March 31, 2003
LeHoullier-Attardo rematch headlines 'Return of the Backyard Brawl' in Dorchester
LeHoullier-Attardo rematch headlines Return of the Backyard Brawl
April 18 at Strand Theatre in Dorchester

BOSTON, Mass. – The much anticipated rematch between the prospect and the veteran, Jason “The Hammer” LeHoullier (5-0, 4 KOs) and Tommy “The Bull” Attardo (10-12-1, 2 KOs), headlines the April 18th “Return of the Backyard Brawl” pro boxing card at historic Strand Theatre in Dorchester.

“Return of the Backyard Brawl” is promoted by Doug Pendarvis in association with Danny Kelley, Irish Emigrant, Frugal McDoogal’s, Miller Beer, Ramada Inn of Dorchester, Croke Park, and the Tara Pub.

The 6-round main event is a rematch of last November’s exciting fight that LeHoullier, of Portland (ME) won by decision in six against Attardo, of South Boston. “That fight was action packed from start to finish and both fighters have agreed to do it again,” Pendarvis said. “Tommy’s a legitimate test. He’s been in against world title contenders – Jose Rivera and Jim Rock – and top prospects like Jeff Lacy, Yuri Forman and Anthony Thompson.”

Heavyweight Billy “The Kid” Moffard (4-1-1, 1 KO), of Randolph, squares-off against Dorchester’s Willie “Bad News” Barnes in the 6-round co-feature.

Local fighters slated to appear on the undercard include South Boston super middleweight Martin “The Irish Assassin” Thornton (4-0, 1 KO) and light heavyweight Tommy Fitzgerald (2-0, 1 KO), Dorchester heavyweight Mike Beverly (1-0, 1 KO), Worcester super welterweight Bobby McAndrews (1-2-1, 1 KO), and Haverhill prospect, junior welterweight Alex Insante, making his pro debut.

All bouts and fighters are subject to change.

Ticket prices are $40.00 ringside, $25.00 general admission and $15.00 bleachers. Doors open at 7 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 8 p.m. To order tickets call Pendarvis Boxing Promotions (617.825.3283), Strand Theatre box office (617.282.8000), Corke Park (617.464.4869) or Tara Pub (617.282.5687).

March 31, 2003
City of Brotherly Glove
By Robert Ecksel

“Philadelphia is not a town. It’s a jungle. They don’t have gyms there. They have zoos. They don’t have sparring sessions. They have wars.” (Angelo Dundee)

A fight town like Philly is a great place to showcase the profession of men like David Tua and Hasim Rahman and Bernard Hopkins and Morrade Hakkar. Home to such exceptional talents in the history of the fight game as Smokin’ Joe Frazier, Bennie Briscoe, Bobby “Boogaloo” Watts and Willie “The Worm” Monroe; home of the legendary Blue Horizon on North Broad Street; home of the iconic but preposterous Rocky; on Saturday, March 29, 2003, the so-called City of Brotherly Love hosted a heavyweight eliminator between David Tua (42-3 37 KOs) and Hasim Rahman (35-4 29 KOs) and a middleweight title fight between the undisputed world champion Bernard Hopkins’ (41-2-1 30 KOs) vs. the two-time French middleweight champion Morrade Hakkar (29-3 17 KOs).

Philadelphia is the birthplace of the Liberty Bell (which is cracked) and Betsy Ross (who worked her fingers to the bone making the first flag) and the Bill of Rights (which was just shredded), but Philly also hosts classy prizefights. The bouts at the First Union Spectrum were conceived as homecoming for Philadelphia’s favorite son Bernard Hopkins. But when it comes to Bernard Hopkins, one city’s favorite son is another city’s son of a . . . Bernard Hopkins, to his credit, is all things to all people. The Executioner’s perfectly executed execution of pound-for-pound superstar Felix Trinidad in 2001 established Bernard Hopkins, or should have established Bernard Hopkins, as a top-of-the-line marquee attraction. But Bernard Hopkins, depending on who one listens to, is either his own man and/or he blew it big time.

To hear the powers-that-be tell it, Bernard Hopkins got too big for his britches, he got uppity and betrayed the people who helped him reach the top. But like so much else these days, what passes for truth is a murky business. It is true that Bernard Hopkins spends a lot of time in court. It is true that he talks too much. It is also true that Hopkins fired his longtime trainer Bouie Fisher, who claims Bernard owes him money, and the two men are telling it to the judge. But self-managed Bernard Hopkins was paying all the bills all along, or not paying all the bills all along, as the case may be, and he’s the champion, so he can pretty much do whatever he wants. Fighters fire trainers as frequently as they change their handwraps. So why is it a big deal when Bernard Hopkins does it?

As if Hopkins’ disloyalty to Bogie Fisher wasn’t enough to land him in the Boxing Hall of Shame, his dissing of former advisor Lou DiBella and the subsequent libel trial is further evidence of how naughty Bernard Hopkins is. Gosh. If we’re gullible enough to embrace Rocky, if we believe there’s a line in the sand separating the good guys from the bad, we might as well believe there are white knights in boxing - and Bernard Hopkins is their nemesis. Maybe Bernard Hopkins should clam up. Maybe he’s too opinionated for his own good. But did Bernard Hopkins dare to bite the hand that fed him? That’s what a jury of his peers decided (to a tune of over a half-mil!), so it must be true. Right? Wrong. Juries aren’t objective. Juries are fallible. May the best man with the best lawyer win. If you don’t believe me, just ask Johnny Cochrane.

When we strip away all the conceits surrounding Bernard Hopkins and his fall from grace, we’re left with what we started with: a brilliant boxer-puncher, a genuine tough guy who redeemed himself with the sweet science, a success story that is downright inspirational. Bernard Hopkins has his faults. The Executioner is a blabbermouth and nut. But does it really matter? Some say Hopkins is an ingrate. They say Hopkins is this and Hopkins is that. Hmm. Sometimes what they say makes one wonder. But there’s plenty of room on the bandwagon for those with an ax to grind, a grievance to air, a reputation to uphold, a myth to perpetuate. We may or may not like Bernard Hopkins for any of a thousand reasons. We may or may not believe Bernard Hopkins is a loose cannon on a sinking ship. We may or may not accept that justice was or will ever be served when the defendant goes by the name of Bernard Hopkins. But Bernard Hopkins, when all is said and done, isn’t about anything but beating up other men for a living - and that is a thing of beauty. The rest of it is bull.

The fights at Philly’s First Union Spectrum couldn’t have been much worse. The co-main event featuring David Tua vs. Hasim Rahman was a very long twelve rounds of holding and hugging, with an occasional punch thrown in for good measure. The rare Tua hook was no match for the rare Rahman jab and straight right. Both pugilists fought a lackluster bout without much concern for the public or their shrinking reputations. Most observers felt that Rahman did enough to squeak out a victory, but the Gods keep smiling upon Tuaman and gave him an undeserved draw. Oh well. In any era but our own, the no-longer-hungry Tua and Rahman, in their present condition, would have been top-twenty heavyweights - and not pugs jockeying for a place among the top three or four heavyweights in the world. And while David Tua’s stock continues to fall (the Michael Moorer “fight” notwithstanding), Hasim Rahman the one-hit wonder looked better than he has since his April 2000 dethroning of Lennox Lewis. When asked by the press after the fight where he goes from here, the Rock replied confidently: “Mecca.”

The Bernard Hopkins vs. Morrade Hakkar championship bout was as disappointing in its way as Tua-Rahman. But whereas the heavyweights didn’t display much of anything, at least one of the middleweights came to rumble, and that man was Bernard Hopkins. His opponent Morrade Hakkar was less a boxer than a sprinter, less a combatant than a scared rabbit. Many men, maybe even most men, feel some degree of fear when they enter a boxing ring, but few are the men who actually show it. Morrade Hakkar, unfortunately, is one of these men, and he ran from The Executioner for round after round after round, until he threw in the towel after eight. Bernard Hopkins, by contrast, is the ultimate pro and knew what he had to do - cut off the ring and finish Morrade Hakkar. To call the fight a mismatch is to dignify the word mismatch. How this French-Algerian was ever awarded number one mandatory is anyone’s guess. Palms must have been greased. But for those who are waiting anxiously for Bernard Hopkins to self-destruct, you’re going to have to wait a good deal longer. Bernard Hopkins isn’t going anywhere. It looks like Bernard Hopkins is here to stay. And the tough, skillful, confident, outspoken Bernard Hopkins continues to embody what it means where they say a man is a Philadelphia fighter.

robert.ecksel@gte.

March 30, 2003
Heavyweight Gainers: Tua-Rahman Ii/ Hopkins' Executioner's Song
By Zachary Levin

The smart money was on David Tua last night. Nobody gave Hasim Rahman a chance. Then, after Friday’s weigh-in for this IBF heavyweight eliminator at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, the scales seemed to tip even further in Tua’s (43-3-1, 37 KOs) favor. Rahman (35-4-1, 29 KOs) came in at 259.5. This dramatic weight gain caused the cognoscenti to speculate it was all beer and Buffalo wings. In his last bout in June against Evander Holyfield he weighed 35 pounds less. (He lost that match, which went to the cards, when a welt that Mini-Me could’ve done pull-ups on swelled on his forehead from a trademark Holyfield head butt.) The boxing media was so fixated on the quantity of the fighters’ weights—at 245 the squat Tua received less flak than his opponent because he’s reached his current heft incrementally since the late ‘90s—that they forgot to look at the respective quality of the weight. As his sobriquet states, Rahman was a "Rock"; though his waist wasn’t trim, the stomach didn’t giggle when he bounced on his toes. He carried his newly-acquired bulk amazingly well. Tua, on the other hand, looked doughier than in his last outing, with drooping pecs that would benefit from a Victoria’s Secret push-up number.

While I can offer no hard evidence on the matter, a highly-regarded matchmaker, who wishes to remain nameless, suggested to me recently that steroids are the 800-pound gorilla in heavyweight division: Just because Sports Illustrated hasn’t run an exposé on the issue (yet), doesn’t mean it’s not rampant. One heavyweight he was especially suspicious of was David Tua, because his body contour changes from fight to fight. One time he’ll come in cock-diesel, with bulging muscles encased in taut skin (see his 30 second demolition of Michael Moorer last August); and other times, such as last night, he’s a plump shell of his former self, though his weight was the same for both fights. What’s odd is that he supposedly had an intense, 11-week camp leading up to last night’s bout. If, as one might speculate, he has been using his body as chemistry set, why wouldn’t he stick with a winning formula? The verdict is not in on this one. As to Rahman, certain facts may be hard to ignore: He was not fat last night, almost all muscle. It seems implausible that a person could add 30 pounds of lean muscle to his frame, in ten months, by natural means. This is what he has appeared to have done since fighting Holyfield last June. Even Holyfield, another boxer whose name inevitably comes up when steroids and prizefighting are discussed (recall his pate that went bald seemingly over night, and his various heart troubles), last fought at cruiserweight in ’87. His pumped up and sculptured 220-pound build has been 16 years in the making.

Maybe there’s a good reason why the above issue is not a major topic of discussion . . . perhaps it’s because these athletes compete in what is known as the Sweet Science. You can take all the juice in the world and it don’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that skill thing. Little Roy Jones Jr. made this amply clear to us recently when his boxing acumen allowed him to dominate a solid heavyweight in John Ruiz. Which reminds me, I should probably get to the fight, huh?

It was a draw. Shocking, yes, but forgive me if I’m feeling a little desensitized lately. Only three months into 2003—Down goes Forrest! Down goes Klitschko! Hasta la vista Ruiz!—the year of The Year of the Upset indeed!


When Tua and Rahman first squared off in December 1998, they were contenders on the rise, and significantly lighter—roughly 20 to 25 pounds apiece—than they are today. Rahman was undefeated at the time (29 wins) and Tua had suffered only one loss in 33 fights, a controversial split decision in a legendary slugfest with Ike Ibeabuchi. Rahman thoroughly outboxed Tua through 9 rounds, when Tua connected on a brutal left hook thrown after the bell. Rahman was not granted time to recover from the illegal blow and was consequently stopped in the 10th round. Since then, they’ve both had their ups and downs. Rahman briefly took the title from Lennox Lewis, only to be devastated in the rematch. He looked bad in his last fight with Holyfield. Tua, coming off a string of KO victories over respectable opposition, has appeared focused and on the upswing.

Before the opening bell last night, one of the HBO commentators made a point of saying that Tua is somewhat of a "freak" in that he has never been cut and never touched the canvas. Why’d they have to jinx him like that?

Rounds 1 through 4 went to Rahman who fired his jab as if it were a nervous tic he couldn’t control; he threw 83 in the 3rd round, a CompuBox record. Wisely, he kept the fight in the middle of the ring—like another great left hooker, Philadelphian Joe Frazier, Tua is most dangerous in the corners—and held his right hand high against his temple. By round 4 Tua was bleeding from his nose and under his left eye. He was unable to close the distance with his ineffective jab, and did a poor job of setting up his winging punches.

Tua changed the plot in rounds 5 through 8, as Rahman jabbed less, opting to lean on and hold the shorter man. While Tua’s production was hardly awesome, one of his power shots seemed to equal 20 Rahman jabs. 1:20 into round 7, Tua landed a chopping overhand right that should have felled Rahman whose chin is suspect. Then a couple more shots connected, but Rahman somehow weathered the onslaught. Tua quickly tired from the expenditure and didn’t get busy until the last 30 seconds of the round. Then he put together one of his first effective combinations, a three-punch deal—right, left uppercut, left hook. It must have been daunting for the stout bruiser when Rahman just stood there and took it? Round 8 was a bore until the last half-minute when, once again, Tua summoned a few hard lefts and rights that had the former champ wobbled against the ropes. Smelling blood, Tua unloaded two wide left and right hooks that would’ve caused irreparable damage had they not cartoonishly missed their mark.

Having saved himself for last 12 minutes, Rahman felt ready to work again in the 9th round, and started popping the jab again into Tua’s bloody, swollen eyes. Still, Tua was good for the occasional hard overhand right, which his trainer/manager Kevin Barry referred to between rounds as "the 45"; it was unclear whether this was meant to signify .45 caliber or 45 degrees, the trajectory his arm described when he threw the punch? Round 10 was soporific as both fighters took a breather; CBZ called it even. The 11th went to Tua, just barely, because he inflicted more damage on the hibernating Rahman who seemed more interested in pawing at a cut above his right eye than he was in hurting his adversary. Apparently, he felt that he’d done enough to win (HBO’s color-casters concurred), and stuck and moved through the last round so as to frustrate Tua’s chance to get off. At one point he even got up on his toes as if to indicate to the judges and fans how much he had left in the tank.

Then a funny thing happened. With a few seconds left, Tua had Rahman against the ropes and swung wildly. As the bell sounded—or was it a millisecond before? This will require as many viewings as the Zupruder footage—Rahman slipped in a sneaky short left cross that knocked Tua backwards and onto the seat of his skirt (I’m not being cute here, the man wears a skirt in the ring). George Foreman dismissed it as a slip; Harold Letterman was intrigued and thoroughly impressed. I say it was a clean punch, if thrown a little too late. Tua’s legs looked fine when he got up, which he did quickly, but he wore a bemused expression. He seemed to be thinking to himself, First I get cut, and then I get floored. This is novel.

The bout was meant to be an eliminator, the winner going on to fight the IBF champion Chris Byrd. Look for Tua-Rahman III, coming to your small-screen soon; I guess the smart money was not so smart after all.

* * *

In last night’s main event, Bernard Hopkins defended his middleweight crown against unknown WBC mandatory challenger Mourade Hakkar of France. This was a bad joke told poorly, and is not worth retelling here. Let it be said, though, it is with good reason that Hakkar is unknown to even the most hard-core fight fans. He was so thoroughly outclassed by Hopkins that it is inexplicable how he was able to last 8 rounds with the 38-year-old champ. Oh, yeah, Hakkar did his best Carl Lewis impersonation for the first few rounds until his stamina gave, and he began getting caught with a vicious body attack in the 6th round that dropped him to a knee. The next two rounds were ugly, for Hakkar and for the viewing public. All were relieved when the Frenchman’s promoter halted the bout.

It appears that there is no one left at middleweight for Hopkins to fight. He either has to make a fight with one of top junior middleweights—Fernando Vargas, Winky Wright or Oscar De La Hoya—or go up and face one of the not-so-wonderful European super middleweights. Maybe De La Hoya saw something in the ageless champ last night—say, his inability to put Hakkar away with one clean shot and/or his overall ring-rust—that will give him the confidence to make a fight with him. It’s a fight fans would like to see and a check Hopkins might want to deposit before his time runs out. Let’s hope it happens before he’s blowing out 40 candles on his cake.

March 30, 2003
Reid wins in Roemont
By Dan Hanley at ringside

On Friday, March 28th, Art Pelullo's Banner Promotions along with Hitz Boxing picked up where they left off from their last promotion only 13 days ago. And, with the ESPN 2 cameras rolling inside the Ramada Inn in Rosemont, IL, the joint promotion offered up a joint main event with NABF title belts on the auction block.

The first bout featured Terrance Cauthen, 136 1/2, Trenton, NJ, defending his 140 lb. title against Columbia's Roberto Ortega, 139. And how the South American native was fighting for a North American crown was lost on the vocal neighborhood crowd as the two southpaws met at ring center.

In a difficult bout to score, Ortega, 17-6-2 (12), with a reputation as a spoiler, set the pace from the get go. Very strong and a good banger to boot, the Columbian outworked Cauthen, 22-1 (7), throughout the first round until walking into a lead right hook which rocked him badly. Before the bell ending round one sounded, Cauthen nailed Ortega once again and had to realize the Columbian's chin was made to order. This set the tone for the fight in which Ortega worked for three minutes while Cauthen flurried. Rounds two through five saw Ortega applying heavy pressure on the 1996 Olympian who was content
to wait for Ortega's onrushing chin. Only in the fourth did Cauthen apply some real hustle to take a round. Rounds six through eight were all Cauthen as he introduced a left hook in his arsenal as he repeatedly rocked the ever pressing Ortega. Round nine saw Ortega turn his attention to the body where he made life very unpleasant for Cauthen until the New Jersey native picked up steam once again with both fighters finishing rounds ten, eleven and twelve with a flourish, but with Cauthen producing just a wee bit more to retain his title. Scorecards were unanimous for Cauthen by way of 118-110,
117-111 and 116-112. The CBZ scorecard was slightly closer at 116-113 for the winner.

In the fight of the night, the scheduled twelve round co-feature showcased Teddy Reid, 147, Maryland, defending his NABF welterweight title against the local Pat (The Cat) Coleman, 145 1/2, Rockford, IL. And in a torrid first round, which tested Coleman's chin, not to mention Referee Tim Adams nerves, Teddy Reid pounded Coleman from pillar to post for 2 1/2 minutes before taking a breather and allowing the dangerous punching Coleman, 29-8 (20), back into the fight. Rounds two and three caused the crowd in attendance to leave their seats for most of the respective rounds as the local boy, despite a severely swollen right eye, continuously nail the punch-weary Reid with right hands over the jab in a pier sixer which was causing even those on pier six to look on with envy. Round four was the turning point in the bout as Reid finally regained his steam. Although the bout was still competitive in rounds four and five, it gradually turned into a thumpfest for Reid by rounds six and seven, with the only respite for the now struggling Coleman being a visit from the ringside physician for an inspection on his right optic. The
seventh was the ringer for Coleman as Reid dropped him along the ropes with a right hand. Coleman's corner, having seen enough, promptly retired their man at the beginning of the eighth. The official time being :01 of the eighth round as Reid improves to 21-5-1 (15) after a bout that left a very appreciative crowd in it's wake.

In other bouts, Cecilia Barraza, 114, Chicago, IL., outhustled Rene Brodacz, 112, Lake Zurich, IL. over four rounds, controlling the bout behind a strong southpaw stance. The decision was unanimous.

Mike Mollo, 201, Oaklawn, IL. and Serhei Dychkov, 232 1/2, Belarus, brought the crowd back to their feet once again as their four round engagement turned into a bloody affair. Mello, spotting Dychkov thirty pounds, simply produced a greater workrate and displayed a bigger set of...well...you know, to take a unanimous decision over four rounds, which saw him improve to 11-0 (6).

Dychkov, tough as nails himself, could benefit from more gym work as he fell to 1-1.

In a real eye-catching bout, sizzling prospect Jermaine Marks, 138, Chicago, IL., had to stay on his toes for three minutes of each of the four rounds in his encounter with Reggie Sanders, 136, Ft Wayne, Ind. With Marks attacking and Sanders countering, the two combatants set a mercurial pace with the undefeated Marks winning a unanimous decision while improving to 7-0-2 as the canny Sanders dropped to a deceiving 11-26-4.

In a snoozer of a walk-out bout, Terrance Marbarra, 231, St. Petersburg, Fl., made a sloppy pro debut against the ineffective Evan Henderson, 244, Bowling Green, Ky., in winning a unanimous decision in their four rounder. Despite this one blight however, it was a decent night out at the fights.

March 28, 2003
Pro Records of Tua and Rahman
Hasim Rahman's Pro Record
http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/rahman_hasim.htm

David Tua's Pro Record
http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/tua-d.htm

March 28, 2003
Tua steps in the Ring with Rahman
By Tom Donelson

Saturday Night, March 29, David Tua steps into the ring against Hasim Rahman with one thing in mind- get one more shot at a heavyweight championship title. Tua is built like a charging fire hydrant and he has a chin of concrete. What he has lacked is ferocity seen with Rocky Marciano or Joe Frazier. Tua over the past several years have at times been lackluster allowing good boxers to dictate the pace while losing two significant fight against Lennox Lewis and Chris Byrd. In both fights, he failed to impose his will and that is how fighters like Tua wins. Impose their will. Frazier did, Marciano did, and even a young Tyson did. They kept coming and punching, taking one, two, three shots to land the big one. They would hit any and every part of the body. Marciano would hit the forearms and even it would appear that his shots were being blocked while he was wearing his opponent out. His opponent forearms, being pummeled by his sledgehammer shots, would wear out and hurt. Eventually the arms came down and Marciano would merely put his opponent asleep with one of his patent right hands.

Frazier would keep moving and dodging, as he would land his patented left hook to the body. Eventually an opponent would slow down and find himself on the rope- waiting for the executioner's left hook to finish the job. What has been missing in Tua is the ferocity, that ability to avoid a few shots keeps throwing punches and imposes his will. His left hook is the best in the heavyweight division and his chin is unassailable. Rahman only chance Saturday night is to box and move just as he did in the first fight. He cannot make a mistake and he must frustrate Tua and certainly Tua can easily be frustrated. Tua needs to fight the whole fight against Rahman just as he did for the first 30 seconds in his last fight against Mike Moorer (in which he threw punches from the start and ended the fight quickly.)

Tua is the better fighter and heavy puncher. He needs to win spectacular to remind boxing fans what it was that they liked a few years back. Tua needs not just to win but win big to make his claim to the title. Tua should win but then he should have beaten Byrd. This is his fight to lose and he is capable of that.

March 25, 2003
Rising Anthony Thompson Featured on April 12th CKP Card
Press Release

Undefeated welterweight sensation Anthony "The Messenger" Thompson of Philadelphia makes his semi-main event debut on the nationally and internationally televised "Everlast Heavyweight Explosion" card presented by Cedric Kushner Promotions April 12 at Caesars Tahoe in Stateline, Nev.

Thompson, who has a record of 10-0 with seven knockouts is fighting the fourth time in 11 weeks.

His opponent in the eight-round semi-main is Brad "Bad to the Bone" Jensen of Estes Park, Colo., who has a record of 12-7-1 with five knockouts.

The 5-foot-11-inch, 28-year-old Jensen figures to be Thompson's toughest opponent. Jensen has faced former World Boxing Council lightweight champion Stevie Johnston.

The 21-year-old Thompson, who was the favorite to win the gold medal for the United States at the 2004 Athens Olympic before he turned pro last year, has knocked out five of his past six opponents.

Earlier this year Thompson stopped Jerome McLean in the first round Jan. 24 in Philadelphia; James Buggs in the second Feb. 15 on a Cedric Kushner Promotions "Everlast Heavyweight Explosion" card in Laughlin, Nev.; and took a one-sided unanimous decision over Alejandro Jiminez March 21 in Philadelphia.

Thompson's first three knockouts during his recent power surge came over Richard Lee Hall in the second round Nov. 23 in Atlantic City, N.J.; Tommy Attardo in the fourth on a Cedric Kushner "Everlast Heavyweight Explosion" card Sept. 8 in Lawton, Okla.; and Daniel Craycraft in the second Aug. 17 in Atlantic City.

This is the fifth Cedric Kushner Promotions "Everlast Heavyweight Explosion" on which Thompson has appeared. In addition to the win over Buggs and Attardo, Thompson beat Ruben Munoz May 25 in Las Vegas, Nev.; and halted Elvesto Mills in the second March 17 in Oroville, Calif., on "Everlast Heavyweight Explosion" cards.

Thompson, who had amateur record of 78-7, began boxing during 1990 and went on to win the U.S. Championships for 2000 and 2001 and the National Golden Gloves for 2000. He also was selected the USA Boxing "Athlete of the Year" for 2001.

Thompson attended Temple University and majored in accounting before concentrating solely on his professional boxing career.

Thompson is managed by Cameron Dunkin and trained by Ronald Jackson.

The 10-round heavyweight main event on that Cedric Kushner Promotions' "Everlast Heavyweight Explosion" card April 21 at Caesars Tahoe is undefeated heavyweight Dominick Guinn (20-0, 15 KOs) of Hot Springs, Ark., against Charles Hatcher (14-3, 10 KOs) of Columbus, Ohio.

The seven-bout card starts at 7 p.m. (Pacific) in the Circus Maximus Showroom; doors open at 6.

Tickets, priced at $15, $25, $35 and $50 with all seats reserved, are on sale at the Activities Center in the Caesars Tahoe casino from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Tickets also may be ordered by calling (775) 586-2044 or (800) 648-3353 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Cedric Kushner Promotions, one of the world's premiere boxing promotional firms, presents numerous nationally and internationally televised cards each year. During the past 20 years Cedric Kushner Promotions has presented more than 300 world championship bouts on six continents.

Cedric Kushner Promotions promotes a number of world-class boxers including, heavyweights David Tua, Jameel McCline and Michael Grant; and super featherweights Joel Casamayor, ranked No. 1 by both the World Boxing Association and the World Boxing Organization, and Stevie Forbes, rated No. 1 by the International Boxing Federation.

The card will be televised nationally on HDTV and on tape delay to more than 100 countries on the Cedric Kushner Promotions Sports Network.

March 25, 2003
Letterlough Added to Ft. Lauderdale "March Badness" Card
Press Release

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL­Hard-hitting light heavyweight Julian “Mr. KO” Letterlough appears in his second fight since assuming new management when he faces Stacy Goodson in the semi-main event on the “March Badness” professional boxing card promoted by American Top Team Productions (ATTP) on Thursday, March 27, in the Fort Lauderdale (FL) War Memorial Auditorium.

Hard-Hitting Light Heavyweight
Julian Letterlough Added To ATTP
‘March Badness’ Pro Boxing Card
Thursday, March 27, In Fort Lauderdale;
Trainer Kauffman Debuts With ‘Mr. KO’
This also will be his first fight with trainer Marshall Kauffman.

The 33-year-old Leterlough from Reading, PA, has a record of 18-3-2 with 17 KOs.

Included in that mark is a bout on Sept. 8, 2001, when Letterlough challenged unbeaten champion Vassilly Jirov for the International Boxing Federation cruiserweight title.

Now, under the deft guidance of manager Michael Marley, “Mr. KO” will be campaigning primarily as a light heavyweight.
“I believe he can beat any light heavyweight in the world,” says Marley.

“I’m a gladiator,” says Letterlough.

Letterlough has proved he’s a warrior time and again in slugfests televised by ESPN2. Those battles elicited rave reviews from ESPN2 commentators Teddy Atlas and Max Kellerman, particularly the five-knockdown brawl against Julio Cesar Gonzalez in 2001 for the North American Boxing Organization/International Boxing Association/FECARBOX light heavyweight championships.

Goodson, from Paris, AR, has a record of 31-30-2 with 17 KOs, but has won 20 of his past 24 bouts.

Joining Letterlough on ATTP’s seven-bout “March Badness” card is heavyweight contender Shannon Briggs (36-4-1, 30 KOs), the former heavyweight lineal world champion, from South Florida against Marvin Hill (10-8, 6 KOs) from Fort Smith, AK, who’s won his past three fights by knockout, in the main event.

A women’s fight features International Female Boxing Association minimumweight champion Vaia Zaganas (6-1, 3 KOs) from Las Vegas, NV, against Terri Moss (3-3, 1 KO) from Atlanta, GA, in a six-rounder.

Other “March Badness” fights feature highly regarded Luis Collazo (19-1, 8 KOs) from New York City against Earl Allen (11-14-2, 1 KO) from Charleston, SC, in an eight-round super welterweight bout; welterweight knockout artist Julio Aquino (9-2, 9 KOs) from Newark, NJ, against an opponent to be selected in a six-round super lightweight fight; unbeaten Andy Weston (2-0, 2 KOs) from England and now Coconut Creek, FL, against Joseph Benjamin (pro debut) from Miami, FL, in a four-round super welterweight bout; and Marcial Reartes (0-1) from Miami in a four-round super bantamweight fight.

The action-packed ATTP card begins at 7 p.m. (ET) with gates opening at 6.

Tickets are priced at $15, $30 and $75 and are on sale through ticketmaster.com at
305-358-5885 for Dade County, 954-523-3309 for Broward County and 561-966-3309 for Palm Beach County.

Any person who is a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, active or reserve, or is employed by a department or agency in the public sector of domestic (city, county, state, federal) law enforcement will be admitted free of charge. Verifying identification will be needed.

Briggs, originally from the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, NY, has first-round knockouts in his four most recent wins. In 1998 he faced Lennox Lewis for the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship.

Boxing is just one part of ATTP. It also promotes mixed martial arts and extreme motor sports. In order to enable its world-class athletes to reach their goals and achieve optimum success, ATTP is building a 20,000-square foot, state-of-the-art training center in Fort Lauderdale.

Opponents for Aquino and Reartes will be announced.

March 24, 2003
Tito Will Remain Retired
By Mike DeLisa

Felix "Tito" Trinidad appeared on the spanish-language sports show Republica Deportiva this past weekend to promote the April 25 UFC 42. Trinidad will appear as a comentator, thoguh his Harry Belafonte-type rasp makes him difficult to understand, at least for me.

Tito seems to be enjoying his retirement, although he reiterated that if he had obtained a rematch with Hopkins he would have continued.

But, when asked directly if he would return he responded "I will remain outside the ring."

Oh yeah, and Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

March 24, 2003
Exciting Pemberton-Easley rematch to be televised
Press Release

CES fight broadcast Tuesday night on NESN
Primetime 8-10:30 p.m.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – One of the best top-to-bottom pro boxing cards in recent New England history, “Bring Me A Dream II: The Rematch,” taped live last Friday night at Foxwoods Resort Casino, will be broadcast primetime Tuesday night (March 25), 8-10:30 p.m., on New England Sports Network.

“Bring Me A Dream II: The Rematch,” promoted by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports, featured a little bit of everything fight fans love to watch: exciting knockouts, dramatic comebacks, pure boxing, heart and determination, etc. “It was a promoter’s dream,” Burchfield spoke about the card. “By my standards, I’d like every show to be like this because, if you don’t entertain the fans, they won’t come back. It doesn’t always workout quite as well as! Friday night’s show did. CES is structured to promote shows like this, unlike other promoters who do a lot of lop-sided fights. I’ve been doing this 25 years and I speak to each fighter, reminding them they’re getting paid well for this opportunity and to give it their best effort. Everybody got their money’s worth. Anybody at Friday’s show will want to see it again on NESN; those who weren’t there have an opportunity to watch a sensational night of boxing.”

In the main event for the vacant International Boxing Union world super middleweight championship, Scott “The Sandman” Pemberton (New Bedford, MA) and Jevan “The Man” Easley (Queens, NY) fought in a rematch of their 2000 New England Fight of the Year. When the dust finally cleared, Pemberton-Easley II established itself as a legitimate 2003 Fight of the Year candidate, not only in New England, but also in the entire boxing industry.

The co-feature found rising star Gary “Tiger” Balletto (Providence, RI) battling Johnny Walker “Black” (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) for the vacant IBU world lightweight title.

Stylish featherweight Angel “Gee Roc” Torres (Manchester, CT) took his first 8-round match against Greg Piper (Portland, OR). Twenty-year-old “Bad” Chad Dawson (New Haven, CT) dropped down in weight class to junior middleweight and put his unbeaten record (10-0) on the line against Willie Lee (Gulfport, MS). Former Cincinnati Bengals lineman and undefeated (4-0) Jevon “J Roc” Langford (Las Vegas, NV) and 18-year-old newcomer Caleb “The Irish Giant” Patrick (Oklahoma! City, OK) stepped into the ring at a combined 603 pounds and 13-feet, 4-inches.

CES’ KO announcing team included Dave Bontempo, award winning blow-by-blow announcer; color man Ron Borges, one of the foremost boxing writers in the world; 5-time former world champion and local hero, Vinny Paz, serving as a special analyst.

For more information about Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports call (401) 724-2253 or visit its Web site at www.cesboxing.com

March 23, 2003
Chris Grays: Conversations from the Undercard
Chris Grays: Conversations from the Undercard.

By Ted Kluck

The Deltaplex is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan’s Industrial Sector. A large metal structure situated on a strip of large, corrugated metal structures – places like International Tool and Die, Bandag Tire, and Grand Rapids Concrete. Places where men go to work. It’s not the best venue in the city, but more importantly, it isn’t the worst.

Chris Grays is a professional boxer who tonight will fight for six rounds. His record is 3-2, and by day he works as a lumber specialist at Traverse Bay Truss in Traverse City, MI – the most unlikely of homes for someone who makes hard money in the ring. Grays is 27 years old.

“People don’t even know I’m a pro athlete up there,” he says before the fight. “They don’t even know I’m around. But I’m a pretty soft spoken guy…I don’t strut my stuff around.”

Grays is slumped on a folding chair in a room no larger than a closet in the bowels of the Deltaplex. He is flanked on either side by Bill and Robin Bustance – the husband and wife pair of ex-boxers from Traverse who serve as his trainers, management, and surrogate parents.

Like a nervous father, Bill is up and around, pacing, while Grays sits and waits for the promoter to call his name. Tonight he fights third on the card and other men are milling about, getting dressed. There is a pro debut across the room – his shoes, trunks, and robe all look like they were ordered last week. His handlers are posing him, taking photos. He looks scared as hell – and I say that in only the most respectful of ways. As the door opens and closes we get snatches of the obligatory loud hip hop music that fills the arena and reminds us that the violence in its lyrics would soon be real. The pre-fight jitters are something you never really get used to, even if your only purpose is to sit ringside and scribble notes.

“Hell yes, I’m nervous,” Bustance explains. “At the weigh-in it’s all questions about training-this, preparation-that, strategy…that type of thing. But I won’t know a thing about this other guy until we’re in the ring and I make my first adjustment. All I know is that he’s 7-2.” He adds, “That’s what makes being a pro at this level so hard…but it’s also what makes it kind of cool and makes these fights exciting.”

The other guy is “Dangerous” Ryan Davis, a white kid who appropriately hails from Granite City, IL. He mills around the dressing room in black trunks, high black white socks, a black t-shirt bearing the Punisher comic book logo, and a visor. He looks at times like a harmless frat boy, but the truth is, he is a huge step up in competition for Grays.

“You don’t get seven wins in this game by being a nobody,” offers Bustance.

The prelims are underway now, and the occasional cheer can be heard through the concrete dressing room walls. Grays has his gloves taped on now, and his expression has changed very little. I expect to see nerves from Grays but he has probably seen much worse in life than Ryan Davis.

“I was in some trouble back home…but a friend told me about Bill…and told me I should move up there and train with him,” he said. “I get good sparring up there, surprisingly, and things are going pretty well…I’d like to keep fighting here, keep winning, and maybe get a minor title shot here in a couple of years.” His work at the lumberyard keeps him occupied from 8-5. He trains every evening, sometimes on the weekends.

“He got baptized in the holy fire in his first two fights,” said Bustance. “He didn’t have any amateur experience and we were fighting pretty advanced guys in Troy Rowland and Jamar Nolan…but I love this kid, I love his attitude.”

Grays is now in the hallway working on his stance with Robin Bustance. Just a few feet away stands Davis, the opponent. They will wait here, like this, for nearly a half hour. On a bus or subway they would probably talk, probably be fast friends talking about training, women, and where they’ve fought. Here they stare at the floor, at the wall…anywhere but at each other.

“Grays. Davis. You’re up,” shouts a stern looking woman with a clipboard and one of those headset microphones.

“How do I look?” asks Robin. She grew up watching Muhammad Ali on television – back when you could still see boxers on network television. When she met Bill he was a professional fighter at the time. She has been a part of the sport ever since.

Bill doesn’t answer. She turns in my direction:

“Don’t print that.”


Grays does a little shimmy shake for the crowd as he bounces down the aisle. They know him here and there is soul in him. He won his last three fights in this building and he is confident.

Davis makes his way into the ring in the Punisher garb. He plays the perfect out of town villain in the first round with just enough posturing – letting his guard down for a few moments, throwing a little half-bolo punch – to keep the crowd calling for his head on a platter. He is the kind of guy that’s hated on the road and loved in his hometown.

Grays, meanwhile, looks the part of a pro boxer now. I saw him in his pro debut and he was a brawler, a flailer. Now his moves have purpose and intent. However I am still nervous for him, as Davis scores a flash knockdown in the first. Grays seems to lose balance easily – jumping back on his heels and throwing from unorthodox positions when he gets rushed or rattled.

“Touch him Chris, just touch him from the outside,” implores Bustance from the apron. “You’re waiting Chris, you’re waiting too long.”

He goes down again in the second, this time on a clean, hard punch that rocks him to the mat. Davis walks to a neutral corner and flexes his biceps for the home crowd. They want to see him bleed but are cognizant of the fact that it won’t happen tonight. He smiles. I feel a black fear in my belly for Grays.

In the fourth, Grays finds his range and begins to dictate the tempo. The crowd responds, they want to believe. In the fifth he lands solid one-two’s and begins to win back the hometown crowd. A trickle of blood begins to flow from the ridge of Davis’ nose, a nose that looks like it has seen more than its share of leather. Regardless of the outcome, when Davis drinks his beer and calls his girlfriend tonight, he will feel it, and he will remember Grays.

The sixth and final round seems to last forever. There is a series of vicious flurries, the last of which sends an out of balance Grays to the canvas one last time. He pounds the mat in frustration, knowing that when he goes back to the lumberyard on Monday he will do it as a losing fighter. He will have to answer all of their questions in the negative. I feel sick for the soft-spoken guy I met just a couple of hours ago. The final bell rings with Grays on his feet.

Bill and Robin jump into the ring to throw an arm around their fighter.

On Monday, after work, Chris Grays will have a place to go. He will be in the gym again. He will be alright.

Chris Grays is a professional boxer.

March 23, 2003
Peter Manfredo, Jr. Leaves CES Promotions
Press Release

After 30 months and 16 fights Team Manfredo says goodbye to CES

PROVIDENCE, RI- The International Boxing Union Junior Middleweight World Champion, Peter Manfredo, Jr., 16-0 (7), is returning to the ring on April 26th at the new Shaw's Convention Center in Brockton, MA. Change is the operative word amongst Team Manfredo as Peter Manfredo, Sr. confirmed today that his son will be leaving Classic Entertainment and Sports.
"We are grateful to CES for assisting Peter to get to this point in his career, however, we feel it is time for a change," said Manfredo, Sr. At this point we can't say more than that Peter will be fighting a 10-round non-title fight on April 26th. Early next week we hope to have an opponent named."
Manfredo, Jr. will be the main event on Cappiello Promotion's Mohegan Sun Fight Night New England series on Fox Sports Net. Promoter Richie Cappiello is excited to be working directly with him. "I've been friend's with Peter Manfredo, Jr. and team for a long time," said Cappiello. I'm glad to be able to help them out and from my point of view it's a win/win situation."
Manfredo Jr. welcomes the change. "I have complete confidence in my team to make the right decisions regarding the path my career takes. The only thing I can do is to continue to commit 100% to training and let the chips fall as they may," said Manfredo, Jr.
In his last fight on October 4th, he scored a 7th-round KO over the legendary Frankie Randall. In Brockton on April 26th, Manfredo, Jr. is fighting for the first time in Massachusetts as a pro. He was Mickey Ward's chief sparring partner in his split decision win over Arturro Gatti and also worked with Fernando Vargas on two occassions for a total of four weeks as Vargas prepared for Oscar De La Hoya.

www.petermanfredojr.com

March 22, 2003
Pemberton Knocks Out Easley in Exciting Rematch
By JD Vena

MASHANTUCKET PEQUOT TRIBAL NATION (Ledyard, CT) – Though it can’t be supported with statistical facts, a rematch is always something that rarely measures up in terms of excitement to the original fight which demands the return bout. Looking back you can certainly make the case for a number of memorable rivalries. It held true with Ali vs. Frazier, Barrera vs. Morales, Pryor vs. Arguello, Ward vs. Gatti and a countless number of duos. Last night at the Foxwoods Resort & Casino, that tendency did not hold true. In front of over 1,500 fans Scott “The Sandman” Pemberton and Queens’ Le’Van Easley gave their best impression of “Shock and Awe” with a slugfest that was not only more exciting than their first encounter but a strong candidate for Fight of the Year. Pemberton of New Bedford, MA repeated as the victor with a thrilling 6th round knockout at the 2:59 mark.

As was the case in their first fight, there were ebbs and flows where it seemed a sure bet that one or the other were on the verge of winning. Pemberton, 168, appeared sharp in the first round but it was also clear that Easley had learned from their first encounter. Easley, 167, did a good job moving with The Sandman’s dreaded right hand, the same punch that sent him to dreamland in November of ’99. Easley was also effective with a counter left hook, which though never landed cleanly, would knock Pemberton off balance.

After two rounds of feeling each other out Easley began stinging Pemberton with the left hook and bloodied his nose with a ring hand. At that point it appeared that Pemberton might have been imprudent for accepting such a dangerous fight.

“You could see the confidence in his face,” said Pemberton’s brother Joe, who worked his corner. “You could tell that he felt that he should have been the guy who won the last time and was full of confidence.”

Pemberton had a better round in the 4th when Easley moved against the ropes and absorbed punches for the final minute. Though Pemberton didn't inflict any noticeable damage, it was clear in the fifth round that the clean shots Pemberton was landing to the head in the fifth round were a result of the body punching. The sixth round looked like a replay of the third and final round of their memorable first bout. Incidentally, it would also turn out to be the last of this one. Easley began landing right hand shots that not only put Pemberton against the ropes, it looked as if the tide had turned a final time as it had when Pemberton suffered his defeat to Charles Brewer last summer. Pemberton appeared to be getting knocked out of the ring but managed to clinch his eager opponent to prepare for his return fire. Pemberton, displaying the heart of a warrior put on a fantastic display of punching power and will, landing several thudding shots. After a series of head and body shots, Easley went to a knee, coughed out his gum shield and was counted out at 2:59 of the round. It was a glorious finish to a fun fight for the fans, who were brought to their feet for the final of many occasions.

“I knew I could do it again,” said Pemberton. “Naturally, since I knocked him out the first time I felt I could do it again but faster. I don’t like making it this tough but at the same time, I’m going to be with you until the end. This is the reason why I won’t get a big shot from any of the big names. I have the power to knock anybody out. That’s why Antwun Echols backed out of fighting me in New England a few months ago. I guess I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t want to fight me either.”

Late last year, Pemberton agreed to meet Echols on short notice and was ready to have faced him until Echols pulled out for no apparent reason other than the location of the event.

“What’s he going to do if he has to go to Germany to fight Ottke or England to fight Calzaghe? But he won’t come to New England to fight little ol’ me. This is why I don’t like boxing,” said Pemberton. “I use to like boxing but I don’t like the politics that goes on. I’m in this game to make money so that I can buy a house for my family.”

In winning the vacant IBU super-middleweight title, Pemberton raised his record to 25-3-1 with 21 knockouts. Off of this performance Pemberton could be considered the most exciting fighter of the division. Whether another fight of his can surpasses last night’s drama remains to be seen, but what we do know of Pemberton is this:

“I will fight until I go out on my shield. I’ve proved it many times before and I proved it again tonight.”

Going into last night’s main event, you wondered if the main event could top the already exciting undercard, which incredibly saw two possible candidates for knockout of the year. It was certainly hard imagining the Pemberton-Easley rematch comparing to either of the two bouts leading up to it. There was high drama in both and will be hard to forget any time soon.

Returning from his first professional defeat, Gary "The Tiger" Balletto made sure that his 12-round co-feature wasn't going to be put in the hands of the judges. The Tiger relentlessly pursued his prey until trapping him near a neutral corner with his trademark Hail Mary’s. A few of them landed and at 2:29 of the first round, Balletto's opponent, Johnny Walker, 135, of Ft Lauderdale, FL was knocked out of the ring and onto the lap of NESN blow-by-blow announcer and former world champ, Vinny Paz (according to publicist, Bob Trieger, Vinny did not suffer a cut). The only part of Walker’s body that was still in the ring was his feet, which rested on the bottom rung. Referee John Callas quickly called a halt so that the fallen Walker could be aided. Balletto, 136, of Providence, who has had to make up for his lack of skill with courage and an abundance of power decided that starting fast would be the key to a sure victory.

"Look, the only way to beat me is by trying to outbox me," admitted Balletto, now 27-1-2 with 24 knockouts. "If someone can box and they're in really good shape then they have a chance to beat me. But what I also know is that any one I hit is going down and staying down. That includes anyone. Who I want next is any of the world champions, Mayweather, Spadafora or Dorin. And if I hit them like I did this guy, they're going to go too."

With the win, Balletto collected the vacant IBU lightweight title. Walker is now 18-7 with 12 KO's.

Though he has been compared to many of the exceptional fighters of the past, the jury was still out on New Haven’s “Bad” Chad Dawson. What we did know coming into the toughest test of his career was that he predicted a 3rd round knockout ala Cassius Clay. But some thought he was going to be in a little deep with Willie Lee, of Gulfport, MS to fulfill his premature prophecy.

In his last bout with Shannon Miller, Dawson suffered the first official knockdown of his career under dubious circumstances. In the bout, the 2001 and 2002 New England prospect of the year appeared to have tripped over his opponent's left foot, a common trend when a lefty faces a conventional fighter. But last night no one could question the legitimacy of the official second knockdown of his career. Moments into the first round with the chiseled Lee, Dawson, 158, tripped over a big right hand, which dropped him like Michael Grant. His right leg went out from under him and he collapsed on top of it. A moment later he picked himself up like Aaron Pryor and did his best impression of Sugar Ray Leonard trying to get his legs back, which he did.

"He caught me with a great shot but I worked too hard to go out like that," said Dawson.

In the second round Dawson appeared to have recovered but that didn’t stop Lee’s constant aggression. The hard-punching Lee, 157, (10-1 with 7 KO’s coming in) pursued Dawson with winging punches but Dawson seemed to measure him well with his longer punches. In the third Dawson began landing more effectively and seemed to have done a good number over on Lee’s right eye. After Lee missed a wild right, Dawson stepped in with a four-punch combination, which buckled Lee and backed him into Dawson’s corner. The 19-year old Dawson was relentless. A furious assault, which could have prompted Callas to halt this one earlier went long enough for Lee to suffer a brutal knockout while he hung in the ropes. The doctor even rushed in before Callas offically called a halt to the bout.

To say the least, this fight answered a lot of questions about the young boxer who had been previously campaigning at the super middleweight limit.

“He figured he had me,” said Dawson. “I would have thought the same thing. But I felt great and in shape at this weight and I have a great team. I’ve been working with Pemberton and Eric Harding and I think I’m ready for any one they put in front of me. I want Jermain Taylor next. I feel that we’re on the same level but he’s getting all of the exposure. I want to be the guy getting that exposure, so he needs to be the guy that I take out.”

With the win Dawson is now 11-0 with 7 KO’s.

Angel "G-Roc" Torres, 127, of Willimantic, CT won his third straight by defeating Greg Piper of Portland, OR over 8 rounds. Piper, 126, certainly held his own but Torres was clearly the sharper of the two landing crisp rights and stiff left jabs. All three judges had Torres winning 80-72. Torres is now 11-2 with 6 KO's while Piper is now 6-2 with 2 KO's.

Caleb "The Irish Giant" Patrick, a 6'7, 273 pound Toughman competitor from Oklahoma City was no match for former Cincinnatti Bengal defensive end, Jevon "J Roc" Langford. Langford, at 330 appeared to be more of the giant in this contest (to call it that) as he trounced at 2:15 of the very first round. Patrick, who was making his debut was decked moments into the fight with a gargantuan right hand. He quickly made it to his feet but was saved by referee Joe Cusano after the third knockdown. Langford a great grandson of the legendary Sam Langford is now 5-0 all by knockout.

In the opening bout, Jamar "The Cherokee Kid", 143, of Newark, NJ won a 4-round unanimous decision over Shakha Moore, 142, of Norwalk, CT. Carter, now 15-6 with 3 KO's won by three scores of 39-73. More is now 9-7-2.

The real winners of last night were the New England fight fans. Those who didn’t attend will be able to view the show on NESN Tuesday night, March 25th at 8:00-10:30. Do yourself a huge favor and watch it.

Venue – Fowoods Resort & Casino
Network - NESN

March 21, 2003
Villa Barone Knuckle Sandwich
By Robert Ecksel

Only in America, only in the Bronx, can a place like Villa Barone Manor emerge from out of nowhere. Surrounded by expressways under construction and parking lots filled with cars, Villa Barone Manor is an ultra exclusive facility conveniently located in the heart of Throgs Neck. Villa Barone Manor offers a heady mixture of European elegance and American sophistication for educated palates. The entrance to Villa Barone Manor is bathed in white light from a crystal chandelier and is a magical blend of glass and brass with a marble and granite waterfall. Any way you cut it, the Villa Barone Manor in the Bronx is tasteful in the extreme.

Villa Barone offers three different affairs for three different tastes and expense accounts: a Grand Royal Affair, a Deluxe Affair and a Continental Affair. Guys in white gloves serve hors d’oeuvres of pizza, petit franks, shrimps, clams and fried mozzarella. The main course includes lamb, turkey and ham, and house specialties like Chicken Scarpariello, Veal Florentine and Eggplant Rollatini. Villa Barone Manor also offers platefuls of Beluga caviar and deviled eggs. Yum. But thanks to promoter Frank Locasio and matchmaker John Beninati, newcomers to the New York boxing scene, on the night of March 19, 2003 a new dish was added to Villa Barone’s crowded menu . . . and men and women are now eating leather.

The first fight of the night was an intercontinental affair between featherweights Hassau Wasswa (3-0-1 0 KOs) in black trunks with white trim vs. Jhovanny Collado (2-5-1 1 KO) wearing black satin. Considering their records and relative lack of experience, no one expected much from the two fighters - but were we ever wrong. An exciting and competitive match, both men were as skilled as they were courageous. Wasswa and Collado were committed heart and soul to dishing it out. They rocked each other several times with stellar shots. After six rounds it went to the judges’ scorecards. A decision victory for Hassau Wasswa.

The second bout was a four-rounder between light-heavyweights Tomacz Nowak (7-2 0 KOs) in black trunks with white trim fighting out of New York City via Poland against Yonkers own Iman “The Ghost” Green (6-6 2 KOs) in silver trunks. This was a classic between a slugger (Nowak) and a boxer (Green). The guy from Warsaw saw war and was an infantryman going for the kill. The Ghost was playing the angles and dancing in the shadows and tried to out-slick the Polish locomotive. Tomacz Nowak went into this fight certain that Iman Green couldn’t hurt him. The judges agreed and gave the Polish pug the decision.

The third fight of the night featured middleweights Dex Pejcinovic (1-2 1 KO) in burgundy trunks with white trim vs. Manjie Conteh (in his pro debut) in black trunks. Once again, for a couple of novices, both these guys showed the crowd that they know how to put on a show. Manjie Conteh, fighting out of Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn and with Al Gavin and Bob Jackson his able seconds, controlled most of the action. Conteh was stronger, more skilled and determined than Pejcinovic. A combination dropped Dex in the fourth round and Couteh saw the opening he was looking for. Manjie Conteh went for broke. The ref stepped in and stopped the action. A fourth round TKO win for Manjie Conteh. A great start to a pro career.

The semi-main event of the evening was a women’s welterweight bout between local favorite and budding superstar Ann Marie Saccurato (3-0-1 2 KOs) in silver trunks with black trim battling a fistic fireplug named Eliza Olson (6-1-1 2 KOs). (Eliza Olson’s granddad was the great Bobo Olson, middleweight champion from 1952-1955, who fought boxing legends Sugar Ray Robinson, Randy Turpin, Kid Gavilan, Joey Maxim and Archie Moore.) Ann Marie Saccurato was a little less skilled that Eliza Olson, her background a little less starry, but what she lacked in savvy she more than made up for with guts. Although the fight was only four two-minute rounds, after all the satisfying punching, it felt like a full meal. The fight was declared a draw. The crowd let out a loud groan.

The main event at Villa Barone Manor on Wednesday night spotlighted Elvir Muriqi (26-1 16 KOs) “The Kosovo Kid” wearing red trunks against Tiwon Taylor (24-9-1 18 KOs) wearing black trimmed with gold. Elvir Muriqi, supported by a large and loyal following and seconded by the illustrious Teddy Atlas, once again proved why he’s championship material. Tiwon Taylor has his gifts, but Elvir Muriqi is too good, too solid a professional to be deterred by something like another man’s gifts. By round three the Kosovo Kid found the range and it was bombs away. A series of shots to the head wobbled Tiwon Taylor and Muriqi came in with a blistering body attack. Each connect to the flank dropped Taylor . . . one . . . two . . . the third time down was the charm. At 2:28 of the third round, the ref stopped the action. That was that. A TKO win for Elvir Muriqi.

robert.ecksel@gte.net

March 20, 2003
ESPN2 Welterweight Doubleheader in Rosemont
TEDDY REID VS PAT COLEMAN,
TERRANCE CAUTHEN VS ROBERTO ORTEGA
HEADLINE DOUBLE CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT CARD,
CHICAGO'S ANGEL HERNANDEZ ALSO FEATURED
IN ROSEMONT, ILLINOIS, ON MARCH 28,
TELEVISED ON ESPN2

Promoters Art Pelullo/Banner Promotions and Bobby Hitz/Bobby Hitz Boxing Promotions, Inc., will present a sensational double championship fight card on Friday, March 28, 2003, at the Ramada Plaza Hotel O'Hare, located at 6600 N. Mannheim Road in Rosemont, Illinois. The fights will be telecast live on ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights."

Pelullo and Hitz are teaming up again only 13 days after their exciting world championship fight card on March 15 in Chicago. A crowd of 3,325 was on hand at the UIC Pavilion that night to see WBA-WBO 130-pound world champion Acelino Freitas of Brazil retain the titles with an electrifying third-round knockout victory against Juan Carlos Ramirez of Mexico.


MAIN EVENT - 12 ROUNDS, WELTERWEIGHTS - NABF TITLE
Champion TEDDY REID, 20-5-1, 14 KOs, Adelphi, Maryland, vs
Challenger PAT COLEMAN, 29-8, 20 KOs, Rockford, Illinois

The main event will feature two power-punchers - North American Boxing Federation welterweight champion Teddy "Two Gun" Reid, 20-5-1, with 14 knockouts, of Adelphi, Md., will make his first defense of the title against comebacking former contender Pat "Cat" Coleman, 29-8, with 20 knockouts, of Rockford, Ill.

Reid is currently ranked No. 17 by the WBC. After holding the NABF and USBA 140-pound titles, he moved up the 147-pound division last year and won the NABF title last June.

Coleman is making a comeback - tough and talented, he proved in the mid-1990's that he could compete at boxing's top levels and was a
world-ranked contender, but distractions outside of the ring and periods of inactivity hampered his career. He returned to the ring last September after 13 months off, and has won two fights in a row.


CO-FEATURE - 12 ROUNDS, SUPER LIGHTWEIGHTS - NABF TITLE
Champion TERRANCE CAUTHEN, 22-1, 7 KOs, Newark, New Jersey, vs
Challenger ROBERTO ORTEGA, 17-6-2, 13 KOs, Miami, Florida

North American Boxing Federation super lightweight champion Terrance "Heat" Cauthen, 22-1, with 7 knockouts, of Newark, N.J., will make his first defense of the title against Roberto "El Surdo del Oro" Ortega,17-6-2, with 13 knockouts, a native of Colombia living in Miami, Fla.

Cauthen, a former amateur star and 1996 Olympic bronze medalist, is making the first defense of the title he won last September. He has won seven fights in a row since his only loss.

Ortega,"The Golden Lefty," is usually considered the underdog in his fights, but has impressive upset wins against prospects Lemuel Nelson (25-5-1), previously undefeated Henry Bruseles (16-0), and Manuel Rodriguez (13-1).

Also…

Super welterweight contender Angel "Toro" Hernandez, 25-3, with 16 knockouts, a native of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, now living in Chicago will also be featured on the card against an opponent to be announced. A former NABF super welterweight champion with one successful defense, Angel is currently rated IBF #8, WBA #11, WBC #14.

An exciting lineup of supporting bouts will be announced.
All bouts subject to change without notice.

Doors open at 7:30 P.M., first fight at 8:00 P.M. Central Time.

Ticket prices: $35, $50, $75, $100.
Tickets available at: Bobby Hitz Boxing Promotions, Inc.
Tel: 630-295-9800

March 19, 2003
New England Chatta
By J.D Vena

Pemberton and Easley to Reacquaint Friday Night

If you were fortunate enough to have attended Jimmy Burchfield’s Thanksgiving eve show at Cranston, RI’s Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet back in ’99 you’d know why the promoter thought it would be a good idea to match New Bedford’s Scott “The Sandman” Pemberton with Queens’ Le’van Easley.

In what some had expected to be an easy night for Pemberton, the fearsome punching Pemberton found himself on the canvas and on the verge of a knockout defeat in the very first round. Stunned by the cracking right hand of the New Yorker, Pemberton, then 33, appeared to have collected his senses during the rest period and by midway through the second round, staggered Easley and sent him to the mat. Entering the third round, Easley didn’t appear to have recovered as well as the determined Pemberton had in the previous round. But the eager Pemberton soon found out that his antagonist wasn’t finished. An attacking Pemberton, who had sensed the knockout was caught in the exchange by a desperation right hand but after wobbling into the ropes, Easley, moving in for the kill, was caught by a right hand that sent him face-first for the count. That night Pemberton not only survived a scare, he won the region’s most exciting fight of the year and claimed the vacant NABF super-middleweight title. On Friday night at Foxwoods Resort Casino Pemberton (24-3-1 with 20 KO’s) and Easley (15-7-2 with7 KO’s) meet again and if the rematch is as good as the first one, then fans will get their money’s worth once more.

“I have a job to do on Friday night and I’m gonna do it,” Pemberton told reporters today at a press conference at the B.B. King Lounge inside the mammoth casino. “I’m ready to do what I have to do. Sometimes people don’t learn. I don’t think Le’Van Easley has learned his lesson because he’s going to get knocked out again.”

The highlight of the first fight was so exciting that the following weekend, ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights aired the savage knockout. For the rematch, Burchfield has planned something special. Friday night’s card will be taped and broadcasted on NESN (New England Sports Network) on Tuesday night, March 25th and hosted by a trio of popular boxing personalities. Popular announcer, Dave Bontempo will handle the blow-by-blow and award-winning Boston Globe scribe, Ron Borges and former 2-time champion Vinny Paz will handle the color commentary.

“I had a dream to set up another vehicle for boxing on television,” said Burchfield. “CES (Classic Entertainment & Sports) is taking a risk, rolling the dice, but Tuesday night, March 25th, primetime (8:00-10:30 P.M.), this card will be on NESN. The first thing CES wanted was to get together with a quality casino – Foxwoods is the best in the world – and then put on a great fight card. We hope this leads to a series on NESN.”

In an exciting co-feature, Gary “The Tiger” Balletto (26-2-2/ 23 KO’s) of Providence, RI will look to rebound from his only defeat when he meets Ft. Lauderdale’s Johnny Walker (18-6/ 12 KO’s) in a scheduled 12-rounder. Walker is looking to rebound from three straight losses but is no stranger to tough competition. His defeats were to Jesus Chavez (by TKO in 6), Junior Jones (L10) and Juan Manuel Marquez (by TKO in 1).

“Johnny Walker’s a good fighter, said Balletto. “He’s fought the best in the world. I feel better than ever, more comfortable with my style and more confident. I heard he can punch. I don’t think he can punch as hard as me, but we’ll find out Friday night.”

Portland, Oregon’s Greg Piper (6-1/ 2 KO’s), who has traveled across the country Portland, OR (Katherine Dunn-ville/ Bucket-ford or Shepards-town) to test his talents against the improving Angel “Gee-Roc” Torres (10-2/ 4 KO’s) of Manchester, CT. Incidentally, Piper’s lone defeat was to an Angelo Torres of Washington and even though he wouldn’t be avenging the loss, Piper knows what kind of opportunity this is.

“I’m looking forward to climbing my way up,” said Piper. “I’m physically and strategically where I want to be. Eight rounds is what I want. I want to become a main event fighter. I’m very excited to be here.”

Torres also shared his opponent’s sentiments adding, “I have a very good training camp. I sparred with Balletto and some other fighters from Rhode Island. I’m coming here to do what I have to do. Skills, punching wise – we’ll step in the ring to see who’s the best man on Friday night.

In other intriguing match-ups, “Bad” Chad Dawson (10-0/ 6 KO’s) of New Haven, CT will square off with his toughest opponent to date in Willie Lee (10-1/ 7 KO’s) of Gulfport, MS and Jevon “J-Roc” (no relation to Torres) Langford, a former Cincinnati Bengal (4-0/ 4 KO’s) will meet debuting Caleb Patrick of Oklahoma City. Norwalk’s Shakha Moore (9-6-2/ 1 KO) will meet James “Silk” Carter of Newark, NJ (14-6/ 3 KO’s) in the opening bout.

All bouts and fighters are subject to change. The first live bout will start at 7:30 p.m.

The $100 Platinum VIP Seats or Opera VIP Boxes and $55 Ringside seats are sold out. Available tickets are $35 Stage & Bleachers and $20 General Admission. Tickets are limited and may be purchased by calling any of the CES Offices: Rhode Island (401) 724-2253, Conn: (860) 432-4253 Attn: Lou Mayo or Mass: (617) 567-1705 Attn: Romano Schreiber. Tickets can also be purchased through CES’ Web site at www.cesboxing.com (go to tickets page) or at Foxwoods’ box office (800.200.2882).

March 18, 2003
Buffer 'Ready to Rumble' for USS Enterprise
MICHAEL BUFFER IS "READY TO RUMBLE"
FOR THE USS ENTERPRISE AIRCRAFT CARRIER

The USS Enterprise is an historic warship and the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to ever cruise the high seas protecting the USA in time of armed conflict. Famous sports and entertainment announcer Michael Buffer has donated his time and talent in the studio to record a number of energizing and morale building call to arms sound bites that will be played throughout the day for its 5,000 plus crew members serving on the ship. The USS Enterprise has been under renovation for more than a year now and will be "Ready to Rumble" and on its way to rejoin the "War on Terror" later this year.

"With the impending war brewing in Iraq and the Middle East and the
hundreds of thousands of US Military personnel already there and many
more on alert waiting to be shipped in, we wanted to do whatever we
could on our part to show our support and aide in the building of morale of the men and women serving in our Armed Forces.

The USS Enterprise embodies tremendous history and is now ready to
serve its country again. With the help of Public Affairs Officer Lt. Kevin Stephens and Captain Eric Neidlinger, the USS Enterprise Commanding Officer, we have received formal acceptance and authorization for Michael to record and donate a number of morale building "Ready to Rumble" public service messages to be played over the elaborate sound system aboard ship. We have donated Michael's voice talent services in the past to the US Special Forces serving in Germany and are happy to donate our time to any and all factions of the US Military upon request," states Bruce Buffer, President of Buffer Enterprises, Inc.

March 18, 2003
CES Names Announcing Team for Pemberton-Easley Rematch
CES' KO TV announcing team for NESN broadcast
Bontempo, Borges & Paz

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment and Sports has officially announced its KO announcing team for the NESN taped broadcast of Friday (March 21) night's "Bring Me A Dream II: The Rematch" boxing show at Foxwoods Resort Casino.

The main event (IBU world super weight championship (Scott "The Sandman" Pemberton-Levan Easley), co-feature (IBU world lightweight championship - Gary "The Tiger" Balletto-Johnny Walker) and 8-round special attraction (featherweights Angel "Gee-Roc" Torres-Greg Piper) will be taped live and broadcast Tuesday night (March 25) at primetime (8-10:30 p.m.) on NESN.

CES' KO announcing team includes Dave Bontempo, popular blow-by-blow announcer; color man Ron Borges, one of the foremost boxing writers in the world; special analyst Vinny Paz, 5-time former world champion.

"I believe in having the best possible announcing team for a quality show like this that's going to be shown on NESN," promoter Jimmy Burchfield said. "I feel we have that with the combination of Dave, Ron and Vinny. Dave's a big boxing fan who has developed a following as a broadcaster. I respect Ron Borges as one of the finest boxing writers in the world. Vinny's a 5-time world champion who bring his expertise in the ring, as well as his experience. H! e fought Easley and spars with Pemberton. Viny personally knows all of the local fighters on the card. All three have worked with each other at one time or another. As a team they have tremendous talent and are a good mix.

"For this product assignment we needed to get the best production crew, not only in New England, but in the United States. We have that in P.T Navarro and David Mondillio, as well as director Michael Frank. Many people and companies were interviewed and checked out. We wanted NESN to feel comfortable with the production crew. P.T. has all kinds of boxing credentials, NFL, too. He has a helluva resume. He's also worked together with (NESN's VP of Program! ming & Operations) Rick Abbott. Michael has worked everything in sports from the World Series to the Super Bowl. I'm very excited about our production crew and announcing talent."

Meet CES' KO Announcing Team

Dave Bontempo - A member of the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame, Dave Bontempo is an award-winning color commentator for ESPN and Fox Sports affiliates. The 1997 recepient of the Sam Taub Aw! ard for "Excellence in Broadcast Journalism, presented by the International Boxing Hall of Fame, he has also broadcast fights on TVKO and Showtime.

Ron Borges - The 1993 recepient of the Nat Fleischer Memorial Award for "Excellence in Boxing Journalism" from the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Ron Borges is a staff writer for the Boston Globe, specializing in boxing and the NFL. He pens a weekly column for HBO.com, regularly writes for several boxing industry magazines, and is a frequent guest on W! WZN Sporting News radio in Boston, as well as sports television shows in Boston.

Vinny Paz - A former 5-time world champion, Vinny Paz (49-10, 30 KOs) has been one of the most colorful fighters in the world, known as "The Pazmanian Devil." In 1991 he suffered a serious neck injury in an automobile accident and was told he'd never fight again. Against doctors orders he returned to the gym wea! ring a "halo" and a little more than a year later returned to the ring. Now in his 20th year as a pro boxer and one win shy of 50, Paz' promoter, Jimmy Burchfield, is negotiating a fight against Tony Ayala, Jr. this summer on pay-per-view. Paz holds wins against world champs such as Roberto Duran (twice), Lloyd Honeyghan and Greg Haugen (twice). He will be a Future Hall of Fame inductee.

All bouts and fighters are subject to change. The first live bout will start at 7:30 p.m.

The $100 Platinum VIP Seats or Opera VIP Boxes and $55 Ringside seats are sold out. Available tickets are $35 Stage & Bleachers and $20 General Admission. Tickets are limited and may be purchased by calling any of the CES Offices: Rhode Island (401) 724-2253, Conn: (860) 432-4253 Attn: Lou Mayo or Mass: (617) 567-1705 Attn: Romano Schreiber. Tickets can also be purchased through CES' Web site at www.cesboxing.com (go to tickets page) or at Foxwoods' box office (800.200.2882).

March 18, 2003
McBride shows Irish, while Shaheed shows green
By JD Vena

BOSTON, MA - Having never seen Brockton-based heavyweight Najee Shaheed fight before, I am left with one pondering question: how did he ever amass 18 victories? Assuming the obvious, he would have needed to have thrown punches. While not throwing punches in a track meet or even a wrestling match is not necessary, punching is an integral part of not only surviving but winning fights in a boxing ring. But trying to imagine him doing such a task was difficult to fathom after watching his poor display last night against local favorite, Kevin "The Clones Colossus" McBride. For seven uneventful rounds it was much of the what I'm writing about. McBride pressed the attack with sluggish, thudding shots and Shaheed did his best to avoid most of them. In fact, that is all that Shaheed concerned himself with.

Fortunately, those at the Roxy who witnessed this non-event were spared the last scheduled 5 rounds of this pattern as Shaheed failed to register for the 8th round. For all it's worth transplanted Irishman, McBride, now 29-4-1 with 25 KO's at least tried to make the fight an action bout, constantly coming forward with punches. There is no one who admires someone for stepping into a boxing ring more than your writer, but Shaheed should ponder whether his sort of efforts are worth it if he plans on fighting the way he had last night.

In an interesting jr. welterweight co-feature for the state title, Southie's Jimmy LeBlanc seemed to be on his way of upsetting his neighborhood rival Kevin Watts until a cut opened over his right eye, prompting the fight to be halted at :16 seconds of the 8th round. What transpired following the stoppage was rather peculiar. Referee, John Zablocki ruled that the cut came from the result of a punch. When he ordered the cut to be examined, the ringside physician inexplicably informed Zablocki that cut came from a clash of heads. The doctor for some reason felt this was one of his responsibilities. He should have concentrated on his own. The doctor ruled that the fight could not continue even though the the bleeding completely stopped once it was wiped with a cloth. Despite LeBlanc's protests, the ringside physician has that power in Massachusetts. LeBlanc had dominated Watts throughout the fight with his jab and long right hands. A standing 8-count was also administered to Watts after he had buckled in a neutral corner and absorbed a two-fisted assault. After Watts, now 18-2 with 8 KO's was declared the new champion, the ring announcer had asked the audience whether they would like to see a rematch. The LeBlanc fans certainly felt a demand for one. LeBlanc is now 9-3-3 with 3 KO's.

In an earlier bout, middleweight prosepct "Sir" William "The Gladiator" Gibbs, of Philadelphia had his hands full with a troublesome southpaw, Dave Hadden of West Palm Beach. Hadden was called in on just four days notice and is familiar with his roll as an opponent. Gibbs on the otherhand had not been faced with many southpaws in his career and knew nothing of his opponent who has given other young up and coming fighters fits. Hadden's slippery style made it difficult for Gibbs until late in the 6th round of a scheduled 8, Gibbs landed a combination to the head and body that dropped Hadden on the seat of his trunks for a 10-count. Gibbs, a cousin of Bernard Hopkins improved to 12-0 with 10 KO's.

In other bouts, Marty Moore of Kildaire, Ireland won his rematch with Southie's Ed McAloney in a one-sided 6-round decision. McAloney, a one-time state lightweight champion announced his retirement from boxing with a record of 12-6 with 6 KO's. Jim Clancy, a debuting heavyweight from Ireland stopped 44-year old Dan Veskovic at 1:07 of the second round and Ian "The Cobra" Gardner of Brockton via Toronto knocked out Joe Lorenzi of Deluth, MN at :34 of the third. Gardner is now 9-1 with 5 KO's.

March 17, 2003
'Popo' Freitas Punishes Ramirez
By Dan Hanley at Ringside

Chicago, IL - Art Pelullo's Banner Promotions in association with Hitz Boxing and Showtime Boxing produced a marathon fight card at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, whose main event left a multitude of strained vocal chords in its wake.

In the feature event, Brazil's Acelino 'Popo' Feitas defended his WBA and WBO belts against Mexican challenger Juan Carlos Ramirez with a seething pro Mexican crowd in attendance. Ramirez, 130, fought a restrained first round by sticking and moving deftly from the power punching Brazilian. Freitas, however, exploded on Ramirez whenever the Mexican came in contact with the ropes. The second round saw all hell break loose as Ramirez, despite only 12 stoppages on his 29-4 log, took the fight to Freitas while displaying a world class chin in the process.

During one messy conflagration of blows, Freitas ended up on the seat of his trunks, more from a push/slip than anything else. However, referee Geno Rodriguez curiously administered an eight count to the annoyed Freitas and much to the glee of the Mexican fans. The third round saw the two combatants resume where they left off and this time it was Ramirez's turn to fumble to the canvas, where he was forced to accept a count from Rodriguez on another faux knockdown. There was nothing suspect about the next knockdown, however, as their melee continued with the hard banging Freitas dropping Ramirez with a crushing right hand as Brazilian flags dotted around the arena flailed wildly. The Pavilion's wild shootout came to an abrupt end
:19 seconds into the fourth round as Freitas dropped the courageous Mexican once more during another breathtaking exchange, with Referee Rodriguez having seen enough. Freitas, 130, departs Chicago having upped his record to 33-0 (30) and is welcome back anytime. Perhaps not by the Mexican populace, however.

The co-feature saw a tepid affair between former amateur star Michael Simms, 191, Sacramento, CA., and Felix (Bad News) Cora, 190, Galveston, TX., end up all square after ten rounds. By the second round the pattern was set with Simms, 12-0 (10), boxing and Cora, 10-0 (5), stalking. And neither digressed from the mold's cast. Scores were 96-94 Simms, 96-94 Cora and 95-95 even. The CBZ scorecard read 96-96 after a forgettable fight.

In other bouts:

The scheduled ten round show opener was an excellent bout that featured Armenia's Artyom Simonyan, 123, upping his record to 12-0-1 (7), with a stoppage over Ablorah Sowah, 122, Ghana. Sowah started fast but by the fourth round was flagging and beginning to walk into right hands, which dropped him in the fifth. Referee Pete Podgorski correctly stopped the bout at 2:58 of the sixth round, which saw Sowah's record drop to 17-4-1 (10).

In another scheduled ten, the ringside physician saved those of us in
attendance from having to endure another moment of the insomnia-curing bout between Laudelino DeRamos, 175 1/2, Brazil and Vinson Durham, 177 1/2, Joliet, IL., as he retired Durham on a cut eye at 2:10 of the seventh round.

Valdemir Pereira, 126, Brazil bears watching as he beat Oney Hellems, 135 1/2, St. Louis, MO., to the canvas twice, stopping him at 2:59 of the second round of a scheduled ten. Pereira added his 12th knockout to his 13-0 record while opponent Hellems dropped to an uninspiring 6-20-2.

In the best bout of the night, barring the main event, Oscar Bravo, 167, of Chicago, IL., making his second start since coming unstuck against Antwun Echols, stopped the rugged Dan Batchelder, 168, of Saratoga, NY., at 2:18 of the eighth and final round. This was a give and take affair which saw the bloodied Bravo pull out all stops in upping his record to 18-2, while tough dude Batchelder experienced his first loss in 22 fights.

In another scheduled eight rounder, Larry Kenney, 158, of Columbia, MO., and his face did a remarkable impersonation of a speed bag as Angel Hernandez, 153, of Chicago, IL., stopped his hapless foe at 1:59 of the fourth round. Hernandez, 24-3 needs a better grade of opponent if he has any designs on becoming a contender. Kenney dropped his 39th loss in 50 fights.

Undefeated Juliano Ramos, 140, Brazil, showed remarkable patience while enduring the attack of Raul Fernandez, 140, of Elgin, IL., before dropping him at the bell in this scheduled six rounder. Fernandez's corner wisely retired him at :01 of the second round.

In the remaining four round bouts, Art Benkowski, 239, Poland, had his hands full with the counter-punching Jessie Tucker, 220, Omaha, NE., but finally cut loose in the third round for a stoppage at 2:14.

In a bout that would have made Fritzie Zivic proud, Saak Saakyan, 173, Sun Valley, CA., and Shay Mobley, 172, Markham, IL., rabbit punched, low-blowed and butted their ways to a split draw.

Mike Mollo, 202, of Oaklawn, IL., poleaxed the inept Brian McIntyre, 269, Omaha, NE., at 1:55 of the first round.

Ed Gutierrez, 194 1/2, Oaklawn, IL., and Guy Solis, 182, Whiting, IN., cuffed their way to a split draw.

Matt Barber, 237, Villa Park, IL., won a unanimous decision over Roberto Valdez, 252, Madison, WI.

All in all, a very good card that offered everyone at the UIC Pavillion alot of bang for their buck.

March 15, 2003
"Bad" Chad Dawson Moving Up and Down
Press Release

Hot prospect Chad Dawson ready to shine
March 21 at Foxwoods & on NESN

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Twenty-year-old unbeaten prospect “Bad” Chad Dawson will be stepping up and moving down at the same time Friday night, March 21 on the undercard of “Bring Me A Dream II: The Rematch,” promoted by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports, at Foxwoods Resort Casino.

Dawson, of New Haven (CT), is 10-0 with six knockouts. Chad’s stepping up in class to fight 10-1 Willie Lee (7 KOs), of Gulfport (MS), as well as dropping down in weight to the junior middleweight division, in the scheduled six-rounder. Both fighters are southpaws.

The “New England Prospect of the Year” in 2002 and 2001, Dawson’s most impressive victory to date was a 4th-round TKO of 9-1 John Romans William.

“Chad will be fighting his toughest opponent to date,” Burchfield said. “I don’t want him fighting as a light-heavyweight or super middleweight. He’s comfortable at 158 and we’ll see how it goes. I’d like to see him eventually fight at 154.

“He’s 6-2 with a lot of speed and power, the most natural athlete I’ve ever seen. Chad could be playing football, basketball, or any sport. He has a lot of natural talent and is one of the best boxing prospects I’ve seen in many years.”

The main event pits Scott "The Sandman" Pemberton (24-2-1, 20 KOs), of New Bedford (MA), against Levan Easley (15-7-2, 7 KOs), of Queens, in a 12-round match for the vacant International Boxing Union world super middleweight title. The Pemberton-Easley 12-round main event is a rematch of their "2000 New England Fight of the Year" and “NABF Fight of the Month,” in which, Pemberton recorded a devastating third-round knockout.

Crowd pleasing Providence lightweight Gary "Tiger" Balletto (26-1, 23 KOs) is scheduled to be in the 12-round co-feature for the vacant IBU world lightweight championship. His original opponent, Wilson Galli, broke his hand in training camp and Gary’s replacement will soon be announced. He is rated No. 9 by the NABF and No. 15 by the NABA.

The main event and co-feature will be taped live and broadcast Tuesday night (8-10:30), March 25 on NESN. The CES announcing team includes Dave Bontempo, popular blow-by-blow announcer; color man Ron Borges, one of the foremost boxing writers in the world; special analyst Vinny Paz, 5-time world champion.

Also on the fight card is four-time Puerto Rican national amateur champion, featherweight Angel “Gee Roc” Torres (10-2, 4 KOs), of Manchester (CT), in his first 8-round match against Greg Piper (6-1, 2 KOs), of Portland, OR.

It’s rare for four boxers with Connecticut ties to be fighting at Foxwoods on same card. Pemberton, who has been training in Manchester, joins Torres, Dawson and Norwalk super lightweight Shakha Moore (9-6-2, 1 KO) carrying the Nutmeg state banner into the ring.

Unbeaten heavyweight and former Cincinnati Bengals’ pro football player, Las Vegas-based Jevon “J Roc” Langford (4-0, 4 KOs), will also be in action.

All bouts and fighters are subject to change. The first bout will start at 7:30 p.m.

Ticket prices $100 Platinum VIP Seats or Opera VIP Boxes, $55 Ringside seats, $35 Stage & Bleachers and $20 General Admission. Tickets are limited and may be purchased by calling any of the CES Offices: Rhode Island (401) 724-2253, Conn: (860) 432-4253 Attn: Lou Mayo or Mass: (617) 567-1705 Attn: Romano Schreiber. Tickets can also be purchased through CES’ Web site at www.cesboxing.com (go to tickets page).

March 14, 2003
All-Star Cast Named to Anchor DiBellas PPV Crew
BERNSTEIN, TOMPKINS AND BUFFER REUNITE FOR "MONDAY NIGHT FIGHTS"

CHUCK ZITO RINGSIDE REPORTER

BROADCAST AND ANNOUNCING TEAM NAMED FOR MARCH 31 HBOPPV CARD

NEW YORK, March 14 - They have three of the most recognizeable voices in boxing history: the broadcast team of Al Bernstein and Barry Tompkins, and the golden-throated ring announcer Michael Buffer. Put them together for the first time in eight years, and DiBella Entertainment's March 31 edition of "Monday Night Fights" is providing not only the best in boxing action, but the best voices in the game calling the show.

"I've worked with more partners than anyone else who ever announced boxing matches, but the eight years of working with Barry were special," said Bernstein of his history of working fights with Tompkins at ESPN. "We could finish each other's sentences. There was and is a synergy that I believe enhances the telecast for the viewer, which after all, is our ultimate goal."

Adds Tompkins, "Over the course of time, I believe Al and I have done about 300 fights together. This represents a chance to reunite while working for a guy we both like, Lou DiBella. We're hopeful that it is the beginning of something new rather than the revival of something old."

"Monday Night Fights" premieres on Monday, March 31, and will be distributed by the leader in television boxing, HBOPPV. The Pay-Per-View broadcast begins at 8pm ET / 5pm PT and has a suggested retail price of $24.95.

Michael Buffer, the premier ring announcer in boxing today, will kick off the Pay-Per-View festivities in his own trademark style, and rounding out the team as a sideline reporter will be former Golden Gloves boxer and star of HBO's OZ series Chuck Zito.

"It is great to be back at ring center with Barry and Al broadcasting from ringside," said Buffer. "It's been almost 10 years since we've worked together and I'm really looking forward to March 31st. I think the big winners on that night will be the fight fans who tune in because they'll get to see a super line-up of boxing with the best blow-by-blow and analyst broadcast duo EVER!"

Headlining the inaugural broadcast of "Monday Night Fights" is a world junior bantamweight title fight featuring WBO champion Fernando Montiel (25-0-1, 19 KOs), putting his crown on the line against former World champion Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson (40-3, 27 KOs). Other bouts include a middleweight clash between Jermain Taylor and Brian Barbosa, a heavyweight battle between Derek Bryant and Eric Kirkland, and a lightweight bout featuring Angel Manfredy.

ABOUT THE BROADCAST AND ANNOUNCING TEAM

Al Bernstein
Al Bernstein is best known to a national audience as the voice of ESPN
boxing, but he has also carved out a career of varied endeavors, and achieved success in television, radio and as a live stage performer and recording artist. From 19880 to 1998 Al served as analyst (and often host) of the Top Rank Boxing Series- winning numerous awards such as Boxing Broadcaster of the year. In 1990 he was the only sportscaster on Sports Magazine’s “Best 100 in Sports.” During that time Al also wrote and hosted over 20 anthology shows on boxing, and wrote and hosted the critically acclaimed “Big Fights Boxing”
series on ESPN Classic Sports Network. Al now does special essays called “Bernstein on Boxing” every Tuesday night on classic sport. For all his 22 years at ESPN Al has covered all the major boxing matches for Sportscenter, and he continues now in that capacity. He also covers major league baseball, and NBA basketball, for Sportscenter, and has done play by play on college
basketball for ESPN. Al has done over 50 major Pay Per View telecasts
including great fights such as Marvin Hagler- Tommy Hearns, Evander
Holyfield-Buster Douglas, Evander Holyfield-Riddick Bowe, Marivn
Hagler-Roberto Duran, and Sugar Ray Leonard- Roberto Duran.

Barry Tompkins
Recipient of six Ace Awards, four Emmys, a Press Club Award and the Sam Taub Award for Boxing Commentator of the Year, Barry Tompkins currently covers over 60 events a year for Fox Sports Net, including Pac-10 football, basketball and the Fox Sunday Night Fights. Over the last 30 years, Tompkins has covered five Olympic Games, 20 Super Bowls, six World Series, 14 Wimbledon Championships, six French Open Tennis Championships, three U.S. Open Tennis Championships, three NCAA Final Fours, The Masters and countless championship boxing matches.

Michael Buffer
Michael Buffer is world renowned for his tuxedo image and famous trademarked phrase “LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!”. He is considered one of the most recognized faces in the world of sports and entertainment due to his 19 plus years of announcing many of the biggest championship boxing events and many other internationally televised sports and entertainment events. He is considered the “Voice of Champions” by millions of fans worldwide. The demand for his special voice-over work for entertainment and special advertising and promotional campaigns is constantly growing due to the fact that his voice is so highly distinguishable to the public.

Chuck Zito
Chuck Zito, bodyguard to the stars, former Golden Gloves boxer, martial arts expert, past president of the N.Y. Nomads chapter of the Hells Angels, and actor on the award winning HBO drama Oz, is the star of the upcoming USA Network series Chuck Zito's Street Justice.

For more information on DiBella Entertainment, please visit our website at www.dbe1.com

March 14, 2003
Gatti-Ward III on the ropes!
Press Release

LOWELL, Mass. – With St. Patrick’s Day next Monday, you’d think pro boxer “Irish” Micky Ward, winner of Ring Magazine’s prestigious 2002 and 2001 Fights of the Year, would have good reason to do a traditional jig.

Much to the contrary, though, as negotiations for the much-anticipated Gatti-Ward III fight, erroneously rumored to be a done deal for June in Atlantic City, have hit a major snag over money.

Ward (37-12, 27 KOs) is in New York City to receive an award this evening (Friday) as one of Irish America Magazine’s Top 100. As proud as he is to be honored like this, he’d prefer signing a contract for the rubber match between him and Arturo “Thunder” Gatti, who split a pair of exciting 10-round decisions last year on HBO, including the consensus 2002 Fight of the Year won by Ward last May.

“These are two warriors, throwbacks to the Golden Age of boxing,” LoNano said. “They’ve had two of the best fights in many years and the public wants a third to settle the score. Main Events (Gatti’s promoter) only offered us a 75-25 split, which is unacceptable. Why should Micky take that pay when Gatti wouldn’t have taken it for the last fight? We didn’t have to fight Gatti after we won the first fight, but we did and agreed to do it at 50-50. We’re looking for 50-50 again.

“I have a meeting next week with Micky’s promoter, Lou DiBella, who has done a great job for us. We’ll try and salvage Gatti-Ward III -- everybody in boxing wants it -- but not for what Main Events is offering us. If it can’t be worked out, we’ll start looking for somebody else. It’s a shame because Ward-Gatti is a great rivalry that should be decided with a third match.”

Instead of meeting in the ring where they really belong, the last time Gatti and Ward may see each other in person, unfortunately, could be at the 78th Boxing Writers Association of America’s banquet and dinner April 25 in New York City, where they’ll receive the Harry Markson Award for their Fight of the Year.

March 13, 2003
New England Chatta
McAloney Reframing Career

By JD Vena


The foreman thought it would be a typical task as he walked through the power plant. But while stopping to decide what would be planned for a scaffolding job, Dan Madden turned around and discovered that his 5’5 laborer wasn’t standing behind him.

“I asked Eddie to do something,” said Madden. “I can’t remember what it was but when I turned around, I couldn’t see him until I looked down on the ground.”

Madden couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Instead of asking him what the hell he was doing, I decided to count. He had to have done over 50 push-ups because I counted 46. I thought he was nuts. Come to find out, he’s a boxer and does this sort of thing all the time at work,” chuckled Madden.

Being new to a framing company called Brand Scaffolding, Madden was getting his first glimpse of what Southie boxer, Eddie McAloney has been doing intermittently during his shifts since he began working there.

“Everyone on the site is use to it now,” said Madden of McAloney’s training habits. “We have a huge set of stairs and Eddie runs up and down them about five times during his lunch break. I guess he’s really dedicated to his boxing.

"It helps me stay in shape," admitted McAloney. "I'm able to get a lot of excersizes out of the way and concentrate more on my boxing when I'm at the gym."

A few years ago, it wasn’t like this for the 31-year old. In fact, other than the misfortune of having a few surgeries on both of his elbows, the desire to train hard wasn’t with him since the days when he had claimed a Mass State lightweight title in 1998. That fire in his belly was more or less extinguished when McAloney did an old friend a favor, one that would cost him more than a few good paydays.

“I did a favor for Jimmy Farrell, a good friend of mine who was promoting a show in Boston. They had an Irish kid from England named Marty Moore for me to fight in a four-rounder. To help the show and sell more tickets I accepted the fight. I fought the worst fight of my life and lost a (4-round) decision. When I tell you Moore’s a bad fighter, I mean he was the worst fighter I’ve ever been in with, amateur or pro. I was so mad at myself for losing to him. I hadn’t been training and my elbows were bothering me but losing to him put me in a real funk.

“He’s been talking about fighting Moore for a long time,” said Madden. “He really has it out for this kid.”

“We tried making this fight a few times. The first time, he didn’t get on the plane in England. The second time, he flew over here but didn’t come to Boston. He flew to New York instead. I ended up seeing him at a local show a few years ago and he said that he would kick my ass. My friend’s had to restrain me because I was going to spread him all over the parking lot.”

After years of anticipation, McAloney will finally have a chance to fulfill his ambitions. On Monday night on St. Patrick’s Day at Boston’s favorite night club, The Roxy, McAloney will meet Moore in a six round rematch of a Rich Cappiello promoted show headlined by Irish Heavyweight Champion, Kevin “The Clones Colossus” McBride.

It’s been a long time coming. But a win for McAloney will not only avenge a painful defeat, it will jumpstart a stalled career. Despite a less than stellar record of 12-5 with 6 KO’s, McAloney knows what he’s all about.

“I lost to Kevin Watts last year after being off for three years,” admitted McAloney. “But I know that when I’m on, I can hang with anyone. I’ve sparred with (former featherweight champion) Freddie Norwood and (world rated) David Santos and did more than hold my own against them. By the end of this year I want to win another state title and see where I can go from there. I owe Richie (Cappeillo) everything for putting this together. What’s funny is Moore called him eager to get on the show and Rich told him there was only one guy he could put him in with. Richie knew how much I want this, especially on St. Patrick’s Day.”

Then again, so does everyone over at Brand Scaffolding.

If you were trying to think of a great place to go on St. Patrick’s Day then I couldn’t recommend a better option than Cappiello’s St Patrick’s Day show. Just think, the bars in Boston will be charging at least $20 covers to get in. At the Roxy you can pay anywhere as low as $30 to see a live boxing card in an Irish-filled atmosphere.

As for the fights themselves, the show features a number of local stars looking to show their green and spill some red. McBride (28-4-1/ 23 KO’s), who now lives in Brookline, defends his IBC American’s heavyweight title against Brockton’s Najee Shaheed (18-4-1). Shaheed has been in with a number of top rated heavyweights, including Wladimir Klitschko, Henry Akinwande and Robert Wiggins. Shaheed drew with the rugged Wiggins in one of their two encounters. In another interesting bout, Jimmy “The Dream” LeBlanc (9-2-3/ 3 KO’s) and “Cocky” Kevin Watts (17-2/ 6 KO’s) will not only battle for Southie supremacy but the winner will meet New England Jr. welterweight champion, Jeff “The Hellraza” Fraza in a few months. Fraza (12-2/ 6 KO’s) of Haverhill, will tune himself up on the show as well in an 8-rounder with Bahamian, Eugene Pratt.

In other slated bouts, streaking Ian “The Cobra” Gardner of Canada will meet tough-guy, Tommy Attardo in a 6-rounder, James Clancy of Brookline will meet Jose Colon of Lawrence and undefeated middleweight prospect, “Sir” William “The Gladiator” Gibbs (11-0/ 9 KO’s) will face an opponent yet to be determined. In sure any self-respecting Irishman will happily fill in if no one’s available for Gibbs. Doors open at 6:00 (that’s P.M for you lushes) with the first bout scheduled for 7:30. For ticket information call toll free 888-491-2900.

March 11, 2003
Oscar and Solo Boxeo A Perfect Fit
LOS ANGELES, CA– On February 28, Golden Boy Promotions gave Telefutura viewers what they asked for – compelling, evenly matched fights – and the viewers responded, sending ratings through the roof for the Los Angeles promotional company’s first ‘Solo Boxeo’ show.

The ‘Solo Boxeo’ card, aired live from the Selland Arena in Fresno, and which featured unbeaten 2000 US Olympian Jose Navarro’s ten round win over Keyri Wong and Enrique Ornelas’ eight round victory over Tim Shocks, drew a 3.9% National Household rating.

“These ratings confirm that if a promoter puts on good quality fights between evenly matched opponents and is willing to promote the show by giving exposure to the fighters, that the sport of boxing is not as dead as so many other promoters have stated over the past few months,” said Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar De La Hoya. “I am willing to continue to work hard and give this great sport the exposure it deserves.”

The 3.9% rating is an astonishing 26% higher than average ratings achieved by other promoters this year.

Golden Boy Promotions’ next Solo Boxeo date is scheduled for May 9th in San Diego, California. This is the second of four 2003 dates given to Golden Boy Promotions by Telefutura. Other shows are tentatively scheduled for September and November.


For more information on Golden Boy Promotions, visit our website at: www.goldenboypromotions.com">www.goldenboypromotions.com

March 10, 2003
Legendary HBO Nights
Legendary HBO Nights
By Robert Ecksel

HBO has every reason to exalt itself. Their regular programming - The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Sex and The City, Arliss - is not just TV. It’s HBO. It’s a pity all the media in our glutted culture doesn’t pack such a wallop. Boxing has been HBO’s baby for many years. Beginning in 1973 with their first boxing broadcast, HBO has distinguished itself with its intelligence, its daring matchmaking, and its dedication to delivering three crack decades of jabs, hooks and uppercuts.

Beginning last Wednesday (10PM ET/PT) March 5 and running through May 21, HBO Sports is presenting “Legendary Nights. The Stories Behind HBO’s Most Memorable Fights. 12 Fights. 12 Stories. 12 Weeks.” HBO culled their archives and came up with 12 humdinger prizefights. They might not have been the best bouts from HBO’s roster of 500 fights, but they were what they were “the most memorable.” The featured bouts are:

Leonard vs. Hearns (March 5)
Holmes vs. Cooney (March 12)
Pryor vs. Arguello (March 19)
Hagler vs. Hearns (March 26)
Hagler vs. Leonard (April 2)
Tyson vs. Douglas (April 9)
Chavez vs. Taylor (April 16)
Holyfield vs. Bowe (April 23)
Foreman vs. Moorer (April 30)
Bowe vs. Golota (May 7)
De La Hoya vs. Trinidad (May 14)
Lewis vs. Tyson (May 21)

Followers of the sweet science are familiar with these contests. The hype leading up to them and the hype that followed became the stuff of history. They are the real deal, if not always the fairest fights, larger than life footnotes in the centuries old hurting business.

A glance at these bouts reveals themes and variations, plots and subplots, texts and Ur-texts in the midst of all that punching. Great Fights. Great Rivalries. Great Upsets. Great Controversies. Crowning Great Champions. It could not have been easy for HBO to decide which fights to spotlight and which to bury, but with only thirty minutes allotted for each 12-part segment, there was too little time available for HBO to rise to the occasion.

The 12 fights fit into porous groups.

GREAT FIGHTS
Leonard-Hearns
Pryor-Arguello
Hagler-Hearns
Holyfield-Bowe



GREAT RIVALRIES
Leonard-Hearns
Holyfield-Bowe

GREAT CONTROVERSIES
Hagler-Leonard
Chavez-Taylor
Bowe-Golota
De La Hoya-Trinidad
Holmes-Cooney

GREAT UPSETS
Tyson-Douglas
Foreman-Moorer
Hagler-Leonard
De La Hoya-Trinidad

CROWNING GREAT CHAMPIONS
Hagler-Leonard
Foreman-Moorer
Holyfield-Bowe
Lewis-Tyson

The greatest champions of the last thirty years are trading leather on HBO. Leonard. Hearns. Hagler. Holmes. Chavez. Tyson. Bowe. De La Hoya. Holyfield. These guys are the kings of the hit parade. Anyone who doesn’t know them by now better tune into HBO. Each of these cats was stylish, charismatic, cool, phat, down and striking. Each of them was a knockout. Leonard, Hearns, Hagler, Holmes, Chavez, Iron Mike, Big Daddy, The Golden Boy and Commander Vander. Great stuff. Terrific warriors. Boxing at its very best.

The first fight in the series featured Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Tommy Hearns from September 16, 1981. Ray Leonard was the brash Olympian, the new and improved Ali, the glamorous kid from the burbs who boxed with class and battled with heart. Thomas “The Hit Man” Hearns was an anomaly turning out guys’ lights in Motown. Tall, lean, angular, fast, with a broad muscular back and long arms and legs, Tommy Hearns was one of the reasons they used to call Detroit the Murder City.

In HBO’s first installment of Legendary Nights, the two stars of the show, Leonard and Hearns, were supported by an award-winning cast of co-stars, bit players, cameos, walk-ons, extras and passing historical references, each of which could be the subject of its own documentary. Dempsey-Tunney. Robinson-Basilio. Louis-Schmeling. Howard Cosell. Angelo Dundee. Olympic boxing without headgear. The ring career of Bob Hope. Each of these subjects was crammed into a bustling thirty minutes. It was an almost incomprehensible relay race of data. No sooner did something significant call attention to itself - before it was shoved aside by a worthy replacement. We know the competition is tough and air time comes at a premium, especially on HBO, but half an hour is the time it takes for most of us to register that the TV set is even on.

Not enough can be said about the first Leonard-Hearns bout, but the guys on HBO gave it their best shot. The best fight of the trilogy, if not the best fight of their careers, the Legendary Nights version of these fourteen rounds of give and take and recovery and discovery was compacted into a barely digestible seven minutes. That’s about thirty seconds a round. And while we treasure Manny Steward and boxing’s poet laureate Larry Merchant, there were too many other talking heads taking up time from a boxing match that deserved to be seen and not heard.

Because of tired mismatches and scripted executions, we were looking forward to revisiting a contest the caliber of Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns. Because we live in an age where champs are champs due to cynical back room pandering, we hoped Leonard-Hearns would be an antidote akin to a trip on a time machine. And perhaps it was. Because everything sped by in a blur.

In light of its time constraints and a flirtation with the ho-hum, Legendary Nights is the rare swing and a miss from the folks HBO.

But at least we’ve got 11 more weeks of Wednesday night fights to check out.

robert.ecksel@gte.net

March 10, 2003
Results from the 2003 Oregon Golden Gloves:
Friday Night:


Heavyweight novice: Josh Moa, Victory Boxing Club, Albany, OR. def. Donato Parkerson, Grand Avenue Gym, Portland.


165lbs novice: Nelson Zepeda, Grand Avenue Gym, Portland def. Cedric Armstrong, Knott Street Gym, Portland.


132lbs novice: Eric Cabrerra def. Joe Cummings, Grand Avenue Gym, Portland.


119lbs elimination: Michael Rylands, Sugar Co. Boxing Club, Salem def. Peter Kapil, South Everett Boxing Club, Everett, WA.


132lbs elimination: Brandon Ferguson, Port Kells Boxing Club, Vancouver, WA def. Scott Kennedey, South Everett Boxing Club, Everett, WA.


132lbs elimination: Juan Jarmillo, Sugar Co. Boxing Club, Salem def. Thimbe Reeves, Grand Avenue Gym, Portland.


152lbs elimination: Jason Davis, Knott Street Gym, Portland, stopped Colton Hardison, Grand Avenue Gym, Portland, in the first round.


165lbs women’s championship: Tricia Turton, Capitol Hill Boxing Club, Seattle def. Dana Lynn Gold, Seattle.


165lbs elimination: Robert Marthaller, Victory Boxing, Albany, OR. def. Kevin Triplett, Hard Knox Gym, Eugene.


Heavyweight elimination: Kevin Reynolds, Astoria Boxing, Vancouver, BC. def. Kevon Peters, South Everett Boxing, Everett, WA.


Saturday night:


125lbs novice: Joel Gonzales, Victory Boxing, Albany, OR. def Scott Kennedy, South Everett Boxing, Everett, WA.


132lbs novice: Norberto Penteleon, Sugar Co. Boxing, Salem def. Roy Arroyo, West Eugene Boxing, Eugene.


178lbs novice: Brad Mejia, Victory Boxing, Albany, OR. def (by DQ) Tom Eveland, Grand Avenue Gym, Portland.


132lbs championship: Brandon Ferguson, Port Kells Boxing, Vancouver, WA. def. Juan Jarmillo, Sugar Co. Boxing, Salem.


141lbs championship: Osvaldo Rojas, Grand Avenue Gym, Portland def. Jackson Bussel, Self Defense Boxing, Klamath Falls.


141lbs women’s championship: Angela Harriet, Sugar Co. Boxing, Salem def. Marcey Monahan, Eagles Boxing, Spokane, WA.


152lbs championship: Jason Davis, Knott Street Boxing, Portland def. Dwayne Welch, Sugar Co. Boxing, Salem.


165lbs championship: Robert Marthaller, Victory Boxing, Albany, OR def. Tyler Jackson, Port Kells Boxing, Vancouver WA.


178lbs championship: Marcus Parnell, Knott Street Boxing, Portland def. Randy Rogers, Self Defense Boxing, Klamath Falls.


Heavyweight championship: Kevin Reynolds, Astoria Boxing, Vancouver, BC. stopped Cris Gael, Cals Olympic Boxing, Port Orchard, WA. in the first round.


Super heavyweight championship: Sean Lancaster, Kelso Boxing, Kelso WA. stopped Jeff Marsh, Victory Boxing, Albany, OR. in the second.

Note: Matt Sorenson was named the 2003 Oregon Boxing Writer of the Year.

March 9, 2003
Close-up: The Ruiz-Jones fight and the 7-day circus
By John Garfield

Watching John Ruiz sitting on the ring apron--still sweating from a workout--struggle and reach for words and thoughts to answer the barrage of questions at a pre-fight press conference, I couldn't help but see the parallel as he struggled to find the answers to Roy Jones, Jr. in the big fight. He never did...and he got bloody and bruised (and I'm sure his pride was hurt worst).. as he lost his WBA Heavyweight Championship by a lopsided UD to the first former middleweight champion in 106 years.

In contrast to Ruiz at the press conference before the fight, Jones couldn't have cared less; he sat at the dais in pearl-grey designer sweats, bobbing his head to music on his earphones, oblivious to the circus around him.

While two mightly-muscled Roman Centurions--one of them black--and Cleopatra stood behind him, Don King, in a hand-painted, blue-denim Eisenhower jacket with sequins, waving four American flags for the cameras, rambled endlessly in a rap somewhere's between P. T. Barnum and a shingle salesman about "Kryptonite," "Blackonite" and "U-thomasite," quoting scripture, his meeting with the Ukrainian president, the yellow Lamborghini he'd given Ruiz , admonishing the French for "not having our back," just before introducing Jean-Marc Mormeck of France, the current WBA cruiserweight champ. Shaking his finger at Mormeck to remind Chirac, "that if it wasn't for the doughboys, the French would be speaking German!", but in mid- sentence--almost on cue-- when King said "God..." Jones whiped off his earphones, jumped to his feet--arms folded across his chest: "I'm not here to bullshit!. I fight--that's what I do!"

However transparent a scalawag King is, there's no BS about his ability to make a big event like this happen. And at 70, he shows no signs of winding down. He's like a shark, he has to keep moving or he won't survive.

Probably the worst decision that Ruiz made-- beside trying to box with Jones-- was to come out at the press conference dressed like a pimp. And when Ruiz was asked if he was going to win? "The pimp always gets the ho," he answered. Jaws dropped... You could hear the groans. In an attempt to pump-up the pay-per-view, somebody in Ruiz's camp thought they had to make him more colorful.

They couldn't have chosen worse; Ruiz's appeal was that every lunch-pail guy would identify with him. The pimp image no more fit Ruiz than it would Rocky Marciano.

After hours of preliminaries, with what looked like no more than 100 people in the 16,000-seat Thomas and Mack Center, the place was a near sell-out by the time of the main event. Jones and Ruiz pushed their way through the crowd in the ring before the introductions-- and Jones stripped off his hooded-chocolate vest; he wasn't a man carrying too much weight for his frame; he was cut like a middleweight--just bigger, with knotted muscles in his back and grapefruit-sized biceps...like Harold Johnson used to look.

Ruiz strode shirtless through the mob in the ring, pumping his arms, like a man on a mission. At 226, he looked trim and in shape...but not a brute--not the Goliath in the ads.

The fight wasn't filled with drama and excitement--as befits such a historic event--it was more like an orderly coronation--the appreciation of royalty to a hip-hop beat. The little man grew in stature every round.

All the fireworks happened in the week prior to the fight. In a workout for the press at the media pavillion in Caesar's Palace, a small crew from Anonymous Content, a film production company, with the director of the recent Robert Evans documentary, was shooting Ruiz for what they called a "documentary," titled "Sweet Science," about Jones for Weiden & Kennedy Advertising and Nike. A woman production assistant circulated through the crowd asking everybody to sign releases, also describing what they were doing as a "documentary." It smelled suspiciously like a commercial, though.

When Norman Stone, Ruiz's manager, learned that Jones might profit from it--aside from his 10- -million-dollar guarantee-- and also see Ruiz in training, he went ballistic. "Lock all the doors! Don't let any of these guys out of here! he bellowed--red in the face--to team Ruiz . Then Stone pushed through the crowd to the cameraman and got right in his face: "Gimme that film right now!" The cameraman was shaking: "It's not film, it's videotape, he offered, as if that would make it right. "I DON'T GIVE A FUCK WHAT IT IS!" Stone yelled. "I WANT IT RIGHT NOW!" Everybody froze. One wrong move and somebody was going to get hurt bad.

The producer signaled the cameraman to give Stone the tape, which he appeared to destroy, and the crew was ushered out of the room.

But the flinty Stone wasn't through. At the weigh-in, Stone was unhappy about the gloves, saying his were heavier than Jones' and that they were improperly sent to Jones instead of the commission.

When Stone got loud about it and stepped up on the temporary platform to complain to Alton Merkerson, Jones' trainer, that unless the gloves were changed, the fight was off. Stone got too close to Merkerson. Words were exchanged. Stone grabbed Merkerson, who when he tried to pry Stone loose, caused him to fall backward, and on the way down, Merkerson caught him on the end of a long overhand right, which split Stone's lip--compliments of a Super Bowl size ring on Merkerson's index finger. Somewhere's at the bottom of the pile, Stone was kicked in the ribs by a Jones supporter, and he broke a finger in the melee.

A few minutes later, Stone collapsed. Initially, it was thought to be a heart attack, but he was rushed by ambulance to Valley Hospital, where he was x-rayed and released, with just some bumps and bruises.

It was clear in training, that all of the concessions that Ruiz had to make to get the match (He agreed to ALL of Jones' terms, and might make no money) had gotten under his skin, and he was seething. Whenever the subject came up, the tightness in Ruiz's jaw and the look in his eye said, he wanted to take it out on Jones in the ring.

But it isn't that easy with Jones. Fighters never seem to be able to get off...and they look like "bums" in comparison.

Ruiz is not a bum; he's a gutsy, blue-collar guy, who'd be dangerous for most heavyweights out there. He had a plan mapped out by Gabe Mari, his trainer, to cut the ring off on Jones, and they sweated on it right up until fight time. In training, Ruiz looked quicker and let his hands go more freely than I'd ever seen him.

But that's how big the chasm in talent is between Ruiz and Jones. Doing it in the mirror and against sparring partners simulating Jones is not like facing him in the ring... that's the reality check.

Jones made it clear in his clinic over Ruiz that he's a superstar and everybody else is a supporting player. Ruiz was merely a foil to showcase Jones's talents.

Nobody deserves the title of "The Real Deal" or "The Man" more than Jones. He out-thinks, out-boxes, out-punches.. out-everythings anybody else in a prize ring in 2003. He's like some super model who hit the genetic lottery. As a fighter, he has it all, including radar, an assortment of punches I've never seen, and a body as limber as Gumby.

From his first sneak right hand that wobbled Ruiz in round 4, Jones announced he wasn't running; he was going to fight Ruiz straight up and drub him with ease an arrogance. And that's what he did like a master for 12 rounds.

And the few times he sampled a Ruiz right hand or some body punches against the ropes, Jones answered the questions on everybody's mind: Can he take a shot? Does he have the character? Jones didn't crumble--seemed almost disdainful, and just took care of business, stinging and frustrating the much bigger man with a never-ending jab that looked like he had the seven inches in reach.

There were several times when Jones set the same trap: He bent forward at the waist--his head an inviting target-- arms hanging like spaghetti, and Ruiz took the bait and came across with a right hand, only to be met with a snapping left uppercut-hook from the floor, while Jones slid off to the right, without even looking.

After Ruiz's promising 1st round, where he landed two shotgun jabs and forced Jones back, Jones adjusted, and weight, height and reach were never a factor again. Jones' feints, unorthodox jab, and ring generalship froze Ruiz in place, like a matador flourishing his cape in front of an enraged bull and turning his back.

The referee, Jay Nady, had little to do, even though he warned Ruiz for using his head in the first round. Jones handled Ruiz with surprising ease inside, and hit him with tight, hard uppercuts when they were on the ropes for any length of time.

Once Ruiz had second thoughts about bull-rushing Jones, he lost his only advantages, and the dye was cast: He was out of his depth trying to box with Jones. For the balance of the fight, Ruiz looked like an air-hockey figure-- hands glued to his face-- jerking sharply side to side trying to keep up with Jones' every move.

Ruiz had been KO'd and beaten, but he'd never been tamed. He'd managed to win ugly against some very tough guys, so Jones's near shut-out is all the more impressive. The CBZ scored it 118-110.

There was some nagging doubt in mind before the decision was announced, even though many of the 15,300 were streaming to the exits before the end of the last round, sure that Jones had a lock on it. Ruiz was a King fighter, and Vonda Ward, his Amazonian protege, had just been given a 4-round gift over Wanda Salazar, who soundly beat her, and almost knocked her out.

But even though King tried to reverse the knockout of Tyson by Buster Douglas, he let the Jones win stand.

Leaving the arena, somebody passed me and yelled, "Speed kills!" It certainly does when you're being whacked and you have no idea where it's coming from... when every impulse...and months of training, scream: "Charge him!" "Mug him!," and you're never in position to do it... and can't get off. That's what Jones has done to 49 pros.

At 34, Jones could get old overnight in a business that demands Top-Gun reflexes, especially with his style. So, whether any of the mega-buck offers swirling around Tyson, Klitschko or Lewis ever materialize, the idea doesn't seem so far-fetched after March 1. Jones is an American treasure, and you'll tell your grandkids about him in the the same breath with Robinson, Burley and Langford.

On the undercard--which seemed to go on for weeks--the best fight of the night was a non-stop punchout between Jean-Marc Mormeck and Alexandre Gurov of the Ukraine for the cruiserweight title. Gurov got great extension and leverage on his shots, and Mormeck, a shorter mound of muscle, kept bobbing and weaving and punching to the body. Mormeck kept pressing and finally slowed and dropped Gurov at the end of the 7th, and finished him for good in the eighth.

These were two tough, quality fighters, and though one got stopped, they're both crowd pleasers and well worth seeing again.

Alex Terra Garcia of Mexico was the surprise of the night, and proved to be every bit as big a hitter as his record indicated (21 fights, 20 knockouts) in blasting out Santiago Salmenaga of Panama to win his WBA superwelterweight title

Garcia isn't imaginative or eye-catching, but he has reasonable hand speed, and a very heavy right hand. He poleaxed Salmenaga once in the first round, and for the KO in the third. Both times Salmenaga went down, he looked like Gamache against Gatti.

Garcia could be a dark horse among the superwelters. He doesn't look all that impressive, and they could still be thinking that while they're on their backs.

I was stunned by the dramatic suddeness of the emphatic KO of heavyweight Maurice "Moe" Harris by Fres Oquendo in the 10th round...and also to read now that Harris has been taken to the hospital because of "recurrent headaches." I hope its something that can dealt with, but, certainly, it's a clear sign that Harris has to stop now; he's been KO'd 10 times in 21 short-notice fights, and the brutal picture of him laying motionless after Derrick Jefferson's huge left hook still is fresh in every fan's mind.

I interviewed Harris before the fight and he was more than confident. He felt a renewed dedication would allow him to fulfill his potential. He couldn't wait to show what he could in this fight with Oquendo.

I've heard it said that athletes break records if they can envision themselves doing it... not trying to do it. Mo Harris could see himself a champion.

After Harris's knockdown in the second round, where it didn't look like it was possible for him to get off the floor, Harris somehow made it to his feet, recovered his poise and stylishly won every round until he was abruptly dropped by what looked like an Oquendo left hook inside, and he slumped to the canvas, unconscious.

The controversy about whether it was a legal blow may be resolved by the courts, but not the consequences. A short time after his fight, I was encouraged to see Harris back in streeet clothes, smiling and walking briskly around ringside greeting his friends.

Harris is one of those boxing stories of a man with good natural talent and heart, and a constitution that didn't match it.

Wiinky Wright is a top professional... and even has a personal press agent, but his victories don't excite the fans. He out-dueled and out-hit J.C. Candelo, to defend his IBF jr middleweight crown. He earned the win, but he didn't make the kind of impression he'd hoped to. But, he's more than good enough to have managers keep their fighters clear of him. So he retains his title, but he's still at status quo.

Maybe Wright could take some tips from Candelo on how to be noticed. At the weigh-in, he was a he was a riot of color: red, green, yellow, purple, you name it. He looked like somebody in the Mardi Gras..

Candelo is a tall, fluid-punching and strong-willed fighter, with an exceptionally long reach, but he just didn't bring enough of everything to win a title. Candelo is no slouch, and he's still young enough to make some noise.

In a strange way, Lamon Brewster's heavyweight fight mirrored the main event. Brewster was able to do anything he wanted with Joe Lenart--without return-- and Lenart was a much bigger man. The best that could be said for Lenart was that he was willing to keep taking punishment and shuffle forward...And Brewster was hitting hit him with some hellacious body shots--like "Rocky" pounding the sides of beef in the refrigerator--before Lenart caved-in in the third.

At the weigh-in, I remember remarking to a trainer that Lenart was well over 300 pounds, and towered over Brewster. "But does he have a pulse?" he replied. That was the story in a nutshell. It had to be a confidence builder for Brewster, but he deserves stronger competition to put him back in the heavyweight picture.

Vonda Ward is one of the most striking physical specimens I've ever seen. She's 6'6", 179 pounds and had more definition than any man on the card. Seeing her for the first time is like looking at the red queen in "The Manchurian Candidate;" It's stunning.

Ward was bounding all over the final press conference in shorts and a cut-off T shirt. Men usually are preoccupied with a woman's figure, but nobody could take their eyes off her arms. There was nothing but sinew. They looked like steel cable. When she walked, it was like looking at the superstructure of a bridge move from a low angle.

But in spite of her 15-0 record, with 14 KO's, she's the 2003 version of Primo Carnera. She's a big, strong athlete who's worked very hard in the gym to learn some of the basics of boxing, but she's not a natural; she has no feel for the game, and can't get out of the way of punches. She takes everything flush--her head straight up, begging to be hit.

She'll beat a lot girls who can't deal with her size. But she's a recipe for trouble: She's in great physical and aerobic shape, and she has an athlete's desire and competitive temperment, but it only means, she'll take punishment longer and be hurt.

The girl that Ward fought, who looked like a dumpling, but had a far more natural feel for the ring, rang Ward's bell repeatedly with right hands thrown from the outfield. Ward's probably a bruising basketball player, and that's probably where she'd be more at home--or maybe on the cover of a fitness magazine.

When I spoke to her at the press conference, she was very open, and quick to admit she was just a beginner, and wanted to work very hard to get better. She was very touching...she wore braces, and almost looked like a little girl, albeit, with a very deep voice.

Al "Ice" Cole and David Izon earned a paycheck in a listless heavyweight 8 rounder. Cole was busier with his jab, and Izon was a shadow of himself. Cole was less faded than Izon, and deserved the UD.

Ezra Sellers was anniliating Jason Robinson in the 2nd round, and referee Toby Gibson had to step in to stop the cruiserweight bout in just :53 seconds.

Gabe Brown looks more like a bald couch potato than an athlete, let alone a fighter. He's 335 pounds, and not an ounce of it looks like muscle. But the guy can fight--has some hand speed and moves his body well. He fought hammer-and-tongs with a Tyson-built fighter named Sherman "Tank" Williams. Williams won because Brown faded in the stretch, but he gave Williams hell.

But I'm sure I'm going to hear about some surprising names on Brown's win list. Guys will take one look him and say, "Piece of cake," and get the surprise of their lives.

March 9, 2003
Battle At The Beach II –Amateur Action
Friday, March 07, 2003
Chinook Winds Casino, Lincoln City, Oregon

This ten bout amateur card was organized by the coaching staff of West Portland Boxing Club at Garden Home Recreation Center in Portland. Head coach bill meartz filled the following report of results.

What a show! The casino added 250 seats more than the last show and still sold out.

1. At 11/12, 90 lbs, Junior Martinez, West Portland won an action packed decision over Eric Sanchez of Fight for Life, in Rochester, WA

2. 15 years old, 165lbs, Javier Torres of Medford won over Aaron Turner of West Portland. Aaron controlled the first round and what started to be a boxing chess game turned into a fight.

3. 152 lbs, Open Seniors, Ricky Gallegos, Medford and Shad Cramer of Spokane had the crowd on their feet for four solid rounds and Gallegos was the winner.

4. 141 lbs, Open Seniors, Hilario Lopez, Caldwell, Idaho won a very close decision over Braulio Lopez of West Portland. Another bout that had the crowd out of their seats for four rounds.

5. 138 lbs, 15 year olds. Fernando Cisneros of Fight for Life in Rochester, was won a decision over Scott Harrie of West Portland. The winner of this bout advances to the Team Holyfield card in April.

6. 80 lbs, 11 year olds. Logan Christian of West Portland, after losing to Jerrell Barbour of Tacoma three consecutive times, pulled out the win, with steady pressure, great balance and focus and non-stop action.
Note: Logan ask me: "when can I box someone else?" coach Bill: "when we beat this guy we will move on". A Fantastic job by Logan and now our goal is to never let Jerrell beat us again - EVER.

7. 142, Open, Female - Molly McConnell of West Portland Controlled Marcy Monahan of Spokane from the opening bell, showing a nice jab and some excellent skills.
Note: During the first round I could see Molly had the bout under control and that I would not be needed to pull this one out. I told Molly to throw a couple jabs to the body, but don't try to hit her as much as watch her reaction and then bring the right. Molly is getting better and better. After the second round I told Molly that there is once or twice during each round where Monahan would bull her to the ropes and for Molly to use the short uppercut. It was a beautiful thing as you couldn't see the punch, but you could see the opponents head pop up. She is listening and this makes me happy.

8. 125 lbs, open - Franky Urrabazo looked his best this year in beating Troy Wohosky of Medford. Anyone aware of Troy's heart, power and tenacity knows what a crowd pleaser this was, but Franky's foot movement and angels were just to much.

9. Open Juniors, 132 lbs - Eloy Perez of Fight for life won a decision over Danny Gutierrez of Seattle in a toe to toe battle.

10. 132, Open - With out a doubt the best was last, with Jorge Hernandez of Las Vegas, NV and Juan Roman of West Portland standing in the middle of the ring and going toe to toe for four rounds. Probably over 400 punches a round in a bout that found Hernandez the winner and the crowd standing at the end and waiting for the next "Battle at the Beach"

The Chinook Winds is gaining a reputation of hosting the very best in amateur boxing, and the crowd keeps growing. With the Oregon Golden Gloves being held on the same night as "Battle at the Beach II" there were many Portlanders who chose to make the drive to Lincoln City and were not disappointed in the ten bout card. Better than most pro shows.
--Coach Bill Meartz

March 9, 2003
BLITZKRIEG IN HANOVER: KLITSCHKO BOMBS ON HBO
By Zachary Levin

"Wladimir Klitschko seems so perfect you wonder what’s wrong with him," HBO’s Larry Merchant mused just before the opening bell sounded last night in Hanover, Germany, where the WBO heavyweight champ Klitschko (40-2, 37 KOs) took on South African veteran Corrie Sanders (39-2, 28 KOs).

Sanders, known as a fast-starting southpaw with 18 of his 28 KOs coming in the first round, showed what’s wrong with the highly-regarded (er, over-hyped) Ukrainian: Specifically, an inability to avoid, and absorb, big left hands that sprawled him on the canvas twice in the first round and twice in the second, at which point the bout was justly stopped 23 seconds into the round.

We all recognize that no weight division in boxing is as topsy-turvy as the heavyweight's; only there can a fighter go from journeyman to heavyweight champ back to journeyman before you can say Hasim Rahman. But things have gotten out of control. Can some real legitimate heavyweight contenders please stand up! Do any really exist? HBO has been campaigning hard for the white, handsome, chess-playing Goliath, Klitschko. To their chagrin, it appears he is not the answer. While he did show heart by getting up from the first three knockdowns, and attempted to rise from the fourth, a china chin such as his is beyond repair. Sure, the real heavyweight champion, Lennox Lewis, has one too. But with two notable exceptions against Hasim Rahman and Oliver McCall (both fights avenged), he’s managed to avoid getting hit flush using that long masterful jab of his.

Speaking of the jab. One of the impressive features of Klitschko’s offensive arsenal going into this fight was his jackhammer jab, and the aplomb with which he used it to set everything else up. It was nowhere to be seen last night. Instead, he just pawed at Sanders with it, who kept his hands high and easily met it with an open right mitt. All the while, Sanders kept his lead right foot outside of Klitschko's lead left, thus allowing his heavy left hand a clear path to the 26-year-old Russian’s untested chin. This is Boxing 101 for a southpaw against a conventional boxer, it must have been a class in which the PhD Klitschko took an incomplete. Indeed, he seemed totally unprepared for the velocity (Sanders has unusually fast hands), odd geometry, and power of the Afrikaner’s straight left. I could burden you with details but all it took was a few rights, a few lefts, and the big Ukrainian was plowing canvas with his nose.
Several factors might have hastened Klitschko’s early demise. Ross Puritty, the only fighter to have previously beaten him as a pro (back in ‘98), was employed as Sanders chief sparring going into the fight. Also, during the long pre-fight introduction, in which both boxers’ respective national anthems were sung, Klitschko stood stock-still. He was bone-dry when the fight began, and still hadn’t worked up a sweat when he got stopped in round 2—a recipe for disaster. You have to really wonder what boxers and their corners are thinking when this kind of cardinal sin occurs?
The American maxim of "Bigger Is Better" has been getting knocked down in the world of boxing lately. First the 6’7’’ freakishly muscular Michael Grant turns out to be a paper tiger, then John Ruiz’s 30-pound weight advantage over Roy Jones last week comes to mean nothing, and now the 6’6’’, 242-pound rippling Wladimir Klitschko gets annihilated by Corrie Sanders (who, by the way, weighed 224, had a three inch disadvantage in reach, and has the muscle-tone of your average middle-aged weekend warrior.) It’s enough to make me start playing that past vs. present game of "what if": What would happen if you put a 182-pound Marciano in there against some huge 260-pound beast? Not long ago, I would’ve said, "Sorry, but the Rock don’t stand a chance." Now, I’m thinking, "These big guys today, they couldn’t hold his jock."

March 8, 2003
Ontario Ringside Fight Report - Bergeron, Thompson Notch Wins
Thunder at the Falls a Very Hot and Cold Card
By Cliff Endicott at ringside

On Friday, March 7th, Niagara Falls Ontario was lucky enough to stage a six fight card shown live on Canadian Pay Per View at the Niagara Falls Memorial Arena. I say the city was lucky enough to host the card
because Ontario is famously unconcerned with boxing, preferring their
fighting to take place on skates and with stripe-shirted referees. But
Orion Sports Management Inc. was able to present a card featuring a
couple of Canada's most prominent prospects, as well as a fight that
will be shown world-wide as a part of Cedrick Kushner's "Heavyweight
Explosion" series. It looked like a very good card on paper, with the
exception of some very inexperienced fighters on the undercards, but
little did we know that these inexperienced fighters would provide the
majority of the excitement of the night.

The co-main events were the heavyweight matchups of Tony 'The Tiger'
Thompson against James 'The Giant' Gaines, and Canadian Jean-Francois
Bergeron fighting Darroll 'Doin Damage' Wilson. Since these were the
main events, and also since they were dull and ugly affairs, I'll get
them out of the way first before talking about the real excitement that was seen in the Niagara Falls Memorial Arena.

Gaines and Thompson entered the ring, were introduced and stripped off
their robes. I was satisfied with the gasps of the audience when they
saw the immense amount of blubber dangling loosely from Gaines'
mid-section. As usual, Gaines made Buster Mathis Sr. look like a
dedicated marathon runner. Thompson, while not particularly fit,
looked better than usual at 251 pounds, and positively skinny next to
Gaines' lumbering 270. I chuckled as he and Thompson stared down each
other's feet during the referee's instructions, and reflected how odd
it must be for these two to be able to see feet without leaning over so far that they almost topple.

The fight itself was perhaps the most pathetic spectacle I have ever seen live, as these two lumbering oafs went out of their way to make a non-fight for the crowd. Thompson, for all of his lack of speed, made like Sugar Ray Robinson against Knoxville's homegrown version of Fat Bastard. He was able to hit Gaines as often as he pleased without having to take any punishment in return as all of Gaines' punches traveled at the speed of a dump truck in low gear. But rather than knock Gaines out and put us all out of our misery, Thompson was content to peck away at him with jabs and the occasional lead right, being sure not to put too much on the punches, lest he leave himself completely open to the turtle-like counter punching he was facing.

When he got tired, Thompson was able to clinch easily, without any
resistance, then step away at his convenience to punch. He never had
to work too hard at avoiding any Gaines punching when breaking the
clinches, especially after Gaines began to slow down (hard to believe,
but true). By the fourth round, 'The Giant' was heaving embarrassingly
for air in his corner between rounds, the sweat glistening on his
perfect C-cup breasts. Thompson even managed to increase the
gross-factor throughout the middle rounds with a moderate body attack
that left Gaines' stomach jiggling and joggling disgustingly. It kills
me that this guy is able to squeeze out a living as a pro athlete.
Thompson did all of the effective punching in the fight, connecting
easily from the outside and the inside, and due to Gaines utter lack of speed rarely took more than the odd grazing shot in return. To the
relief of all involved, Tony the Tiger, who had easily won all seven
previous rounds, finally nailed Gaines with a succession of punches in
the eighth that forced the referee to stop the fight. Thank goodness
for small graces.

In the Bergeron/Wilson fight, things were far better than the previous
fight, but they were still not particularly interesting. Wilson looked
like Adonis after the two moose (meese?) that had immediately preceded
him in the ring, and seemed ready to give a fight to the young
Canadian. Wilson did manage to KO Bert Cooper in his last fight, so it
was hoped he would test Jean-Francois to a degree. But the lefty
Bergeron, who isn't particularly fast-moving, was able to sweep the
early rounds on the strength of his right jab, and though both men were doing plenty of heavy swinging they were both ducking under the
moon-shots easily.

Wilson managed to take the fourth round on my card, as Bergeron took the round off to rest, clinch, and block. But even in winning the round, Wilson did little more than swing with huge wide punches that would have meant a quick KO if any had connected, but were all easily avoided by Bergeron. This continued into the fifth round, with Bergeron now getting into the swing-and-miss-with-everything
festivities.

By the end of the fifth round Wilson was stumbling noticeably, more
from tiring than from the punishment. He was able to get an extra
seven minutes rest however, when Bergeron came out for the sixth with a split glove. How it got split is beyond me, as neither man had
connected with any punches in the previous round. But by the time a
new set of gloves found their way to Bergeron's corner, both men had
been able to recharge the batteries a bit, and after a cat-and-mouse
sixth round, Bergeron rocked Wilson with a couple of nice shots in the
last 30 seconds of the seventh. Wilson recovered to nail Bergeron with
power punches of his own in the eighth, and won the round due to these
punches and his being the aggressor for the entire three minutes. The
ninth I scored even, as neither man did much of anything, and the tenth round clearly went to Bergeron as he was nailing Wilson with a lot of good punches. Bergeron won a clear decision, by scores of 97-93, 98-92 and 98-92. But this was not really an enjoyable fight for the fans, some of whom had paid up to $200 for their seats, as neither man was particularly good - Bergeron was simply less bad. But the Canadian boy won the fight, which did bring cheers from the crowd.

In the first undercard fight Chad 'Bad Intentions' Brisson, the #1
contender to the Canadian lightweight title, won a dull, lackluster but easy decision over Pablo Ramon Barbero of Cordoba, Argentina. Barbero was able to daze Brisson a few times with lead rights and three or four punch combinations, but Brisson took over by the middle rounds, marking up Barbero's face with straight shots and counterpunching. Brisson is looking for another shot at Canadian title held by Billy Irwin after losing a close and disputed decision to him one year ago. But 'Bad Intentions' didn't live up to his nickname in this fight, and will have to show a little more to have a decent chance against the experienced Irwin again. And the excitement level of the fight was very low, as the ring-card girls got easily the loudest cheers of the fight.

But the real excitement provided by the event was in the rest of the
undercards. Niagara Falls middleweight Tommy 'Hurricane' Huff
staggered his opponent, Cassius Martel of Lima Peru, with the first
punch he landed, a counter left hook. Martel tried to fight back,
leaping in with a right cross, but he ran into another left hook that
dropped him. After taking the eight count, Martel ran in to clinch,
where Huff did some serious holding and hitting, and should have been
warned by the referee. Martel was able to recover, and brought cheers
from the audience by landing a little leather of his own before the end of the round. Early in the second round Martel landed a couple of
punches but Huff came back with another big counter that nearly sent
Martel through the ropes and bloodied his nose. Another eight count,
then Martel chased hard while Huff did some nice in-and-out work. The
third round saw Martel fighting scared and still taking a lot of decent punches, then in the fourth Huff landed a flush three punch combination that dropped his opponent a third time. The referee had seen enough by this point and waved off the fight. Tommy Huff, his record now even at 2-2 with 2 KOs showed that he has fast hands and plenty of punching power, but had better find himself some defense soon, as he had little head movement and took several decent punches from a badly hurt opponent throughout the fight. But the fight was a major hit with the crowd, who went crazy when Huff got the KO win.

The next undercard was a really wild affair, from two guy with a total
of three pro fights between them. Toronto welterweight Sebastian 'The
Grim Reaper' Beaudry, who after a long series of KO wins as an amateur
was making his professional debut, went up against the 1-2 Kris Andrews of Edmonton Alberta. Beaudry made an impression with the crowd by entering the ring to AC/DC's "Hell's Bells" while wearing a jet-black robe with a peaked hood, making him exactly like his 'Grim Reaper' nickname. And once the robes were off, the physical dissimilarities between the two welterweights were almost funny. Andrews is very tall and skinny with little musculature, looking more like a spindly spider.

Beaudry is a beautiful physical specimen, heavily muscled and very
fit, and at least five inches shorter. Beaudry fought the entire fight
with absolute reckless abandon, chasing Andrews hard around the ring
and swinging almost as hard as he could. Andrews was moving well in
the first and counterpunching, landing a nice 1-2 and a three punch
combination, all while running hard from the Tyson-esque aggression of
Beaudry. The Toronto fighter took the round based on aggression and
body work, but his defense was terrible and if Andrews had any power at all, the couple of clean punches he landed would have put Beaudry in some real trouble. In the second round, Beaudry found that any time he stood still Andrews would attack him, and even while under fire Andrews never stopped looking for the opening to counter. At one point, when Beaudry stopped to take a breath, Andrews leapt in with a lead right that sent Beaudry's mouthpiece flying. But Beaudry started to land his lead power shots, and by the end of the round Andrews had been staggered and was resorting to trading in the middle of the ring.

The third round saw Beaudry land back-to-back lead left hooks that dropped the brave Andrews. He rose and went right after his opponent, trading in the middle of the ring and even making Beaudry stagger a little. But finally a Beaudry overhand right, a huge shot that would make anyone's highlight reel, nailed Andrews flush and he crumpled almost unconscious to the mat. Beaudry fights offence only, and despite a wild and brutal win in his first pro fight, if he doesn't learn some defense his career is going to be very short and painful.

An other bout saw up-and-coming bantamweight Steve 'The Canadian Kid' Molitor, who along with Michael Carbajal are the only two men ever to KO tough Scotty Olsen, taking on Argentina's Vincent Luis Burgo. Molitor is considered one of Canada's best prospects to win a
world title, but he had a very tough time with the rugged Burgo.
Throughout the first round Molitor was getting off his shots first, but Burgo was able to dodge almost all of them and sting Molitor with
counter hooks. Burgo won the first round easily with his effective
countering - in fact, Molitor did no effective punching in the round at all. In the second Steve started to score with some jabs and clipping right hands, winning the round. Burgo was still countering effectively though, and Molitor was continuing to take far more punches than he should have. The third round saw Molitor finding range, scoring heavily with lead right and jabs while at a distance. Burgo was gradually getting hurt, and started to throw big haymakers trying to turn the tide of the fight; Molitor avoided them all easily. This continued in the fourth, with Molitor scoring lead power shots and Burgo scoring less and less. By the end of the fourth Burgo was stumbling and simply trying to survive, and the referee stopped the fight between the fourth and fifth rounds after visiting Burgo in his corner. Molitor's record will show only a KO4, but he had to work
pretty hard, and took some really good shots early in the fight. Steve
showed without a doubt that he is still a little way from taking on the more elite competition in the division. But a nice win that got a good hand from the crowd.

I'd expected the Molitor and Brisson fights to be good ones, and
Molitor's was interesting while Brisson's was dull but decisive. What
I didn't expect was how exciting the Beaudry and Huff fights were going to be, and that was a great surprise. But I never expected the
Thompson/Gaines fight to be the dreadful affair that it was, and had
hoped to see more in the Bergeron/Wilson fight. Thanks goodness for
the unheralded fighters tonight, as they made the card worth seeing.

This event went out live on Pay Per View live in Canada, and will be
rebroadcast on CTV Sportsnet on March 14th. It will also be broadcast
in the United States on the Empire Sports Network on March 17th. But
if they are only rebroadcasting the two heavyweight fights, do yourself a favor and don't bother. Unless you are suffering from insomnia (because this will be sure to cure it) or like to watch big sweaty guys stumble around the ring and swing at each other and miss. If the undercards are being broadcast (which I doubt), check them out as they were the interesting and fun fights.

Promoted by Orion Sports Management Inc in association with Cedric
Kushner Productions.

March 8, 2003
Flamos decisions Payne, Retains Mass Title
BOSTON – Massachusetts cruiserweight champion Tim “The Hammer” Flamos (17-2-1, 7 KOs) successfully defended his state title and added the Eastern Boxing Association crown with a 10-round unanimous decision against a game Roy “House of” Payne (15-12-4, 7 KOs) last night (Friday, March 7) at Boston’s historic North End.

“Proving Ground,” promoted by Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment & Sports, in association with Mohegan Sun, drew a sellout crowd for the 5-bout card that ended in suspense when Flamos was floored right before the final bell in the main event.

Payne, of Worcester, effectively used his jab to keep Flamos off balance during the early rounds. Flamos’ body attack and constant pressure slowed down Payne during the middle and latter rounds. In the final seconds of the fight Payne landed a solid right that decked Flamos, who got up only to go down again, but after the bell. Payne’s corner celebrated, but the bell saved Flamos and he won a unanimous decision by scores of 96-93, 96-93 and 98-92.

“The plan was to work his body and wear him down with hooks,” Flamos said after the fight. “It worked. I got careless at the end of the fight and got caught with a good shot. I was off-balance, but I’m okay. Now I want (WBC No. 9 ranked Richie) LaMontagne (of nearby Everett, MA).”

Payne, however, felt he should have won the fight. “Just look at him and tell me who won the fight,” the dejected cruiserweight said after the fight. “He’s the one all beaten up, he was knocked down.”

In the co-feature, Jaime Clampitt (10-2) entered the ring wearing the Boston Bruins jersey of her good friend, defenseman Bryan Berard, in the scheduled 8-round match for the vacant WEBA super lightweight championship. Clampitt, the Canadian now fighting out of Narragansett (RI) simply outclassed her rival, Ragan Pudwill, of Mandan, ND. Clampitt ended the match in the in the fourth round with a powerful right-left to Pudwill’s midsection. She dropped to her knees and was counted out at 1:19.

In other bouts, Plainville (MA) super middleweight Shaun Creegan (15-2-3, 2 KOs) won an easy 6-round decision from Manny Cheeks, of Hudson (MA); Bellingham (MA) super middleweight Joe Gardner (3-0) took a 4-round decision from Brimfield (MA) veteran Richard Zola); Providence super welterweight Bobo Starnino (3-0) edged Worcester’s Bobby McAddrews in an exciting 4-rounder.

CES’ next scheduled show is the “Bring Me A Dream 2: The Rematch,” March 21 at Foxwoods Resort Casino, featuring Scott "The Sandman" Pemberton (24-2-1, 20 KOs) and Levan Easley (15-7-2, 7 KOs) fighting in the 12-round main event for the vacant International Boxing Union.

The main event and co-feature will be taped live and broadcast Tuesday night, March 25 on NESN.

The Pemberton-Easley 12-round main event is a rematch of their "2000 New England Fight of the Year" and “NABF Fight of the Month,” in which, Pemberton registered a thrilling third-round knockout.

Exciting Providence lightweight Gary "Tiger" Balletto (26-1, 23 KOs) is scheduled to be in the 12-round co-feature for the vacant IBU world lightweight championship. His opponent (replacing Wilson Galli) will soon be announced. Balletto is rated No. 9 by the NABF and No. 15 by the NABA.

Four-time Puerto Rican national amateur champion, featherweight prospect Angel “Gee Roc” Torres (10-2, 4 KOs), of Manchester (CT), will be stepping up to his first 8-round match against Gary Piper (6-1, 2 KOs), of Portland, OR.

Also slated to fight on the undercard are unbeaten super middleweight "Bad" Chad Dawson (10-0, 6 KOs), of Hew Haven (CT), unbeaten heavyweight and former Cincinnati Bengals’ pro football player, Las Vegas-based Jevon “J Roc” Langford (4-0, 4 KOs); undefeated light heavyweight Joe "KO Kid" Spina (7-0, 5 KOs), of Providence; super lightweight Shakha Moore (9-6-2, 1 KO), of Norwalk (CT).

All bouts and fighters are subject to change.

Ticket prices $100 Platinum VIP Seats or Opera VIP Boxes, $55 Ringside seats, $35 Stage & Bleachers and $20 General Admission. Tickets are limited and may be purchased by calling any of the CES Offices: Rhode Island (401) 724-2253, Conn: (860) 432-4253 Attn: Lou Mayo or Mass: (617) 567-1705 Attn: Romano Schreiber. Tickets can also be purchased through CES’ Web site at www.cesboxing.com (go to tickets page).

March 7, 2003
Pemberton-Easley Rematch Headed to Foxwoods
Enter The Sandman
Pemberton-Easley rematch March 21 on NESN

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Jimmy Burchfield, President and CEO of CES Boxing, has announced world-class contender, Scott "The Sandman" Pemberton (24-2-1, 20 KOs), and Levan Easley (15-7-2, 7 KOs) will fight for the International Boxing Union world super middleweight title on the “Bring Me A Dream: The Rematch” card Friday night, March 21 at Foxwoods Resort Casino.

The main event and co-feature will be taped live and broadcast Tuesday night, March 25 on NESN.

“This is a tremendous card,” promoter Jimmy Burchfield said. “We’re tremendously happy to be having this fight at Foxwoods and on NESN. Since their last fight a lot of people have been asking for a rematch between Pemberton and Easley. I told Easley to go out and get a good win and he did (WTKO2 vs. 11-0 John Vargas). This fight could go either way. Popular fighter Gary Balletto will be fighting for a title, too. Our rising star in the Latino community,! Angel Torres, is fighting his first 8-rounder, and undefeated heavyweight, Jevon Langford, will also be in action.”

The Pemberton-Easley 12-round main event is a rematch of their "2000 New England Fight of the Year" and “NABF Fight of the Month,” in which, Pemberton registered a thrilling third-round knockout.

Pemberton, of New Bedford (MA), is rated No. 6 by the NABF and No. 7 by the USBA. He is the former NABO, NABF, USBA and New England super middleweight champion.

Easley, of Queens (NY), has been in the ring against former 5-time world champion Vinny Paz and world light-heavyweight contender Eric Harding.

Exciting Providence lightweight Gary "Tiger" Balletto (26-1, 23 KOs) is scheduled to be in the 12-round co-feature for the vacant IBU world lightweight championship. His opponent (replacing Wilson Galli) will soon be announced. Balletto is rated No. 9 by the NABF and No. 15 by the NABA.

Four-time Puerto Rican national amateur champion, featherweight prospect Angel “Gee Roc” Torres (10-2, 4 KOs), of Manchester (CT), will be stepping up to his first 8-round match against Greg Piper (6-1, 2 KOs), of Portland, OR.

Also slated to fight on the undercard are unbeaten super middleweight "Bad" Chad Dawson (10-0, 6 KOs), of Hew Haven (CT), unbeaten heavyweight and former Cincinnati Bengals’ pro football player, Las Vegas-based Jevon “J Roc” Langford (4-0, 4 KOs), great grandson of Boxing Hall of Fame heavyweight legend Sam Langford; undefeated light heavyweight Joe "KO Kid" Spina (7-0, 5 KOs), of Providence; super lightweight Shakha Moore (9-6-2, 1 KO), of Norwalk (CT).

All bouts and fighters are subject to change.

Ticket prices $100 Platinum VIP Seats or Opera VIP Boxes, $55 Ringside seats, $35 Stage & Bleachers and $20 General Admission. Tickets are limited and may be purchased by calling any of the CES Offices: Rhode Island (401) 724-2253, Conn: (860) 432-4253 ATTN: Lou Mayo or Mass: (617) 567-1705 Attn: Romano Schreiber. Tickets can also be purchased through CES’ Web site at www.cesboxing.com (go to tickets page).

March 7, 2003
Briggs to Headline in Fort Lauderdale March 27th
ATTP BOXING MEDIA RELEASE

World-Class Heavyweight Shannon Briggs, Women’s Champ ‘Honey Girl’ Del Valle, Welterweight Collazo, KO Artist Aquino On ATTP ‘March Badness’ Pro Boxing Card Thursday, March 27, In Fort Lauderdale

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL--Heavyweight Shannon “The Cannon” Briggs renews his quest for a world championship when he headlines in the main event on the “March Badness” professional boxing card promoted by American Top Team Productions (ATTP) on Thursday, March 27, in the Fort Lauderdale (FL) War Memorial Auditorium.

Briggs, who beat former heavyweight world champion George Foreman in 1997 to capture the linear title, is in one of six exciting fights on the ATTP card.

Joining Briggs on March Badness” is undefeated Women’s International Boxing Association super bantamweight champion Melissa “Honey Girl” Del Valle of Miami, FL.

Other “March Badness” bouts feature highly regarded welterweight Luis Collazo, welterweight knockout artist Julio Aquino, unbeaten lightweight Andy Weston of England and now Miami, and South Florida super lightweight Marcial Reartes.

The action-packed ATTP card starts at 7 p.m. (ET) with gates opening at 6.

Tickets are priced at $15, $30 and $75 and are on sale through ticketmaster.com at

305-358-5885 for Dade County, 954-523-3309 for Broward County and 561-966-3309 for Palm Beach County.

Briggs, originally from the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, NY, but now a resident of South Florida, embarks on his world championship trek with a record of 36-4-1 and 30 knockouts. That record includes first-round knockouts in his four most recent wins and a meeting with Lennox Lewis for the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship in 1998.

Del Valle has a record of 27-0-1 with 11 knockouts and is fighting for the second time since winning her WIBA 126-pound championship June 21 with a 10-round decision over Ada Velez. Del Valle’s most recent outing was Jan. 31 in West Palm Beach, FL, when she decisioned Brenda Bell Drexel.

Despite being only 21, Collazo is 19-1 with eight knockouts, a record that has garnered him kudos as one of the most promising youngsters in the sport.

Aquino is a superb slugger, as his record of 9-2 with all nine wins coming by knockout will attest.

Weston has a record of 2-0 with two knockouts. And Reartes has a record of 0-1.

While Briggs has been a pro for almost 11 years and has had 41 fights, he’s still young, having turned only 31 in December. Tall at 6-foot-4-inch and strong, as evidenced by those 30 knockouts, “The Cannon” is in top shape in preparation for a concerted effort to roar louder than ever and capture that elusive world championship.

But Briggs isn’t confining his activities to the ring. He and Herman Caicedo are the guiding forces behind the boxing division of ATTP.

Boxing is just one part of ATTP. It also promotes mixed martial arts and extreme motor sports. In order to enable its world-class athletes to reach their goals and achieve optimum success, ATTP is building a 20,000-square foot, state-of-the-art training center in Fort Lauderdale.

Collazo, a southpaw from Queens, NY, is coming off a win over Marcos Primera Jan. 16 in Glen Burnie, MD.

Only one of Aquino’s bouts have gone past the third round. The most recent outing for the hard-hitting left-hander from the Dominican Republic ended with Fray Luis Sierra falling in the first round in December in Davie, FL.
PAGE 3?ATTP “MARCH BADNESS” BOXING MARCH 27

Weston’s most recent appearance also was on the Jan. 31 card in West Palm Beach when he stopped Cornelius Drane in the fourth round.

Opponents for these six fighters in action on ATTP’s “March Badness” March 27 at Fort Lauderdale will be announced.

March 6, 2003
"Monday Night Fights Debuts March 31 Live on PPV
NEW YORK- It's back. Boxing the way it should be - the way it was
back in the Golden Age of the 1950's. No mismatches, no showcases - just evenly matched, high stakes battles where winning actually means something.

"Monday Night Fights" premieres on Monday, March 31, and will be distributed by the leader in television boxing, HBOPPV from the Mountaineer Racetrack and Gaming Resort in Chester, West Virginia. The Pay-Per-View broadcast begins at 8pm ET / 5pm PT and has a suggested retail price of $24.95.

"DiBella Entertainment is proud to promote Mountaineer's Monday Night
Fights," said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. "The show features great talent in great match-ups for a reasonable price."

"Lou deserves credit for developing this new programming idea," said HBO Sports Senior Vice President Mark Taffet. "The receptivity of this Monday Night concept is evidenced by the fact that all major national distributors are carrying the March 31st event."

Headlining the inaugural broadcast of "Monday Night Fights" is a world junior bantamweight title fight featuring WBO champion Fernando Montiel (25-0-1, 19 KOs), one of the best fighters in the world under 126 pounds, putting his crown on the line against former World champion Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson (40-3, 27 KOs), perhaps the greatest US small man to ever lace up the gloves.

Among the lighter weight classes, a matchup doesn't get any better than this. But while many shows dip in quality past the main event, on March 31, the "Monday Night Fights" card just keeps getting better.

The 12 round semi-main event features two of the top 135-pounders in the world, as world title contenders Angel Manfredy (40-6-1, 29 KOs) and Victoriano Sosa (34-2-2, 25 KOs) battle for the opportunity to challenge IBF champion Paul Spadafora, with whom both men have unfinished business to settle. Manfredy holds victories over some of the toughest names in the sport, including Arturo Gatti, Ivan Robinson, and John Brown. Sosa, the cousin of Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa, has a mean power swing of his own in the ring, and had Spadafora on the deck twice before losing a close decision.

In a 10 round middleweight contest, 2000 Olympic Bronze Medallist and rising middleweight sensation Jermain Taylor (14-0, 10 KOs), one of the brightest prospects to come out of the Sydney Games, places his unbeaten record on the line against his toughest foe yet, when he squares off against power-punching Brian Barbosa (29-6, 21 KOs) in a bout guaranteed to provide fireworks.

Taylor has gained rave notices from the boxing community for his poise in the ring, along with a stiff jab and concussive left hook. Barbosa, a former USBA middleweight champion, has some pop as well, and is coming off an impressive two round stoppage of Ronald Boddie in January.

Opening up "Monday Night Fights" on March 31 is an intriguing 10 round heavyweight matchup between two rising prospects, undefeated Derek Bryant (16-0, 14 KOs) and once-beaten Eric Kirkland (14-1, 10 KOs). Bryant has continued to improve since his 1998 debut, with victories over tough veterans Frankie Swindell, Jorge Luis Gonzales, and fellow prospect Robert Wiggins among his most impressive wins. Kirkland has done his part to live up to his "Stone Kold" nickname, sending 10 of his 14 opponents home early.

Call Your Local Cable or Satellite Provider To Order

March 5, 2003
CKP Inks Gerald Nobles
Press Release

CEDRIC KUSHNER PROMOTIONS INKS UNBEATEN HEAVYWEIGHT GERALD ‘THE JEDI’ NOBLES

Undefeated heavyweight Gerald “The Jedi” Noble of Philadelphia has signed an exclusive promotional agreement with Cedric Kushner Promotions, it was announced today.

The hard-hitting Nobles, considered one of the top heavyweight prospects in the world, has a record of 20-0 with 16 knockouts.
Nobles is an imposing package of power, aggression and relentlessness.

“We’re pleased to sign Gerald Nobles, one of the brightest and most dynamic prospect in the heavyweight division,” said Cedric Kushner. “Not only is he undefeated, but he’s fearless as well, and, truly, a worthy addition to the long and storied line of talented warriors hailing from Philadelphia.

“Obviously, we’re pleased with the success he’s enjoyed to date, but we’re even more enthused about his future prospects. We have every confidence that one day Gerald’s skills will lead to the very top of the division.
“Gerald’s ready, willing and most able to fight anybody, any time, anywhere.”
Said Nobles’ manager, Craig Hamilton, “We’re glad Gerald has selected Cedric Kushner as his promoter.

“The time was right for Gerald to make a move with a promoter who can take him all the way to a world championship, and making a commitment to a proven promoter like Cedric Kushner is a big step toward that goal.

“Gerald’s an exciting and highly talented fighter and will be a serious factor in the heavyweight division.”

Cedric Kushner Promotions, one of the world’s premiere boxing promotional firms, presents numerous nationally and internationally televised cards each year. During the past 20 years Cedric Kushner Promotions has presented more than 300 world championship bouts on six continents.

Cedric Kushner Promotions promotes a number of world-class boxers including, heavyweights David Tua, Jameel McCline and Michael Grant; undefeated and highly regarded welterweight prospect Anthony “The Messenger” Thompson; and super featherweights Joel Casamayor, ranked No. 1 by both the World Boxing Association and the WBO, and Stevie Forbes, rated No. 1 by the International Boxing Federation.

Now Nobles has been added, making this roster even more impressive.

March 4, 2003
Boxer Micky Ward named to top 100 Irish-Americans
Press Release

LOWELL, Mass. – World-class pro boxer “Irish” Micky Ward has been named by Irish American Magazine as one of The Top 100 Irish-Americans. The Top 100 will be honored at a special March 14 dinner and presentation in New York City at the Plaza Hotel.

The Top 100 also includes Irish American of the Year, Michael Flatley, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelley and actress Fiona Flannegan

Ward, 37, was the winner of Ring Magazine’s 2001 and 2002 Fights of the Year against, respectively, Emmanuel Burton and Arturo “Thunder” Gatti. He has a 38-11 (27 KO’s) record in 18 years as a professional and is the former World Boxing Union light welterweight champion.

“What a great honor this is for me,” Ward commented on his inclusion in the Top 100 Irish-Americans club. “I’m looking forward to being there. My relatives are from County Cork.”

Ward has issued a challenge to Gatti for their third fight. “I expect Arturo to give me the same opportunity that I gave him after I won our first fight,” Micky said. “We’re 1-and-1 now and fight fans all over the world want to see a third fight between us to settle the score.”

March 3, 2003
Ellis KO's Weaver in Tacoma
March 1, 2003 results
Emerald Queen Casino
Tacoma, Washington
Inspector: Tom Sporar
Promoter: Brian Halquist
Matchmaker: Robert Oleson
Ringside Physicians: Fred Griesman, Marshall Partington
Judges: Barry Druxman, Alan Krebs, Tom McDonough
Referees: Paul Field, Ron Rall

Ken Ellis, 160 lbs, of Seattle, WA. KO’d Ron Weaver, 162 1/2 lbs, of New Orleans, LA at 2:58 of the fourth round in a scheduled ten round main event.

In a scheduled six round light heavyweight scrap, Ayodeji Fadeyi, 176 1/4 lbs, of Denver, CO stopped Neil Stephens, 175 3/4 lbs, of Kent, WA with a TKO at 2:17 of the first round.

Victor Branson, 165 1/4 lbs, of Willamina, OR KO’d Reginald Lowe, 165 3/4 lbs, of Seattle, WA at 1:59 of the first round in a scheduled six.

Cruiser Michael Sams, 187 1/4 lbs, of Tacoma, WA defeated Joe Bicknese, 187 1/4 lbs, of Kuna, Idaho by a majority decision of the judges. The scores were: Druxman 58-56, Krebs 57-57, McDonough 58-56.

Carla Wilcox, 123 1/2 lbs, of Seattle, WA won a unanimous four round decision over Lisa Pederson, 125 lbs, of Minneapolis, MN. The judges scores were : Druxman 40-36, Krebs 40-36, McDonough 40-36.

Cidric Hendrix, 233 lbs, of Seattle, WA KO’d Nicholas Cantrell, 223 1/2 lbs, of Portland, OR. at 1:48 of the first round in a scheduled four.

March 3, 2003
March 7th, Chinook Winds Casino Amateur Show



On Friday, March 7, starting at 7 p.m., The West Portland Boxing Team in Portland, Oregon is hosting "Battle at the Beach II" at the Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City.
This is the best boxing card to come to Oregon since the Roy Jones Jr. event. And one of the best amateur events ever.

In a clash of the Irish, Molly McConnell top Junior Welterweight in the country and National Golden Glove Champion will square off with Marcy Monahan of Spokane Washington who won the Washington Golden Gloves.

Juan Roman of Portland will box Jorge Hernandez of Las Vegas in a four round slugfest. People can expect to see 400+ punches per round for four rounds. This should be Juan's last amateur appearance as he is scheduled to make his Professional debut on April 4, 2003

Troy Wohosky of Medford Will square off with Franky Urrabazo of Boise Idaho, Franky, one of the top Feather weights in the country, will drop to the bantam weight division to take on the National Champion from Medford.

In what will be one of the most action-filled fights you will ever see, Enrique Gallegos, a National Champion from Medford, Oregon, will meet Shad Cramer from Spokane, Wa. This is a rematch of the regional championship event where Gallegos won a split decision.

Scott Harrie of Portland will take on Fernando Cisneros of Rochester, Wa with the winner advancing to an event later this year with Team Holyfield vs Pacific Northwest.

Danny Gutierrez who is already on the card for the Team Holyfield event will square off with Eloy Perez of Rochester, again puncher vs puncher. Someone has to back off – maybe.

There are two juniors (under 16 years) on the twelve bout card, with Junior Martinez of Portland, ranked #3 in the country, taking on Eric Sanchez of Centralia.

Three-time National Champion Javier Torres of Medford will be boxing Aaron Turner of Portland in a middleweight bout.
If you like action boxing you’ll love this event.

Doors open at 6 pm, First bout at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $10 General Admission, $20 Ringside. Call 1-888-MAINACT for ticket info.

---Bill Meartz, Coach, West Portland Boxing Club

March 3, 2003
Lerma and Ankamah to Battle in Lafayette
Press Release

MICHAEL LERMA VS ALFRED ANKAMAH
HEADLINES KINGFISH CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT CARD
ON MARCH 24 IN LAFAYETTE, LA.,
COURTNEY BURTON VS GABRIEL RUELAS IN CO-FEATURE,
"BAYOU BOMBER" BOBBY AUCOIN ALSO ON CARD;
TELEVISED ON FOX SPORTS WORLD,
FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL & FOX SPORTS LATIN AMERICA

Promoter Anna Beth Goodman/Kingfish Boxing Productions will present a sensational fight card on Monday, March 24, 2003, at the Cajun Dome, located at 444 Cajun Dome Boulevard in Lafayette, Louisiana.

MAIN EVENT - 12 ROUNDS, SUPER WELTERWEIGHTS,
VACANT WBC CONTINENTAL AMERICAS TITLE
MICHAEL LERMA, 27-7-1, 19 KOs, Waco, Texas, vs
ALFRED ANKAMAH, 20-9, 17 KOs, Los Angeles, California

In the 12-round main event, Michael Lerma, 27-7-1, with 19 knockouts, of Waco, Texas, will fight Alfred "The Torpedo" Ankamah, 20-9, with 17 knockouts, of Los Angeles, California, for the vacant WBC Continental Americas 154-pound title.

Both Lerma and Ankamah are known for their all-out aggressive styles, and this matchup should produce fireworks in the ring. Both are seasoned veterans and experienced against top opposition. Lerma is on a hot streak and has won three fights in a row. Ankamah has one-punch knockout power in both hands, and is always dangerous.


CO-FEATURED BOUT - 10 ROUNDS, LIGHTWEIGHTS
COURTNEY BURTON, 17-1, 9 KOs, Benton Harbor, Michigan, vs
GABRIEL RUELAS, 49-6, 24 KOs, Sylmar, California

In the 10-round co-featured bout, talented lightweight prospect Courtney Burton, 17-1, with 9 knockouts, of Benton Harbor, Michigan, will face former WBC super featherweight world champion Gabriel Ruelas, 49-6, with 24 knockouts, of Sylmar, California.

This is a classic "crossroads" fight. At the age of 24, Burton is a talented former two-time U.S. National amateur champion who is starting to come into his own as a professional. 32 year-old Ruelas has a three-fight winning streak and has his sights set on another world championship.

"The Bayou Bomber" Bobby Aucoin, 4-0, with 2 knockouts, of Scott,
Louisiana, will also be featured against an opponent to be announced.

An exciting lineup of supporting bouts will complete the card.

Ticket prices: $15, $25.
Tickets are available at: The Cajun Dome Box Office - 337-265-2100 and 337-265-2200.
All TicketMaster locations - order by phone at 337-262-8686, or online at TicketMaster.com.

Doors open at 6:30 P.M.
First fight at 7:30 P.M.

For media credentials or more information, contact:
Kerry Daigle - 800-501-3658, or Peter Broudy/Kingfish Boxing - 504-834-4430.

More information on Kingfish Boxing Productions is available on the internet at www.kingfishboxing.com.

This Kingfish fight card will be televised on Fox Sports World, Fox Sports En Espanol and Fox Sports Latin America. Two Kingfish boxing events are televised each month, and reach over 70 million households.

The ringside analysts on the English-language telecasts are Dave Bontempo and Bob Spagnola. On the Spanish-language telecasts, Carlos Avilas and Luis Rodriguez call the action from ringside. The executive producer is Terry Planell.

In the United States, the fights are shown on same-day tape on Fox Sports En Espanol at 11:00 P.M. Eastern Time, 8:00 Pacific Time. The fights are replayed in the U.S. the next day on Fox Sports World at 11:00 P.M. (PT), and Fox Sports Latin America in Mexico and Central America at 11:00 (ET) and 8:00 (PT). The next-day replay for all of Latin America is on Fox Sports Latin America at 10:00 (ET), 7:00 (PT). The telecasts are also available in some areas on DIRECTV and Dish Network. Check local listings for times in your area.

March 3, 2003
David Donis vs. Edel Ruiz Headlines Kingfish Fight Card in Laredo, TX
DAVID DONIS VS EDEL RUIZ
HEADLINES KINGFISH FIGHT CARD
ON MARCH 10 IN LAREDO, TEX.,
LAREDO'S GABRIEL HOLGUIN, HECTOR FERREYRO
AND SERGIO REYES JR. ALSO FEATURED;
TELEVISED ON FOX SPORTS WORLD,
FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL & FOX SPORTS LATIN AMERICA

Promoters Anna Beth Goodman/Kingfish Boxing Productions and Browning Boxing will present a sensational fight card on Monday, March 10, 2003, at the Laredo Civic Center in Laredo, Texas.

MAIN EVENT - 12 ROUNDS, SUPER BANTAMWEIGHTS - NABF TITLE
DAVID DONIS, 19-4-2, 4 KOs, Houston, Texas, vs
EDEL RUIZ, 21-8-3, 13 KOs, Los Mochis, Mexico

In the 12-round main event, David "El Tormentosa" Donis, 19-4-2, 4 KOs, Houston, Texas, will make his second defense of the North American Boxing Federation super bantamweight title against Edel "Cuate" Ruiz, 21-8-3, with 13 knockouts, of Los Mochis, Mexico.

Donis has won three fights in a row, which includes winning the NABF title and making one successful title defense. He is 12-2 in his last 14 fights, and has broken into the world ratings at IBF No. 10, WBC No. 14. Ruiz is a former WBC Central American and Caribbean and WBC Continental Americas bantamweight champion, and has proven himself as a tough competitor against very good opposition.


CO-FEATURED BOUT - 10 ROUNDS, MIDDLEWEIGHTS
GABRIEL HOLGUIN, 12-2, 6 KOs, Laredo Texas, vs
ROBERTO BARO, 9-2, 6 KOs, Culiacan, Mexico

In the 10-round co-featured bout, 22 year-old Laredo middleweight
prospect Gabriel "Hurricane" Holguin, 12-2, with 6 knockouts, will fight Roberto Baro, 9-2, with 6 knockouts, of Culiacan, Mex.


8 ROUNDS, JR. WELTERWEIGHTS
CALVIN "The Dream" GREEN, 17-2-1, 12 KOs, Baytown, Texas, vs
TBA

Two more Laredo prospects - heavyweight Hector Ferreyro, 6-2-1, with 5 knockouts, and welterweight Sergio Reyes Jr., 4-1, with 3 knockouts, will be featured in separate bouts against opponents to be announced. An exciting lineup of supporting bouts will complete the card.

Ticket prices: $15, $40.
Tickets are available at: Laredo Civic Center Box Office - 956-795-2080.

Doors open at 6:00 P.M.
First fight at 7:00 P.M.

For media credentials, contact Browning Boxing - 713-426-5400.

More information on Kingfish Boxing Productions is available on the internet at www.kingfishboxing.com.

This Kingfish fight card will be televised on Fox Sports World, Fox Sports En Espanol and Fox Sports Latin America. Two Kingfish boxing events are televised each month, and reach over 70 million households.

The ringside analysts on the English-language telecasts are Dave Bontempo and Bob Spagnola. On the Spanish-language telecasts, Carlos Avilas and Luis Rodriguez call the action from ringside. The executive producer is Terry Planell.

In the United States, the fights are shown on same-day tape on Fox Sports En Espanol at 11:00 P.M. Eastern Time, 8:00 Pacific Time. The fights are replayed in the U.S. the next day on Fox Sports World at 11:00 P.M. (PT), and Fox Sports Latin America in Mexico and Central America at 11:00 (ET) and 8:00 (PT). The next-day replay for all of Latin America is on Fox Sports Latin America at 10:00 (ET), 7:00 (PT). The telecasts are also available in some areas on DIRECTV and Dish Network. Check local listings for times in your area.

March 3, 2003
Flamos-Payne Mass & EBA titles fight
Press Release

March 7 in Boston plus Clampitt-Pudwill WEBA championship co-feature

BOSTON -- Massachusetts cruiserweight champion Tim "The Hammer" Flamos faces Roy "House of" Payne in the 10-round main event on the March 7 (Friday night) pro boxing card, "Proving Ground," presented by Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment & Sports, in association with Mohegan Sun Casino and Everlast, at the Christopher Columbus Center in Boston's historic North End.

The quiet, unassuming Flamos (16-2-1, 7 KOs), of Brockton, is a licensed carpenter, while the outspoken Payne (15-11-4, 7 KOs), of Worcester, is a U.S. Army Airborne Desert Storm veteran and Quinsigammond Community College graduate with an Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice.

Their bout will be contested for Flamos' Mass. title as well as the vacant EBA cruiserweight title. Tim and Roy are rated No. 14 And No. 15, respectively, by the NABA.

The special 8-round co-feature for the vacant WEBA super lightweight title pits Jaime "The Hurricane" Clampitt (9-2, 2KOs), of Narragansett, RI, rated No 3 by the WIBF and No. 4 by the IWBF, against former world title challenger Ragan Pudwill, of Minot, ND.

The newest member of CES' stable of boxers, super middleweight Shaun "Big Trouble" Creegan (14-2-3, 2 KOs), squares-off against Worcester veteran Manny "Cheeks" Teo in a 6-rounder.

Also on the undercard are exciting 4-round matches like middleweights Bobo "The Bull" Starnino (2-0), of Providence, RI versus Bobby McAndrews (1-1-1, 1 KO), of Worcester; undefeated Woonsocket, RI super middleweight Joe Gardner (2-0, 1 KO) against veteran Rick Zola, of Brimfield, MA; South Boston super middleweight Martin "The Irish Assassin" Thornton (4-0, 1 KO) vs. ! TBA.

All bouts and fighters are subject to change.

Ticket prices are $100, $60, $50, $35 and $20 (standing room). For more information or to reserve tickets call Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc. at 401-724-2253/401-725-2254 or its Boston office at 617.567.1705.

March 2, 2003
Roy Redefines Himself
By JD Vena

Before last night, there were those who criticized Roy Jones, Jr. for not showcasing his vast abilities to their fullest potential. Many have clamored for Roy to knock out his overmatched opponents when they felt it necessary but settled for just winning. The same hypocrites were probably the ones saying that Billy Conn shouldn’t have traded as much with Joe Louis in his spirited challenge over 60 years ago. In lambasting John Ruiz in a one-sided fight last night, Roy Jones showed why he has never had to summon all of his powers, even when he’s facing a large opponent for a portion of the heavyweight title. In fighting economically smart in virtually all of his 49 fights, Roy’s talents have enabled him to win titles in four weight divisions, including the sport’s glamour division.

The term pound-for-pound was conceived because there were such few fighters that were so good at their natural weights that you knew had they been blessed with more size, there wouldn’t have been a fighter on the planet that could have withstood them. In other words, had Sugar Ray Robinson been an inch or two taller and about 30 pounds heavier, any fighter wouldn’t have touched him. Some, including yours truly knew that Jones’ talents were along these lines but overcoming tremendous size disadvantages from a top-notch heavyweight would be insurmountable. Those who thought so (me especially) were wrong. Though I am humbled, I don’t feel terribly stupid about my forecasting skills (or lack of). In fact, I still think the laws of physics still aply to boxing - just not with Roy Jones, Jr.. What it all boils down to is that none of us really know how great a boxer Roy Jones truly is. It’s possible that Roy himself doesn’t know how good he is.

What we learned or should have learned last night was not that John Ruiz is a bad heavyweight, but that Roy Jones could in fact be the best fighter on the planet, not just pound-for-pound. What has separated Jones from other legendary fighters who preceded him is that he hasn’t been brought to the brink of destruction by any of his 48 opponents. He’s never had to be anything more than Roy Jones because there has never been that need. Most credit that to the level of his opposition but it’s time that folks just accept that Jones’ boxing brilliance can’t be matched or even challenged. You can say all you want about there being no big fights at his more natural weight class but in truth, it has everything to do with his infinite and superior skills.

All-time greats, like Sugar Ray Robinson and Sugar Ray Leonard had to delve beyond their skills to overcome certain adversaries. They even had to come from behind to score knockouts in order to pull through their memorable fights. Roy Jones hasn’t had to take many licks nor needed such efforts. He has only needed to fight the way he normally fights. He’s been able to control all situations in his fights to the point where it appears effortless. Last night he did it against a top rated heavyweight with a claim to a world championship.

There are come who envisioned Jones losing if he was pushed to the brink. If he was made to fight, he could get caught. If he wasn’t able to hurt you, then someone could walk through him. A lot of people, even those have come to accept that he is a phenomenon felt that a heavyweight like John Ruiz would be able to do this. But Ruiz couldn’t whatsoever. So what kept Ruiz from attacking anywhere near as much as his handlers, Gabe Mari and Norman Stone had implored of him? Is he just not an aggressive fighter? From my perspective, it appeared as though Ruiz’ reluctance had everything to do with not wanting to get hit the way Jones was hitting him. Ruiz, who had gone 36 rounds with Evander Holyfield respected Jones’ crisp punches. Some of them even appeared to hurt him. At the same time, some of the punches that Ruiz landed including a crunching right hand in the 5th round and some thudding body shots didn’t even appear to faze the chiseled Jones. The only way Jones could have flustered Ruiz more would have been had he pulled his shorts down.

Now a heavyweight titlist, Roy Jones, Jr. is the first fighter since Floyd Patterson (43 years ago folks) to both stand under 6’0 tall and weigh under 200 pounds. There is a reason why there haven’t been more fighters to have done this in such a long period of time. That’s because no one has been able to fight as well as Roy Jones. Last night, size was taken out of the equation because Roy Jones is simply that damn good. All of that pound-for-pound business went out the window. Roy has proved that he is better than that designation.

What’s next for this super being? Is it impossible to envision Roy Jones beating the most regarded heavyweight in the world, Lennox Lewis? It sure is. But I’m also finding it hard to imagine Roy losing to anyone in this solar system. I give up on trying to find out how good he is. Whether he can show or accomplish even more than he has over the past 14 years, I think I’ve witnessed enough of Roy that’s convinced me he is the best fighter I ever seen.