The CBZ Newswire

Provodnikov goes in for the KO

By Ricardo Ibarra
Photos by Malisa Callahan

In a division filled with talent it can be a tough task for a rising prospect to distinguish himself from the pack and catch the attention of the boxing public. For a fighter plying his trade in the 140 pound division, that task can be especially difficult as it is currently stacked with young and talented fighters looking to make their mark. Last Friday night at the Northern Quest Casino in Airway Heights, Washington, rising Jr. welterweight prospect Ruslan Provodnikov scored one of his most impressive victories to date and did so in devastating fashion on ESPN2′s Friday Night Fights. In the Main event of the Banner promotions card, Provodnikov knocked out Othello, Washington’s David Torres in the sixth round with a vicious barrage, claiming the WBO intercontinental title and moving himself one step closer to world title contention.

Provodnikov, who hails from Berezovo, Russia, got off to a quick lead in the bout, pressing forward with measured aggression and landing solid power shots. A hard left hook to the temple dropped Torres early in the first round. After the mandatory eight count, Provodnikov pounced, unloading on his opponent  along the ropes. Torres, who has always been a tough fighter, made it out of the round and showed some resiliency by firing back, but he was clearly outmatched by the stronger and faster Russian fighter.  (continue reading…)

By Ricardo Ibarra
Photo by Bernardo Ibarra

TACOMA, WA, January 10, 2010 — On Saturday night a sold out crowd packed the Emerald Queen Casino showroom for Brian Halquist Productions 75th installment of the Battle at the Boat boxing series. For the last decade the series has been one of the most consistent boxing shows in the country and plans for a busy 2010 season kicked off with a stacked six bout fight card, headlined by an exciting main event.

Beltran

In a scheduled ten round Jr. Welterweight match-up, Freddie Roach protégé Raymundo Beltran (23-4 15KOs 137 lbs.) scored one of the most vicious knockouts seen in recent years, stunting the career of Othello, Washington’s David Torres (21-2 13KOs 136 ½ lbs.) via seventh round stoppage.

Early in the fight the always aggressive Torres seemed to have the right formula for defeating the taller Beltran as he pressed the action, landing hard hooks to the mid-section and pushing Beltran to the ropes. But in the second round Torres abandoned his attack to the body and began to focus solely on the head, letting loose with wild hooks upstairs. Beltran used this aggression to his advantage and began to find his mark with counter left hooks as Torres rushed in. The two traded momentum in rounds three and four as Beltran remained effective from the outside with stiff jabs and quick combinations, while Torres found success when he worked his way in behind double jabs and unloaded in close. (continue reading…)

George ‘Monk’ Foreman III, David Torres vs. Raymundo Beltran, and the return of Walter Wright featured

TACOMA, Wash. – Brian Halquist Productions and the Emerald Queen Casino will start their 14th year of pro-boxing Saturday, January 9, 2010, with Battle at the Boat 75 – The Anniversary Show. Doors open at 6:00 pm, first fight is scheduled for 7 pm.  Battle at the Boat 75 will feature fighters well known to the Northwest boxing fan along with some new faces that will become familiar to the Northwest boxing scene.

The Main Event will feature Othello, Washington’s David “El’ Torrito” Torres (21-1, 13 KO’s) vs. Raymundo Beltran (22-4, 14 KO’s) in a 10 round contest. Torres who last fought in October of 2008, will look to gain ground in the light welterweight division. “It’s great to have David back at the Emerald Queen. He’s had lots of success fighting in Tacoma and we look forward to a great fight with Beltran,” said Promoter Brian Halquist. (continue reading…)