Perez fails drugs test after loss to Broner


Recent world title challenger Eloy Perez tested positive for cocaine following his knockout loss to Adrien Broner on February 25th in St. Louis according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“I’m obviously disappointed by this,” said Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer. “There’s no excuse and nothing more you can say. It’s not good.”

The Monterey (Calif.) Herald reported Wednesday that Garcia Boxing, which had guided Perez into a mandatory position for a shot at Broner’s 130-pound title, had released Perez from his contract on Monday but did not give a reason.

“Due to pending matters, we are not at liberty to discuss his personal and professional conduct,” Kathy Garcia told the paper.

“It’s not good for the sport, but most important, it is not good for Eloy Perez,” Schaefer said. “You’re not talking about a performance-enhancing drug. You’re talking about cocaine. I feel bad for Eloy and his family. This is something he will have to deal with and need help with. We wish him the best.”

“We haven’t addressed yet if we are going to release him or not,” he said. “First and foremost, I just feel bad for Eloy and his family because this is a serious issue. I’m sure fight fans are concerned about this as well.”

“In response to your question regarding Eloy Perez, drug test results, like other information regarding licensees, are confidential,” public information officer David Owen told ESPN.com via email. “Therefore, the office of athletics has no public or open information in response to this inquiry.”



Alexander-Maidana; Broner – Perez on February 25th in St. Louis


Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that an HBO Boxing After Dark doubleheader has been inked for February 25th in St. Louis that will feature former Jr. Welterweight champions Devon Alexander battling Marcos Maidana while the co-feature will pit WBO Jr. Lightweight champion Adrien Broner taking on mandatory challenger Eloy Perez.

“Devon’s like a big brother to me,” Broner said Monday night. “I grew up with him through the amateurs. Feb. 25, you can’t ask for nothin’ better than this card.”

“I have emails from both sides confirming the fights. Everything is agreed on and I have a deal with HBO,” said Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer.

Maidana-Alexander has been in the works for about a month.

“They both feel that they are going to have an even bigger impact on the sport in the higher weight class,” Schaefer said. “Devon, based on what I am hearing, he feels significantly better at 147 than he did at 140.

“For Maidana, I think you can put him in any weight class and he’s exciting as hell. Give or take a few pounds, it doesn’t matter. He is a warrior and he will fight anyone and make it exciting.”

“I think it’s going to be a great fight and fan friendly,” Kevin Cunningham, Alexander’s manager and trainer said. “Devon at 147 will have the speed, snap and energy that allows him to perform at 100 percent. St. Louis is a fight town and has always supported the St. Louis fighters. Devon has a special bond with his community and on Feb. 25 they are going to come out in full force to support him.”

“Eloy is an exciting guy, Broner is an exciting guy, so it’s a fight I am looking forward to seeing. I think it’s a toe-to-toe fight. I think Broner has the talent and charisma we need in boxing. What fighter asks his father to comb his hair during his interview with (HBO’s) Max Kellerman? He is an entertainer and a terrific young fighter.”

Said Broner, “I know a lot that want to see me lose and a lot that want to see me win. Perez will come prepared but I am going to come in the ring fresh, fly and flashy, and I’m going to have my brush with me. He’s good, 23-0 with seven knockouts, but from his record, he can’t punch his way out of a wet paper bag. But he’s obviously good and has always come out on top in his fights.

“Against me, he’s gonna be just like the other 22 I have faced. This is going to be his first ‘L.’ I’m not going looking for the KO, but I just don’t feel he will last 12 rounds with me

Overstock’s brash CEO delivers 1st annual profit overstockcouponcodenow.org overstock coupon code

AP Online April 5, 2010 | PAUL FOY If Overstock.com’s unconventional CEO had a defining moment, it might have been a conference call he had with investors five years ago.

For an hour, Patrick Byrne lashed out at what he called a conspiracy of short sellers and others plotting to destroy his company’s share price so a “bottom feeder” could take over the Internet discounter. Byrne says his point was to expose “crooked” hedge funds and how federal regulators were powerless to stop them.

“We’ve got a group of parasites who have found a loophole that they can keep on using to just drain resources out of entrepreneurs in America, and in the process kill small companies,” Byrne thundered on the call.

The jury is still out on many of these claims. Byrne has filed a lawsuit that he says will put major brokerage houses on trial next year to face allegations they abetted a questionable form of trading called naked short selling.

But Overstock.com Inc. reported its first annual profit Wednesday, giving Byrne a win in his personal crusade. Shares of the company rose more than 30 percent, almost passing their 52-week high of $17.99. The stock has traded as low as $8.94 in the past year.

The company’s narrow 2009 gain of $7.7 million, Byrne said, proves that those who traded presuming Overstock’s weaknesses were wrong and vindicates his tumultuous effort to position the company as a challenger to the Goliaths of Internet retail.

Overstock’s challenge is to remain a price leader in an increasingly crowded market where practically anyone can make a sale from a consumer’s Google search, said Nathaniel Schindler, an analyst at Merrill Lynch.

“You can find good inventory and deals on the Internet elsewhere. That just makes it tougher for them,” he said.

Byrne says the company, which has 1,260 employees, recognizes that problem and is continually adjusting prices to meet the competition.

When explosive growth made the company appear promising, the stock hit a high of more than $77 in 2004, valuing the company at nearly $1.5 billion. Competing online retailer Amazon.com Inc.’s market capitalization is nearly 40 times larger.

Yet out-of-control costs, especially for marketing, bungled technology overhauls and Byrne’s preoccupation with short sellers marked a decade where Overstock racked up about $250 million in losses, and the recession has helped drive the share price into the teens.

Overstock’s business plan is to provide brand-name manufacturers a place to dump surplus inventory without “polluting” their traditional retail channels. This allows Overstock to sell designer merchandise such as Prada and Gucci at up to 40 percent discounts.

Byrne’s company has gradually become more of an order-taker for other retailers’ surplus inventories, cutting back on how much merchandise it buys outright and warehouses.

Now, the 47-year-old chairman and CEO believes Overstock is entering a period of sustained profitability and catching up to competitors. Yet Amazon has revenues nearly 30 times larger, while eBay Inc. focuses on auctions that broker the sale of 40 times as much merchandise.

Overstock’s revenue, just $1.8 million in 1999, climbed to nearly $877 million in 2009. But growth has slowed since 2005, and sales rose 6 percent in the tough economy of 2009.

Other factors have also made it a rough ride for the Cottonwood Heights, Utah, company.

Since Byrne took Overstock public in 2002, he has derided Wall Street and faced a series of financial restatements as federal regulators opened a broader inquiry into the company’s accounting problems. He’s accused financial journalists of aiding the short-sellers that can profit from the company’s decline, calling one blogger a “hedge fund towel boy.” Byrne, who owns nearly 30 percent of the company’s shares, says Overstock’s accounting errors were generally conservative. The latest involved 0.1 percent of revenue and gave the company no advantage, he said.

Byrne also wandered into other business lines, buying a travel company, and introducing an auction service and car and real-estate listings. He even tried to buy a diamond mine.

“He was trying to do too much, but think of it as experiments,” said his father, Jack Byrne, a highly regarded former insurance executive who was Overstock’s chairman for its first three years. “Every once in a while, one of those experiments hits.” One constant is that in the blogs and in the courts, Patrick Byrne has beat a drum over stock manipulation conspiracies that he says a “captured” media refuses to cover.

Legitimate short sellers borrow and sell shares of stock hoping the price declines so they can buy back shares at lower prices and return them to brokers, pocketing the difference. That’s routine, but it can be a violation for brokers to “lend” shares they don’t hold and have difficulty obtaining. That “failure to deliver” can drive down the price of a company’s stock, Byrne said.

The industry-owned Depository Trust and Clearing Corp. has acknowledged that so-called naked shorting exists but says it’s a trifling problem.

One of Byrne’s loudest critics, Sam E. Antar, says the CEO is just diverting attention from the company’s problems. go to website overstock coupon code

Antar, the 52-year-old former chief financial officer of the Crazy Eddie electronics chain, said he’s flagged many material changes in Overstock’s finances that the company didn’t disclose to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Antar, who writes for whitecollarfraud.com and lectures corporations and law enforcement groups on fraud, says it takes one to know one. He was convicted in 1991 of cooking Crazy Eddie’s books.

Byrne responds that “it’s like hearing Bernie Madoff say I’m a bad guy.” Byrne has won others over.

“Patrick talked about naked shorting years ago and was considered a nut-case for it. But he’s been proven 100 percent right, and for that reason he has been vilified by Wall Street, which hates him,” said Sam Mitchell, a managing director for Toronto-based insurer Fairfax Financial Holdings, a major Overstock shareholder.

On the eve of Byrne’s infamous conference call, Overstock took aim in a lawsuit against well-known short seller David Rocker, accusing him of conspiring with stock-research firm Gradient Analytics to publish critical reports on Overstock. Rocker vigorously denied it.

Overstock received a $5 million settlement in December from a successor to Rocker’s hedge fund, Copper River Partners, which admitted no wrongdoing and said it was cheaper than fighting Byrne’s lawsuit. Phoenix-based Gradient Analytics settled earlier.

A larger case is pending. In 2007, Byrne filed a $3.4 billion lawsuit against brokers Morgan Stanley & Co., Goldman Sachs & Co., Bear Stearns Cos., Bank of America Securities LLC, The Bank of New York, Citigroup Inc., Credit Suisse (USA) Inc. and others. The firms say Byrne’s allegations of a naked short selling conspiracy are without merit.

Trial is set for September 2011.

PAUL FOY



Alvarez retains; Broner wins in world title bouts


Saul Alvarez made the third defense of the WBC Super Welterweight title with a fifth round stoppage over former Welterweight belt holder Kermit Cintron in Mexico City.

Alvarez boxed well over the first three-plus rounds as Cintron was content on jabbing against the power punches of Alvarez. In round four, Alvarez landed a hard right that sent Cintron back and onto his knee. for a knockdown. At the end of the frame, Alvarez landed a hard left on the ropes that froze Cintron on the ropes and the challenger looked like he was ready to go. In the fifth, Alvarez withstood a brief final stand from Cintron and landed a blistering combination that had the referee jump in and stop the fight at 2:53 of round five.

Alvarez, 154 lbs of guadalajra, MX is now 39-0-1 with twenty-nine knockouts. Cintron, 154 lbs of Reading, PA is now 33-5-1


Adrien Broner won the vacamt WBO Jr. Lightweight title with a third round stoppage over Martin Rodriguez at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati.

The first two round were competitive as Rodriguez tried to make it a rough and sloppy fight and had some success. In round three, Broner landed a big uppercut that set off a flurry of punches which was highlighted by a body shot that was followed by a big left hook that sent Rodriguez down on the bottom rope. With blood trickling out of his nose, Rodriguez did not even try to beat referee Frank Garza’s ten count and the bout was halted at 1:43 of round three.

Broner, 128 1/2 lbs of Cincinnati is now 22-0 with eighteen knockouts. Rodriguez, 129 1/2 lbs of Argentina is now 34-3-1.

Super prospect Gary Russell Jr. scored a sensational first round stoppage over veteran Heriberto Ruiz in a scheduled ten round Featherweight bout.

Russell landed a perfect right hook to the body then a blistering right hook to the head and Ruiz plummeted to the canvas and the fight was stopped.

Russell of Capital Heights, MD is 19-0 with eleven knockouts. Ruiz of Los Mochis, MX is now 48-12-2.



FOLLOW ALVAREZ – RHODES LIVE

Follow all the action LIVE as undefeated sensation, Saul Alvarez makes the 1st defense of the WBC Super Welterweight title against tough Englishman Ryan Rhodes. The action begins at 10:30 pm eastern/9:30 in Guadalajara and 3:30 am Sunday in Britan. Before the main event there will be an interesting Jr. Lightweight tussle between undefeated Adrien Broner and Jason Litzau

12 Rounds–WBC Super Welterweight title–Saul Alvarez (36-0-1, 26 KO’s) vs Ryan Rhodes (45-4, 31 KO’s)

Round 1 Left from Rhodes…Alvarez lands a right..another right…10-9 Alvarez

Round 2 Alvarez lands a good combination./..right hook…left to the body..uppercut to the body…right/left combo..right hand…20-18 Alvarez

Round 3 Left hands…30-27 Alvarez

Round 4: Alvarez lands a right..Double left hook/body…right to the head…COMBINATION AND DOWN GOES RHODES…Body shot…40-35 Alvarez

Round 5: Jab followed by a combination by Alvarez..Body shots..Ripping combainations…50-44 Alvarez

Round 6: Rhodes lands a left hook…Good right…hook to the body..Alvarez lands a combiantion…counter…59-54 Alvarez

Round 7 Alvarez landing hard combinations…works the body and head…Rhodes cut under the right..69-63 Alvarez

Round 8 Alvarez lands a nice combination…another combination…Rhodes responds with a counter right…Alvarez lands a double left…hard body shots on the ropes…Good left to the body…79-72 Alvarez

Round 9: More of the same where Alvarez landing combinations and Rhodes not offering much in return…89-81 Alvarez

Round 10 Good body work that sets up hard and quick combinations..Rhodes taking it…99-90 Alvarez

Round 11: Body shots and right to the head from Alvarez…109-99 Alvarez

Round 12

10 Rounds–Super Featherweights–Adrien Broner (20-0, 16 KO’s) vs Jason Litzau (28-2, 21 KO’s)
Round 1 Broner lands a right on the ropes…...HUGE UPPERCUT DOWN GOES LITZAU AND THE FIGHT IS OVER



Q & A with Jason “The American Boy” Litzau


Coming into 2010 Jason “The American Boy” Litzau 28-2(21) was just another fighter. However fast forward twelve months and the Minnesota resident has placed himself on the cusp of a world title shot, having beaten both Rocky Juarez & Celestino Caballero in Super Featherweight contests, both as a heavy underdog. Both fights were exciting all action fights shown on HBO where the likeable & engaging personality of Litzau shone through. It’s been rumoured that he may fight either Daniel Ponce De Leon or Adrien Broner next, though nothing has been agreed upon as yet. It’s hard not to pull for Litzau who’s paid his due’s and now looking to achieve his ultimate goal in becoming a world champion. Litzau is currently ranked WBC 5, WBA 2, IBF 5, WBO 11 & The Ring magazine number 10.

Hello Jason, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – Firstly congratulations on a terrific 2010. You beat Rocky Juarez & Celestino Caballero two more known guys that you were the underdog against on HBO. What are your thoughts on your year & those two fights?

Jason Litzau – Well it was a breakout year for me. I took a year off after my loss to IBF World Champion Robert Guerrero in 2008. It gave me time to mature both physically and mentally. I’m only just 27 now. I started my comeback in 2009 and continued it in 2010. I’m a lot smarter fighter now and I knew how to beat Rocky Juarez and Celestino Caballero. I had a game plan and I executed it. Commentators say that Caballero had a bad day, no, I made him look bad.

Anson Wainwright – What are your plans for 2011? When are you looking at fighting next & against whom? Who are you targeting?

Jason Litzau – I would love to fight any of the current World Champions. I would love to come back to Britain where I fought as an amateur on the USA Boxing team. I would love to fight Ricky Burns for his WBO title. I think I still have some fans over there from my amateur days.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your team; who is your manager, trainer & promoter? Also what gym do you regularly train at?

Jason Litzau – My manager and trainer is Bob Van Syckle, who I have been with for my entire 8 year career. He has been loyal to me and I have been loyal to him. He is a smart manager and as a trainer he has a great ability to break down an opponent and come up with a game plan to beat him. For my last fight, I added a top strength and conditioning coach, Gerardo Aguirre to my team. He improved my core strength and balance. I felt like I could have gone 20 rounds in my last fight. My promoter is Square Ring Promotions, founded by Roy Jones,Jr. While in Minnesota, I train at White Bear Lake gym and when I go to training camp I train at Buddy McGirt’s gym in Vero Beach, FL.

Anson Wainwright – You were a good amateur can you tell us about those days, what titles and tournaments you won? You travelled over sea’s with the American team, can you tell us about that? Also what was your final record?

Jason Litzau – As a Junior (14-16 years old), I won all the US titles. In my first year as a Senior (at 17), I came in second at the USA Championships. Two weeks later I avenged that loss in a Box off and landed a spot on the USA Boxing team. While on the team, I fought other national teams in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and England. It was a great experience for me, meeting all the friendly people from other countries. My record was 125-10. Because of my financial situation, I could not wait for the 2004 Olympics and so I turned pro at 19.

Anson Wainwright – Your from Minnesota which isn’t know as a Boxing state, did you have to travel for sparring or do you bring guys in? Can you tell us about some of the Boxers you have sparred with?

Jason Litzau – Well, my manager was from the East Coast (New Jersey) and in the first few years I sparred with the best amateurs and pros in New York City and in the cities of Newark and Paterson, NJ. It was a great learning experience and I got a lot of complements from the East Coast fighters and trainers. After that, I actually was chief sparring partner for Rocky Juarez when he beat Zahir Raheem. I was also chief sparring partner for Arturo Gatti when he fought Floyd Mayweather. When I had my own camps in Florida, I tried to bring in the best up-and-coming fighters who would challenge me. One of them was Matt Remillard, 23-0, who is fighting on HBO on March 26.

Anson Wainwright – Who’s the best fighter you have ever fought in the amateur’s and pro’s?

Jason Litzau – The best fighter that I fought in the amateurs, and beat several times, was Mickey Bey. He made the USA Olympic team and is now 16-0 as a pro. In the pros, the best fighter I fought as the “young” Jason was Robert Guerrero. As the new and improved Jason, the best fighter I have fought is Celestino Caballero.

Anson Wainwright – You fought for the IBF Featherweight title in 2008 but lost to Robert Guerrero. Looking back on that fight what are your thoughts and feelings on it now?

Jason Litzau – I was only 24 years old at the time and I was pretty tight throughout the fight. I think the nerves got the best of me. I would love to get him in the ring again. I am a much more complete fighter now.

Anson Wainwright – What do you like to do away from Boxing? What other sports, hobbies and Interests do you have?

Jason Litzau – Being from a big hockey state, I love playing hockey. When I was a kid, I scored 73 goals in one season. Lately, I have backed off playing because I don’t want to take a chance getting injured. I had to give up riding my “crotch rocket” for the same reason. Its just another example of “wild and crazy” Jay growing up. Now, I like to play golf and racquetball and softball. And I love playing with my 3 daughters, ages 1, 5, and 7.

Anson Wainwright – You were a 13-1 underdog against Caballero, how did this help to motivate you? Do you like fighting with your back against the wall? What was it like for you when you returned home after the win?

Jason Litzau – Honestly, I knew I was the underdog, but I did not know I was a 13-1 dog until after the fight. If I had known that, I probably would have bet my purse and I could retire (just kidding about the retiring, not about the betting). I really did not think my back was against the wall. I was confident that I could beat Caballero. When I returned home, a lot more strangers said Hi and congratulated me. I felt great, like I had “shocked the world!”

Anson Wainwright – What fighters did you like when you were growing up? What about today who do you admire?

Jason Litzau – Arturo Gatti was a big hero of mine as a kid. He fought with such great heart. I would be watching on TV and be screaming at the TV set. It was a thrill to become friends with him and fight on a couple of his undercards. I also admired Oscar De La Hoya, the way he handled himself in the ring and outside the ring. Today, I admire Manny Pacquiao for his no-fear, non-stop punching style. He is not afraid to fight anybody, no matter how big they are. He came back from 2 knockout losses early in his career and look at where he is now.

Anson Wainwright – What do you think of the current champions at 130 WBC Takahiro Aoh, WBA Takashi Uchiyama IBF Mzonke Fana & WBO Ricky Burns?

Jason Litzau – I think I can beat all of them and become the Unified Champion. I just hope one of them is man enough to fight “The American Boy” Jason Litzau.

Anson Wainwright – Finally do you have a message for your fans?

Jason Litzau – I just want to thank all the fans who have come to my fights, watched them on TV, those who said Hi, those who reached out to me on Facebook, and those who I have yet to meet. I know that you pay your hard-earned money to watch me fight, so, I always give it my best in the ring. I don’t want to disappoint my fans and I don’t want to disappoint Arturo Gatti, who is watching from above. I invite anyone who wants to reach out to me to “become a friend” of mine on Facebook. Just search for “American Boy” or “Jason Litzau”.

Thanks for your time Jason, good luck in 2011.

Anson Wainwright

15rounds.com

Midweek Musings – Word from Britain is that James Degale may challenge Dmitri Sartison for the WBA Super Middleweight title on 19 March at the O2 Arena in London…After the apparent collapse of the All British showdown between Matthew Macklin & Darren Barker. It got me thinking of other domestic fights I’d like to see. In Britain though both of these need time to marinate David Price-Tyson Fury & James Degale-George Groves both have the potential to be huge by this time next year. How about a shoot out between new European Light Heavyweight champion Danny MacIntosh & Tony Bellew. At Welterweight Kell Brook-Matthew Hatton. British Light Welterweight champion Lenny Daws against former amateur star Frankie Gavin. A fight that has been mentioned many times is Kevin Mitchell & John Murray at Lightweight, both are 26, in there prime and a fight that we hope wont go the way of Ricky Hatton-Junior Witter. A rematch between Stephen Smith & John Simpson at 126. Though both lost there last fights and are friends it would be interesting to see Rendell Munroe fight Jason Booth at 122. Following his tremendous performance on Saturday Jamie McDonnell against Stuart Hall at Bantamweight.

If there are any fighters you would like to hear from you can contact me on elraincoat@live.co.uk