ATLANTIC CITY BOXING HALL OF FAME UNVEILS DISTINGUISHED GUEST LIST FOR 7th ANNUAL AWARDS & INDUCTION WEEKEND

Atlantic City, N.J. September 26, 2023 – The Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame (ACBHOF) proudly announces the roster of special guests attending the 7th Annual Awards & Induction Weekend, held from Friday, September 29th to Sunday, October 1st, 2023, at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. The guest list features notable boxing figures such as: Roberto Duran, Michael Spinks, James Toney, Vinny Paz, Gerry Cooney, Ray Mercer, Tim Witherspoon, Kelly Pavlik, Lamon Brewster, Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson, Junior Jones, Reggie Johnson, Mark Breland, Sharmba Mitchell, Eva Jones-Young, John Scully, Michael Olajide, Iran Barkley, Michael Nunn, Danny “Little Red” Lopez, Jeff Chandler, Montell Griffin, Yaqui Lopez, Al Cole, Kali Reis, Hector Camacho Jr., Rodney Moore, Kendall Holt, Dave Tiberi, Nate Miller and William Joppy, to name a few.

The weekend kicks off on Friday, September 29th, with the “Opening Bell” VIP Cocktail Reception from 5:00pm – 8:00pm, followed by the Friday Night Fight Presented by Hard Hitting Promotions at Bally’s Casino Atlantic City. On Saturday, September 30th, the Fight Fan Experience & Boxing Exhibits at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City will be open from 11:00am – 1:00pm

The highlight of the weekend is the Red-Carpet Formal Awards & Induction Ceremony, taking place on Saturday night inside the Sound Waves Theater. Attendees will enjoy a unique opportunity to mix and mingle with other boxing luminaries and special VIP guests, as well as honor all who helped put Atlantic City on the boxing map. The Pre-VIP Cocktail Reception will begin at 5:00pm, and it leads into the Official Awards & Induction Program from 7:00pm – 9:00pm. After the Awards Ceremony, guests with VIP tickets will have the chance to experience the Post-VIP Reception, which includes a bonus fight watch party for Canelo Alverez vs. Jermell Charlo

 

The 2023 class members of the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame include:

 

George Foreman, Shannon Briggs, David Tua, Pinklon Thomas, Tracy Harris Patterson, Doug Dewitt, Darroll Wilson, Shamone Alvarez, Jamillia Lawrence, Joe Hand Sr., Matt Howard, Rudy Battle, Benjy Esteves Jr., Arnold Robbins, Joseph Santoliquito, Lee Samuels They will be inducted alongside Posthumously & Pioneers such as Buster Drayton, Marty Feldman, Rocky Castellani, Frankie Polo, Joe Miller, Horace M. Leeds, “KO” Becky O’Neill and Willie O’Neill

For more information on event tickets, room reservations, and weekend schedules, visit the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame website at: www.acbhof.com

The ACBHOF gives a special thanks to their partners and sponsors: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, Boardwalk Resorts – Flagship Hotel, Mayor Marty Small Sr., City of Atlantic City, Bare Knuckle Fighting Champions, Hard Hitting Promotions, Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, The Irish Pub-Atlantic City, Moustakas & Nelson Law, Quail Hill Realty, Gionta Management LLC, T&K Boxing Promotions, Sparbar Boxing LTD, Patrick Killian Arts, Guzman Gloves, Adams Boxing, WBC, IBF, Icons of Boxing Memorabilia, and Fight Night Apparel




AUDIO: Former Middleweight Champion Kelly Pavlik Talks about being at The Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame






VIDEO: Former Middleweight Champion Kelly Pavlik Talks about being at The Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame




FORMER WORLD CHAMPION KELLY PAVLIK CONFIRMED FOR FOURTH EDITION OF BOX FAN EXPO TAKING PLACE ON CINCO DE MAYO WEEKEND, SATURDAY MAY 5, IN LAS VEGAS


Las Vegas (March 9, 2018) – Former Middleweight Champion Kelly Pavlik has confirmed that he and “The Punch Line” Podcast team will appear at the “Ring Life” booth to Meet & Greet his fans at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the fourth edition of Box Fan Expo that will take place Saturday May 5, 2018 from 10a.m to 5pm, during Cinco De Mayo weekend. The Boxing Expo will also coincide with the mega fight between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, that will take place later that evening.

Pavlik will appear for the first time at this years’ Expo. Kelly and “The Punch Line” team will have merchandise to sell to his fans, as well as photos and memorabilia. They will also promote their New Show from the Boxing Expo.

Kelly Pavlik Known as “The Ghost”, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2000 to 2012. Pavlik grew up on the south side of Youngstown, Ohio. He won the unified WBC, WBO, Ring magazine and lineal middleweight titles by defeating Jermain Taylor in 2007, which was also named Fight of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America. Pavlik made three successful defenses before losing them to Sergio Martínez in 2010. On January 19, 2013 Kelly Pavlik announced his retirement from boxing.

Today Pavlik is the host of the Podcast Boxing show “The Punch Line” http://punchline.live/ with his co-host James Dominguez.

Box Fan Expo has been a huge success with fans and boxing industry people. Many boxing stars have attended the last two Expo’s such as Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Roberto Duran, Tommy Hearns, Marco Antonio Barrera, Roy Jones Jr., Marcos Maidana, Sergio Martinez, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Tim Bradley, Deontay Wilder, Amir Khan, Shawn Porter, Fernando Vargas, Zab Judah, James Toney, Vinny Pazienza, Mikey Garcia , Mia St.Johns, Leo Santa Cruz, Badou Jack, Terry Norris , Riddick Bowe , Earnie Shavers, Leon Spinks, Danny Jacobs, Abner Mares, Jorge Linares, Brandon Rios and many more…

Exhibitors such as boxing gear, apparel, new equipments, energy drinks, alcohol, supplement products, broadcasting media, sanctioning bodies and other companies who wish to participate will once again have a chance to showcase their brand to fans, media and the boxing industry.

Tickets to the Box Fan Expo are available online at:
http://www.boxfanexpo.eventbrite.com

Box Fan Expo is the ultimate boxing fan experience event, which allows fans to Meet and Greet Boxing Superstars of today, current and former world champions, Legends of the sport and other boxing Celebrities at their booth. On Site, fans will experience different activities from Autograph Sessions, Photo Sessions, FaceOff with your favorite boxers, as well as a chance to purchase merchandise and memorabilia from their booth, plus so much more… you won’t want to miss this must-attend Expo!

Box Fan Expo will also feature top boxing organizations, promoters, ring card girls, famous trainers and commentators as well as boxing gear companies “ALL UNDER ONE ROOF”.

Throughout the next couple of months leading up to the Event, there will be weekly updates on the many stars that will commit their appearance at the Boxing Expo. And for anyone in the Boxing industry or other Exhibitors (non-industry), who would like to be involved and reserve a Booth, contact Box Fan Expo:

Telephone number: (514) 572-7222 or Las Vegas Number (702) 997-1927

For any inquiries please email: boxfanexpo@gmail.com

More information on the Box Fan Expo is available at: http://www.boxfanexpo.com

You can follow Box Fan Expo on Twitter at: https://www.twitter.com/BoxFanExpo

and on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/BoxFanExpo




GOLDEN BOY CLASSICS TO FEATURE BOXING GREATS BERNARD HOPKINS & MANNY PACQUIAO ON JUNE 23 ON FOX DEPORTES

Bernard Hopkins
LOS ANGELES, June 22 – It’s a night of legends on the Sunday, June 23 edition of Golden Boy Classics on FOX Deportes headlined by the ageless wonder of the fight game, Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins. Golden Boy Classics will preview the match-up on June 23 which will air on FOX Deportes at 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT.

In the Classics main event, it’s a look back as Hopkins takes on then-undefeated Kelly Pavlik in a 2008 fight that shocked the boxing world. Plus, Manny Pacquiao meets Marco Antonio Barrera in their 2007 rematch in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Written off by many after his controversial loss to Joe Calzaghe, then 43-year-old Bernard Hopkins entered the ring at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on October 18, 2008 determined to shock then (34-0) Kelly Pavlik and he did just that. Hopkins put on a boxing clinic en route to a clear cut 12-round decision victory. “The Executioner” wouldn’t be underestimated again.

In November of 2003, an unknown Manny Pacquiao upset Mexican superstar Marco Antonio Barrera, but four years later, on October 6, 2007, Barrera got his shot at redemption and despite a spirited effort, it was Pacquiao who emerged victorious again, this time via 12-round decision.

For more information visit: www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.FOXDeportes.com
and follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.twitter.com/FOXDeportes and visit on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, and www.facebook.com/FOXDeportes.




Loew has Nelson’s back on climb to top

ST. LOUIS (February 24, 2013) – Veteran boxing trainer Jack Loew has been to the top of the boxing mountain with former world champion Kelly Pavlik and now he’s heading back there with rising star Willie “The Great” Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs), North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super welterweight champion, who makes his first title defense against Michael “El Magnifico” Medina (26-3-2, 19 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature on this week’s ESPN Friday Night Fights, airing live (9 p.m. ET) from MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

DiBella Entertainment and 50 Cent’s SMS Promotions are co-promoting this week’s ESPN Friday Night Fights show. Nelson vs. Medina NABF title fight is being promoted in association with Steve Smith’s Rumble Time Promotions, also Nelson’s co-promoter with DiBella Entertainment.

Nelson(19-1-1, 11 KOs), who is the top-ranked American in the World Boxing Council (WBC) ratings at No. 5, is coming off impressive back-to-back wins by 10-round decisions over a pair of previously unbeaten Olympians – two-time Cuban National champion Yudel Jhonson (12-1), on ShoBox, and previously unbeaten Virgin Islands-native and WBC Youth champion, John “Dah Rock” Jackson (13-1, 12 KOs), for the vacant NABF super welterweight title.

Back in 2007, Pavlik got his first big break by stopping Edison Miranda in the seventh-round of an HBO Championship Boxing card in Memphis, headlined by Jermain Taylor and his decision victory over Cory Spinks. The nationally televised win positioned Pavlik for his next fight, in which he captured the World Boxing Council (WBA) and WBC middleweight titles by knocking out defending champion Taylor in the seventh round, propelling Kelly into stardom.

Loew, respectfully, believes that Medina could be a stepping-stone for Nelson like Miranda was for Pavlik. “I know it’s a waiting game, Loew said. “I’ve been there with Kelly. We waited until he got Miranda. Willie knows I’ve been there before and he trusts me in his corner. Medina is a tough, dangerous kid who has a golden opportunity fighting Willie. Medina is coming to fight but he’s wide open, fighting a taller opponent (Nelson is 6′ 4″) who has a long reach (84″). If he does what he’s told and follows our game plan, Willie wins hands down, probably by knockout.”

Medina, ranked No. 17 by the WBC, has been stopped only once, by Saul Roman. He now has a hot trainer, Eric Brown, working his corner as chief second. Brown, who is a top trainer at Freddie Roach’s famed Wild Card Gym in Hollywood (CA), gained international attention last year for his work with world champions Peter Quillin and Paulie Malignaggi.

“Jack can hold his own with any trainer in boxing,” Smith commented. “In Willie Nelson, he has the best pure boxer he’s ever worked with and Willie, a highly-decorated amateur boxer, in Jack, has a trainer who has proven his ability to develop a world champion. Jack has Willie sitting down on his punches and using his monstrous reach, working everything off his jab and throwing lethal body punches. Jack has Willie using every bit of his many God-given gifts. When I say Jack has turned Willie into a frightening, imposing fighter, I really mean it, because Jack has built Willie into a complete fighter. Willie’s going to look like a million bucks too thanks Rival Boxing for designing Willie’s new custom trunks. Team Nelson wants to thank Anthony and Russ for doing that.”

Gatorade Media Lab video link: http://vimeo.com/60297175

Nelson had nearly 250 amateur matches, losing only 22, highlighted by gold medal performances in the PAL National Championships twice and U.S. Under-19 Tournament. He has dramatically improved since he moved from his Cleveland home to train with Loew in the fighting town of Youngstown, Ohio, known for producing outstanding prize-fighters such as Pavlik, Ray Mancini, Tony Janiro, Jeff Lampkin, Greg Richardson and Craig Snyder.

“Willie is like Bernard Hopkins in terms of always being in the gym and in top condition,” Loew noted. “He makes my job easier by being that way. This is a big fight for Willie because the WBC dropped Vane Martirosyan from No. 2 in the ratings (for refusing to fight No. 1 contender Erislandy Lara in a rematch of their box-off that ended in a draw to become the mandatory challenger to champion Saul Alvarez) and Willie moved up to No. 5. Maybe a big win against Medina gets us up to No. 3. It’s just a matter of time for Willie; I’ve been telling him no slip-ups, no mistakes at this stage.

Tickets priced at $200, $100, $75 and $40 may be purchased online at foxwoods.com, by calling the Foxwoods’ box office at 800-200-2882, or in person at the Foxwoods’ box office.

Go online to www.RumbleTimePromotions.com for more information about Nelson or any of his Rumble Time Promotions stable-mates.




Kelly Pavlik retires

Pavlik150
According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik has to decided to retire as he lacks the desire to continue his career and wants to preserve his long term health.

“When you stay in the sport too long you have health problems. That’s a big, big thing for me,” Pavlik said. “I’m not talking about now. I’m talking about in the future. I’m talking about when I’m 55 or 60. What’s gonna happen to me then? Why take any more chances, especially in that sport. It’s a brutal sport and you never know what can happen.

“I won the world title, I defended my title, I was champ for three years and I made good money. Why take the chance of medical problems? That’s a big part of it. I also don’t think the drive is there anymore. I’m moving on to a new chapter in my life.”

“I’ve been a pro for 13 years and doing this since I was 9,” he said. “I go away for two or three months at a time (to train) and I’m tired of leaving my family. It comes to a point where you just don’t want to do that anymore. I put my money away and then with the Ward fight being canceled, well, health and time with my family is more important at this stage, especially with no guaranteed big fight or date.

“I love Kelly. He did a lot of great things. He’s a friend and a great guy to know,” said Pavlik’s manager Cameron Dunkin, who is in New York because his fighter, Miguel Angel “Mikey” Garcia challenges for a featherweight world title against Orlando Salido in Saturday night’s HBO main event. “It was a great experience working with Kelly and I’m very happy for him making his decision.

“All the stuff he accomplished, when people said he couldn’t, when they were down on him earlier in his career and said he would never do anything, I believed in him and knew what he could do. I am so proud of what he accomplished.”

“I had a pretty good career,” Pavlik said. “I was 40-2 and I only lost to two of the best guys, Martinez and Hopkins. I’m content. It’s not like I got knocked out. It’s not like I got knocked out the way Manny Pacquiao got knocked out (in December by Juan Manuel Marquez).

“I’m fine physically. But I feel like why keep pushing the envelope? I made it this long and this far and I have had fights that were tough fights. I got dropped by Jermain Taylor, got dropped earlier in my career. But you constantly take punches and it all adds up. When you’re done, you might have brain problems, you might be punchy, you might develop Parkinson’s. Why push it? I don’t need it and my heart’s not in it anymore. So why take the chances? I’ve been very fortunate up to this point.”

“I know this — if it had been me who pulled out of the Ward fight, I would have been reamed. At this stage, I am just tired of the negativity and comments and a whole bunch of things. But I know people will think I’m drinking and it will be the first thing people go after.”

“I was contemplating it even before the last fight (in July),” Pavlik said. “Then they came up with the Andre Ward fight and I guess I got the motivation back. But I had been thinking about retiring and when the Ward fight fell out, that was icing on the cake for me.”

“For two or three years, she was telling me she wants me to be done. She said when I got to the age of 30, she wanted me to retire, so she backed it,” Pavlik said. “Her biggest fear was long-term (physical) affects of boxing. My parents are behind it. They always said if I am not going into the ring 100 percent mentally ready, they didn’t want me doing it, so they’ve been supportive of it.”

“As of right now, being a fighter and doing this since I was 9 and being at the level I’ve been at, I’m done,” Pavlik said. “Is out of the question would I come back? I can’t say that but then you can’t rule it out. But as of now, it’s legit.”




ANDRE WARD SET TO BEGIN REHAB AFTER SUCCESSFUL SURGERY

WardWins300
Sherman Oaks, CA (Jan. 7) – Deferring to the recommendation of a noted Bay Area orthopedic specialist after receiving a second opinion on his injured right shoulder, reigning WBA, WBC and Ring Super Middleweight World Champion Andre “S.O.G.” Ward underwent successful surgery, which will keep him out of action for an indefinite period and has forced the postponement of his highly-anticipated title bout against Kelly Pavlik for a second time.

Originally scheduled as an HBO “World Championship Boxing” main event from the Galen Center on the campus of USC on January 26, the bout was rescheduled to March 2nd after the 2004 U.S. Olympic gold medalist, “Super Six” World Boxing Classic tournament winner and 2011 “Fighter of the Year” felt pain in his right shoulder after throwing a punch at sparring partner Tony Hirsch during training in Andre’s hometown of Oakland. The original MRI revealed a significant amount of swelling and inflammation, but no injury to the rotator cuff.

However, after a period of rest and rehab resulted in little improvement, Andre sought a second opinion from Dr. Michael Dillingham, for 25 years the team orthopedic surgeon for the San Francisco 49ers and currently for the San Francisco Giants. A subsequent MRI revealed a small tear in Andre’s right shoulder capsule and, this past Friday, surgery was performed by Dr. Dillingham at the SOAR Surgicenter in nearby Burlingame. Assisting the doctor on the surgical team were his partners Ken Akizuki (team orthopedist for the Giants) and Joe Donahue (former 49ers assistant team orthopedist and current team physician for Santa Clara University).

“Technically, things went very well and all involved are very hopeful about the eventual outcome,” stated Dr. Dillingham. “Within a week, Andre will begin his rehab.”

Lisa Giannone, of Activecare Physical Therapy in San Francisco, will head up Andre’s rehabilitation team.

“The doctor said Andre will initially have his arm in a sling where he will be better prepared to give a timeline for Andre’s recovery process once the sling is removed,” said promoter Dan Goossen.

“Andre has always surpassed everyone’s expectations and I told Dr. Dillingham he can expect the same fire from Andre with his rehabilitation as the fans see when he’s in the ring.

The timing is unfortunate for Andre (26-0, 14 KOs), whose fast-track rise to elite status since winning his first world title in 2009 against reigning WBA super middleweight champ Mikkel Kessler — then capturing the WBC version in late 2011 against brash Briton Carl Froch and, in his most recent domination of current WBC light heavyweight king Chad Dawson — has vaulted him near the top of the “Pound for Pound” ratings and cemented him as a recognized superstar worldwide.

“My surgery went very well and I am definitely pleased with the outcome. I had a fantastic team of surgeons overseeing everything on Friday morning and they did a great job of repairing the injury. I am confident that I will return to the ring even better than I was prior to the injury,” stated Ward.

“I really want to thank everyone for all of the prayers and support that my family and I have received. We truly appreciate it and it has helped throughout this process. I can’t wait to get back out there and perform for all my fans and plan to keep everyone updated on my progress. The best is yet to come so stay tuned.”

Below is a link to the photo gallery provided by Squint Photo – http://www.flickr.com/photos/91948583%40N03/sets/72157632460172154/




Ward – Pavlik off due to Ward Shoulder surgery

WardWins300
The postponed fight between World Super Middleweight champion Andre Ward and former Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik is now off due to Ward needing shoulder surgery according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

The bout was originally scheduled for January 26th and then moved to March 2nd after Ward suffered the injury.

Pavlik’s manager Cameron Dunkin told ESPN.com that he was notified Wednesday night by Top Rank’s Bob Arum, Pavlik’s promoter, that Ward would be sidelined for an extended period.

“Bob called me up and told me the fight was out and said, ‘What are we gonna do with Pavlik?’ He said Goossen called him and told him that Ward needed shoulder surgery,” Dunkin said. “So I don’t know what we’re gonna do, but we’re going to move forward and get Kelly a fight and get him back in the ring.

“I sent him a text to let him know what was up because I couldn’t get in touch with him.”

“I wasn’t jumping up and down for the fight,” Dunkin said. “I wasn’t excited for it, but it’s something Kelly wanted and that is my job, to create opportunities for my clients. Kelly told me that fighting Ward was what he wanted to do. He said to get the fight done, so sometimes that’s what you gotta do. And now we will look for something else.”

UPDATE

Andre Ward said Thursday that he has a tear in his right shoulder that will require surgery.

“When I first got injured, there was a lot of inflammation, and the MRI was misread by the first radiologist,” Ward said in a statement. “I’ve been doing extensive rehab and the shoulder was getting stronger, but after three-and-a-half weeks of rehab, there was still slight pain that had me concerned enough to get two additional opinions.

“It was then diagnosed that there is a small tear in my shoulder capsule. It’s not a major tear, but I can either rest it and see if it heals itself or speed up the process by surgically repairing it, and be stronger than I was before the injury and that’s what we opted to do.”

“I’m working with one of the best orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists in Northern California, and I know that I will come back stronger than before,” said Ward, a native of Oakland, Calif. “I appreciate all the support that I’ve already received and my fans can rest assured that I’m going to be back in the ring as soon as possible.

“Despite the injury, I still plan to have a big 2013 and hope to have two fights in the New Year.”

“I was really looking forward to the fight with Pavlik,” Ward said. “Everything was on board and situations happen, but I wish Kelly Pavlik and his team nothing but the best in the future.”




Ward injures shoulder; Fight with with Pavlik postponed


According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, World Super Middleweight champion Andre Ward suffered a shoulder injury that will him force him to postpone his January 26th title defense with Kelly Pavlik.

“He felt a little tweak when he threw a punch and stopped immediately,” Ward’s promoter, Dan Goossen, told ESPN.com on Thursday. “He didn’t really think it was that damaging at first but he certainly felt pain. He went to the doctor and followed up with an MRI (on Friday). It disclosed no tears, no rotator cuff injury, nothing of devastating proportions, but there was a lot of swelling and inflammation, so the key to healing is not using the arm for a few weeks.”

“Speaking to Andre about it, he said he has had nagging pain in his shoulder since he was a young kid, but nothing to the extent of what he felt this last time,” Goossen said.

“We’ve seen Andre fight through pain with a broken hand as recently as the Froch fight,” Goossen said. “If he says it’s painful and the prescription is to rest the arm, that’s what he will do.”




SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WARD VS. PAVLIK HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD TITLE ELIMINATION ARREOLA vs. STIVERNE SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2013 GALEN CENTER AT USC LOS ANGELES, CA


LOS ANGELES (Nov. 27) – On Saturday, January 26, World Champion Andre “S.O.G.” Ward (26-0, 14 KO’s) of Oakland, CA takes on Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik (40-2, 34 KOs) of Youngstown, Ohio in what promises to be a thrilling WBA and WBC Super Middleweight World Championship Bout.

This event will be the first boxing event at the Galen Center at USC in Los Angeles, CA, home to the USC Trojans Basketball and Volleyball teams. “The layout of the Galen Center couldn’t be better for the presentation of a boxing event and we are excited to host these world class bouts,” said USC Senior Associate Athletic Director J.K. McKay.

When Ward captured his first world championship in 2009, defeating WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler, he went on to challenge three other world and former world champions in his next five bouts. World titleholders Carl Froch, Arthur Abraham and Chad Dawson all tasted defeat at the hands of Andre Ward. Next in line is the very powerful, former world champion Kelly Pavlik, who promises to take both title belts from Ward.

The co-featured bout has Riverside’s Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola (35-2, 30 KOs) challenging heavy-hitting knockout puncher Bermane “B. Ware” Stiverne (22-1-1, 20 KOs) from Las Vegas, NV by way of Haiti. Both Arreola and Stiverne will put their power on display with the winner guaranteed to fight for the heavyweight world championship in his next bout.

This exciting HBO® World Championship Boxing doubleheader is being presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions in association with Antonio Leonard Promotions and SOG.

The Ward-Pavlik bout will be promoted in association with Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Inc.

“Televising Andre Ward in an intriguing showdown against Kelly Pavlik is a great way to start the new year,” said Kery Davis, Senior Vice President of Programming, HBO Sports. “Combined with the heavyweight showdown between Cristobal Arreola and Bermane Stiverne, boxing fans can look forward to an exciting night of action on HBO.”

An injury earlier this year limited 28-year-old Ward’s activity in 2012 to one fight — a thorough destruction of Chad Dawson in September. Pavlik, 30, has fought three times this year and posted wins (two via TKO and one unanimous decision) against opposition with combined records of 53-6.

“Kelly Pavlik has been determined to get back onto the top of the heap in boxing,” his promoter, Top Rank’s Arum said. “I know he’s ready to give it his all against one of the best champions today. I really believe this will be an exciting, competitive fight.”

“I’ve heard all the talk about Kelly Pavlik, but I know better than that. He’s beaten plenty of the big names,” Ward said. “Bob Arum has done a great job of keeping Kelly busy until an opportunity like this came along. You can bet that a former world champion like Kelly Pavlik, being afforded another title shot…he’s going to be primed and ready. We are going to be ready too and it’s going to be a tremendous show.”

“Andre Ward’s a hell of a world champ,” said Pavlik, who’s trained by California-based Robert Garcia. “He’s the super middleweight king right now. He went through a tough tournament and proved where he’s at. He beat everybody that he was supposed to fight and he’s top dog. When I was champ, I was the one being pursued. Now he’s champ and I’m in hot pursuit.”

“Andre Ward has conquered every challenge he’s faced as a pro and has improved each and every time,” said Promoter Dan Goossen. “He captured Olympic Gold in 2004; emerged from the tournament as a long shot to claim the Super Six World Boxing Classic and won both the WBC and WBA super middleweight titles in the process.”

The Arreola-Stiverne fight shapes up as a bout unlikely to go the distance given the knockout rates of both combatants. Arreola, 31, has stopped all but five of his 35 victims, while the 34-year old Stiverne – whose only loss on his impressive record came more than five years and 11 fights ago — has allowed only two of his 22 conquests to hear the final bell.

The always-entertaining Arreola was thrilled to learn the fight will be in front of his hometown fans, “I’m going to make 2013 my year.” I’m excited to be back on HBO and fighting someone worthy and good in Stiverne. He’s a tough fighter but my will and strength will break him down. I’m not going to let anyone stand in my way!”

An irritated Stiverne, who is trained by Don House, said about the fight with Arreola “It should have been done a long time ago.” “I don’t know what he’s been doing besides running from me. I’m looking forward to the fight. He is a tough customer, but nothing that I can’t deal with. I’ll get the job done. I’m not concerned about a knockout. We have a plan that we want to execute. If the knockout comes, it comes.”

“It’ll be a great fight between Arreola and Stiverne,” Stiverne’s promoter, Don King, predicted. “It’s the next step in bringing the world championship back to America. The fight is a must see.”

“Boxing fans love the heavyweights and we have two of the best and biggest knockout artists in the business going toe-to-toe,” Goossen stated. “Chris is back to full health and in great shape already. He is determined to become the first world heavyweight champion of Mexican descent. But he will not overlook Stiverne who has run over his heavyweight opposition — including former world title challenger Ray Austin — in impressive fashion. It will be a great night of fights at the Galen Center.”

Tickets priced at $300, $200, $100 and $50 (plus fees) will go on sale shortly.

Doors open at the Galen Center at USC at 3:30 pm. The first non-televised bout starts at 4 pm. The two HBO® World Championship Boxing bouts will begin at 6:45 pm.

The event is sponsored by Corona.




Pavlik – Rosinsky to replace Rios-Herrera on July 7th


Former Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik will be back in action on July 7th against New Yorker Will Rosinsky in about that will be televised on HBO according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

The bout became feasible after Brandon Rios had to pullout of his Jr. Welterweight bout with Mauricio Herrera due to an arm injury.

The card will be headlined by Nonito Donaire’s Super Bantamweight unification bout with Jeffrey Mathebula.

“We talked about various fights, and it just occurred to me,” said Rosinsky’s promoter Lou DiBella. “(Top Rank’s) Carl (Moretti) knew Rosinsky and said, ‘Helluva fight, let’s do it.’ I think we have a great chance to win. Rosinsky is hungry and fresh and a tremendous action fighter. What I like about the fight is they are both action fighters.”

“He’s been aching for an opportunity and now he has this and he is thrilled,” DiBella said of Rosinsky. “He believes he will go out there and win. And if he doesn’t he will have given it everything he has trying.”

“I think because of Pavlik’s performance on ESPN, the rating that was generated, the interest in the super middleweight division and Kelly’s willingness to come right back combined with Rosinsky winning his second in a row since the decision to Edwin Rodriguez, it was just a natural step for everybody,” Moretti said. “I think Kelly gets tested.”

“We’re ready to go,” said Pavlik’s manager Cameron Dunkin, who also manages Rios. “Rosinsky is a tough guy, was great amateur and he’s a big guy who makes good fights. He and Kelly just fought, so they’re both in shape. I feel bad for Brandon, but I feel good for Kelly.

“It’s a fight we didn’t plan on but this gives us a bigger fight now instead of waiting for another fight until September. Kelly was very excited about it and jumped all over it. He said, ‘I’m ready to go.’

“Kelly said he would get a flight and go right back. Love the attitude,” Dunkin said. “Kelly and Mike [his father] were like, ‘Let’s go.’ I like that Kelly got home and was willing to go right back to Robert in Oxnard. This whole thing is very positive.”




Pavlik and Lee get by at Hard Rock


LAS VEGAS – When Kelly Pavlik fought in March, his first time in a prizefighting ring in 23 months, the match was about seeing where he was. Friday, Pavlik was in a prizefighting ring for the second time in three months to answer the same question.

And the answer went: About the same place as before.

In the main event of ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights,” broadcast from The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Pavlik (39-2, 35 KOs) put in solid work and went rounds with super middleweight Scott Sigmon (22-4, 12 KOs), a Virginia opponent who was initially afraid to punch but later proved himself possessed of a better chin, and heart, than set of fists. Ultimately, Pavlik did what was expected of him, if a little less, left-crossing and right-hooking his way to a second consecutive victory – this time a seventh-round technical knockout caused by his opponent’s profuse bleeding.

“He did a lot of good things,” Pavlik’s manager Cameron Dunkin said after the fight. “He just worked. He didn’t want to load-up.”

With little more than a timid punching bag before him in the fight’s opening round, Pavlik did initially load-up on left hook-right cross combinations – right wrist flipping back whenever he landed – and supplied a fair number of emotional moments for the Vegas fight crowd.

“I’m not heard-headed,” Pavlik said afterwards about stylistic adjustments made under new trainer Robert Garcia. “I’m learning.”

As the rounds grinded along, though, and Pavlik’s occasional left-hook leads to the body brought no decisive end to the fight, Pavlik’s mouth gradually opened, his spacing gradually worsened, and his punching power gradually lessened. Pavlik had too much of everything for Sigmon, in the end, but Pavlik did not show the same head-snapping power he once used in terrorizing the middleweight division.

“Any of the top guys,” Pavlik said about future opponents, after the fight. “As long as it’s a better guy.”

Time will tell if a better guy is what Pavlik’s career actually needs.


MIKE LEE VS. ELISEO DURAZO
Fighting before a crowd that was almost all his – a gaggle of ringside dwellers in navy blue and gold t-shirts – Chicago light heavyweight Mike Lee (9-0 5 KOs) was prepped to make a sensational statement against soft Mexican setup man Eliseo Durazo (3-3) in the opening bout of ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights” program. But the statement Lee made was less than hoped for, winning by three unanimous-decision scores of 59-54, in a fight that exposed more defects in Lee’s attack than planned.

Appearing to struggle with a belly-jiggling opponent who nevertheless did not know he was there to lose by spectacular knockout, Lee committed well to his punches and defended best he was able throughout.

If Lee is destined to show himself as more than a novelty act, though, he did not bring himself any closer to doing so, Friday.

UNDERCARD
Friday’s last pre-television bout was its most entertaining, as undefeated California super middleweight Rudy Puga (3-0, 3 KOs) made a hellacious five-minute scrap with hardnosed Idahoan Tommy Turner (2-2, 1 KOs). Despite being dropped with right hands thrown from most every angle, Turner continued to rise and fight on until a Puga right uppercut violently ended his night at 2:19 of round 2.

Before that, in the card’s largest surprise, unheralded Kansas lightweight Gerardo Robles (18-10, 9 KOs) dropped Californian Roger Gonzalez (27-6, 18 KOs) in each of the first two rounds of a fight whose round count showed “8/6” on the night’s bout sheet, and sneaked his way to a majority-decision victory: 76-74, 76-74, 75-75. The match’s oddest turn came after round 6, when Robles, believing the fight had reached its conclusion, mounted the turnbuckle in triumph, only to be told he would have to fight two rounds more. Those rounds were ultimately academic, though, and Robles won an upset victory.

The evening began with a good four-round scrap between two undefeated super featherweights – Californian Saul Rodriguez (4-0, 3 KOs) and Washington’s Kevin Davila (1-1) – in a fight Rodriguez won by unanimous scores of 40-36, 40-36 and 39-37. Despite losing most rounds by narrow margins, Davila, trained by 2000 U.S. Olympic head coach Tom Mustin, caught Rodriguez with enough quality punches to make ringsiders speculate about what could happen the first time Rodriguez is matched with a heavier-handed foe.

Opening bell rang at The Joint in Hard Rock Hotel at 5:31 PM local time.

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank




Pavlik to fight Sigmon on June 8th on ESPN 2


Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that former world Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik will fight Scott Sigmon on June 8th in Las Vegas on a card that will be televised on ESPN 2.

“He’s on a great winning streak. He’s a credible opponent and he will come to fight,” Said Top Rank’s Carl Moretti. “He knows it’s an opportunity so I expect nothing less than his best effort against Kelly. This is a fight they both wanted.”

“I think that Kelly is coming right back for this fight further reflects his commitment to the sport and to keeping his life in order,” Moretti said. “I think that is what you want to see. He looked good against Jaco, so let’s do it again. Kelly doesn’t need to take six months off after knocking out Aaron Jaco.”

“I think the fact that Pavlik is going to fight on the weekend of the Pacquiao fight, with a lot of media in town and a lot of boxing fans in town, he’ll get a lot of attention and hopefully it sets up bigger things for him in the future,” Moretti said.

“I think we start discussing that (future) June 8 after the fight and go from there. We’ll see what’s available and we will sit down with Kelly and (manager) Cameron (Dunkin) and determine what the next move is. But Kelly is still a big name in the industry.”

Chavez, who defends one of the titles that Pavlik used to have on June 16 against Andy Lee at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, is a serious possibility in the fall, Moretti said. It is also a fight — which could be at middleweight, super middleweight or at a catch weight in between 160 and 168 pounds — that Chavez manager Billy Keane told ESPN.com is of interest to them.

“Absolutely, that’s a fight we’ll look at,” Moretti said. “It’s definitely a big fight. The more Kelly fights and re-establishes himself, and the better Chavez gets, the more a fight like that can come together. That’s a pretty big pay-per-view fight.”




Gradovich stops Leal; Pavlik succeeds in comeback


SAN ANTONIO – It was “Mexican Russian” against “Little Soldier” at Illusions Theatre, in Saturday’s main event. All of the monikers were apt.

Fighting in a 10-round “Top Rank Live” match made for Spanish-language network TV Azteca, undefeated Russian featherweight Evgeny Gradovich (13-0, 7 KOs) and Mexican Frankie Leal (17-6-3, 10 KOs) made the night’s most savage battle, engaging each other constantly and from close range every second of every round. Gradovich prevailed by technical knockout, stopping Leal with a short left hook in the match’s final minute. The fight then took on a tragic hue.

Rising well before referee Rafael Ramos’ 10-count completed, Leal stumbled slightly rightwards. Ramos took note and wisely waved an end to the match at 2:15 of round 10. Immediately thereafter, Texas officials began a postfight evaluation of Leal that resulted in his being removed from ringside on a gurney. As he was wheeled from the ring, however, Leal was conscious, and referee later Ramos confirmed that Leal had been able to answer questions.

A later report from a local hospital indicated that Leal was responding to doctors’ questions. The word “precautionary” was being used hopefully at ringside.

It was a sad end to what was a hell of a scrap.

KELLY PAVLIK VS. AARON JACO
It has been a long time since former middleweight world champion Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik fought in the second co-main of a local card, but that was the position in which he found himself Saturday, while making only his second prizefight in 23 months.

Pavlik (38-2, 33 KOs) responded well to the unfamiliar, and blasted overmatched Florida super middleweight Aaron “Jedi” Jaco (15-3, 5 KOs), forcing the 35 year-old to the blue mat twice, once in each of the first two rounds, and stopping him at 0:45 of round 2.

“He was looking for the right hand,” Pavlik said afterwards. “How do you think my left hand looked?”

Pavlik dropped Jaco with a left-hook lead in the second minute of the first round, a few seconds after a less-professional-looking overhand-right lead failed to move Jaco. Pavlik, working for the first time in his career with a trainer outside of Ohio, this time new chief second Robert Garcia, made left hands the focus of his new look.

“I had a really good camp, and you can see I had more of a bounce in my step,” Pavlik said. “My left arm was actually getting tired in there.”

In round 2, Pavlik connected with another left-hook lead, this one verily damaging Jaco. Fully outmatched but still tough, Jaco rose before the count of 10 but was in no condition to continue.

“We’re going fight-by-fight,” Pavlik said, when asked about his current fighting weight and future plans. “I just don’t know yet.”

This first fight of Pavlik’s latest comeback told observers little more than this: Pavlik is back, can make the super middleweight limit, and is working on his left hook.

ADAM LOPEZ VS. RAMON BAYALA
As a highly praised prospect in his second prizefight, Adam Lopez was supposed to make quick work of a limited Puerto Rican with nary a victory on his record. But Ramon Bayala, that limited Puerto Rican, sent Lopez to the mat in round 3 and made Lopez work much harder than anticipated throughout.

Ultimately, Lopez (2-0, 1 KO) decisioned Bayala (0-3-1) by three unanimous scores of 38-36, scores that reflected both Bayala’s third-round knockdown and his fourth-round holding penalty, one provoked by a shoulder he threw on a break.

“He was holding, but the ref warned me,” Lopez said afterwards, still in apparent disbelief. “And I got mad and lost my concentration.”

Lopez rose after his first professional knockdown and struggled to a neutral corner. Referee Jon Schorle moved in, completed his count and twice cleaned Lopez’s gloves, and Lopez made his way through the rest of the stanza.

“He got up too early,” said Ronnie Shields, Lopez’s trainer, who said there was lots of work to be done on Lopez – starting with keeping his hands up.

UNDERCARD
Saturday’s second match of its TV Azteca broadcast saw local lightweight Ivan Najera (7-0, 7 KOs) run through unprepared Michigander James Lester (9-8, 4 KOs), dropping him twice and stopping him with a left hook to the body at 0:35 of round 2.

The best fight of the undercard was a four-round battle of Texas featherweights Luis Zarazua (3-0-1, 1 KO), of Edinburgh, and Victor Sanchez (1-3-1), of Houston, one that ended in a fair and proper majority draw that ringside judges scored 38-38, 38-38 and 39-37 (Zarazua). Sanchez began the fight winging uppercuts that betrayed a surprising familiarity with Zarazua’s style. But Zarazua soon solved that puzzle and did enough to win three rounds on one scorecard, in an excellent match.

Before that, in a four-round light heavyweight match between Cleveland’s Eduardo Alicea (3-0, 2 KOs) and Houston’s Edwynn Jones (1-4-1, 1 KO), four uneventful rounds punctuated by a few suspenseful seconds of action led to a decision victory for Alicea that all three judges scored 40-36. Alicea, who slaps when he throws an ill-advised right hook to the body and also got himself clipped by a surprise uppercut in round 3, nevertheless did enough to decision Jones easily.

California featherweight Saul Rodriguez (4-0, 4 KOs) remained undefeated in the evening’s second match, stopping Houstonian Ricardo Valencia (1-3-1) at 0:19 of round 1. Charging out his corner and connecting with his first combination – a nifty right cross, left hook mix – Rodriguez then landed a pair of right hands that brought referee Rafael Ramos racing in to stop the fight before it got too ugly, or even truly started.

Saturday’s card opened with a four round super welterweight scrap between Florida’s Bryant Perrella (2-0, 2 KOs) and San Antonio’s Arturo Lopez (0-2), a match referee Jon Schorle stopped at 2:08 of round 4 when Lopez did not respond adequately to a series of combinations from Perrella.

Attendance for Leija and Battah Promotions’ debut was estimated at 1,500. Opening bell rang on a sparsely occupied Illusions Theatre at 6:03 PM local time.

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank




Pavlik returns in Leija’s debut

SAN ANTONIO – Kelly Pavlik, the former lineal middleweight world champion and fighting pride of Ohio, approached the small stage at a crowded cantina, Friday afternoon, after joking he’d be at a loss for words if asked to address the South Texas crowd. Then he climbed on the scale and showed more pounds and tattoos than his old fans remembered.

More pounds, perhaps, but still within the contracted weight for his Saturday fight. More tattoos, definitely, but apparently more comfortable in his own skin that he’s been in a while.

Friday afternoon at Ojos Locos, a sports bar northwest of the downtown area, Pavlik (37-2, 32 KOs) and his Saturday “Top Rank Live” co-main event opponent, Aaron Jaco (15-2, 5 KOs), who calls himself “Jedi” but whose knockout record shows limited use of the force, each came in under their agreed-upon weight of 170 pounds. Pavlik weighed 169 1/4 pounds, while Jaco made 169 1/2.

Saturday will be Pavlik’s first match with new trainer Robert Garcia, who indicated Pavlik had no trouble whatever with weight during their 10-week training camp. Saturday will also mark the promotional debut of retired world champion Jesse James Leija, a native son of San Antonio’s and owner of two local ChampionFit Gyms.

“Five and a half weeks ago,” said Leija, when asked at a Thursday open workout when he decided to become a promoter. “My buddy Mike Battah and I were talking about bringing fights back to San Antonio, and we started talking to the right guys, like (Pavlik manager) Cameron Dunkin, about a core base of fighters that people would want to come see.”

Leija and Battah Promotions will make its first event in Alamodome’s Illusions Theatre – so named, in part, because it comprises a temporary stage, ceiling and curtain arrangement converted from an existing stretch of Alamodome’s endless floor – with plans for regular shows, as many as six in the new firm’s first year.

“They needed a place to put the fight, and we had a couple different places,” said Leija. “But I said let’s do the Alamodome. We’re just going to have to work harder.”

Local interest has apparently kept pace with Leija’s ambitions, as noted matchmaker Chris Middendorf verified Thursday.

“This is a great fight city,” Middendorf said of San Antonio. “So much local interest.”

Middendorf’s assessment was proved apt Friday at Ojos Locos, where the weighin for a comparatively small, Spanish-language-broadcast card brought a full bar’s worth of supporters out on a workday afternoon, hours before quitting time.

Alamo City’s tradition of supporting boxing cards is part of what convinced Leija to start promoting, regardless of what aficionados sometimes opine of his new profession.

“The number one sport for Mexican-Americans is boxing, and we have a huge base of Mexican-Americans here in San Antonio,” said Leija. “And no one can take your good name away from you except you.”

Leija promised that as a promoter he would remain a fighter’s guy.

“Look, I know what they’re going through,” said Leija. “I know what it’s like to have to do this to put food on the table for your wife, and for your kids. I’ve been there. You get paid, and the check goes in two weeks. I know.”

Leija’s hope is to create an infrastructure that can nurture young professional talent in what has long been one of the country’s best fight cities. That hope currently rests on the 119-pound frame of Adam Lopez (1-0, 1 KO), a local amateur standout who will make his second career prizefight Saturday, against Puerto Rican Ramon Bayala (0-2). Ivan Najera (6-0, 5 KOs), a San Antonio lightweight who will face Detroit’s James Lester (9-7, 4 KOs) Saturday, is also expected to attract ticket-buyers.

Saturday’s main event will see undefeated Russian featherweight Evgeny Gradovich (12-0, 6 KOs) fight Mexican Franky Leal (16-5-3, 10 KOs). Alamodome doors will open at 5:00 PM local time, with first bell scheduled to ring on its eight-match card at 6:00. 15rounds.com will have full ringside coverage.




Pavlik to return March 31st against Jaco


Former Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik will return on March 31st against Aaron Jaco in San Antonio accoriding to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“He’s going to fight and he’s just excited,” said Pavlik’s manager Cameron Dunkin.

“For Kelly to drive down by himself, it just shows you how much he’s into boxing again and wants to be around it,” Dunkin said. “He was laughing and joking. He looked so good. He said to me, ‘I’ve never trained like this consistently. I’ve been training six days a week. I get a good night’s sleep. I’m in bed by 9 o’clock. I’m on a health kick. I’m eating the right foods.’ Kelly said he was 173 pounds but after he works out he’ll be down at 169. His weight is good.

“He said, ‘I work two hours a day just on moving my head and reacting to punches.’ Robert has told he can’t get anyone to really spar with Kelly except for (2008 Olympian) Alfonso Blanco because he’s hurting everyone he spars with.”

“If everything goes OK, Kelly will fight again in June and then come back in the fall and, hopefully, have a real, real fight,” Dunkin said.

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank




What happened when I treated my next two columns like Kelly Pavlik treated his next two fights

By now you’ve read the press release about my Monday column, the one that was to be a workaday review of Kelly Pavlik’s comeback match with Darryl Cunningham, written for a transcendent website that gets more daily hits than every boxing site combined. After that would come a masterwork that announced my comeback as a serious voice.

I cancelled all that, Wednesday. After Pavlik cancelled his fight and offered a telling interview to Alec Kohut on Tuesday, I had a contentious phone call with the editor of the site for which I’d intended to write my next two columns. A transcript follows.

Me (cutting in): Listen, hey, wait, I’m tired of spending hours each week fretting over what strangers will opine of my subject. I need to start thinking about me, and riffing on art museums and favorite novelists. And I’m getting that tattoo of 15rounds.com on my lower back changed to a dolphin, just so you know – with the 5 becoming a dorsal fin.

Editor: Do what you want with your body. But remember our deal.

Me: I remember it and planned to honor it. A throwaway review of a mediocre fight, something to reintroduce me to readers as a writer who can fashion a passable report without experimenting, followed by a sprawling epic about Marvin Gaye’s use of boxing to overcome drug addiction, written to the chord changes of “Inner City Blues” and featuring interviews with much of Detroit.

Editor: That was the plan.

Me: Right, and then I realized you’re using me. You’re going to use my Marvin Gaye opus to drum up a hundred more clicks then tell me to scram.

Editor: Depends on how the second column goes over. You have to prove –

Me: I’m a famous writer. If I end a sentence with a preposition or use a hyphen in lieu of a semicolon, everybody talks about it. I coauthored a book with Thomas Hauser, for goodness’ sake! People know Bart Barry.

Column: And that’s why we offered to pay you what we thought was reasonable.

Me: “Reasonable”? I know you offered David Greisman $10,000 per column. Now maybe on the East Cost or the West Coast or the Midwest, Greisman’s name means more than mine, but in South Texas, in San Antonio, the Centertown portion – Houston Street? – my name is bigger than his. He gets $10,000 per column, and I get $50. C’mon!

Editor: What are you talking about? That $10,000 number is preposterous.

Me: I know what I know. At least offer me, like, $59, or fly me to Los Angeles, where boxing occasionally happens. I’d do my column for $50 in L.A. But you’re asking me to write about a deceased Motown talent, in South Texas, for $50. It’s outrageous, pardon my French.

Editor: Your what?

Me: It’s despicable – and I don’t mean to cuss. About my invoice . . .

Editor: We have a standard way of reimbursing our writers, one you are familiar with and –

Me: I don’t do this for the money, OK? I’m not one of these knucklehead boxing writers who acquires contemporary art or manages an expensive designer-eyeglass collection. Believe me, I’m fine. And if I’m fine, and I don’t write for money, obviously I’m not going to write unless I get paid what I think I’m worth! I don’t mean to swear, but it’s illogical.

Editor: You seem worked up. Are you back on the caffeine?

Me: Really, this again? Find me one writer who so much as tweets without a mug of coffee in his fist. I’ve been honest about those few times I had too much at Starbucks and it made me incoherent. Do you have any idea how hard it is to generate words out of thin air and have others question your talent and craft?

Editor: That’s what you are paid to do. Do you how many boxing fans would love to get paid for their opinions?

Me: You know what, I’m like any other guy. When some Wal-Mart greeter goes to a job where he makes less in a day than I make in an hour, does he do it for me? No. I write for the money – money I do not need. Frankly, I don’t even care if anyone reads my Marvin Gaye masterpiece.

Editor: For which we would pay you $50.

Me: How is a writer going to make $35 for a column comparing Marco Antonio Barrera to Jane Austen, a column maybe 20 people finished, and fewer than 10 enjoyed, and then take short money for a story on Marvin Gaye?

Editor: This was supposed to be a redemptive effort for you. After your issues with editors.

Me: Every writer fights with editors. One time, one time, Frauenheim and I get in a conversation and miss the early shuttle to Cowboys Stadium, and Abrams calls, and I tell him what happened, and he says it’s not a big deal, and I say it is. The only reason people talk about that is because Bart Barry is a famous name.

Editor: This is an impasse.

Me: Look, there are knowledgeable people out there. One guy, we call him “Spandex” – he knew a guy whose grandfather met Henry Miller in Paris – and he told me I need to not just write about art museums but really bore into them, controversial stuff about minimalism.

Editor: And when readers say it’s nonsensical?

Me: Maybe if they’d get off their asses and pay a subscription fee or send an eloquent email, instead of worrying about what Bart Barry is writing, maybe then . . .

(End Transcript)

As you can see from what’s above, my side of the story, I walked away from that other gig for good reasons. We can all agree this was the best thing for my boxing-writing career. Don’t miss my next column.

Bart Barry can still be reached at bbarry@15rounds.com, where he’s still happily writing, having never once fought with his editor.

Natural ingredients can be powerful.

Countryside & Small Stock Journal January 1, 2001 | Griffith, Mildred COUNTRYSIDE: In regard to your advice on how to get rid of fleas and ticks (Sept./Oct. 2000), I am somewhat apprehensive. Tobacco dust is poisonous and might be irritating to a dog’s skin, if not worse. I would be afraid to use it. Orris root is strong stuff, too. All “natural” products are not safe. go to web site how to get rid of fleas in your house

We’ve always had dogs, usually four at a time — orphans, strays, and housepets that have access to the yard and woods. They are, all flea-free. We just couldn’t live with flea hounds.

At one point years ago we did have an infestation of fleas. I decided they had to go, so I declared war on them and attacked those on the dogs and in the house all at once. After vacuuming the house I sprinkled borax everywhere — floors, under the edges of rugs, under furniture, cushions, etc. and left it there about a week. (Do not put borax on a dog.) In the meantime, I dusted the dogs with a 2% rotenone dust (used for cat flea powder or as garden insecticide). And we started feeding the dogs brewer’s yeast, now called “nutritional” yeast and sold in health food stores. (This is not the same as baker’s yeast). We fed about a teaspoonful a day to a 50 pound dog. site how to get rid of fleas in your house

At the end of the week I cleaned up the borax and have had no more flea problems. We continue to give the dogs their yeast. We take some ourselves (though not for fleas) for nutrition, although it is also supposed to repel mosquitoes. We have been flea-free for years even though the dogs run through the underbrush or lie in the dirt and there have been a number of stray cats hanging around here.

We have ticks, too, both the larger dog ticks and the minute deer ticks which just showed up this year. I don’t know what to do about them other than picking them off.

— Mildred Griffith, 24 Mumford Hill, Rt. 2, Sulton, MA 01590 Griffith, Mildred




KELLY PAVLIK WITHDRAWS FROM DARRYL CUNNINGHAM FIGHT


YOUNGSTOWN (August 2, 2011) – Former World Middleweight Champion and current World Boxing Council (WBC) No. 1-rated super middleweight contender KELLY “The Ghost” PAVLIK’s professional boxing comeback took a wrong turn inasmuch as Pavlik withdrew from his upcoming 10-round bout against Darryl Cunningham today. The Pavlik-Cunningham bout was scheduled to take place on Saturday at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, OH, and was to be televised live on SHOWTIME® as the main event of a special edition of ShoBox: The New Generation. Both the broadcast and the live event have been canceled. Ticketholders can get a refund by returning their tickets to the place of purchase.

“Top Rank is very disappointed at Kelly’s sudden decision to discontinue the rebuilding of his boxing career,” said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank, Pavlik’s promoter. “Kelly’s team specifically outlined a strategy for Kelly to return to the ring in an effective fashion. Kelly’s team gave us their objectives and we set them on a course, which began last May with Kelly’s fight against Alfonso Lopez and was to continue on Saturday against Darryl Cunningham. It seems Kelly has derailed this plan.”

EXCERPTS FROM DAN RAFAEL OF ESPN.COM STORY BELOW

Apparently, Pavlik was upset over the offer he had received from Top Rank to fight Bute, telling Youngstown television station WFMJ-TV that “the fight is off and the Bute fight is not going to happen. I’m not going to fight a southpaw for peanuts.” He also told the station that his reason for pulling out of the fight was a “business decision.”

Top Rank was working on a deal with Bute’s promoter, InterBox, that would have given the Top Rank/Pavlik side 40 percent of the revenue from the fight. Top Rank had offered Pavlik a minimum purse of $1.35 million (plus an additional $25,000 for training expenses), which could have increased depending on how much money the fight generated.

A source close to Pavlik said that Pavlik was unhappy with the offer because InterBox had originally tried to sign former titlist Mikkel Kessler to fight Bute in November with a substantially bigger offer, which Kessler’s team rejected.

DuBoef said that the cancellation of Saturday’s fight should not have had anything to do with a proposed fight against Bute in the fall.

“Let me make it crystal clear — Saturday’s fight was not part of a two-fight deal,” duBoef said. “There was a plan that we had talked with Team Pavlik about to rebuild his career. We all agreed. It started in May. Then there was supposed to be the fight with Cunningham and then a big fight in the fall. We said we would do our best to plan it. I guess that wasn’t acceptable to Kelly in the last week.

“We had discussed the terms of a Bute fight, but that had no bearing on this. Is it a matter of is Kelly going to fight regularly? Does he want to get back on track and knock that rust off? Apparently not.”

DuBoef said he got a call from Cameron Dunkin, Pavlik’s co-manager, on Monday night telling him that Pavlik was withdrawing from the fight.

“Cameron said that Kelly was not interested in pursuing Saturday’s fight and that he was pulling out,” duBoef said. “I said, ‘That’s his decision. We’re disappointed.’ It’s very unprofessional and it’s his decision. Cameron told me, ‘I hate to tell you this, but he’s not on board for the plan.’ Cameron was very upset because the plan was to get him back in the ring. That is the road to recovery and to rebuilding. We were not going to give him this fight in August and they called us wanting it, so we arranged it.”

DuBoef said his first thought when he heard Pavlik had withdrawn was that maybe he was drinking again, although there is no evidence of that.

“It wasn’t mentioned but it’s the first thing I speculated,” duBoef said. “My first thought was I hope his health is not at risk. We operate gingerly with Kelly as it relates to his demons from the past. We take direction from his team.

“But the behavior here is somewhat erratic and unprofessional. I’m very sympathetic to (Showtime), the fans, my staff, the (Covelli Centre) and the people in Youngstown who were looking forward to this and working on the event. Unfortunately, it did not come about. There is some soul searching to do for Kelly and his team. The answers more lie with him than anyone else.”




Alvarado, Pavlik, and Top Rank loyalty


Colorado’s Mike Alvarado successfully continued his comeback Saturday. Ohio’s Kelly Pavlik will successfully continue his comeback Saturday. Top Rank continues to promote both. And American boxing aficionados who are not within driving distance of Southern California’s thriving gym scene continue to be nostalgic about better times.

Saturday’s Fox Sports Español telecast was a reminder of this. There was Alvarado, fighting in Denver at a venue called Softball Country Arena – which appeared to be a field with a set of tracks behind it where trains moseyed past. Rumor is, ticket sales went well. But Alvarado is in a much different place from where he once was.

Today he is 31-years old. He is fighting Off-Off-Broadway, to be charitable. Since his quick rise on the professional scene, one aided by Telefutura’s “Solo Boxeo” (its invaluable predecessor, not the current imposter), he has fought in cities like Cicero, Ill., Gary, Ind., and Commerce City, Colo. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

Sixty-two months ago, Alvarado fought in the co-main event of a Top Rank card in Tucson, Ariz., in a venue called Club Envy. The club itself was small, as I recall it. The parking lot was converted to a fighting venue. There were folding chairs and a chainlink fence and metal tubs of beers on the perimeter. The turnout was mediocre, as Arizona boxing was by then nine months into a cruel freeze – one our own Norm Frauenheim reports may just now be thawing.

Some of the usual characters were at Club Envy, though not as many. Phil Soto, Top Rank’s Arizona publicist, placed seat assignments on ringside tables and put me beside TheSweetScience.com’s Phil Woolever – arguably boxing writing’s most poetic soul. Woolever spoke his observations into a handheld voice recorder, and we shared a few jokes about the hot pink trunks one of the undercard combatants wore in the ring that night.

Alvarado was sharp, threw tight combinations, impressed observers with his right uppercut, and got hit plenty with right crosses. His opponent that night, Maximino “Holy Hands” Cuevas, boasted an 8-3-1 record that was headed for 10-11-1. He was there to lose and found his way out of the match with a left-eye injury after round 5.

Alvarado was disappointed the fight didn’t go longer, implying he would have been hit with fewer punches as it went on. Saturday’s junior welterweight fight against Gabriel Martinez showed that either Alvarado’s five-year-old claim was never particularly true, or he’s lost some of the fast-twitch from his reflexes. He still gets hit hard with right hands.

But he also shows the same impressive chin he showed in his youth, back when Top Rank very nearly called him a top prospect in its stable – before the arrests and private disappointments. Last June, as Top Rank spent a week in San Antonio to promote Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s match with John Duddy, Alvarado’s career had collided with another obstacle, and Top Rank personnel were not timid about expressing their displeasure with Alvarado.

Yet, there was Alvarado on a Top Rank broadcast Saturday – a marker we’ll return to.

Kelly Pavlik, too, has performed a sabotage of sorts on his prizefighting career, a career Top Rank’s Bob Arum once promised would eclipse in riches and acclaim Oscar De La Hoya’s. Pavlik was his hometown’s professional-sports franchise. Youngstown, Ohio, perhaps the closest thing boxing has to a sister city, rallied round its one excuse for optimism. Pavlik let the city down.

Talk to folks above the legal drinking age in Youngstown, and you’ll find most have a story or two about the hell-raising Pavlik brothers. A few weeks ago that hell-raising won national attention, as Kelly and his brother staged a sparring match to whose credentials list local police were belatedly added. Pavlik doesn’t want to talk about it. Boxing media, excepting only Michael Woods, were happy to comply with the fighter’s wishes during last week’s conference call.

You know who’s happy to talk about it, though? Guys in boxing gyms. In South Texas at least, where most heavybag habitués’ names end in an s or z, there’s a long-held suspicion Pavlik was the beneficiary of what President George W. Bush once called “the soft bigotry of low expectations.” Pavlik’s white skin lowered expectations, Pavlik sprang over the shortened hurdles, and Pavlik became far more famous than a Mexican or Puerto Rican might have for knocking-out middleweight champion Jermain Taylor.

Is this accurate? Not really. Boxing gyms are often racially fixated and cruel places, and Pavlik deserves better than the “white hope” and “middleweight drunk” titles his name now triggers.

Just the same, by now, Pavlik was supposed to be a pay-per-view mainstay, selling-out edifices like Ohio State’s Horseshoe or Cleveland Browns Stadium. Instead, Pavlik now hopes for a “walk-up” crowd in Youngstown’s Covelli Center on Friday. He’ll be fighting someone named Darryl Cunningham on Showtime’s “ShoBox” program, one whose subtitle is “The New Generation.”

Top Rank will promote that show, too. Just like Alvarado’s show Saturday. Why is this worth mentioning? Because it tells you something about the fabric of Bob Arum’s company.

Contrary to general impressions, Arum engenders loyalty by showing loyalty. He may bark at his fighters. Hell, he may even crow about them in the press. But Top Rank always answers the phone when one of its stable calls. It finds a place for tough action fighters, regardless of their private mistakes. People, it seems, like Arum more the better they know him.

If Oscar De La Hoya is the future of boxing promotion, this is a trait he should learn from his former promoter. De La Hoya has an opposite track record: He is most beloved by those who are farthest from him.

Meanwhile boxing’s own comeback remains in neutral, exactly between first gear and reverse.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry




Pavlik’s fight to get back on top starts with the battle to beat back distractions


Distractions are an ally or an annoyance or a dirty word. Manny Pacquiao can’t get enough of them. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. sneers at them, then moves on to the next one. Kelly Pavlik doesn’t know what to do with them. Not yet, anyway

For Pavlik, learning how to manage them, or at least live with them, might be his greatest challenge, bigger even than an Aug. 6 tune-up against left-handed Darryl Cunningham in a super-middleweight battle to reassert himself at his profession’s highest level in a projected fight with Canadian Lucian Bute, also a left-hander.

News about Pavlik for the last year has mostly been about a lifestyle gone awry and a stretch in rehab. A difficult personal trial is hard enough without media attention. With it, the challenge threatens to become a succession of exaggerated cheap shots that can knock out a career, or at least leave a promising one short of fulfillment.

Pavlik’s fight against Cunningham in front of neighbors and the nosy in hometown Youngstown, Ohio, will happen on Showtime’s ShoBox within a few weeks of news about a reported altercation with his brother. According to various reports, they had been drinking. Even if drinking had not been mentioned, the public would have assumed it anyway.

“There’s nothing you can do about that stuff,’’ Pavlik said at the end of a national conference call Wednesday. “Ninety percent of Americans get into fights with siblings. I can’t get into a shoving match with mine. It is what it is.’’

In what is perhaps a good sign in the process of learning how to manage the inevitable, Pavlik sounded philosophical. There were times before his last fight and first one after release from rehab in May when he got exasperated, then annoyed, at repeated questions about the experience.

“Got a new thing I throw out there now: ‘Who cares?’ ‘’ he said when confronted by the question Wednesday. “I just can’t worry about pressure from the public or what people are going to say.

“…I’m going to be Kelly Pavlik.’’

That might be easier to say than do. I get the sense that Pavlik is still stunned to discover how fickle success and celebrity can be. In his early rise to the top of the middleweight ranks, he came across as a nice guy with a blue-collar approach and personality. He was gritty and genuine. Still is. That’s why I’ll be cheering for him, although I wonder if everybody in the Youngstown crowd at Covelli Center will be.

“You know what, I’m not sure,’’ Pavlik said when asked whether he expected a lot of support from a big crowd of hometown fans. “I’m hoping they are. Word is, it’s going pretty good right now. There’s a lot of people still saying they’re going to get their tickets. Mainly, you expect a walk-up crowd in Youngstown. That’s one of the big things, too.

“I’m going to do my thing. I’m going to put on a great show. I’m going to fight as hard as I can. Whatever happens — my true fans, and I’m sure there’s a lot — they’ll be in for a real treat.”

They will be and many also will be back, but only if Pavlik begins to beat back distractions in a compelling comeback that could be as gritty as it is genuine.

Quotes, anecdotes
· A noted publicist, on Zab Judah saying he thought he was getting “a standing eight-count’’ while on all fours after Amir Khan dropped him with a borderline shot on the trunk’s belt: “He must have been talking about a crawling count.’’

· Memo to Tim Bradley: Find the trash can into which Riddick Bowe dumped the World Boxing Council’s heavyweight title belt in 1992. That’s where the 140-pound belt stripped from you this week by WBC President Jose Sulaiman belongs.

AZ notes
· Pavlik (37-2, 32 KOs) said he is fighting Cunningham (23-2, 10 KOs) because is a left-hander, who will help him get ready for Bute. Pavlik didn’t mention Jesus Gonzales (27-1, 14 KOs), also left-handed and his sparring partner before a loss to Sergio Martinez. Gonzales, who is fighting to get in to the 168-pound title mix after a two-year hiatus, plans to continue his Phoenix comeback this fall.

· Thunderstorms tore off the roof of a popular gym, KO Boxing, in south Phoenix a few days ago. Phoenix promoter Michelle Rosado and Phoenix bantamweight Emilio Garcia are seeking donations to rebuild the gym, which is located on some of the city’s meanest streets. An ongoing rebirth of the Arizona market continues in September, first on Sept. 2 with an Alma Carrasco Canez-promoted card at El Zaribah Shriners in Phoenix and then on Sept. 17 with card in Parker at BlueWater Resort & Casino with unbeaten Top Rank prospect Jose Benavidez, Jr., an unbeaten junior-welterweight, in a featured fight. Benavidez, a Phoenix native, is back in trainer Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Calif.




VIDEO: SHO BOX 10TH ANNIVERSARY HIGHLIGHTS

“The most consistent launching pad for future champions for a full decade” ShoBox: The New Generation celebrates it’s 10 year anniversary with a live match between top prospects Diego Magdaleno and Alejandro Perez. Watch highlights from today’s boxing stars who made their bones on ShoBox including Chad Dawson, Ricky Hatton, Robert Guerrero, Kelly Pavlik, Kermit Cintron, Joan Guzman, Victor Ortiz, Paul Williams, Timothy Bradley, Carl Froch, Nonito Donaire, Andre Ward, and more.




FOLLOW PACQUIAO – MOSLEY LIVE!


Follow all the action as it happens from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas as WBO Welterweight champion and Pound for Pound king, Manny Pacquiao takes on future Hall of Famer “Sugar” Shane Mosley. The action begins at 9pm est/6pm pac with a three fight undercard that will feature a 122 lb world championship between Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. and former three division champ Jorge Arce. Also the return of former Middleweight king Kelly Pavlik taking on undefeated Alfonso Lopez. The night will begin with Jr. Welterweight clash between Mike Alvarado and Ray Nahr.

12 ROUNDS–WBO WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP–MANNY PACQUIAO (52-3-2, 38 KO’S) VS SHANE MOSLEY (46-6-1, 39 KO’S)

12 ROUNDS–WBO SUPER BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP–WILFREDO VAZQUEZ JR. (20-0-1, 17 KO’S) VS JORGE ARCE (56-6-2, 43 KO’S)

Round 1 Pacquiao lands a left…Pacquiao lands a left to the body…Mosley lands a right to the body..Pacquiao a left to the body…Pacquiao 10-9

Round 2 Mosley lands a 1-2; Pacquiao lands a left…Pacquiao lands a left…right hook…left…manny starting to get a rhythm…20-18 Pac

Round 3: Mosley gets in a right…STRAIGHT LEFT AND DOWN GOES MOSLEY...30-26 Pac

Round 4: Mosley lands a body shot and right…Pacquiao a right hook..Body shot…Mosley lands a combination..39-36 Pac

Round 5:Pacquiao lands a right hook…Pacquiao lands a body shot…head clash…Pacquiao lands a straight left…Mosley lands 2 rights to the body…Left hook…..49-46 Pac

Round 6 Pacquiao lands straight left to the body…Uppercut…combination…Mosley lands a right..59-55 Pac

Round 7: Pacquiao coming forward and Mosley doing nothing…69-64 Pac

Round 8 Mosley lands a right…Pacquiao lands a left to the head…Nice right by Mosley…78-74 Pac

Round 9 Pacquiao landing combinations…striaght left …right hooks…right hook..Mosley lands a right..88-83 Pac

Round 10 Combinations by knockdown…The feet get tangled BUT PACQUIAO IS DOWN AND RULED A KNOCKDOWN…Pacquiao drills Mosley with a right and left..Mosley holding on…97-93 Pac

Round 11 Pacquiao landing hard combinations throughout the round.,..Has Mosley in trouble a couple times. Mosley lands once nice counter right for Which lights yet another fire under Pacquiao who comes in with combinations…107-102 Pac

Round 12: Pacquiao lands a straight left..Straight left to the chin..2 right hooks..117-111 Pacquiao

119-108; 120-108; 120-107 FOR MANNY PACQUIAO

Round 1: Arce lands a good left hook…Good left to the body..Vazquez lands a looping right..Arce lands a left that has Vazquez holding on…big right…Vazquez lands a right…Arce lands to the body... Arce 10-9

Round 2:Nice combo from Vazquez…Arce lands a jab…left…right..20-18 Arce

Round 3: Blood from bridge of Arce’s nose..Double left from Arce…29-28 Arce

Round 4: Vazquez lands a counter left…Arce lands a right……BIG LEFT HOOK AND DOWN GOES ARCE….38-37 Vazquez

Round 5 Vazquez lands a right…Arce lands a left..Good body…trading body shots…Vazquez lands a left hook…another one..Arce lands a 3 punch combination..47-47

Round 6: Vazquez lands a right..Arce body..straight right…Vazquez lands 2 left hooks…57-56 Vazquez

Round 7: Going toe to toe on the ropes…Vazquez lands a right…67-65 Vazquez

Round 8: Aece just throwin and throwin…lands a left at the bell…76-75 Vazquez

Round 9: Arce lands a body...85-85

Round 10: Vazquez lands a good right…Hook and uppercut..Arce flurries…95-94 Vazquez

Round 11: Arce lands a left hook..They trade hooks…Arce lands a jumping left backs up Vazquez…Arce all over Vazquez…..104-104 Vazquez wobbles back to his corner

Round 12: Arce all over Vazquez…just unloading..VazQUEZ IN SERIOUS TROUBLE…THEY THROW IN THE TOWEL AND THE FIGHT IS OVER

10 ROUNDS–SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS–KELLY PAVLIK (36-2, 32 KO’S) VS ALFONSO LOPEZ (21-0, 16 KO’S)

ROUND 1: Pavlik lands a right…Good left hook…10-9 Pavlik

Round 2: Pavlik lands a left hook..Lopez comes back with a combination…19-19

Round 3: Pavlik works the body…Good right hand…Jab…29-28 Pavlik

Round 4: Pavlik lands a good combination…39-37 Pavlik

Round 5 Good combination from Lopez…Pavlik lands a short hook…48-47 Pavlik

Round 6: Good right from Pavlik..body shots has Lopez holding on..Big right…right to the body..58-56 Pavlik

Round 7: Pavlik gets in a left hook..Lopez working the combinations…Right from Pavlik…Pavlik warned for a low blow…Lopez lands a flurry..67-66 Pavlik

Round 8: Lopez lands a nice combination as Pavlik lands a left hook at the bell…76-76

Round 9: Pavlik lands a good right…Lopez lands a solid right and a short left hook…Left hook..86-85 Lopez

Round 10: Lopez lands a combination…Good body work…Big left by Pavlik buckles Lopez…another left hook..yet another…straight right…Lopping right..hard jab…Blood from right eye of Lopez…Right from Pavlik..95-95

95-95; 98-92; 99-91 PAVLIK BY MAJ DEC

12 Rounds–Jr. Welterweights–Mike Alvarado (29-0, 21 KO’s) vs Ray Narh (25-1, 21 KO’s)

Round 1: Nahr lands an uppercut…Jabbing…Alvarado lands an uppercut..10-0 Nahr

Round 2: Alvarado lands big jabs that shake Narh..19-19

Round 3: Alvarado jabbing…Right hand..another right…29-28 Alvarado

Round 4: NARH QUITS ON THE STOOL AND THE FIGHT IS STOPPED ALVARADO WINS BY TKO

Effect of maternal vitamin and mineral restrictions on the body fat content and adipocytokine levels of WNIN rat offspring.(Brief communication)

Nutrition & Metabolism October 15, 2007 | Lagishetty, Venu; Nandiwada, Vijaya Bhanu; Kalashikam, Rajender Rao; Manchala, Raghunath Authors: Venu Lagishetty (corresponding author) [1,2]; Vijaya Bhanu Nandiwada [1]; Rajender Rao Kalashikam [1]; Raghunath Manchala [1] Background Maternal under-nutrition impairs intrauterine development and increases adiposity, insulin resistance (IR) and associated metabolic disturbances in the later life of the offspring [1]. We reported earlier that chronic 50 percent restriction of minerals (MR) or vitamins (VR) in Wistar NIN (WNIN) rat dams increased the body fat percentage in offspring and decreased their insulin response to glucose challenge [2, 3]. We also reported that increased oxidative stress and impaired antioxidant status were associated with maternal VR but not MR induced changes in offspring [2, 3]. We now report whether or not increased body adiposity in the VR and MR offspring is associated with increased abdominal adiposity, altered expression of adipocytokines and insulin resistance.

Adipocytokines, the adipocyte derived bioactive molecules, mediate the systemic effects of obesity on health and regulate lipid metabolism as well as IR [4]. In fact the adipocytokine: leptin is important in the pathogenesis of eating disorders and obesity and mediates the neuro-endocrine response to food deprivation [5]. Overproduction of TNF-[alpha] modulates IR in obesity [6]. Furthermore, reduced expression of adiponectin and low plasma adiponectin levels are implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity and type 2 diabetes [7]. Indeed, mice lacking adiponectin display IR in some conditions [8, 9]. Considering that maternal VR and MR increased body adiposity and impaired glucose stimulated insulin secretion in the offspring, we have determined whether or not altered expression of adipocytokines was associated with these changes.

Methods Experimental Animals All animal experimental procedures were carried out in accordance with the ‘principles of laboratory animal care’ (NIH publication no. 85-23, revised 1985) and with the approval of the “Institute’s ethical committee on animal experiments” at National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India.

Female, weaning WNIN rats obtained from National Centre for Laboratory Animal Sciences, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India were used in these experiments. The protocol used for animal grouping, feeding, breeding and maintenance was described by us previously [2, 3]. Briefly, the rats received for 12 weeks, a control (AIN 93G) diet or a similar diet with 50 percent (of control diet) restriction of mineral/vitamin mixture, mated with control males and continued on their respective diets through out gestation. At parturition, a third of the restricted dams were shifted to control diet while the remaining continued on restricted diets. Half the number of pups born to these restricted dams were weaned on to control diet while the other half continued on the respective restricted diet.

Blood was collected from the offspring (at six moths of age) after an overnight fast and used for the determination of plasma glucose, insulin and adipocytokines. Insulin resistance (HOMA IR) was computed and the body fat of the animals content was determined by the TOBEC method as described by us earlier [2, 3]. The animals were sacrificed by carbon dioxide inhalation, epididymal fad pads were excised quickly and their fresh weight determined.

Adipocytokine levels Plasma leptin and TNF – [alpha] concentrations were determined using a rat specific enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (R&D Systems, MN, USA). Rat specific RIA kit (Linco Research, MO, USA) was used to determine plasma adiponectin levels. The lower limits of detection were less than 22 pg/mL for leptin; 5 pg/mL for TNF-[alpha] and 1 ng/mL for adiponectin.

Statistical analysis Data was subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS package (version 10.0) and values presented as mean [+ -] SEM. Data was analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Post Hoc least significant difference (LSD) test. Wherever the heterogeneity was observed in the variance, differences between groups were tested by the non-parametric Mann – Whitney U test. The differences were considered significant only if p < 0.05.

Results Body fat content, epididymal fat pad weight and insulin resistance In line with the high body fat percentage observed in the offspring of VR and MR rat dams, the fresh weight of the epididymal fat pads was significantly higher in them (compared to controls) at six months of age (Table 1 &2). Rehabilitating VR mothers from parturition and their offspring from weaning (VSP) but not weaning VR offspring to control diet (VSW) reversed the body fat percentage and epididymal fat pad weight to levels comparable to controls (Table 1). While both the rehabilitation regimes mitigated the maternal MR induced increase in body fat percentage of the offspring only partially, MSP but not MSW could rescue the increased weight of the epididymal fat pad (Table 2).

Table 1 caption: Body weight, fat content and plasma adipocytokine levels in the offspring of vitamin restricted WNIN rat dams on postnatal day 180 [table “” not found /]
Table 2 caption: Body weight, fat content and plasma adipocytokine levels in the offspring of mineral restricted WNIN rat dams on postnatal day 180 [table “” not found /]
Despite their significant effects on the body fat percentage and epididymal fat pad weight in the offspring, neither maternal VR nor MR had any effect on their IR as assessed by HOMA IR (Table 1 &2). As a corollary, the two rehabilitation regimes had no effect on this parameter.

Effect of maternal vitamin restriction on adipocytokine levels Plasma adiponectin levels were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) and leptin levels increased (p < 0.05) in VR offspring (Table 1) compared to the control (VC) offspring on post natal day 180. However plasma TNF-[alpha] levels were comparable among different groups of the offspring. In line with the effects seen on the increased percentage of body fat and fresh weight of epididymal fat pads, VSP but not VSW corrected the changes in adiponectin and leptin levels by six months of age (Table 1). here body fat percentage calculator

Effect of maternal mineral restriction on adipocytokine levels Chronic MR in WNIN rat dams decreased both plasma adiponectin and leptin levels significantly (p < 0.05) in the offspring (Table 2) compared to controls (MC). Similar to the observations made in the offspring of rehabilitated VR dams, MSP but not MSW corrected these changes. Plasma TNF-[alpha] levels were comparable among the different groups of the offspring (Table 2).

Discussion Increased body adiposity and/or altered lipid metabolism not only precede but also lead to tissue insulin resistance [10, 11]. Inline with these reports, the offspring of both VR and MR rat dams had higher body fat percentage compared to controls. The increase in fresh weight of the epididymal fat pads suggests that the increased body fat content in the VR and MR offspring could be due to an increase in central adiposity, a hall mark feature associated with and predisposes individuals to IR later in life [11].

Similar to their effects on body fat percentage, rehabilitation of VR dams from parturition and their offspring from weaning but not weaning VR offspring to control diet rescued the increased epididymal fat pad weight. This observation stresses the importance of vitamin nutrition during lactation in programming the body composition of the offspring and is in line with our similar findings earlier [2]. That both the rehabilitation regimes mitigated the maternal MR induced increase in body fat percentage of the offspring only partially suggests its irreversibility to a great extent as compared to that induced by maternal VR. This is corroborated by the observation that even the increased weight of epididymal fat pads was corrected only partly by MSP but not MSW.

The significant decrease in plasma adiponectin and increase in leptin levels seen in VR offspring are in agreement with earlier reports which showed that similar changes were associated with increased body fat and IR [5, 7]. Although increased leptin levels are usually associated with increased food intake, food intake was not increased in the VR offspring suggesting that they were probably leptin resistant. These results in the VR offspring suggest an association between the altered expression of adiponectin and leptin and their high body adiposity, albeit their causal relationship remains to be delineated.

The decreased plasma adiponectin levels seen in MR offspring are in agreement with similar reports earlier [7] and corroborate the increased percentage of body fat observed in them. However, our observation that hypoleptinemia was associated with high body fat percentage in MR offspring is at variance with many earlier studies demonstrating an association between high plasma leptin levels and high percentage of body fat [5]. Further studies are clearly needed to delineate the role if any of the hypoleptinemia in maternal MR induced increase in body fat percentage in the offspring. Interestingly, hypoleptinemia observed here is in line with leptin deficiency reported in the genetically obese rodent models [12, 13] and also with the hypoleptinemia reported in type 1 and 2 diabetic patients [14].

Increased TNF-[alpha] levels are associated with increased adiposity and IR [6]. However chronic MR or VR did not alter plasma TNF-[alpha] levels significantly. This finding appears to rule out a role for TNF-[alpha] in maternal VR and MR induced changes in the body fat of the offspring.

That rehabilitation of VR and MR dams from parturition but not weaning the VR and MR pups to control diet could mitigate the changes in adipocytokine levels stresses the importance of vitamin and mineral nutrition during lactation in modulating adipocytokine expression in addition to the body adiposity of the offspring. However the finding that despite comparable (to controls) leptin levels, MSP offspring had higher percentage of body fat and epididymal fat pad weight is perplexing and suggests that hypoleptinemia and leptin resistance may both be involved in maternal MR induced changes in adiposity of the offspring.

Not withstanding the effects seen in the body fat percentage, epididymal fat pad weight and plasma adipocytokine levels, neither maternal VR nor MR had any significant effect on the IR status in the offspring as assessed by the HOMA IR values. Lack of any effect on the IR status of the offspring could be due to the shorter duration of VR/MR and/or the lower magnitude of VR/MR employed in these studies. Considering our earlier reports [2, 3] that maternal VR/MR irreversibly decreased insulin secretion by the offspring to a glucose challenge, the increased body fat percentage observed here in the VR/MR offspring suggests that maternal VR/MR could lead to a hyperglycemic state in the offspring at a later age. That the rehabilitation regimes had similar effects on plasma adipocytokines, body fat percentage and glucose stimulated insulin suggests that adipocytokines play an important role in maternal VR/MR induced programming of glucose stimulated insulin secretion and hence glucose metabolism in the offspring in addition to their body adiposity. go to site body fat percentage calculator

Conclusion The present observations indicate that increased central adiposity underlies the increased percentage of body fat in the offspring of VR and MR rat dams. Altered expression of adiponectin and leptin is associated with maternal VR and MR induced changes in the body adiposity (composition) of the offspring but maternal VR/MR differentially modulate their expression. That rehabilitation of restricted mothers from parturition but not weaning the restricted offspring to control diet could correct the changes in adipocytokine levels, epididymal fat pad eight and body fat percent may suggest a causal relationship, which however needs to be established. The results also suggest the importance of vitamin and mineral nutrition during lactation in modulating the body adiposity of the offspring, specially the central adiposity, a fore runner for IR and associated diseases in their later life.

Abbreviations MC: control diet through out MR: mineral restriction through out MSP: rehabilitation of mineral restricted mothers from parturition and their pups from weaning MSW: mineral restricted offspring weaned on to control diet.

VC: control diet through out VR: vitamin restriction through out VSP: rehabilitation of vitamin restricted mothers from parturition and their pups from weaning VSW: vitamin restricted offspring weaned on to control diet.

WNIN: Wistar NIN Competing interests The author(s) declare that they have no competing interests.

Authors’ contributions VL participated in the conception and design of the study, data collection, tissue sampling, statistical analysis and drafting of the manuscript.

VBN participated in animal experimentation and tissue sampling.

RRK participated in animal experimentation and carried out the immunoassays.

RM conceived of the study, and participated in its design, coordination and drafting of the manuscript.

All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

References 1. Barker DJ:

The developmental origins of adult disease.J Am Coll Nutr 2004, 23: 588S-595S.

2. Venu L, Harishankar N, Prasanna Krishna T, Raghunath M:

Maternal dietary vitamin restriction increases body fat content but not insulin resistance in the WNIN rat offspring up to six months of age.Diabetologia 2004, 47: 1493-1501.

3. Venu L, Harishankar N, Krishna TP, Raghunath M:

Does maternal dietary mineral restriction per se predispose the offspring to insulin resistance?.Eur J Endocrinol 2004, 151: 287-294.

4. Matsuzawa Y, Shimomura I, Kihara S, Funahashi T:

Importance of adipocytokines in obesity-related diseases.Horm Res 2003, 60: 56-59.

5. Mantzoros CS:

The role of leptin in human obesity and disease: a review of current evidence.Annals of Internal Medicine 1999, 130: 671-680.

6. Hotamisligil GS, Shargill NS, Spiegelman BM:

Adipose expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha: Direct role in obesity linked insulin resistance.Science 1993, 259: 87-91.

7. Statnick MA, Beavers LS, Conner LJ, Corominola H, Johnson D, Hammond CD, Rafaeloff-Phail R, Seng T, Suter TM, Sluka JP, Ravussin E, Gadski RA, Caro JF:

Decreased expression of apM1 in omental and subcutaneous adipose tissue of humans with type 2 diabetes.Int J Exp Diabetes Res 2000, 1: 81-88.

8. Kubota N, Terauchi Y, Yamauchi T, Kubota T, Moroi M, Matsui JK, Yamashita T, Kamon J, Satoh H, Yano W, Froguel P, Nagai R, Kimura S, Kadowaki T, Noda T:

Disruption of adiponectin causes insulin resistance and neointimal formation.Journal of Biological Chemistry 2002, 277: 25863-25866.

9. Maeda N, Shimomura I, Kishida K, Nishizawa H, Matsuda M, Nagaretani H, Furuyama N, Kondo H, Takahashi M, Arita Y, Komuro R, Ouchi N, Kihara S, Tochino Y, Okutomi K, Horie M, Takeda S, Aoyama T, Funahashi T, Matsuzawa Y:

Diet-induced insulin resistance in mice lacking adiponectin/ACRP30.Nature Medicine 2002, 8: 731-737.

10. Srinivasan SR, Myer L, Berenson GS:

Predictability of childhood adiposity and insulin for developing insulin resistance syndrome (Syndrome X) in young adulthood: the Bogalusa Heart Study.Diabetes 2002, 51: 204-9.

11. Smith U:

Impaired (‘diabetic’) insulin signaling and action occur in fat cells long before glucose intolerance-is insulin resistance initiated in the adipose tissue?.Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2002, 26: 897-904.

12. Drel VR, Mashtalir N, Ilnytska O, Shin J, Li F, Lyzogubov VV, Obrosova IG:

The leptin-deficient (ob/ob) mouse: a new animal model of peripheral neuropathy of type 2 diabetes and obesity.Diabetes 2006, 55: 3335-43.

13. Houseknecht KL, Portocarrero CP:

Leptin and its receptors: regulators of whole-body energy homeostasis.Domest Anim Endocrinol 1998, 15: 457-75.

14. Roden M, Ludwig C, Nowotny P, Schneider B, Clodi M, Vierhapper H, Roden A, Waldhausl W:

Relative hypoleptinemia in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2000, 24: 976-81.

Author Affiliation:

[1] Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad – 500 007 India [2] Division of Neonatology & Developmental Biology and the Neonatal Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA Article history:

Received Date: 7/12/2007 Accepted Date: 10/15/2007 Published Date: 10/15/2007 Article notes:

?© 2007 Lagishetty et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Lagishetty, Venu; Nandiwada, Vijaya Bhanu; Kalashikam, Rajender Rao; Manchala, Raghunath




WEIGHTS FROM LAS VEGAS

Manny Pacquiao 145 – Shane Mosley 147
(WBO Welterweight Championship)
Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. 122 – Jorge Arce 122
(WBO Super Bantamweight Title)
Kelly Pavlik 170 – Alfonso Lopez 169
Mike Alvarado 139 – Ray Nahr 140




Pacquiao – Mosley undercard Photo Gallery

May 5, 2011,Las Vegas,Nevada — (L-R) Former world champion Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik, Youngstown,Ohio and Alfonso Lopez,Cut & Shoot,Texas pose during the press conference at the MGM Grand for their upcoming feature fight on the undercard of Pacquiao vs Mosley on Saturday, May 7 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Pacquiao vs Mosley is promoted by Top Rank in association with MP Promotions,Sugar Shane Mosley Promotions,Tecate and MGM Grand. The Pacquiao vs Mosley telecast will be available live on SHOWTIME Pay Per View.

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Tickets are going quickly for Calypso Carnival.(Neighbor)

Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) February 24, 2003 Byline: Taffy Hoffer In an earlier column I promised to give you more information about Calypso Carnival as this event got closer. The 16th annual Community Crisis Center auction is sure going to be a fun evening full of many different items. I truly feel we will have something for everyone.

This year’s auction co-chaired by Janine Kirkland and myself will be March 8 at the Crystal Lake Holiday Inn on Route 31. Tickets are $75 per person and they are going very quickly. If you are interested in attending, I suggest you get your reservations in right away.

There will be a silent auction that starts at 6 p.m. and a live auction conducted by Terry Dunning beginning at 9 p.m. There is always a wonderful hot and cold buffet. I heard that this year’s menu will cater to our theme. Things like coconut lobster on a skewer and other tropical selections.

Some of the spectacular items up for bid include a weekend stay at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas; a basketball signed by Shaquille O’Neal; “The Sopranos” package, which includes many thing from the TV show including a black leather jacket; a signed and authenticated Walter Payton lithograph; a fountain; a sky jump for two; and a life-size Spiderman figure. go to website free restaurant coupons

For the golfer, we have a marvelous Medinah golf package and for children we have two unique items. For little girls, there is an antique vanity full of costumes, jewelry and shoes, everything she could want for dress-up. For little boys, there is a trunk full of items, including a pirate costume, fireman hats, trucks and toys.

On the silent auction, there will be many beautiful baskets, a strong garden section, some autographed scripts from your favorite television shows, many restaurant coupons, and an array of other items.

We do have a group of locally famous people who will spend 30 minutes before the live auction trying to raise quick money so they can win the “Loot” and become our head pirate for the evening. here free restaurant coupons

Thanks to Clare Ollayos, Dr. Jim Pinto, Karen Fox, Lynne Bosley, Chuck West and John Robertson for dressing up like pirates and joining in the special fun of the evening.

I would like to thank our generous sponsors. In particular the Seigle Family Foundation who is our Treasure Chest sponsor; K.R. Miller Contractors, our Diamond Sponsor; and EFS Bank, Shales McNutt Construction and the Shales family as our Gold Coin Sponsors.

As a reminder, raffle tickets for this event are on sale. They are $5 a piece and grand prize is $2,003 and second prize is $500.

Anyone interested in either attending this event or buying raffle tickets, call Jeanette at the center (847) 697-2380.

The Community Crisis Center opened in 1975 serving victims of domestic violence, victims of sexual assault, and individuals and families in a crisis situation. They serve more than 6,000 people every year and take great pride in the fact they are open 24 hours a day 365 days a year.




Pavlik Opponent Named


The pay-per-view lineup for the May 7th Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley event is now complete, as former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik will return to the ring against undefeated Alfonso Lopez III in a ten-round super middleweight bout at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Though contracts have not yet been finalized, both sides have come to a verbal agreement.

Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) of Youngstown, Ohio has been out of action since losing his WBC/WBO Middleweight titles to Sergio Martinez via twelve-round decision last April in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Pavlik pulled out of a scheduled bout against Brian Vera on the Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito undercard last November citing a rib injury. However, it later came out that he had checked into the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California for treatment of his chemical dependence on alcohol.

Though Pavlik has not fought above 160-pounds since his decisive decision loss to Bernard Hopkins in October of 2008, and has not won a bout contracted above 160 since his decision over Jermain Taylor eight months prior, the Youngstown native is currently the WBC #1 ranked super middleweight contender.


Lopez (21-0, 16 KOs) of Cut and Shoot, Texas is coming off of a twelve-round unanimous decision victory over Romero Johnson last November which netted him the vacant WBC Continental Americas Super Middleweight title. For the promising Lopez, the Pavlik fight represents the chance of a lifetime. “It’s a huge opportunity for me, an honor almost really,” Lopez told 15rounds.com Tuesday evening. “He’s fought some great fighters and is a great fighter himself. It’s what we have been working for. I have been giving up a lot of things for this opportunity, and it is finally here.”

Though Pavlik has had his share of problems, both in and out of the ring, in recent years, Lopez and his team are expecting the world champion version of “The Ghost” come May 7th. “I am training for the Kelly Pavlik of a few years ago,” said Lopez. “I am going to watch the tape of him fighting Jermain Taylor. I am also going to watch him fight Bernard Hopkins, because he was a little heavier and is going to be bigger at 168. I am definitely expecting the Kelly Pavlik that comes out with a fast pace, behind a stiff, strong jab and lots of pressure. That’s what I am expecting and we are preparing for a long, tough fight.”

Lopez had been in training for a bout which was to have taken place April 15th in Corpus Christi, Texas when he found out he was in the running for the Pavlik bout. “We’ve always said we were ready for something like this, but we knew we had to do some things to get us known and to be selected for such a fight,” said Felix Ramirez, who manages and trains Lopez, along with Henry Harris. “This is a great opportunity, and it doesn’t get any better than this, at least to this point in our careers.”

Considering the leap in class Lopez will be taking, some may question his readiness for such a daunting undertaking. Ideally perhaps Lopez, who has fought outside of Texas just twice in his pro career, would have had another step up before taking on an elite fighter such as a Kelly Pavlik. However Lopez’ manager believes he is up to the task. “Some people would like to have an opening fight, or maybe an off telecast pay-per-view fight [first,] but it is just a matter of how that individual is,” explains Ramirez. “Some people choke, and some people do great under pressure and show up. Alfonso is the type of individual that I don’t believe it will affect him. I think he is going to show up when the time comes and when that bell rings he is going to be ready.”

Kelly Pavlik Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank

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




Pavlik to leave Alcohol rehab on Tuesday


According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former world Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik is scheduled to leave an Alcohol treatment facility on Tuesday.

Pavlik was at the Betty Ford Clinic in Rancho Mirage, California according to his manager Cameron Dunkin.

“He’s real hungry and wants to come back,” Dunkin said.

“Mike (Pavlik’s father) told me Kelly sounds 150 percent better and that he’s got a great attitude,” Dunkin said. “I told Mike, ‘Let’s not worry about boxing right now. Let’s see how he feels when he gets out.’ But Kelly wants to box. Mike said all he does is talk about it constantly. He wants to mend his ways and accomplish so many other things in boxing. He’s very motivated to fight again. I said, ‘Let’s take it one step at a time.’ There’s no pressure on Kelly and no rush.”

Dunkin said that Top Rank’s Bob Arum is aware of the situation and that he told him that if Pavlik is up to it, he would give him a spot on the undercard of Pacquiao’s fight with Shane Mosley on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“Bob says we have May 7 if Kelly wants it and that would be a great place for him to start again,” Dunkin said. “But we just don’t know. It’s out there for him if he wants it. It’s all up to Kelly now.

“I’d like to see the old Kelly back, but I’ll be happy just to see him back and not doing all that nonsense.”

“They let him work out and he’s been running and exercising and lifting,” Dunkin said. “He’s literally been training four to six hours a day because he has nothing else to do besides attend his meetings and stuff.”

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra




Pavlik injured; off Pacquiao – Margarito card


According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former Middleweight champion has pulled out of his November 13th fight with Brian Vera that was supposed to highlight the undercard of the the Manny Pacquiao – Antonio Margarito Super Welterweight title clash with a rib injury.

Pavlik’s manager Cameron Dunkin said the reason was a rib injury. When asked if it had anything to do with Pavlik’s ongoing alcohol problem, he declined to answer.

Trainer Jack Loew also addressed the issue with ESPN.com, saying, “Since we’ve been back [in Pavlik’s hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, from training camp in Pennsylvania], I have not seen Kelly do anything wrong … In camp, I was with him 24 hours a day. Now that we are back, I’m not.”

“I don’t know exactly what happened, but I was told by Jack Loew that he had a rib injury a few days ago and might not be able to fight, and then he confirmed it to me [Monday] morning,” Dunkin said. “I’m heartbroken, I’m devastated, I’m sick to my stomach.

“This was such a great opportunity for Kelly, to be at Cowboys Stadium in front of who knows how many fans in a fun fight on a great show, a great event. I could go on and on.”

“It’s a day-by-day thing,” Dunkin said. “I spoke to Kelly. He said he’s hurt. We’re all sick about it.”

When asked if had anything to do with alcohol issues, Dunkin said, “I can’t say. I’m not there.”

Loew said Pavlik hurt the right side of his ribcage hitting the pads two weeks ago.

“He threw a punch and hurt it when we were doing pads,” Loew said. “We didn’t say anything. He still sparred (Oct. 23), but we just didn’t go to the body. Monday [Oct. 25] we went to New York for the [Tuesday] media lunch and when we came home he said it was too sore.

“He had a cortisone shot put in and it was still no better,” Loew said. “Thursday he came into the gym and he was still sore and we decided that was it. I won’t put him in there when he’s injured. He said he’s injured and the doctor said it’s very tender and that it was probably the cartilage. I gotta believe the doctor. I do have to believe Kelly’s ribs are extremely sore.”

“We’ve heard the report about the rib injury and we’re getting it confirmed,” promoter Bob Arum said. “If that’s the case, we’ll move Brandon onto Nov. 13. If Kelly can’t fight, he can’t fight, whatever the reason is.”

“Kelly realized this was a big fight for him,” Loew said, “but he didn’t want to go into a fight with a kid like Brian Vera, who will swing for the home run every time, if he wasn’t 100 percent. I don’t think we wanted to take a shot against anybody and take a chance of losing because of the rib injury and blow anything bigger or better out there. Nobody else is as disappointed as me.”

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra

Wonder years: strong, creative management has helped John Laing Homes post great gains and sets the company up to succeed in new and changing markets.(JOHN LAING HOMES, NEWPORT BEACH, CA 2,045 UNITS)(Company Profile)

Builder January 1, 2006 | Mariani, Michele FIND YOUR CAUSE. FIND YOURself. These phrases greet those who enter John Laing Homes’ corporate headquarters office in Newport Beach, Calif. They’re the company’s call to service, encouraging employees to get involved in their communities. On this day in mid-October, they’re on a poster advertising an upcoming episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, in which Laing’s Sacramento division and dozens of other company employees built a new home for a woman and her seven disabled children.

An ethos of service courses through John Laing Homes. The company is generous with its financial donations–it poured at least $i million into the Extreme Makeover project–but those dollars are matched by employees’ time and energy, whether on a project of size and scope large enough for national television or involving small, local charities.

It’s a good thing the company is so well grounded, because it has been flying high with the boost from California’s tremendous boom market. (Nine of the company’s n divisions are based in the Golden State; the other two are in Colorado.) In 2004, the company booked more than $1 billion in revenue, up from $600 million just two years earlier.

On the cusp of 2006,John Laing Homes is in transition. Some of its markets are showing signs of cooling. At the same time, the company is positioning itself to take advantage of some of the biggest trends in home building, including urban projects. Executives say they’ll manage the changing dynamics by remaining true to the strong traits that made the company one of America’s Best Builders this year: smart deals, careful management of people and resources, and attention to customers’ needs.

8:30 A.M.: S0UTH COAST DIVISION MEETING “We want to be the best home building company in America,” declares Larry Webb, John Laing Homes’ CEO. Despite winning this award, he doesn’t think the company’s there yet. “Every division has things to improve. You can always do better,” he asserts.

And so sets the table for the II meetings Webb will conduct over several weeks in October to discuss each division’s business plan for the next three years. Each division presents its plan over several hours while being peppered with questions from Webb, CFO Wayne Stelmar, and Bill Probert, vice president of sales and marketing. go to web site newport beach ca

“We challenge people, and we argue,” Webb admits. “I try to put people on the spot. We ask questions. But we leave better for it.” Top managers from the company’s South Coast division sit at the conference table today. It’s one of Laing’s largest divisions and builds throughout Orange Country, where prices have risen dramatically in recent years. The South Coast division’s attached homes start in the $500,000s; detached prices climb into the low million-dollar range.

Webb spent time over the weekend reviewing the division’s 4-inch-thick business plan binder, and he starts the meeting with his big-picture take on the plan, which he says fits with much of the company. “Your division exemplifies this more than others,” he says. “A very strong 2005, a solid 2006–everyone’s being conservative, rightfully so–and a drop-off in 2007, with good expectations for 2008.” The division’s plan also fits into a growing trend for the company toward higher-density, more complicated projects, he adds.

But first, they must look back. Steve Kable, the division president, describes 2005 as “one of the easier years.” The division surpassed its goal of 397 closings for the year; it will finish 480 homes, for $340 million in revenue.

That tally puts the South Coast on top of the other 10 in terms of revenue. The Sacramento division built more homes, but at lower prices. The competition between divisions is real, Webb says later. But, he adds, “It’s less who makes the most money and more about who earns the highest customer service scores and how well they operate their divisions. They share, but they also want to win.” A walk around the corporate suite proves how often they win: Awards line bookshelves throughout the office. The newest set of trophies came from Eliant, an independent market research firm that crowns customer satisfaction winners among home builders. Six of John Laing’s divisions placed in Eliant’s top 10 in 2005. What’s more, in J.D. Power’s widely publicized study, the South Coast division tied for the highest customer satisfaction scores in Orange Count, and the Denver, Colorado Springs, and Los Angeles divisions all placed within the top three in their markets.

9:55 A.M.: SALES AND MARKETING OUTLOOK Linda Mamet, the South Coast’s vice president of sales and marketing, looks ahead to 2006 with “cautious optimism,” she says. The division is nervous about the effect rising interest rates may have on already dismal affordability ratios, but the broader outlook remains positive thanks to strong job growth and housing demand.

Those same concerns cut across most of the company’s divisions. As markets change, CFO Stelmar reminds employees that they’ll need to emphasize the Advantage program, which includes processes and measurement metrics for five key areas: leadership, land, sales, people, and customer care.

The Sales Advantage program sets out the builder-buyer relationship. Its in-house materials talk of “dating,” “popping the question,” and “planning the wedding”–all nicknames for the company’s marketing strategies designed to court and land buyers. In the process, sales team members follow two tracks, concentrating the most effort on top prospects while continuing contact with lesser prospects to generate a backlog of possible buyers.

10:30 A.M.: BUDGET LINE ITEMS Webb quizzes managers about their anticipated general and administrative costs. “I just want to make sure you are worrying about it, that you’re not taking it for granted,” Webb says. “You could bury anything with the last few years,” he adds, alluding to the financial cushion the flush times have provided.

It’s a theme that runs throughout discussions with Webb and many of his employees: Change is coming. That’s why Stelmar earlier stressed the need to rely on the Advantage program, and why he tells the group now, “I would rather see dollars invested in the front end of the business than at the back to fix things that didn’t go right the first time.” Webb is confident that the systems in place and the strength of his division executives–there’s been no turnover at the president level for four years–will help carry the company through potentially tougher times. He’s also hedging through geographic and product diversification. Laing has added divisions in San Diego and San Francisco, and others designed to target urban and upscale building. The product mix within existing divisions is shifting too. “Two years ago, Orange County (South Coast) did suburban tract building. Now, it’s more infill,” Webb says. “We’re adapting to changing market conditions.” 11:45 A.M.: LAING LUXURY KICKOFF” MEETING Laing Luxury was born in 2002 as part of that diversification plan. The division builds houses priced at $1 million and up (that “up” will soon reach $6 million) between Los Angeles and San Diego. While many of the company’s competitors also build high-end homes, Laing believes it has a one-of-a-kind division devoted to delivering luxury product.

Laing Luxury is the sole division to share office space with the corporate staff. Today, while the South Coast division wraps up its meeting a floor below, Laing Luxury managers, market research and design consultants, and an architect have gathered to talk about a potential project of 84 homes in La Quinta, south of Palm Desert.

The land hasn’t been bought yet. This session is designed to brainstorm what might be possible with it. That the group knows its buyers well shines through: They debate whether tennis courts will be needed in the community when so many buyers would already belong to private tennis clubs and agree that private dipping pools would likely hold more appeal than a larger, communal pool.

The company builds in a cushion for start-up divisions. It gave Laing Luxury about three years to get to full speed building between 100 and 150 homes a year, a metric the division will just about hit in 2005 (in mid-October, it estimated 97 closings for the year).

1 P.M.: TUSTIN FIELD VISIT With the South Coast planning meeting concluded, Kable and Mamet drive to check on the final sales phase in their Tustin Field II community in Orange County.

The 30-acre sites this project and its sister, Tustin Field I, sit on were carved from a decommissioned military base. From the site of barracks rose 178 single-family homes priced close to, and in some cases, more than, $1 million. Tustin Field I–which required only ridding the grounds of a radar station before construction–includes four types of high-density product.

That the division offered some affordable units in Tustin Field I is a point of pride for employees. The lowest-priced affordable units, which are fully integrated into the neighborhoods, sold for $79,000, compared with the market rate of more than $400,000.

3:30 P.M.: VISIT WITH LARRY Ideas for the future are never far from Webb’s mind. Though he says the company is feeling out how large it should grow, he expects that by 2012, John Laing Homes will have 20 divisions in the western United States and produce between 7,000 and 9,000 homes and earn $4 billion or $5 billion a year.

“That doesn’t mean it will be a straight line,” Webb cautions. “I do believe that housing is cyclical. There will be good times, and there will be bad times. I would like to see us continue to be leaders in the marketplace, for employees to stay motivated, and to adhere to our vision about caring about customers.” TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT AMERICA’S BEST BUILDERS 2006, VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT WWW .BUILDERONLINE.COM, CLICK ON “THE MAGAZINE” TAB, AND THEN CLICK ON “BUILDER ARTICLE LINKS.” JOHN LAING HOMES CEO: Larry Webb Company focus: Eleven divisions in California and Colorado build a full range of attached and detached homes, priced as high as $6 million. this web site newport beach ca

Employees: 1,000 Year founded: 1984 Web site: www.johnlainghomes.com; www.laingluxury.com Notable: Launched John Laing urban and Bay area divisions; won several high-profile customer satisfaction awards; crossed $1 billion revenue threshold for first time.

AMERICA’S BEST JUDGES The 2006 America’s Best Builder entries were evaluated by a panel of builders, home building consultants, and past winners during the NAHB’s fall meeting in Reno, Nev. They included:

Barbara Anderson-Domingues, vice president of sales and marketing-Arizona division, Vantage/Raylee Homes, Mesa, Ariz.

Mike Benshoof, vice president, SMA Consulting, Colton, Calif.

Steve Friedman, Americas Leader, Homebuilding, Ernst and Young, McLean, Va.

Steve Hays, partner, Home Builder Services Group, RubinBrown, St. Louis Carl Riden, president, Carl Riden Properties, Buford, Ga.

Tom Sattler, president, Sattler Homes, Greenwood Village, Cole.

Cheryl Schuette, president, Village Homes, Englewood, Colo.

Chuck Shinn, president, Lee Evans Group and Shinn Consulting, Denver Emma Shinn, vice president, Lee Evans Group and Shinn Consulting, Denver BALANCING ACT: Larry Webb (far left), CEO of John Laing Homes, has a lot to keep track of these days. His company recently added Bay area and urban divisions, bringing its total up to II, spread between California and Colorado. In addition to holding frequent meetings to plan new projects, each division meets during the second half of the year to craft ambitious business plans that map out the next three years. During the fall, they present their plans to Webb and other senior managers, who then develop a single three-year business plan for the company.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] INFILL OPPORTUNITIES: John Laing Homes has focused more on infill and urban developments, such as this one on a vacant military base in Tustin, Calif., as land in the state grows scarce.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WESTERN WINNER: Though CEO Larry Webb cautions that growth won’t always come in a straight line, it’s worked that way during the past few years, as the company has benefited from its strong positions throughout California.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mariani, Michele




Arum eyeing Pavlik – Chavez Jr. on December 4th


According to Dan Rafael of espn.com former Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik could be heading for a December 4th showdown with undefeated and immensely popular Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. possibly in Cowboys Stadium.

That’s the fight we are looking to do,” Said Bob Arum, who promotes both Pavlik and Chavez Jr.

“We were sitting around having drinks and we came up with it,” Arum said. “We checked with [Chavez trainer] Freddie Roach and he loves the fight. Cameron Dunkin )who manages Pavlik) checked with the Pavliks and they love the fight, so let’s get it on.”

“When I got back [to Las Vegas] from San Juan, I checked with both sides again and everybody was on board,” Arum said. “We’re going to move ahead in the next couple of weeks and get the deal done. I think we can do a lot of business with that fight.”

“The fight will be at 160 and he’ll get a nutritionist, a dietitian, whatever he has to do,” Dunkin said. “He’s fired up about this fight. He is fully committed to the fight. He’s even willing to leave [his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio] to train.”

Arum said he has not spoken yet about the fight with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones yet, but “I spoke with his guy in general about the date and this is the kind of fight that is right up their alley — a white guy from the Midwest fighting the son of the Mexican legend in Cowboys Stadium with reasonable ticket prices. I think we can do 40,000 or 50,000 people.”

“We want the fight, we absolutely want the fight,” Dunkin told ESPN.com. “We were told by Bob that it was going to happen.”

“After we got back from Puerto Rico, Bob called me again to talk about the fight and I told him. ‘Everybody was on board so let’s make the fight happen,’ ” Dunkin said.

“I still need to know the money,” Dunkin said. “Bob said he’d give us a guarantee and a really good upside and everyone will make a lot of money. He said, ‘I can’t promise you a lot of guaranteed money, but if the fight does well everybody will make money.’ We’re fine with that. We’re willing to earn our way. I think it’s a very sellable fight. I think people would like to see it. I’ll tell you one thing — it’s a fun fight and it will be an action fight. Both of these guys can hit and both of them get hit.

“We’re ready to go. We’re just waiting for Bob to let us know what exactly he’s talking about financially. Other than that my guy is itching to go. When he heard it might be at Cowboys Stadium, he got really excited. He said that would be a lot of fun.”
Photo By Chris Farina / Top Rank




Pavlik nixes rematch with Martinez; will move up in weight


According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former world middleweight champion, Kelly Pavlik will forgo his proposed rematch with Sergio Martinez according to his manager Cameron Dunkin.

Pavlik, who lost a unanimous decision and his title belts to Sergio Martinez on April 17 in Atlantic City, N.J., declined his contractual option for an immediate rematch on Tuesday and will move up to the 168-pound super middleweight division or the 175-pound lightweight heavyweight division.

“My take is that Kelly has been struggling to make weight. He made a comment the other day that he wished he had told us this five fights ago,” Dunkin said.

The decision to abandon the middleweight division was reached Monday when Pavlik, trainer Jack Loew and father and co-manager Mike Pavlik met together in their hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, with Dunkin on the telephone from Las Vegas.

“We sat down and talked,” Loew said. “We don’t know where we’re going. Kelly was 178 pounds yesterday. It’s not 178 pounds of fat. It’s 178 pounds of muscle. We’ll look at what’s the most attractive offer and go from there, 168 or 175. I think we’ll be comfortable in either weight class.

“It will be nice to train for the fight instead of battling the weight the last couple of weeks of camp. For this last fight, we hit a wall and it was hard to budge,” Loew explained. “It was horrible what we had to do to make the weight, sweating it off. It was really hard to get off. We had to get on the treadmill and then get in the sauna. We had to do that repeatedly

“In my own mind, there are several places we could go,” Dunkin said. “I don’t think he’ll have a problem with 168 but he may go to 175. It’s wide open. We want to take the best opportunities. We know what we’ve seen from Kelly, he doesn’t have the same snap he had earlier at 160, before [the weight loss] finally drained him. You want a guy to fight at his best weight.

“When we got to weigh 166 for the rematch with Jermain, it started where Kelly had to go from working out two times a day to three times a day to maintain his weight,” Loew said. “Then when we got to weigh 170 for Bernard, after that it was four times a day. We were training more for the weight than the fight. We have no excuses.

“We were 110 percent ready for Martinez and we really thought the weight would come down easier,” Loew said. “We were battling the weight and it cost us. We kept food in him, but not much. There is no reason to go through that anymore.

“Nobody can ever take away that he was middleweight champ of the world,” Loew said. “He’s still healthy, he still has that drive. But not to work out four or five times a day. That caught up to us. He’s got to train like regular fighter — get up, go running and go to the gym to box. Let’s concentrate on fighting again, not losing the weight. He’ll enjoy it more. It wasn’t good what we had to do.”

“I think Chad Dawson and Kelly Pavlik would be a very interesting fight. Chad is a great kid and fighter,” Loew said. “I think that would be a great fight for him and Kelly. Maybe we’ll be sitting ringside for Pascal-Dawson.”

Photo By Chris Farina/ Top Rank