweight bout scheduled for ten rounds.

The scheduled eight round co-feature will pit former Olympic Gold Medalist Felix Diaz taking on Emanuel Taylor in a battle of undefeated Welterweights.

Nakash has a record of 24-0 with eighteen knockouts and has captures the imagination of the Philadelphia boxing fans as he has amassed a record of 10-0 of Philly’s famed Legendary Blue Horizon.

Nakash of Haifa, Israel has had impressive victories over the likes Larry Robinson (10-3); Dave Brunelli (8-4); Gary Gomez (18-10-1) and Richard Stewart (14-8-2).

Nakash has scored three consecutive knockouts with the latest being a third round stoppage over Dan Sheehan on April 29th in Tel Aviv, Israel

Del Valle of New York has a record of 36-6 with twenty-two knockouts

Del Valle won his first twenty-two fights before challenging and narrowly losing a unanimous decision to long reigning champ Virgil Hill. Four wins later, Del Valle put him back in position and this time captured the WBA Championship with a eighth round stoppage over Eddy Smulders (34-1.)

In Del Valle’s first defense, he scored a knock down on legendary pound for pound king Roy Jones Jr. but came up short as he dropped a unanimous decision.

It just took for fights for Del Valle to position himself for the WBA Title again and he fought to a draw against Bruno Girard in Girard’s homeland of France.

The two fought just eleven months later with Girard pulling out a close split decision victory.

Since that fight, the eighteen year veteran has gone 5-3-1 with his latest fight being a draw with Joey Spina (25-1-1) on October 31, 2009.

Diaz of the Dominican Republic won a Gold Medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Diaz has amassed a record of 5-0 with three knockouts as a professional.

Diaz has already fought in his native Dominican Republic, Russia, Germany and this fight will be his second in the United States.

In his last fight, Diaz scores a six round unanimous decision over Orlando Membreno on March 12th in the Dominican Republic.

Taylor of Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland is just nineteen years-old but has already compiled an impressive mark of 8-0 with seven big wins by way of knockout.

Taylor, who turned pro at eighteen, has scored two consecutive stoppages, which includes a third round stoppage over Ayi Bruce (6-1) on May 7th in Huntington, NY.

Also on the bill will be former world Junior Amateur champion, Joey Dawejko (3-0, 1 KO) of Philadelphia and he will take on William Miranda (1-0) of Allentown, PA in a Heavyweight bout scheduled for four rounds.

Israeli Jr. Welterweight Oz Goldenburg (1-0) will take on Travis Thompson (3-7-1, 2 KO’s) of Pottstown, PA in a bout scheduled for four rounds.

There will be great fights to be announced shortly

The Arena is located at 7 West Ritner Street

Tickets for this memorable night of boxing are priced at $100, $75, and $50 and can be purchased at following locals:

The Joe Hand Boxing Gym (543-547 North 3rd Street) by calling 1 215 271 4263
Peltz Boxing (2501 Brown Street) 215- 765 -0922
The Arena (7 West Ritner St.) 267-687-7560
Joey Eye 267-304-9399
Don Elbaum 610-933-7510

Sources have told 15rounds.com that highly regarded Jr. Middleweight Shawn Porter will take on Ray Robinson in a fight mandated at 150 lbs in Memphis, Tennessee and will be part of a tripleheader that will feature Fernando Guerrero battling Ishe Smith as well as Lenard Lane taking on Mike Dallas Jr.

The card will take place on July 16

Porter of Akron, Ohio is 15-0 with twelve knockouts. Robinson of Philadelphia will be looking to rebound from his first professional loss on December 3rd to Brad Solomon and has a record of 11-1 with four knockouts,

The Tripleheader will be telecasted on Showtime.

Saturday night at the Renaissance Sports Complex in Valley View Ohio, MMA pioneer Dan Bobish traded in his gloves for a suit as he presented the first, in a series of shows, entitled Ultimate Cage Battles. The capacity crowd was treated to a exciting evening of amateur and professional MMA coupled with the appearance of celebrity guests that thrilled the fans. UFC Legend Mark Coleman was in attendance along with UFC fighter Wes Sims. Coleman was a 1992 Olympian, UFC 10 and UFC 11 Tournament Champion, 2000 Pride Fighting Championships Open Division, and 3 time UFC world champion & was the first ever UFC Heavyweight Champion of the World. Coleman was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame at UFC 82. The broadcast team entertained the crowd throughout the night as Bobish hired Cleveland radio personalities Marty Allen and Paul Rado who served as the blow by blow and color commentators. George Michael Phillips served as the evening’s ring announcer.

Results

Donte Adams def. Rubin Mendez
Paul Freeman def. Victor Crenshaw
Brain Forgue def. Nate Hurst
Gino DeGiulio def. Don Kintz
Kyle Booth def. Tyler Bess
Mike Stoker def. Ryan Clark
Chris Wright DRAW Larry DeGiulio
Brandon Inskeep def. Justin Goodall
William Penn def. Bill Clifford
Matt Traylor def. Evan DeLong
Nate Jolly def. Ryan Bixler
Ryan Lang def. Noe Quintania
Rob Wince def. Kyle Gibbons

In the spirit of sportsmanship, following the main event, Kyle Gibbons presented Rob Wince with a check for $500 to the Cayden Wince Memorial Scholarship fund. An emotional Wince accepted the check as the two fighters embraced to a standing ovation showing that once the final bell rings the rivalry ends and the brotherhood begins. Bobish announced that the next show will be September 11, 2010 at the Renaissance Sports Complex with a tribute to the troops theme.

At some point a word for the art of inducing black magic, “mojo,” became a synonym for momentum. Today there’s even a popular Hollywood website that tracks movies’ box-office momentum and calls it mojo. Boxing has its own such mojo.

It’s a variation on the risk-reward ratio that keeps managers awake at night. A fighter with mojo makes lots of money relative to the risk his competition poses. If you were to take a fighter’s purse, then, and divide it by his opponent’s assumed risk rating, what you would have left is a fighter’s mojo.

Well, this weekend somebody’s mojo is going to go in San Antonio. That’s where Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. battles Ireland’s John Duddy for something called the “WBC Silver Middleweight Title” in the 15th installment of promoter Top Rank’s “Latin Fury” pay-per-view series. Marco Antonio Barrera will also be there, accompanied by local prospect Raul Martinez, Mexican namesake curiosity Salvador Sanchez, and Phoenix superstar-in-the-making Jose Benavidez.

Top Rank is as much a participant in this show as any fighter because the risk-reward ratio of its main event has an uncharacteristically asymmetrical look to it. Neither Chavez nor Duddy will see his mojo improve greatly with a victory, and either Chavez or Duddy will see his mojo vanish with a loss.

This event will happen in a stadium, Alamodome, and feature two Top Rank fighters. It will be the third time Top Rank has employed this formula in 2010. Earlier this month, it put Yuri Foreman and Miguel Cotto in Yankee Stadium. Earlier this year, it put Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey in Cowboys Stadium. Top Rank takes some deserved criticism for using only its own fighters in major events, but it also deserves credit for being an anomaly: It’s the only promoter better at selling tickets than pitching television executives.

Both of Saturday’s Top Rank fighters have fan bases disproportionate to their achievements. Duddy has built a large following among Irishmen, both in the Old Country and the new, with his handsomeness, charisma and an action fighting style that in any other context could be called Mexican. He’s also benefitted from a paucity of prizefighters in shamrocks; the turn of this century gave Irish eyes fewer men to smile on than the turn of the 20th.

Chavez, meanwhile, built his following the real-old-fashioned way: He inherited it. Trafficking in his father’s name, Chavez has become the biggest draw in the “Latin Fury” franchise. How much genuine affection Mexicans feel for Junior is debatable. Mexicans’ brand loyalty, though, is not; they cheer the name of the one man who gave them anything to cheer about during Mexico’s abysmal stretch from 1988 to 1996. In return for such loyalty, Chavez often treats them to a rousing impersonation of someone uninterested in fighting.

Chavez made his professional debut almost seven years ago as a super featherweight. Without once challenging for a world title, he has climbed five weight classes. That distinction is remarkable when you consider the WBC’s profligacy with championship belts, the WBC’s Mexico City headquarters, and what the Chavez name means to Mexican athletics.

Most of Chavez’s wins have been “Big” – in the collegiate sense of the word. Junior recently finished up a five-year reign of terror on the Big 10 and Big 12 conferences. After back-to-back-to-back bludgeonings of Hoosiers, Chavez vanquished a total of 11 representatives from Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota and Michigan. Not since Pancho Villa’s raid in 1916 has a Mexican made so many Midwesterners so nervous.

And perhaps not ever has a Mexican prizefighter been so protected. Possibly, Top Rank is fed up with Chavez and done protecting him. His latest caper was a failed drug test in November, when he apparently needed diuretics to make 160 pounds.

Chavez’s recent hiring of perennial Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach only makes things more curious. Right now, Chavez could don a Philthy Rich Records t-shirt and boast, “Forty-two have tried, and forty-two have failed.” Isn’t a prospect supposed to lose before a rehabilitation tour with his new trainer?

All signs would point to a victory for John Duddy, were it not for Duddy’s performance against Mexican Michael Medina in Cowboys Stadium three months ago. Duddy looked rather hittable in that affair and won a close split decision. But both fighters wore green gloves, prompting one ringside handicapper to quip, “When a Mexican wears green gloves into a fight with an Irishman, bet the Irishman.”

Saturday in San Antonio, on the other hands, both fighters will wear the equivalent of red, white and green gloves. Or will they?

There’s a curious affinity between the Mexicans and Irish – two peoples that love battle with only a secondary interest in victory. A bottle of tequila, a bottle of whisky and a good row; really, you’d be hard pressed to find a frown in that crowd of Mexicans and Irish, whatever the result.

And that’s before you consider Los San Patricios, a battalion of Irish artillerymen conscripted to fight as U.S soldiers in the Mexican American War of 1846. Told to kill fellow Catholics, Los San Patricios deserted the American army, fought on the side of the Mexicans, and were hanged for treason by the man who would become America’s 12th president.

In South Texas, the way men acquit themselves in battles with Mexicans still means plenty. Which is why Alamodome is a proper venue for this match. It is also the place Chavez’s father fought before the largest indoor crowd a domestic prizefight has yet recorded, in 1993. That record will not be in jeopardy this week.

Wither Saturday’s fight? Duddy will fight as he always does, reducing the match to a question of courage, if he’s able. Chavez will fight something like a child of privilege – a “fresa” in Mexican parlance – who resents usurpers. And odd as that combination might sound, Chavez-Duddy will be a hell of a fight.

Bart Barry can be reached at bbarry@15rounds.com

Boxing Promoters Don King, Gary Shaw, & Tuto Zabala teamed up with Jeff Gibson of Elite Promotions for and exciting night of Boxing and MMA in Miami Beach dubbed “Battle at the Beach VIII”.

24 year old Heavyweight Mike Marrone 19-1(14KO) had a very big knockout win over Joseph Rabotte 8-14. Marrone a former Florida Golden Glove champion looked a bit rusty while working his way back into action. He fought in spots early and never seemed to engage until he dropped a bomb of a right hand in round five at 1:49.

Marrone is currently promoted by Don King and trains out of Buddy McGirts Gym in Vero Beach ,FL and was coming off of his first career first defeat in 2008 in Germany against Francesco Pianeta 20-0(12KO’s) who is now ranked #10 by the WBO. At the time of that fight, Marrone was recovering from the passing away of his younger brother Chris due to a car accident and took time off and now is back.

Jimi “Ninja” Chaikong got his first MMA victory over Steven Jenetis who was making his pro debut. Chaikong caught Jenetis in his guard and swiftly maneuvered into a triangle which put Jenetis out when the referee Jorge Ortiz waved it off midway through the first round. Congrats to Jimi Ninja for his first win in over 10 years of professional fighting and breaking his back along the way.. literally in 2001.

In a female boxing attraction Marianne Chubirka 5-4(3KO) won a majority decision over Deneise Jacobs who was making her debut. Churika and Jacobs engaged often with Chukirka landing the heavier shots often finding a home for the overhand right with a come forward style. The cards read 38-38 37-39 40-36.

MMA- Channing Ward won by triangle choke over Danceton Holcom both making pro debut.

Luis Cruz 1-0 won a unanimous decision victory over a very game Frederico Vega 1-1(1KO) both from Puerto Rico. The two fought hard from bell to bell often slugging over boxing. Cruz who is promoted by long time promoter Tuto Zabala and showed promise in his first fight for his new promoter.

In a MMA bout Sam Jones improved to 2-0 with a unanimous decision over Guillermo Marin who was making his debut.

In an action packed light welterweight matchup Roberto Lopez 3-0-2 was relentless with punches and pressure on the way to a unanimous decision over Southpaw Xavier Burges 4-1. All three judges scored the bout 40-36, as did I.

In the second knockout of the night came by way of heavyweight Donato DeMartiis 2-0(1KO) who landed a beautiful left right combo to the head of John Ramos that put out for the count late in round one. Ramos looked determined to land the big shot with several huge handed attempts only to be knocked out himself. It was a try hard effort that got the puncher knocked out by the boxer.

MMA fighter Sidney Carlton got a walkover win over Cedric James who was a no show who showed up at the weigh in’s and not the event.

JP Reese got his first MMA win over Johanner Correa when the fight was called due to strikes at 1:45 of the second round.

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA — Andre Ward continued to prove why he is the class of the super middleweight division as he completely schooled Allan Green over twelve rounds before 8,797 at the Oracle Arena in the most one-sided fight of the Super Six World Boxing Classic thus far.

Green (29-2, 20 KOs) of Tulsa, Oklahoma claimed in the build-up to their fight that he understood jive, and that was the reason why he would do what Mikkel Kessler could not – defeat Andre Ward. That statement proved to be completely false as Green had no answers for anything Ward did inside the ring on Saturday night.

Ward (21-0, 13 KOs) of Oakland began to exact his dominance in the third, as he pressed Green to the ropes and kept him there. Ward remained in Green’s face, as he found success with his uppercut with the Tulsa native’s back against the ropes. Ward, 167 ¾, continued to do excellent work as the third round continued. Green, refusing to move away from the ropes, was hit by everything in Ward’s varied attack, including a clean right hook, body shots and the uppercut.

The fourth round looked like much the third, as Ward continued to prove to be an adept inside fighter. Ward began the fifth fighting at long range seemingly to just show that he could dominate at that distance just as much as he had done at close quarters the previous stanza. A brief exchange late in the round would give great insight to Ward’s superiority over Green. A right landed for Ward, he then blocked Green’s retort and landed a clean counter to close the round. If Green, 166, could not compete effectively on the outside, he had no shot in the fight.

Green resorted to holding for much of the sixth, especially after Ward got him in trouble early in the frame. Ward opened up a bit with Green against the ropes again, landing a clean left hook to close the round. Green was clearly a beaten and dejected fighter as he sat down on his stool before the seventh.

By the seventh round, the lead right hand thrown at long range had become a lethal weapon for Ward. The Oakland native began to utilize feints to find openings for clean blows throughout the middle rounds. Green looked completely lost, with his will to make the fight apparently depleted. With Green in survival mode, Ward picked his shots as the fight progressed.

As the fight wound down, Green would get caught clean at times, often while he looked to tie up Ward. The only question that remained was whether or not Ward would rally to score the knockout, or if Green would hang on until the final bell. To Green’s credit, he did not take the easy way out, and made it to the final bell. As the fight concluded, Oakland celebrated as their fighting son soaked in the adulation. Scores revealed the fight to be a shutout, as judges Glenn Feldman, Marty Sammon and Alfredo Polanco unanimously scored the bout 120-108 for Ward.

Somewhat expectedly Green gave Ward credit for the win, but found an excuse to justify the one-sided defeat. “Ward fought a hell of a fight,” said Green in the immediate aftermath. “I came in at 166, which was a little lower than I expected, and I feel it sapped me. I felt extremely weak. I trained hard, but I don’t feel I did it effectively.”

Despite failing to win a single round against Ward tonight, Green will fight Mikkel Kessler for his WBC Super Middleweight title later this year in Group Stage 3 of the Super Six tournament. At a press conference last month, Ward’s trainer Virgil Hunter had stated his belief that Green would go on to defeat Kessler in the next stage, but tonight’s fight seemed to curb those feelings.

“If he can make the adjustments, he’s got a style that can be successful for him against Kessler,” Hunter said. “But if he comes in like he did tonight, I think Kessler is going to cut right through him. Because of the type of fighter Kessler is. But Kessler will put himself at risk, so Allan Green does have a puncher’s chance.”

Ward had a conversation with Green after the fight that offers some insight on that Group Stage 3 match-up. “Before this fight, I liked Allan Green [to beat Kessler,]” said Ward. “But he revealed some things to me after the fight, about his weight, how he needs to go up to 175- and how he felt flat. I told him, ‘if you train smart and get the weight off smart I think you can beat Kessler and go get the belt.’ But he kind of seemed out of it, and he was like ‘yeah, well, I don’t know.’ So if that weight is that big of a deal, I would have to lean towards Kessler.”

“But if he can regroup and get the weight off the right way and still be strong, I think he has a bit more than Kessler,” said Ward, who could have a bright career has an analyst later on in life. “But he has got to prove it. You have got to stop the talk and you have got to be able to prove you can compete at this level. Kessler has proved it, he has not yet.”

Perhaps the most anticipated Group Stage 3 pairing will be Ward’s title defense against his former 2004 U.S. Olympic teammate and close friend Andre Dirrell. No fight to take place in the tournament thus far has a deeper back-story. If you have been following the Fight Camp 360° documentary series on Showtime, then you have seen them root for one another every step of the way. It was apparent at the post-fight press conference that Ward does have mixed feelings about the bout.

“It will be difficult to fight Andre Dirrell in the upcoming fight, but I am going to put that aside for now,” said Ward. “We have got to find a way to get it done. But I have never experienced it before, so I can’t really say how I am going to feel. We have just got to find a way to get it done.”

Many fight pundits have expressed concerns regarding the unnerving end to Dirrell’s disqualification victory over Arthur Abraham in Group Stage 2 in March. Dirrell, who was defenseless after having slipped to a knee, was hit by a devastating blow from Abraham. In the moments that immediately followed, Dirrell was incoherent and inconsolable. Ward believes that his good friend is in fine health, and that scary scene will have no bearing on their fight.

“I think he is ok,” stated Ward. “I think it looked bad, but I think a lot of people are a little too worried about it. It was a concussive kind of shot, but I don’t think it was a career-ending shot or anything like that. I think he is fine, he is still silly as ever. He is still Andre to me, so I don’t think it is a problem.”

Win or lose against Dirrell later this year, Andre Ward has clinched his place in the semi-finals of the Super Six with the four points he has earned after two fights. Having scored the tournament’s only knockout, Abraham is sitting pretty with three points, while the rest of the field will be fighting for their tournament existence in the third stage. What is most clear after tonight, Andre Ward is the man to beat.

Junior welterweight Steve Upsher Chambers (22-1-1, 6 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania remained undefeated as he boxed his way to a unanimous eight-round decision over Hector Alatorre (16-10, 5 KOs) of Tulare, California in the last fight before the main event.

Chambers, 144, was cut in the third round by what was ruled an accidental head clash, but failed to allow that to bother him at anytime in the bout. Alatorre, 142 ½, hit the canvas in the fourth, possibly from a left hand, however referee Dan Stell ruled that it was slip. It was not clear from ringside what caused Alatorre to go down, but soon after the Tulare resident was clearly stunned. Chambers pressed Alatorre the rest of the round, but was unable to fully capitalize on the moment.

As the fourth round came to a close, it looked as though Chambers may score his seventh stoppage, but the Philly fighter let off the gas pedal and cruised to the decision the rest of the way. Alatorre failed to threaten at any point and was unable to solve the puzzle of the smooth-boxing Chambers. Judge Kermit Bayless scored the fight a shutout, 80-72, while Marshall Walker and Jon Schorle both had it 79-73.

Tough luck light heavyweight Billy Bailey (10-8, 4 KOs) of Bakersfield, California rocked unbeaten prospect Mark Tucker (14-0, 7 KOs) of Eldersburg, Maryland several times over eight rounds, but failed to win over the judges who scored the fight unanimously for his DiBella Entertainment-promoted opponent.

Bailey, 175, got off to a great start, as he rocked Tucker, 175, with a couple clubbing overhand rights to close round one. As the fight progressed, Bailey would get outworked by the jab-and-move style of Tucker for stretches, but then clearly land the harder shots. Tucker found his rhythm in round four, the one round that was clearly his. The pace slowed in the next two rounds which favored the boxer Tucker.

Bailey regained control of the fight in the seventh as he landed a solid combination that buckled Tucker’s knees late in the round. Tucker resulted to clutching the onrushing Bailey and even ducked his head out of the top rope to avoid shots in several instances. The eighth looked much like the final minute of the seventh, as Bailey chased down a wobbly Tucker looking to land the one punch he needed to score a knockdown. Unfortunately for Bailey, Tucker managed to grapple and move enough to avoid a potentially fight-ending blow.

Judges Marshall Walker and Jon Schorle both scored the bout 77-75, while Judge Kermit Bayless had the fight a puzzling 78-74 for Tucker. The official scores read by the ring announcer were vehemently booed by the crowd on hand. With the victory, Tucker claimed the inaugural WBO NABO Youth Light Heavyweight title.

Fight fans that made their way to the arena promptly at the five o’clock start time were treated to an entertaining four-round slugfest as Alexander Podrezov (2-0) of Los Angeles, California by way of Sukhumi, Abkhazi scored a four-round majority decision over game journeyman John Dunham (1-6-1) of Stockton, California. Outside of a dominant third round, Podrezov, 144, was pushed in every frame by the free-swinging Dunham, 142. In the end Judge Marshall Walker had the fight even, 38-38, but was overruled by the scores of Jon Schorle and Kermit Bayless, who had the fight 39-37 for Podrezov.

In the first of two walkout bouts, former amateur star Michael Ruiz Jr. (3-0, 1 KO) of Fresno, California survived the first scare of his professional career, coming off of the canvas to score a four-round unanimous decision over Juan Tepoz (4-3-1) of Santa Rosa, California. Pacheco, 118, came right at Ruiz, 117 ½, eventually landing a right hand to down him in the first round. Ruiz, likely a bit shaken by the blow, got up quick and made it to the bell. As the fight went on, Ruiz began to flash his superior boxing skills, landing his cleanest shots after countering the aggressive Tepoz. After a fourth round that clearly favored the Fresno native, all three judges, Kermit Bayless, Jon Schorle and Marshall Walker, had the fight for Ruiz by the score of 38-37.

In the final fight of the evening, welterweight prospect Willie Nelson (14-0-1, 8 KOs) of Cleveland, Ohio scored a first-round stoppage over faded former title challenger Jesse Feliciano (15-10-3, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada. Nelson, 148, came right at Feliciano, 149, who was all too willing to engage. Nelson, who is Paul Williams-like in size, quickly landed a left jab, straight right combination to down Feliciano. The always game Feliciano got up to his feet, but was not on sturdy legs. Nelson moved in and landed a flashy combination that prompted referee Dan Stell to stop the fight at the mark of 1:23 of the first. Nelson was a replacement for former 140-pound titlist Kendall Holt, who decided he needed more time before launching his comeback at welterweight. For Feliciano, a loser of five straight bouts against high caliber competition, it appears time to call it career.

Photo by Jan Sanders/Goossen Tutor Promotions

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA — Light heavyweight Billy Bailey has been in this role before. In fact, he has made it a habit to find himself starring across the ring at an undefeated prospect, or a tough contender, in a situation where he is not the guy expected to win. It has not always gone his way, but sometimes it does. Two things are for sure however. That prospect will be tested, perhaps like never before, and Billy Bailey will have given the ticket buyer ringside their money’s worth when the fight is over. Tonight on the Andre Ward-Allan Green undercard at the Oracle Arena, Bailey takes on emerging light heavyweight prospect Mark Tucker.

Bailey (10-7, 4 KOs) of Bakersfield, California comes into this fight with the bitter taste of a controversial eight-round majority decision loss to Danny Santiago less than one month ago. The fight took place in Santiago’s home state of Florida. “I kind of learned to pick and choose the places that have the reputation of having a good commission, and a fair and straight-up commission,” said Bailey, who has fought in six different states or provinces in his last six fights. “Florida is one of those places, they have a good reputation. You try to do that, but sometimes it doesn’t turn out that way. That wasn’t fairness at all.”

After eight-rounds that Santiago helped make look ugly, Bailey was denied victory by two points on one card, and a head-scratching four points on another. “The ref called the guy at least twenty times for holding and there was never a point deduction, which I believe would have changed the whole course of the fight. That is all the guy did, run and hold, and I don’t know how you can win a fight that way.”

Putting the Santiago fight quickly in the rearview mirror, Bailey makes a long overdue return to California tonight against Tucker. “It is nice to fight in my home state, so much so that I realize when I see the Commission they recognize me, but so much time has gone by, there is no real recent conversation,” said Bailey Friday. “It is great to fight California. It has just been so long since I have done they hit me with the sixty dollar licensing fee. It has been so long since I have paid it.”

In Mark Tucker, Bailey will be fighting a bit of an unknown to him. “I haven’t seen too much film of him,” admitted Bailey. “There has been a few brief clips, but I think they pulled most of what there was on him off [of the internet]. He’s had some close decisions and there was some decent wins against guys kind of on their way down. I guess we will find out tomorrow night, but I feel pretty good about the fight.”

If his quote from a recent press release is accurate, Tucker watched some tape on Bailey. “Billy comes to win and has pulled off upsets in the past, so I had a terrific camp to properly prepare,” said the taller Tucker (13-0, 7 KOs) of Eldersburg, Maryland. The fight is for the vacant WBO NABO Youth Light Heavyweight title, which is an indication to Bailey that he may have not been their first choice for the fight. “It means that I am just the guy to fill the card on that slot basically,” said Bailey, 32-years-old. “You know they weren’t thinking about me. This guy just signed with DiBella, so it is all about him.” Age and experience could play a factor in the fight, and Bailey feels both favor him. “California, regardless of what anybody says, has a lot tougher circuit than most places, regardless of where you go. I think he is used to the guys out there, and I believe this is a different story, but we will find out tomorrow night.”

Over the course of his career, Bailey has earned a reputation for seeking tough fights and giving tough fights to good fighters. Tomorrow should prove no different. “When I see a guy that has the same experience level as I do, I am not intimidated about that,” states Bailey. “I don’t think so much about my reputation, I think more about wanting to go in and do my best and train hard and win the fight. And wherever that takes me I believe that is up to God.”

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

Sherzod Husanov made a successful United States debut by scoring a ten round majority decision over Jhon Berrio in a Jr. Middleweight bout in Spokane, Washington.

Husanov was more effective with consistent scoring blows that got inside the hard charging but wild Berrio.

Husanov, who made a long trek from Siberia just three days before the fight showed some signs of fatigue in the middle rounds but dug deep to win some of the later rounds to solidify the victory.

Husanov, 153 1/2 lbs is now 10-0-1. Berrio, 156 lbs of Colombia is 15-7.

Maxim Vlasov scored a third round knockout over former Olympian Jerson Ravelo in round three of a scheduled ten round Super Middleweight bout.

Vlasov was effective with the right hand in the first while Ravelo tried to work the body in the second. A minute into the third, Vlasov landed a booming right that dumped Ravelo on the canvas and could not beat referee Jeff Macaluso’s ten count at 1:12 of round three.

Vlasov, 166 1/2 lbs of Samara, Russia is now 18-0 with nine knockouts. Ravelo, 167 1/2 lbs of Newark, NJ is now 20-5.

Jonte Willis scored a thirf round knockdown en route to a four round unanimous decision over Leo Bercier in a Heavyweight bout.

Willis was dominant against Bercier, who took the fight on one day notice. In round three, a series of uppercuts forced Bercier to take a knee. Willis was never threatened in the fight.

Willis, 214 1/2 lbs of Tacoma, WA won by scores of 40-35 on all cards to remain undefeated at 7-0. Bercier, 210 3/4 lbs of Lakeside, CA is 8-13-1.

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA — The build-up for the final Group Stage 2 bout of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, extended by two months due to injury, has finally reached its crescendo and all that is left is the fight itself. Andre Ward, the top super middleweight regardless of where some boxing publications rank him, defends his WBA Super Middleweight title for the first time against longtime contender Allan Green tonight at the Oracle Arena. The two counterparts got one last look at each other after weighing in Friday afternoon at the Hilton Oakland Airport.

Ward (21-0, 13 KOs) of Oakland will enter the ring tonight in his new role as the betting favorite to win the entire Super Six tournament. Ward found himself in that role by knocking off the number one 168-pounder in the world, and the original favorite, Mikkel Kessler in his last fight. Tonight’s fight also marks the first time in many years that a native San Francisco Bay Area fighter will be defending his world title in the Bay Area, once a thriving boxing hotbed.

Opposing Ward is the formidable tournament newcomer, Green (29-1, 20 KOs) of Tulsa, Oklahoma, who replaced Jermain Taylor after his scary knockout loss to Arthur Abraham last year. Green has been on the cusp of title contention for several years, but never before fought for a world title. Despite the lack of a big fight victory on his ledger, Green was disgusted that he was left off the original Super Six roster and hopes to show the odds-makers why he deserved the sixth spot from the beginning.

Somewhat ironically this is a fight that could have happened two or three years ago. Ward’s promoter Dan Goossen had attempted to put his promising young star in with Green then, but for whatever reason the talks ultimately broke down. Following a Ward victory in San Jose, California, Goossen even told the media on hand that he would not revisit the Green fight because of how poorly the negotiations went. In the two years that followed, advertently or inadvertently, Ward found another way of proving his superiority over Green: by beating old Green opponents more convincingly than Green had, and by beating Green’s lone conqueror, Edison Miranda.

Earlier in the week, those two other opponents, Rubin Williams and Jerson Ravelo, went on record by picking Ward to win tonight. In any event, a fight that would have been a pick ‘em contest two years ago, is not such today, but a compelling fight nonetheless. It is also a fight that could determine much of how the rest of the Super Six tournament plays out. There are too many possible what if scenarios to play out here, but the who wins and how is crucial to every participant in the tournament. On top of everything, it matches two contrasting styles in and out of the ring which should translate to compelling entertainment for those looking on at the Oracle Arena and for those watching on Showtime. Before their final nose-to-nose meeting, Ward scaled 167 ¾-pounds, while Green came in at 166.

Heading up the off-television undercard, unbeaten Steve Upsher Chambers (21-1-1, 6 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania will take on venerable journeyman Hector Alatorre (16-9, 5 KOs) of Tulare, California in an eight-round welterweight fight. Chambers, who will fighting outside of his home state for the first time in his career, has fought all but one of his pro bouts at the Legendary Blue Horizon. Alatorre, who had an accomplished amateur career, is coming off of a tenth-round stoppage defeat to Victor Ortiz in February. Chambers scaled 144, while Alatorre weighed in at 142 ½-pounds.

Former amateur standout Michael Ruiz Jr. (2-0, 1 KO) of Fresno, California will see action against the pugnacious Juan Tepoz (4-2-1) of Santa Rosa, California in a four-round bantamweight fight. Ruiz, who scaled 117 ½, fought just last month and scored a devastating second-round knockout of Jose Pacheco on the Paul Williams-Kermit Cintron undercard in Carson, California. Tepoz, who weighed in at 118-pounds Friday, last fought in April, scoring a four-round decision over the same Jose Pacheco.

Making his debut under the DiBella Entertainment banner, Mark Tucker (13-0, 7 KOs) of Eldersburg, Maryland will take on the always tough Billy Bailey (10-7, 4 KOs) of Bakersfield, California for the vacant WBO NABO Youth Light Heavyweight title in an eight-rounder. Tucker has fought almost exclusively in his home state of Maryland, but has chalked up wins over a few faded, but notable names, including the aforementioned Rubin Williams. The streaky Bailey, coming in off of a controversial majority decision loss to former title challenger Danny Santiago in Florida, has fought a slew of prospects and been known to spring the occasional upset. Tucker originally scaled 175 ½-pounds, but was attempting to work off the extra one-half pound at press time. Bailey, a youthful 32-years-old, scaled 175-pounds even.

Welterweight prospect Willie Nelson (13-0-1, 8 KOs) of Cleveland, Ohio will take on former title challenger Jesse Feliciano (15-9-3, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada in an eight-round swing bout. Nelson, in the Paul Williams mold of a welterweight by standing 6’3” with a unique reach advantage over every opponent he meets, took the fight after Kendall Holt passed in order to give himself more time to prepare as he readies to launch a comeback. The well-traveled Feliciano is hoping to end a four-fight skid which has come against top notch competition. Nelson weighed in at 148-pounds, while Feliciano scaled 149.

Opening up the fight card, Alexander Podrezov (1-0) of Los Angeles, California by way of Sukhumi, Abkhazia will take on John Dunham (1-5-1) of Stockton, California in a four-round welterweight fight. Podrezov, who scaled 144-pounds, turned professional in March, posting a four-round decision over J.C. Saade. Dunham, who came in at 142-pounds, broke through to the win column for the first time in his career two weeks ago, as he bested debuting Herman Bacho after four-rounds in San Rafael, California.

Former WBC Lightweight Champion Jessica Rakoczy (31-3, 11 KOs) of Las Vegas had hoped to end a layoff of nearly a year tonight as she begins a campaign at featherweight, however her scheduled opponent inexplicably came in grossly overweight, prompting the California State Athletic Commission to cancel the bout. Ella Nunez (9-6-1, 2 KOs) of Jamestown, New York took the scales only to come in at 137 ½-pounds, some 11 ½ pounds over the contracted weight. Nunez, who has some solid wins on her resume, including a knockout of current titlist Kina Malpartida, may have thought close would be good enough. Nunez outweighed her last opponent, Melissa Hernandez, by eight pounds in February. A dejected Rakoczy weighed in at 124 ½-pounds, but will have to wait longer than she expected to return to the ring.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions, Antonio Leonard T&T Productions and DiBella Entertainment, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBA Super Middleweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Ward 167 ¾
Green 166

Welterweights, 8 Rounds
Upsher Chambers 144
Alatorre 142 ½

Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Ruiz Jr. 117 ½
Tepoz 118

WBO NABO Youth Light Heavyweight Championship, 8 Rounds
Tucker 175 ½*
Bailey 175

Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Podrezov 144
Dunham 142

Welterweights, 8 Rounds
Nelson 148
Feliciano 149

Featherweights, 6 Rounds
Rakoczy 124 ½
Nunez 137 ½
-Fight called off due to weight disparity

*Tucker attempting to lose ½ pound at press time.

Ward-Green Photo by Jan Sanders/Goossen Tutor Promotions

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

Former four-time world title challenger Omar Sheika took out journeyman Jim Strohl in three rounds in a scheduled eight round Light Heavyweight bout at Ceder Gardens in Hamilton Township, New Jersey.

It was all Sheika from the outset as he blasted away at Strohl with head and body shots that could be heard several rows back. The fight became one-sided in round two as Sheika was pounding away on a game Strohl and the underdog’s left eye became red and there were several instances where referee Lindsey Page was a punch or two away from ending things. Sheika came out to end the night in round three as he trapped Strohl on the ropes several times as he would land multi punch combinations that finally opened up at least one cut around the eyes of Strohl. One last flurry of body and head shots forced Page to jump in and halt the action in round three.

Sheika, 176 lbs of Paterson, NJ has now scored three consecutive stoppages and is now 29-9 with twenty-one knockouts. Stohl of Las Vegas is now 27-9.

Terrence Cauthen boxed his way to an eight round split decision over Cleotis Pendarvis in a welterweight bout.

Cauthen consistently beat Pendarvis to the punch by landing some solid right hooks to the head and body and garbbing before Pendarvis could gesustained offense going.

Scores were 79-73 and 77-75 for Cauthen while a third card read 77-75 for Pendarvis.

Cauthen, 148 lbs of Trenton, NJ is 35-6. pendarvis, 146 lbs of Los Angeles is now 10-3-2.

In an exciting four round Super Bantamweight bout, Benjamin Morales squeaked out a unanimous decision over Francisco Ortiz.

The bout was action packed throughout with bot guys standing toe toe and at some points did some good in-fighting on the ropes.

Morales got the better of the first two frames and maybe got the slight advantage in the final frame to win by a 39-37 tally on all three judges cards.

Morales, 122 lbs of Allentown, PA is 1-0. Ortiz, 122 lbs of Vega Baja, PR is now 1-1.

Rami Ibrahim scored a terrific one punch stoppage over Marcus Smith in a scheduled four round Lightweight bout.

Ibrahim was all over Smith in the first frame and landed a hard right that dropped Smith in the second. When Smith got to his feet he was unsteady and the referee stopped the bout at 1:02 of round two.

Ibrahim, 136 lbs of Philadelphia is now 3–1 with one knockout. Smith, 134 1/2 lbs of Trenton, NJ is 0-3.

Charles Heyward scored a systematic unanimous decision over Reshawn Scott in a four round Light Heavyweight bout

All three judges scored the bout 40-36 in favor of Heyward, 177 lbs of Philadelphia and is now 4-2. Scott. 180 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia is 2-4.

Alando Swain got into the win column with an emphatic four round unanimous decision over alil Farah in a Super Middleweight bout.

Swain buckled Farah on several occasions and won by scores of 40-36, 30-36 and 39-37.

Swain, 162 lbs of Trenton, NJ is now 1-1. Farah, 167 lbs of Philadelphia is 6-5.

Osnel Charles scored a four round unanimous decision over Ramon Ellis in a Lightweight bout.

All three judges saw the fight 39-37 for Chales, 134 lbs of Atlantic City who is now 3-2. Ellis, 137 lbs of Philadelphia is now 0-6.

The card was promoted by Nedal Boxing and can be seen this Sunday on gofightlive.tv

Thus far, the Super Six World Boxing Classic has lived up to both its hype and intentions. Every match-up has produced a solid, if not exciting, fight. Outside of a draw, just about every possible outcome of a professional bout has occurred once. Some controversy, some thrills and some upsets. Other than Arthur Abraham, who scored the only knockout in the tournament to this point, every fighter involved is still at risk of being eliminated after Group Stage 3. The idealistic concept has turned into a reality. However, surely the main purpose when this whole thing began was to create one, if not more than one, boxing megastar. If that goal does come to fruition, the Super Six could truly be deemed a success. After only five fights, if you were to pick one fighter that could turn that objective into reality, that one fighter would be Andre Ward, the pride of Oakland, California, who takes on Allan Green tonight on Showtime.

This writer came to choose Ward as the potential “breakout star” of the tournament for many reasons, some obvious and some not. Let us start with the obvious. Andre Ward (21-0, 13 KOs) is the sole remaining undefeated fighter left in the Super Six. While often times too much weight is placed on that “O,” it does seem to mean a lot to the casual fan and the casual fan is the one a breakthrough star needs to attract. The diehard fans can decipher an undefeated record that is built up and one that has been earned. Ward has earned his undefeated record, most especially by supplanting Mikkel Kessler as the WBA Super Middleweight Champion and the top gun at 168-pounds last November.

Ward’s rise to the super middleweight throne was the realization of promise, and the disproving of doubt and it is that road which enriches his back-story. As one would expect for any Olympic Gold Medalist, the highest of hopes were held for Ward when he turned professional in 2004. However, shortly after he entered the paid ranks with an HBO-televised win, whispers started circling Ward. After getting buzzed by Kenny Kost in his second pro bout, and hitting the canvas in his seventh against Darnell Boone, the pundits began questioning his chin. When injuries to his hands or his knees stalled his career, some wondered if he would ever be physically able to reach the upper levels of the sport.

Much like the skinny-legged, junior lightweight version of Oscar De La Hoya who hit the canvas in the early stages of his career only to prove to have a sturdy chin, Ward seemingly did the same when he moved up from middleweight to 168-pounds in 2007. And while injuries can creep up at anytime, the fact that Ward healed quickly enough from a recent setback with one of his knees to make this weekend’s fight against Allan Green is a good sign for his future. Nothing can endear a fighter more to his fans than the ability to overcome, and Ward has proven he can do that.

Ward has an opportunity to take another leap towards superstardom when he defends his WBA title against Allan Green before his rapidly growing fan base at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. Just as styles make fights, differing personalities can add an intriguing side story to a prizefight. Ward has been a breath of fresh air for a sport that too often showcases fighters as they turn up their braggadocio to the nth degree. A modest, deeply spiritual family man that likes to let his fists do his talking, Ward shies away from boasting about his accomplishments at nearly any cost. Allan Green in many ways is the anti-Ward, a cocky trash-talker if there ever was one. This contrast, which has been played up to some degree by the Fight Camp 360° documentary series on Showtime, adds a second layer to an already intriguing fight. Should Ward win, it could be perceived by some, unfairly perhaps, as a victory of good over evil.

The general sporting public is always a sucker for a good human interest story and over the years boxing has provided many. When a fighter allows light to be shed on an emotional personal story it can go a long way in connecting them with fight fans. In recent weeks, some in the media have pointed out that Ward will defending his title, for the first time, on Father’s Day weekend. Frank Ward, Andre’s father, a former amateur fighter himself, introduced his son to boxing before passing away suddenly in 2002.

Andre never saw his father fight, since home video cameras had not yet made their way into widespread use, but that did not stop Frank from inspiring his son to pick up the sport he loved. “Listening to my dad, he was the ultimate competitor, like I feel I am,” Ward told Comcast SportsNet Bay Area’s Greg Papa earlier this week. “And he did not like to lose. That being said, all I had to hear was some of my dad’s old war stories, and that was enough to introduce me and get me to want to start boxing. Just hearing his stories alone, and how passionate he was about preparing for fights and fighting in general, that was enough to make me want to become a boxer.”

Fighting on Father’s Day weekend does add additional motivation for Ward. “Father’s Day was [my dad’s] favorite holiday,” revealed Ward. “He never wanted me and my brother to buy him a card. He always wanted us to make him a card. Father’s Day was his day, so I am going to dedicate this fight to Nick Charles, the Showtime analyst battling cancer, but also to my father because Father’s Day was his day. Those are the type of things you use as a champion, and as a challenger, to drive you and push you to victory and I am going to use that Saturday night.”

Sports athletes are often propped up as heroes or role models, and more often than not they should not be. While no one should be held to the standard of being a role model for simply making their living in sport, Ward’s character allows you to feel comfortable tagging him in that way. It is for that reason more so than any other, that Ward has a chance to be the brightest star that emerges from the Super Six World Boxing Classic. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he can fight too.

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

CLICK TO ORDER
HAMILTON, NEW JERSEY (June 18, 2010)—He has long been known as one of the most exciting fighters in the world. He is a former four-time world title challenger and has shared the ring with the legendary Roy Jones Jr.

The card is promoted by Nedal Boxing

Omar Sheika is always in fan friendly fights and this Friday night it looks to be no exception as he will take on Jim Strohl to headline an eight bout card TONIGHT!! at Cedar Gardens in Hamilton, New Jersey with all the action being seen LIVE on www.gofightlive.tv

Sheika of nearby Paterson, New Jersey has a record of 29-9 with twenty knockouts.

He has challenged for the world Super Middleweight title four times, coming up short on each occasion. Sheika has long been known as one of the best action fighters around as each of his fights provides excitement, blood and knockdowns.

Since moving full-time to Light Heavyweight, Sheika is 3-1 with all wins coming via knockout with the only loss being to Jones.

Sheika has two consecutive knockouts with his previous fighting being a fourth round stoppage over Garrett Wilson on March 26th in a bout that was seen all over the world on www.gofightlive.tv

Strohlhas a very respectable record of 27-8 with twenty-one knockouts and like Sheika has faced top competiton.

Strohl, of Las Vegas won his first sixteen bouts before dropping a split decision to Calvin Lampkin (16-2).

Srohl went on to win nine straight fights before dropping seven of nine to world class opponents as he has fluctuated between Super Middleweight and Heavyweight.

Those losess have come to Heavyweight contender Cedric Boswell (20-0); former Heavyweight title challenger Calvin Brock (14-0); Rob Calloway (52-6); Currant IBF Light Heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud (14-0); Perennial contender Joey Spina (22-1-1) and his most recent effort, Strohl dropped a ten round unanimous decision to undefeated prospect, Mark Tucker (11-0).

The eight round co-feature will pit former U.S. Olympian, Terrance “The Heat” Cauthen taking on upset-minded Cleotis Pendarvis

Cauthen of nearby Trenton, NJ has a very glossy record of 34-6 with nine knockouts.

Like Sheika, Cauthen has been on the brink so many times and at age thirty-four he feels he has one last good run in him.

Cauthen is known as a slick boxer and has shown the skills that made him an Olympian in 1996.

He has some solid wins such as a unanimous decision over former world title challenger Ricky Quiles (33-5-3) and former U.S. Olympian Dante Craig (17-4) and then undefeated prospect Alexis Camacho (16-0)

Cauthen has dropped decisions to pound for pound top-10 Paul Williams (25-0); Contenders Sechew Powell (21-1) and undefeated Canadian Antonin Decarie (22-0)

In his last bout, Cauthen took an eight round unanimous decision from Isam Khalil (15-1-2) in a bout that was broadcast all over the world in www.gofightlive.tv

Although Pendarvis doesn’t have a long resume, just 10-2-2 with four knockouts, he has proven that at age twenty-three he doesn’t fear any man.

In his last two bouts, the native of Los Angeles has took on undefeated foes in Mauricio Herrera (12-0) and Hector Sanchez (18-0).

He narrowly lost a majority decision to Herrera and then stopped Sanchez in five rounds back on April 2nd in Las Vegas.

Those are just two of the eight bout scheduled for Friday; Here is the rest of the card:

Charles Heyward (3-2, 1 KO) vs Reshawn Scott (2-3)—4 Rounds Light Heavyweights
Ramon Ellis (0-5) vs Osnel Charles (2-2)—4 Rounds Lightweights
Marcus Smith (0-2) vs Rami Ibraham (2-8-1)—4 Rounds Jr. Welterweights
Khalil Farah (6-4, 1 KO) vs Alando Swain (0-1) 4 Rounds Light Heavyweights
Francisco Ortiz (1-0) vs Benjamin Morales (PD)—4 rounds Featherweights
Jose Calderon (PD) vs TBA – 4 Rounds Jr. Welterweights

ALL THE ACTION BEGINS AT 7:30 PM EASTERN/4:30 PM PACIFIC FOR JUST $9.99 BY CLICKING:

http://www.gofightlive.tv/showEvent.do?eventId=705