The Boxing News Report 11.02.07
Posted by Ramon Aranda on 11.02.2007
This weekend sees two major title fights and fans get a chance to attend a special function in New York. All this and more in this week's Boxing News Report.
Hello fight fans welcome to this week's edition of the Boxing News Report. It has certainly been a busy week for me with various conference calls and media workout leading up to some upcoming fights that begin this weekend. Be sure to look out at the bottom of the report to links to the various conference calls I participated in this week.
A quick look into the weekend gives us two exciting fights to look forward to as Juan Manuel Marquez will finally tangle with Rocky Juarez while the super middleweight battle between champion Joe Calzaghe and Mikkel Kessler will get started on Saturday as well. I'll give you more details on the fights momentarily.
Also fight fans, if you have any questions, comments or ideas that you'd like to share, feel free to email me at franchise2@aol.com.
Well enough with the small talk, so let's get on with the news!
ShoBox: The Next Generation to Telecast its 100th Show
When USA's Tuesday Night Fights closed its doors a few years back, many in the press feared that boxing's young talents would get ignored and would not have a stage to perform on. Luckily SHOWTIME is among the few that have taken the step to ensure that up and coming prospects get a chance to fight in front of a televised audience.
The heavyweight "Battle for the Ages" will pit "Fast" Eddie Chambers (29-0, 16 KOs) against Calvin "The Boxing Banker" Brock (31-1, 23 KOs) in an International Boxing Federation (IBF) heavyweight title eliminator Friday, Nov. 2, 2007, on ShoBox: The New Generation (live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT delayed on the west coast).
Goossen Tutor Promotions and Main Events will present the 12-round title elimination bout from the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Wash. The SHOWTIME telecast will open with a co-feature bout to be announced.
"This is perhaps the most significant fight we have had in ShoBox history in that it has the potential to severely impact the heavyweight division," said Gordon Hall, vice president and executive producer for the premium network's acclaimed boxing series. "Plus, the match-up epitomizes what ShoBox is all about—a young, rising star in his toughest fight to date. Add world title implications and you've got a fight that you don't want to miss."
"These are the fights that will get fans excited in the heavyweight division again. Line up the top contenders and let them fight their way to the top," exclaimed Dan Goossen.
Chambers, of Philadelphia, Pa., is coming off an impressive unanimous decision win - in his ShoBox debut - over crafty veteran Dominick Guinn (May 5, 2007 on SHOWTIME). Chambers is not only fast, as his nickname alludes, but he is strong and agile with impeccable footwork. Chambers says he has been preparing for this fight since his professional career began in December 2000.
"This is my big opportunity to show the boxing world that I am ready to take the next step toward my goal of becoming heavyweight champion of the world," said the 25-year-old Chambers, who is the No. 10 International Boxing Federation (IBF) heavyweight contender.
"A win over Brock and I am that much closer to my match-up with (current IBF) heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko," Chambers continued. "But I am not thinking that far ahead, as I am focused on a very dangerous opponent."
We'll see if Brock can regain his confidence after getting obliterated by Wladimir Klitschko so he may want to rethink fighting for the IBF strap anytime soon. Perhaps he can turn his attention to one of the other heavyweight titlists such as Ruslan Chagaev or Sultan Ibragimov who just recently took Evander Holyfield back to school.
Fighters & Families Discussion
Fighting Irishmen: A Celebration of the Celtic Prizefigher and event sponsor Union State Bank will present "Fighters and Families," a symposium discussing boxing families on Tuesday night, November 20, at the South Street Seaport Museum.
The panel will include: New York Times Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Dave Anderson; author Jay R. Tunney, the son of former heavyweight champion Gene Tunney; Tim Conn, the son of boxing Hall of Fame champion Billy Conn; Doug Graham, the son of perennial welterweight contender and uncrowned champion Billy Graham; and Charlie Sharkey, the great, grand nephew of legendary Irish champion "Sailor" Tom Sharkey, whose two fights with James J. Jeffries have become legend, especially the 25 round Coney Island championship fight in 1899; exhibit curator Jim Houlihan will serve as the moderator.
The widely popular Fighting Irishmen: Celebrating Celtic Prizefighters 1820-Present exhibit is a collaborative effort between the South Street Seaport Museum and the Irish Arts Center.
The eclectic collection of boxing photography and artifacts – which will continue through December 31 – is once again open to the public, also enjoyed a four month run at the Irish Arts Center last year. It is a veritable stroll down memory lane for fight fans and historians alike. Of course, certainly the most unique item in the exhibit – the late, great Irish fighter Dan Donnelly's mummified right arm – is on display thanks to Josephine Byrne. Among the artifacts and pictures on display will be the legendary John L. Sullivan's fur coat; a blazer specially made for Jack Dempsey ; photographs from the archives of Sports Illustrated and MSG photographer George Kalinsky; Charlie Nash's Olympic jersey when he was fighting for Ireland; photographs of the classic Micky Ward vs. Arturo Gatti trilogy; and historic photos of such memorable Irish fighters as John L. Sullivan, James J. Braddock, Billy Conn, Jerry Quarry, Gerry Cooney, Barry McGuigan and Bobby Cassidy, just to name a few.
The expanded exhibit will also include: a heavy bag from Gene Tunney's training camp; equipment from current female fighter Maureen Shea, used for training actress Hilary Swank for the acclaimed film Million Dollar Baby, and three original oil painting's from the Tunney collection by the artist Mahonri Young, Brigham Young's grandson. In addition, visitors will be able to view video of historic fights during their tours of the exhibit.
This event will begin at 6:00 PM with light refreshments and an opportunity to tour the exhibit and the panel discussion gets underway at 7:00 PM. Tickets are priced at $50 for V.I.P. seating and $35 for general admission. To purchase tickets, email reservations@southstreetseaport.org, or order on line at http://www.southstreetseaportmuseum.org/index1.aspx?BD=9353, or call 212-748-8786. South Street Seaport Museum is located at 12 Fulton Street, New York, NY 10038.
Edison Miranda Makes Successful Return to the Ring
Photo by Javiel Centeno/fightwireimages.com
In his first bout since being demolished by current middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik, Edison Miranda (29-2, 25 KOs) made his debut at super middleweight by stopping Henry Porras (33-7-1, 25 KOs) at the Hard Rock LIVE Arena in Hollywood, Florida this past Tuesday night.
Miranda slowly wore down Porras who couldn't overcome Miranda's powerful shots. In round 5, Miranda unleashed a volley of sledgehammers that forced referee Frank Santore to call a halt to the bout.
On the undercard, super middleweight James McGirt Jr. (17-0, 9 KOs) outpointed Jason Naugler (17-7-1, 11 KOs) in eight rounds with scores of 79-73 on all cards.
The Contender Finale Set
Sakio Bika gained revenge against Sam Soliman in the last semi-final match on The Contender by winning a close split-decision. Bika started off the faster of the two using his jab and longer reach to frustrate Soliman. As the fight progressed, it got sloppy with both fighters trading winging shots that helped Soliman close the gap. In the end, Bika won on two of the judges' scorecards with scores of 78-74, while Soliman was ahead 78-77 on the third scorecard.
With the win Bika (24-3-2, 14 KO's) will now face Jaidon Codrington in the finals at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, MA for the chance to win "The Contender" championship and $750,000.
Soliman (34-10, 13 KO's) will now face Wayne Johnson in a battle of semi-finalists in the co-feature.
Conference Call Buffet
If you didn't get a chance to catch us earlier this week, I participated in a pair of conference calls for some upcoming bouts.
On Tuesday morning, I had a chance to speak to Sugar Shane Mosley about his fight with Miguel Cotto which comes up in two weeks on November 10th in MSG.
Highlights of that conference call can be seen here.
On Thursday morning, I also had a chance to speak to both Fernando Vargas and Ricardo Mayorga concerning their upcoming battle on November 23rd from the Staples Center. It was certainly an interesting call to say the least as the insults continued to fly and you can get all the highlights right here.
This Weekend's Major Fights
Once again we have not one but two major title fights on the same weekend. The Joe Calzaghe – Mikkel Kessler bout will air at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT on HBO's Championship Boxing while the Juan Manuel Marquez – Rocky Juarez fight will take place at 10 PM ET/7PM PT on SHOWTIME Boxing.
Both bouts are rather intriguing as the Calzaghe-Kessler bout will be for the super middleweight championship and Marquez-Juarez will be for the WBC junior lightweight strap and a chance to face off against Manny Pacquiao for the true junior middleweight title.
We'll have all the results from this weekend's fights so stay tuned to 411mania for all the details. Until then, enjoy your weekend and see you at the fights!
