Devon Alexander to face Lucas Matthysse June 25


Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that former 140 lb world champion Devon Alexander will take on hard punching Lucas Matthysse on June 25th most likely in St. Louis

“I made a deal with (Alexander’s promoter Don)King and I made one also with my fighter, so we are in,” said Matthysse’s promoter Richard Schaefer.

“This is one of those crossroads fights,” Schaefer said. “The winner is right back in the mix at 140 pounds, which is one of the most exciting weight classes in boxing. Lucas Matthysse is always in exciting fights.”

“I think it will be a great fight,” Cunningham said. “Matthysse is one of the most dangerous 140 pounders and these are the type of fights Devon wants. He knows he has to bounce back from the Bradley fight. He can’t take some no-name opponent. He has to fight one of the top guys in the division and Matthysse is one of the most dangerous opponents we could have possibly chosen.

“If you want to be considered one of the best in your division, you have to fight the best guys in your division. That’s what you have to do. Devon feels like he blew a great opportunity by not performing up to his potential against Tim Bradley. He feels like Matthysse is a more dangerous fighter than Bradley. Bradley is no puncher and Matthysse is big puncher. Matthysse has punching ability and some skill.”

“Devon Alexander is a great young fighter, but things didn’t really work out for him the Bradley fight,” Schaefer said. “He’s coming back against Matthysse, who many believe won the fight with Judah. For Devon Alexander to do a tune-up fight, that won’t get him anywhere, and for Lucas Matthysse to do another tune-up fight, that won’t get him anywhere either. He could have stayed in Argentina and had another tune-up fight, but he didn’t want that. “He wanted a fight like this because he knows a win will increase his potential to be back in an even bigger fight.”




Alexander – Matthysse in the works for Summer fight


Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that a summer fight between Jr. Welterweight Devin Alexander and Lucas Matthysse is being discussed by promoters Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer and Don King.

“I have to get to back to King with a number, but Matthysse wants to take the fight. He’s OK with going to St. Louis [Alexander’s hometown] as long as there are neutral officials,” Schaefer said. “King said no problem. We just have to work out the numbers, but I have a pretty good feeling about it.”

“I’ve discussed it with King and with HBO and there is interest from all sides,” Schaefer said.

“I think it would be a great fight, just the type of fight that Devon wants,” said Kevin Cunningham, Alexander’s trainer and manager. “He’s disappointed with his lack of execution in the Bradley fight and he wants to go right back in the ring with one of the top guys. We feel Matthysse is better than [Marcos] Maidana, but Maidana chose to go and fight Erik Morales instead of Devon. So Matthysse is there and he is one of the top guys. Most guys feel like he won the fight with Zab. He’s a very tough opponent. That’s what Devon is looking for.

Schaefer said he and King are also discussing a fight between junior middleweight titlist Cornelius “K9” Bundrage and rising contender Erislandy Lara as the televised co-feature.




Judah leaves ring with win, room for improvement


For Zab Judah, Saturday night was supposed to showcase to the world that he had regained championship form; it was supposed to be a night that stamped Judah as a legitimate contender in boxing’s deepest division. But as his fight with Lucas Matthysse entered its latter stages, it was clear that “Super” Judah was going to have to grind this one out — not only for a win, but for his relevancy in the sport.

The Brooklyn native didn’t look as sharp as in his two past fights with Ubaldo Hernandez and Jose Armando Santa Cruz, fights that led many to believe there was a new, old Zab Judah on the boxing scene. Although racking up 10 point rounds early, mostly behind effective jab-work, Judah failed to find the same rhythm that he found in his recent bouts.

He had a hard time uncovering and creating openings that would allow him to throw the power punches many at ringside thought would end the fight in the mid to late rounds. In fact, Judah ended up throwing just 138 power punches to his counterpart’s 418.

For much of the fight, Zab kept his left-arm coiled and tucked at his side, waiting patiently for the right time to throw his signature left uppercut. Those times were few and far between, as “Super” Judah was left with no other choice but to continue scoring with snapping jabs.

Perhaps he was thrown off by the fact that Matthysse was actually boxing him, as opposed to looking for the fistic home run. Although Judah’s Argentinian counterpart threw plenty of ill-intentioned straight rights at him, many believed that would be the only thing Matthysse was going to do, throw punches in bunches and try to stop Zab. That wasn’t the case, however, as Matthyse moved around the ring, content with landing crackling body punches to Judah’s midsection whenever the opportunity presented itself.

If Judah was a bit surprised by Matthysse’s strategy, credit Gabriel Sarmiento for that. Sarmiento, who serves as the primary trainer of Sergio Martinez, was in Matthysse’s corner for the fight. While Luis “Cuty” Barrera holds the title as Matthysse’s head trainer, it was Sarmiento barking out the orders when the Argentinian returned to the stool during the one minute intermissions. He encouraged more movement and boxing, and assured his fighter that the body punches were going to pay off.

Matthysse’s plan from the get-go was to wear down Judah with a steady stream of body punches — he said so himself in the pre-fight press conference. On Saturday, Matthysse executed his strategy to the best of his ability and it was clear that Judah was fading during the later rounds.

The heavy-handed Argentinian stuck to his commitment to wail away at Judah’s body, a commitment that seemed to have paid off in round ten when Matthysse hurt Judah with a straight right then followed up with one more, dropping Judah.

Down to one-knee, Judah rose to his feet to beat the ten count, and within a matter of seconds, landed a few of his own power punches to momentarily stop Matthysse in his tracks.

Judah ate a few more straight rights, and absorbed some more punishment to the body before the final bell sounded, but all of Matthysse’s efforts in the second half of the fight were not enough to capture the victory in Newark. One judge saw the bout in the Argentine’s favor, scoring it 114-113 for Matthysse while two judges agreed on the score 114-113 for Judah, awarding the Brooklyn-bred fighter the split decision victory.

After the fight, Judah admitted that being on the receiving end of Matthysse’s punches was no walk in the park.

“He is the strongest fighter I’ve ever fought,” Judah said during the post-fight press conference. “The dude was punching like he had cinder blocks in his gloves.”

While Judah insisted that he was pleased with his performance and the successful training camp that enabled him to battle the full thirty-six minutes with Matthysse, he did acknowledge that this fight was not his best.

“Everybody boos and says whatever because they are so used to seeing me dominate guys for so long,” Judah said at the post fight press conference. “Can I have a bad day one time? I’m only human.”

The Judah hype train may have left the station prematurely. A performance like Saturday night’s against any of the A-List 140 pounders would undoubtedly have resulted in a loss for “Super” Judah. Amir Khan, Devon Alexander, Marcos Maidana, and Timothy Bradley all would have bested Zab on this night.

But while this performance didn’t turn any heads, it doesn’t mean his next one won’t. With another IBF title eliminator likely on the horizon versus Kaizer Mabuza, Judah will once again have the opportunity to convince the boxing world that he is back in championship form.

Whether his next fight is against Mabuza or not; whether it is Newark, New York, or South Africa, one thing is for certain: the 2010 version of Zab Judah will be fully prepared to fight. The days of two-week training camps are long gone. This version of Judah is more mature and humble; more focused and more determined. The new, old Zab will give it one hundred and ten percent.

And at the end of the day, that’s all we can ask of boxers, right?

Photo By Claudia Bocanegra

Marvel unveils iron man game exclusively on Dr pepper site. go to site iron man games

New Media Age April 15, 2010 Marvel Studios has struck a deal to show its 3D online game, Iron Man Upgraded, exclusively on Dr Pepper’s website.

The deal is the latest step in an integrated global marketing initiative between the two companies, which includes Iron Man-branded Dr Pepper cans. ironmangamesnow.com iron man games

Marvel brought in creative agency Littleloud Studios to launch the game, which will be live on the Dr Pepper website for three months before ending up on the Marvel site.

Littleloud chief producer David Jacklin said he expects the game to attract 1.5m-2m players in the first three months.

The game’s release has been timed to coincide with the premiere of the film Iron Man 2, which will hit UK cinema screens at the end of April.




Judah – Matthysse Photo Gallery

15rounds.com Claudia Bocanegra was on hand at The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey to capture the images on Zab Judah’s split decision victory over Lucas Matthysee. Plus see photos of the undercard and press conference as well as ring legend at HBO Broadcaster Roy Jones Jr.




Judah hangs on to win split decision over Matthysse

In the final bout of a long night of boxing at Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center, Zab “Super” Judah (40-6, 27 KO) was awarded a split decision victory over the previously unbeaten Lucas Matthysse (27-1, 25 KO) in front of a crowd of 4,172 people.

The main event was slow to start, as the first five rounds failed to provide fireworks, and thus, failed to excite the crowd — who, at times, ‘booed’ the fighters in the ring. The best punches of the bouts first few rounds were landed by Zab — a crisp right hook in round 1, a sharp left uppercut perfectly placed on Matthysse’s chin in round 3, and another vicious right hook in round 5.

From round 6 on, however, Matthysse looked like a different fighter. He started to press the action more and more and walk down Judah and cut off the ring. It was evident that Matthysse was trying to score big with a straight right, and finally, in round 10, he connected and Judah went crashing to the canvas. Matthysse, smelling blood in the water, tried to follow up, but Judah fired back and warded off any further attack.

Matthysse second-half comeback was not enough to overcome his slow start, however, as he lost a split decision. The judge who scored the bout in favor of the Argentinian saw it 114-113. While the two who scored the bout for Judah saw the fight 115-112 and 114-113.

The win marks Judah’s fourth in a row and second straight since returning to 140 lbs. Next up for Judah will likely be Kaizer Mabuza in another IBF junior welterweight eliminator

Robert Guerrero vs. Vincente Escobedo

In an entertaining and hard-fought ten round battle, Robert Guerrero (28-1, 18 KO) earned a unanimous decision victory over fellow Californian, Vincente Escobedo (22-3, 14 KO).

In the opening round, Guerrero got the better of Escobedo, with a sensational right hook serving as the opening rounds most devastating punch. It was a clash of heads however, not any punches, that caused a huge gash to open up on the side of Escobedo’s head. As the round progressed, Escobedo’s entire left side of his face was painted red.

Escobedo’s cutman did a nice job between rounds to slow the cut and reduce the blood flow from a pour to a slow leak. Both fighters continued to feel one another in the second round, with Guerrero getting the better of Escobedo. In the third round, Guerrero turned up the heat, as he dropped Escobedo with a dazzling combination of a right hook followed by a straight left.

To Escobedo’s credit and in round four found a lot of success when he threw punches in bunches. At times, Escobedo landed his punches flush on Guerrero’s face, but “The Ghost” was never in danger.

In the sixth round, Guerrero sent Escobedo crashing to the canvas once again, courtesy of a left uppercut.

While Escobedo battled, there was no way he could overcome the two knockdowns.

All three judges scored the bout in favor of Guerrero: 100-88, 98-90, and 96-93.

Bastie Samir vs. Damion Reed — 4 Rounds

In the night’s opening bout, Bastie Samir (6-0, 6 KOs) made quick work of Reidsville, North Carolina’s Damion Reed (2-4, 1 KO). Samir, who fights out of Las Vegas by way of Accra, Ghana, bombarded his defenseless opponent with a barrage of vicious left hooks. The former Ghanaian Olympian sent Reed to one knee four different times in the opening round before the referee called a halt to the bout. The time of the stoppage was 2:47 into round 1.

Mikael Zewski vs. Ardrick Butler — Welterweights — 4Rounds

In a four round bout at the welterweight division, undefeated prospect Mikael Zewski (5-0, 3 KOs) defeated Philadelphia’s Ardrick Butler (5-3, 2 KOs). The Canadian prospect, Zewski, showed off an impressive skillet over the twelve minutes spent in the ring. Zewski pounded away at Butler throughout the fight, hammering Butler’s body, and mixing in aggressive left hooks that often found a home. In the final round, Zewski kicked it into another gear, throwing a fifteen second flurry of viscious power punches, which Butler, to his credit, withstood. The resilient Butler had his own share of success sprinkled throughout the bout, but Zewski always had an answer. All three judges scored the bout 40-36 in favor of Zewski.

Mike Perez vs. Hevinson Herrera — Lightweights — 6 Rounds

Undefeated prospect Mike Perez put on an electrifying performance in front of his hometown fans. Perez (10-0-1, 5 KO’s), born and raised in Newark, shocked his opponent, Hevinson Herrera (14-7-1, 12 KO’s) when he hurt him with a straight right less than a minute into the inaugural round. Perez wisely followed up backing the injured Herrera up against the ropes before finishing him off with a three punch combination — left hook, right to the body, left hook — that sent Herrera hard to the canvas. Herrera beat the ten count, but was visibly hurt and standing on wobbly legs. Referee Randy Nuemann stopped the bout 1:02 into the opening round.

Tyrone Luckey vs. Alex Montes — Junior Lightweights — 4 Rounds

In a fight that had the Prudential Center crowd on their feet at times, Middletown, New Jersey’s Tyrone Luckey improved his record to 2-0 with a third round stoppage over Alex Montes (1-2) of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The fight started with a bang when Montes introduced Luckey to the canvas about fifteen seconds into the fight. The fighter’s continued to exchange power punches with each other throughout the first round, standing in the pocket, and wailing away. The second round saw Luckey find Montes’ chin with regularity, as he dropped Montes twice in round two, both with violent left hooks. Round three saw more fireworks, with Montes on the receiving end of most exchanges. Once again, Luckey rocked Montes, who went down for the third time in the fight. When Montes got to his feet, he was standing on unstable legs and that’s when Luckey pounded away at his injured opponent until the referee called a halt to the bout at the 2:55 mark of the round 3.

Mike Brooks vs. Kywayne Hill — Junior Lightweights — 4 Rounds

Long Island, New York’s Mike “Lefty” Brooks easily outpointed Philadelphia’s Kywayne Hill to improve his record to 3-0, 1 KO. Brooks used his superior hand speed to continuously score against Hill 1-6, 1 KO, who offered up an uninspiring effort. At times, Hill looked like he could inflict some damage on Brooks, scoring sporadically with uppercuts and straight rights. He could never string together combinations, however, and seemed content at times to cover up and let Brooks throw freely — which he did. In the end, all three judges scored the bout 40-36 in favor of Brooks.

Angel Concepcion vs. Maurice Amaro — Light Heavyweights — 4 Rounds

In a four round light heavyweight bout, Newark’s Angel Concepcion improved his record to 3-0 with a unanimous decision over Philadelphia’s Maurice Amaro, who fell to 1-3. The opening round was Concepcion’s finest, landing punches at will through Hill’s suspect defense. Concepcion pummeled HIll with left hooks that wrapped around Hill’s defense and couple them with straight rights that split Hill’s gloves. TO his credit, Hill withstood everything Concepcion threw at him, and on occasion landed some power punches of his own. Concepcion, who was never once in danger throughout the fight, imposed his will on Hill, landing punches with regularity. In the end all three judges scored the bout 40-36 in favor of Newark’s Concepcion.

Adrien Broner vs. Ilido Julio — Junior Lightweights — 8 Rounds

Undefeated prospect Adrian Broner scored a first round TKO victory over veteran journeyman Ilido Julio to improve his record to 18-0, 15 KOs. Broner, showed not only superior boxing skills, but also superior dance moves, as he came into the ring dancing, danced a little more mid-fight, and finished the show with a backflip. Broner hammered his out of shape Colombian opponent from the opening bell. Midway through the round, Broner landed a violent left hook/straight right combination that sent Julio crashing to the floor. During the 10-count, Broner walked over to where the HBO announcing trio of Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman, and Roy Jones Jr., are seated and told Roy Jones Jr. that he’s the next world champion. When the fight resumed, Broner rushed over the wobbly Julio and unleashed a continuous flow of punches until the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. The time of the stoppage was 1:34 in the first round.

Sadam Ali vs. Gary Bergeron — Welterweights — 8 Rounds 2:18

Fan favorite and former US Olympian, Brooklyn’s Sadam Ali (10-0, 6 KOs) overpowered New Orleans’ Gary Bergeron (12-7, 7 KOs) to get the TKO victory at the 2:18 mark of round 2. Ali looked as sharp as ever, creating angles with impressive footwork and landing punches at will. Bergeron seemed content to cover up his face and absorb a barrage of body punches throughout the fight. Ali hammered away at Bergeron, who was unable to create any offense whatsoever during his five-plus minutes in the ring. Towards the end of the opening round, Ali dropped Bergeron with a left hook, left uppercut combination. After beating the 10-count, Bergeron was pinned against the ropes, covering up and not firing back as Ali unleashed vicious combinations on him. The fight could have easily been stopped at the end of round 1, but Bergeron was saved by bell.

The second round was all Ali, as he once again controlled the fight. Towards the end of round 2, Ali dropped Bergeron again, this time by a right uppercut. After beating the count, Ali put pressure on, eventually rocking Bergeron again with a left hook that put the New Orleans native on unsteady legs. A straight right and one more left hook prompted the referee to call a halt to the bout at the 2:18 mark of round 2.




WEIGHTS FROM NEWARK, NJ


NABO Jr. Welterweight Title/IBF Eliminator — 12 Rounds

Zab Judah (39-6, 27 KO) — 139 lbs.

vs.

Lucas Matthysse (27-0, 25 KO) — 140 lbs.

Vacant WBO Intercontinental Lightweight Title — 10 Rounds

Robert Guerrero (27-1-1, 18 KO) — 133 lbs.

vs.

Vincente Escobedo (22-2, 14 KO) — 134 lbs.

Welterweights — 8 Rounds

Sadam Ali (8-0, 5 KO) — 145.5 lbs.

vs.

Gary Bergeron (12-6, 7 KO) — 143 lbs.

Heavyweights — 8 Rounds

Mariusz Wach (22-0, 10 KO) — 263 lbs.

vs.

TBA

Light Heavyweights — 4 Rounds

Angel Concepcion (2-0) — 179 lbs.

vs.

Maurice Amaro (1-2) — 173 lbs.

Junior Welterweights — 4 Rounds

Mike Brooks (2-0, 1 KO) — 140.5 lbs.

vs.

Kywayne Hill (1-5, 1 KO) — 139 lbs.

Junior Lightweights — 4 Rounds

Tyrone Luckey (1-0, 1 KO) — 130 lbs.

vs.

Alex Montes (1-1) — 126 lbs.

Lightweights — 6 Rounds

Mike Perez (9-0, 4 KO) — 136 lbs.

vs.

Hevinson Herrera (14-6-1, 12 KO) — 135 lbs.

Junior Lightweights — 8 Rounds

Adrien Broner (17-0, 14 KO) — 134.5 lbs.

vs.

Ilido Julio (40-19-1, 35 KO) — 136.5 lbs.

Welterweights — 4 Rounds

Mikael Zewski (4-0, 3 KO) — 151 lbs.

vs.

Ardrick Butler (5-2, 2 KO)

Junior Middleweight — 4 Rounds

Bastie Samir (5-0, 5 KO) — 162 lbs.

vs.

Damion Reed (2-3, 1 KO) — 163 lbs.

Judah vs. Matthysse, a twelve round NABO junior welterweight championship bout, is part of an exciting night of boxing at Newark’s Prudential Center on Saturday, November 6. The show is presented by Main Events, Super Judah Promotions, and Golden Boy Promotions. Doors open at 6:00pm, first bout to follow immediately. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 11:15pm ET / PT.

Tickets are still available: Priced at $53, $78, $103 and $253 (ringside) can be purchased at Prudential Center Box Office, by calling TicketMaster at 800-745-3000 or www.Prucenter.com.




Yoel & Zab Judah talk about upcoming fight with Lucas Matthysse




VIDEO: Luis “Cuty” Barrera & Lucas Matthysse talk about fight with Judah & more!




Perez to Fight on Judah-Matthysse Undercard November 6!


Newark, NJ (September 29) – Unbeaten lightweight sensation Michael Angelo “The Artist” Perez will appear in a six round special attraction bout as part of the Zab Judah-Lucas Matthysse undercard Saturday, November 6 at the Prudential Center in his hometown of Newark, NJ.

Perez, a skilled pugilist with an intriguing style, is regarded amongst the top prospects on the East Coast. Unbeaten at 9-0 with 4 wins by knockout, the 20 year old phenom is coming off a devastating first round stoppage of veteran Jorge Ruiz. Prior to that, Perez made a name for himself on a national level, dominating previously unbeaten Francisco Reyes on TeleFutura.

Although he’s already built up a solid fan base and a few of his bouts have taken place within driving distance, Perez knows that his inaugural appearance in the Brick City will be something special.

“Fighting in Newark means so much to me,” said Perez, the 2008 National Golden Gloves Champion at lightweight. “Everybody has been dying to see me fight at the Prudential Center and I expect a huge crowd to come out and support me.”

Perez opponent will be announced shortly.

The highly anticipated bout featuring Perez against an opponent to be announced will come beneath the HBO “Boxing After Dark” doubleheader featuring Judah-Matthysse and Robert Guerrero against Vicente Escobedo.

The card is being promoted by Main Events, Golden Boy Promotions and Super Judah Promotions.

Tickets priced at $53, $78, $103 and $253 (ringside) can be purchased at Prudential Center Box Office, by calling TicketMaster at 800-745-3000 or www.Prucenter.com.