LVBOXING.COM WEEKLY NEWS AND NOTES

By Lawrence Hidaka

Week of December 12, 2005

WILLIAMS BEATS HARRISON! Last Saturday night in London, Danny Williams came through with an upset split decision over 2000 Olympic gold medalist and Las Vegas resident Audley Harrison. Reportedly a snoozer through 9, Williams decked Harrison in the 10th, but Harrison came back to stagger Williams in the 10th. This was expected to be Harrison’s coming out party, and this loss puts a huge red flag on his career . . .

LOTS OF LAS VEGANS IN ACTION THIS WEEK! A good number of Las Vegans will spend the pre-holiday season fighting. Thursday night in Hollywood, FL, we have Samuel Peter in his first fight since dropping a decision to Wladimir Klitschko in September. Peter dropped Klitschko three times but lost every second of the fight when Klitschko wasn't on the canvas. He should have no problems this Thursday with Robert Hawkins. This fight is on the undercard of Sultan Ibragimov-Lance Whitaker, which is not an insignificant heavyweight crossroads fight. Sultan is an undefeated GUILTY BOXING fighter from Russia who looked fairly promising at the Orleans earlier this year. It seems like Lance GOOFi Mount Whitaker has been around forever but he’s still just thirty-three years old and will be trying to stay alive as a heavyweight contender. He has just three losses in his career, to Lou Savarese, Jameel McCline, and Luan Krasniqi. The undercard also features undefeated KO sensation Irish John Duddy, who takes on undefeated Emiliano Cayetano of the Dominican Republic. Not a bad card at all. It will be available on IN DEMAND PPV.

Then on Saturday night in Berlin, Germany, John “The Quiet Man” Ruiz will defend the WBA heavyweight title against undefeated 7 foot Russian heavyweight oddity Nicolay Valuev. That’s right, John Ruiz is still the WBA heavyweight champ. On the undercard, Laila Ali will face none other than the Swedish Sensation Asa Sandell. We know Asa from her gutsy performances on the “Ring of Their Own” women’s boxing cards here in Las Vegas and in Laughlin this year. But this is a dangerous match that shouldn’t be happening. Laila Ali has been a pro for six years, is undefeated against top competition, and is now one of the best female fighters in the world. Asa Sandell has been a pro for a year and a half, has five fights under her belt, none scheduled for more than 6 rounds, her last one a split decision loss to Laura Ramsey. Saturday’s fight is scheduled for 10. Dangerous. Let’s hope she doesn’t get hurt too bad . . .

FAMILIAR LAS VEGAS FACES IN NEW ROCKY MOVIE! You’ll recognize a lot of local faces when “Rocky Balboa” hits the screens in a year or so. The Rocky crew spent last week filming the climactic fight scene between Rocky (Sly Stallone) and Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Keep an eye out for Jacob “Stitch” Duran, Don House, and Augie “Kid Vegas” Sanchez as cornermen, Pat Barry as a commissioner, Marc Ratner, Joe Cortez, Adelaide Byrd, and Chuck Giampa as themselves, Robert Hoyle as the timekeeper, and Toby Murray and yours truly as press, among others . . .

COMING SOON . . . BEST OF LAS VEGAS BOXING 2005!

HAVE A GREAT BOXING WEEK!

LVBOXING.COM WEEKLY NEWS AND NOTES

By Lawrence Hidaka

Week of December 5, 2005

LET’S REMEMBER TO GIVE CREDIT TO BERNARD HOPKINS AND JERMAIN TAYLOR for even fighting each other in the first place. In a sport where it’s an unexpected treat when the two top guys fight each other, Hopkins and Taylor could very easily and understandably have ducked each other. Instead, they didn’t hesitate to face each other not once but twice. Let’s hope others will follow their example . . .

HARRISON-WILLIAMS IN BRITISH SHOWDOWN! This Saturday in London, 2000 Olympic Super Heavyweight Gold Medalist and Las Vegas resident Audley Harrison will meet Tyson-conqueror and V. Klitschko-victim Danny Williams for the British heavyweight title. Williams has been talking a lot of trash in the buildup to this fight. Not sure why, he’s going to get destroyed. Despite Harrison’s string of uninspiring victories, he is by far the stronger, more fundamentally sound fighter. This fight should finally propel Harrison’s career into high gear, with top twenty guys up next for “A-Force” . . .

LAS VEGAS LADIES WIN AND LOSE! Last Friday in Lemoore, CA, Jessica Rakoczy had an easy time with Angel McNamara, scoring a lopsided 6 round decision. The next night in Germany, Elena “Baby Doll” Reid challenged Regina Halmich for the WIBF World Flyweight Championship. This was a rematch of last year’s fight when Halmich retained the title with a controversial draw. This time Halmich retained the title with a unanimous decision in another close fight. Scores were 96-94 twice and 97-93 . . .

CORRALES-CASTILLO III TO EL PASO! The rubber match between Diego “Chico” Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo will take place February 4, 2005 at the Don Haskins Center on the campus of UTEP. It will air on regular Showtime Championship Boxing . . .

HAVE A GREAT BOXING WEEK!

RESULTS FROM THE RICHARD STEELE & HOME COURTS AMATEUR BOXING SHOW

November 26, 2005

Samuel Magdaleno (Elite Boxing) RSC over Blake Fazio (Barry’s Boxing)
Angel Magdaleno (Elite Boxing) points over Gino Padilla (Barry’s Boxing)
Alfonso Santana (Barry’s Boxing) points over Chris Reyes (LV Boxing)
Matthew Garcia (LV Boxing) points over Bruno Monroy (Elite Boxing)
Rico Ramos (Broadway Boxing) points over Samuel Yniguez (Hesperia Boxing)
Khadaphi Proctor (Hesperia Boxing) points over Darren Dixon (Johnny Tocco)
Lonnie Smith (Elite Boxing) RSC over Andrew Stafford (Broadway Boxing)
Ryan Shackleton (Steele Boxing) points over Lawayne Hardiman (Round 1 Boxing)
Diaunte Flanagan (Steele Boxing) RSC over Jo Sakai (Broadway Boxing)
Pogos Tarhanyan (Broadway Boxing) points over Mike Randall (Hesperia Boxing)
James Ivory (Steele Boxing) RSC over Deshaun Green (Broadway Boxing)

“NO RESPECT”: JERMAIN TAYLOR-BERNARD HOPKINS II

THE REMATCH IS A RERUN

Tonight at the Mandalay Bay Events Center undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor defended the title with a unanimous decision over former champ Bernard Hopkins. This rematch was highly anticipated, considering the closeness of the split decision in the first encounter, and the bad blood that had developed over the past several weeks. The formerly reserved Taylor was seen at the final press conference holding up a crying baby doll and referring to it as Hopkins. Ouch. Let the fists start flying.

Hopkins stated repeatedly that he would not change his strategy from the first fight, in which he gave away the first several rounds to Taylor. One had to figure Hopkins was not being entirely forthcoming, as surely he could not expect to win by giving away rounds. A bizarre performance of the national anthem by R. Kelly featuring backup salsa dancers preceded the opening bell. A heightened level of aggression was expected as the bell rang to start the fight. Turns out Hopkins wasn't kidding. The anticipated flying of fists did not occur. There was a lot of posing and waiting on the part of both fighters through the first 4 rounds, provoking some boos from the maybe-three-quarters-full Mandalay Bay Events Center. Taylor (159) was cautioned for hitting the back of the head in the 1st, Hopkins (160) was sent a little off-balance by a left in the 2nd, and Taylor roused the fans slightly with a flurry at the end of the 2nd. That was all the action of note through 4. Taylor was just barely winning the rounds by being the slight aggressor and landing his jab well. Hopkins could have taken these rounds by pressing the action, but he chose not to. The 5th round saw Hopkins land a couple of significant solid shots, and he started to land some of the right hands that he couldn't miss Taylor with in the latter stages of the first fight, but Taylor came back to take the 6th and 7th again with his jab.

Taylor stole another round in the 8th with a flurry just before the bell, and Hopkins returned the favor by sealing the 9th with a good right hand before the bell. Hopkins had his most decisive round in the 10th, stunning Taylor early on with a nice combination. In the 11th it was Taylor returning the favor, stunning Hopkins early with a combination. Taylor landed another couple of good right hands, but Hopkins came on in the middle of the round, roughing up Taylor good, but Taylor ended the round strong, though now with his left eye swelling. Surprise, a fight had broken out. The action continued in the 12th and final round, and for two rounds we finally saw the fists fly. Just as in the first fight, at the final bell it was Hopkins who looked stronger, and Taylor who looked visibly fatigued. All three judges, Dave Moretti, Chuck Giampa, and Patricia Morse-Jarman scored 115-113 for Jermain Taylor (25-0, 17KOs), who retains the title by unanimous decision. Just as in the first fight, Taylor swept the early rounds, and Hopkins came on strong late, but ran out of rounds. Lvboxing.com scored 116-112 for Jermain Taylor. In his post-fight interview with HBO's Larry Merchant, Hopkins (46-4-1, 32KOs) stated, "I'm fresh as a daisy". Perhaps that was his problem. If he had used some of that freshness to swing a couple of the early rounds his way, he would have regained the championship. But that’s asking a lot of a forty year old man.

Undercard Report by Lawrence Hidaka

LVBOXING.COM WEEKLY NEWS AND NOTES

By Lawrence Hidaka

Week of November 28, 2005

TAYLOR-HOPKINS II THIS SATURDAY! It’s fitting that an incredible year of boxing in Las Vegas will culminate with the highly anticipated rematch between Jermain Taylor and Bernard Hopkins at Mandalay Bay. Taylor captured the undisputed world middleweight title from Hopkins in July at the MGM Grand with a controversial split decision. Hopkins was dominating at the end of the fight, but had given away too many early rounds to Taylor who was aggressive early on. The rematch this Saturday becomes even more compelling than the original. We know how evenly matched the two fighters are. There will be no blowout here. Both fighters figure to be more aggressive than in the first encounter. Bad blood has developed over the past few months with Hopkins complaining about the split decision and Taylor complaining about Hopkins’ complaining. Oh, then there’s that little issue of the legacy of Bernard Hopkins being on the line. Hopkins is a slight betting favorite, but I like Jermain Taylor to retain the title by unanimous decision. Since the first encounter, Taylor is now five months older and wiser and stronger at age 27. At age 40, Bernard Hopkins is five months older . . .

LUEVANO SUFFERS FIRST DEFEAT! Steven Luevano of Las Vegas dropped a 10 round decision to Guilty Fight Night regular Martin Honorio Friday night in Albuquerque. Honorio came back from a flash 2nd round knockdown to press the action, digging hard to Luevano’s body. Honorio was penalized 1 point for low blows. Luevano got his shots in, but they were more easily absorbed, while Luevano seemed to get hurt by every one of Honorio’s punches. The 10th and final round was a wild affair with both guys letting it all fly for a furious three minutes. Scores were 95-92, 96-93, and 94-93 . . .

RAKOCZY AND "BABY DOLL" IN ACTION! Jessica Rakoczy and Elena "Baby Doll" Reid will both be in action this week on separate cards on separate continents. First up on Friday night we have Jessica Rakoczy taking on Angel McNamara in Lemoore, CA. Rakoczy is coming off an upset decision loss to Eliza Olson in September. Then on Saturday night in Germany Elena “Baby Doll” Reid will challenge Regina Halmich for the WIBF World Flyweight Championship. This a rematch of a fight from last year when Halmich retained the title with a controversial draw. Most ringside observers saw Reid winning the fight. Reid has not fought since she scored an easy 6 round decision over Stephanie Dobbs in July, and she suffered the first loss of her career in March when she was stopped on a cut by Alicia Ashley . . .

HAVE A GREAT BOXING WEEK!

LVBOXING.COM WEEKLY NEWS AND NOTES

By Lawrence Hidaka

Week of November 21, 2005

GEEZ I TAKE ONE WEEK OFF and everything goes to hell. What a strange
week in boxing. Lets catch up.

First we had the surprise announcement from longtime ringside physician Dr. Margaret Goodman that she has resigned as a ringside physician. Dr. Goodman will remain chairperson of the athletic commission’s medical advisory board. This comes on the heels Dr. Flip Homansky’s replacement on the athletic commission by Gov. Kenny Guinn with Reno businessman and campaign contributor Theodore Day. That means two of the most respected authorities on health in boxing will no longer be seen at ringside. It’s a double blow to boxing in Nevada.

Then we had the terrible news of the passing of former WBO super bantamweight champ Agapito Sanchez. Sanchez was shot to death following an argument at his home in his native Dominican Republic. I just saw Sanchez working out at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn this past summer, and now he’s senselessly gone.

This happened less than a week after another boxer, Vincent Ekeoba Moses, was stabbed to death here in Las Vegas during an altercation
at a 7-Eleven. We saw Moses fight a few times over the years at the Orleans with mixed results. He survived twenty-two fights in the ring but couldn’t survive the violence of Las Vegas outside the ring.

And as if there wasn’t enough violence going on outside the ring, Lance Whitaker and Sultan Ibragimov decided to go at it at a press conference in New York to promote their December 15 fight. During the melee, promoter Sampson Lewkowicz was knocked cold . . .

LAST GUILTY FIGHT NIGHT OF ‘05 CANCELLED! A fantastic year for Guilty Boxing in Las Vegas ended with a whimper rather than a bang as the last card of the year scheduled for Nov. 18 at the Gold Coast was cancelled. Guilty Fight Night will resume in February 2006 . . .

MAYWEATHER DESTROYS MITCHELL! As expected, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. had no problem with Sharmba Mitchell Saturday night in Portland, knocking him out with a single body shot in the 6th. Mayweather, like Roy Jones and the young Mike Tyson before him, is just too good for everyone else. The only competitive fights for him in his immediate weight neighborhood are Ricky Hatton and Antonio Margarito. But of course in boxing, the more competitive and attractive the matchup, the less likely it will happen. On the undercard, Las Vegans Steve Forbes and Mayweather protégé Wes Ferguson were both victorious. Forbes stopped Julio Cesar Sanchez in 3, while Ferguson scored a unanimous 8 round decision over Silverio Ortiz . . .

TONEY VS. RAHMAN FOR WBC TITLE! The WBC has selected James Toney to be the first challenger to Hasim Rahman’s WBC heavyweight title. Rahman was awarded the title by the WBC following the surprise retirement of champion Vitali Klitschko. Pretty sweet deal for Rahman, he didn’t have to fight anyone to get the title. As always, boxing needs less credibility. Hey, I haven’t fought anyone, can I have a title? . . .

IT’S TARVER VS. ROCKY! It will be Antonio Tarver who will play the opponent opposite Sylvester Stallone in the next “Rocky” movie after all. Internet reports of rapper 50 Cent getting the role turned out to be just rumors. Some scenes for the movie will be filmed at Mandalay Bay the week of Tarver-Hopkins II (Dec. 3). You can sign up to be in the crowd scenes at beinamovie.com. Go for it, I did . . .

LUEVANO TAKES ON HONORIO IN ALBUQUERQUE! Undefeated Steven Luevano of Las Vegas will meet Martin Honorio this Friday night in Albuquerque in a showdown of featherweight prospects. Luevano, originally from Los Angeles, lives in Las Vegas and trains under Don House at the House of Pain Gym. The long-armed Martin Honorio has looked good numerous times on the Guilty Fight Night cards, the only blemish being a KO loss to William Abelyan. The fight will be televised live on Telefutura (Cox digital channel 64) at 9:00pm. Should be a good one . . .

AMATEUR BOXING AT STEELE’S GYM THIS SATURDAY! The Richard Steele Boxing Gym will present its monthly amateur boxing show this Saturday at 6:00pm. The Steele Gym is located in the Home Courts facility at 7485 Commercial Way in Henderson (between Gibson and Boulder Highway). The monthly Steele amateur shows have consistently featured competitive, action-packed bouts. See you there . . .

HAVE A GREAT BOXING WEEK!

Morales vs. Pacquiao 2

“The Battle”

The first major fight of the year in Las Vegas will feature a rematch between Mexico’s Erik “El Terrible” Morales and Philippine Manny Pacquiao. When these guys last met on March 19. 2005 it was twelve rounds of blistering action. Nearly 15,000 fans of Mexican and Philippino descent made the contest even better as they cheered on their champion and created an atmosphere where the fighters gave all they had to please them. Morales came out on top scoring 115-113 on all three judges’ cards the last time but Pacquiao asked for and got the rematch. The only controversy in their first fight had to do with the selection of boxing gloves but that has been resolved for this fight and there should be no more excuses.

The fight will take place on January 21, 2006 at the Thomas and Mack Center at UNLV and is sponsored by Wynn Las Vegas in cooperation with Top Rank. Tickets start at $50 and go to $600 at ringside. The bout will be broadcast on HBO Pay-Per-View starting at 6:00 pm Pacific Time.

LVBOXING.COM WEEKLY NEWS AND NOTES

By Lawrence Hidaka

Week of November 7, 2005

KLITSCHKO PULLS OUT OF HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT! This Saturday’s heavyweight title fight between Vitali Klitschko and Hasim Rahman scheduled for the Thomas and Mack Center has been scrapped due to Klitschko pulling out with an injured knee. This guy is a walking emergency room. I’d hate to be his health insurance provider. Not that I was necessarily looking forward to this match. But it does mean there will be just one more major card in Las Vegas this year. That would be Talyor-Hopkins II December 3 at Mandalay Bay . . .

‘FLUSHING FLASH” SURVIVES KNOCKDOWN TO STOP MARCOS! Henderson’s Kevin Kelley looked all his 38 years last Friday against someone called Sandro Marcos, but still had enough pop left to stop Marcos in the 4th. But had to get off the deck after he was knocked down cleanly in the 2nd by a left to the jaw. Kelley is a physical marvel, after sixty-five fights you wouldn’t know he was a professional boxer by talking to him. Kevin, let’s keep it that way. You have a tremendous future ahead of you as a TV commentator and trainer . . .

TWO APPALLING INSTANCES OF INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR last week inspired me to invent a new award. First, on Friday night in the first fight of SHOBOX we saw Allan Green knock out Jaidon Codrington in a frightening manner. Codrington wound up unconscious hanging halfway through the ropes with his neck at an unnatural angle. As Codrington lay on the canvas being attended to by medical personnel, Green smiled and celebrated and high-fived his supporters. He nearly made up for his behavior when he grabbed the microphone and issued words of concern and respect for his fallen opponent, but then spoiled everything when he took the opportunity to gleefully plug a friend’s car dealership. Then the next night on Showtime Championship Boxing after Rafael Marquez stopped Silence Mabuza in the 4th due to a cut, Jim Gray attempted to embarrass referee Norm Budden on live television. Budden ruled the cut was caused by a punch, which prompted the TKO result. Jim Gray accosted Budden on camera and showed him a slow motion replay of the action around when the cut occurred. Gray proclaimed definitively that a butt caused the cut, then attempted to make Budden admit he had made a mistake. Problem is, the replay showed a clash of heads, followed almost immediately by a punch to the same area on Mabuza’s head as the head butt. Even with slow motion replay it was impossible to tell exactly what caused the cut. Secondly, the referee does not have the benefit of instant replay, and must make a call instantly. Referee Budden made as good a call as any human possibly could have at the time under the circumstances. And thirdly, Mabuza was getting killed. It’s not like there was a lot of suspense regarding the ultimate result. So because of their respective appalling actions, it’s my displeasure to honor Allan Green and Jim Gray as the first recipients of the Terrell Owens Inappropriate Behavior Award . . .

HAVE A GREAT BOXING WEEK!

KLITSCHKO VS. RAHMAN POSTPONED;
NEW DATE WILL SOON BE ANNOUNCED!!

Las Vegas - The World Heavyweight Championship, featuring Vitali Klitschko vs. Hasim Rahman on November 12 is postponed and will be rescheduled, Bob Arum of Top Rank announced today.

Klitschko, the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight champion, was injured while sparring in Los Angeles on Thursday. He wrenched his right knee and did not continue training.

On Saturday, Klitschko was examined by famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. Tony Daly of Los Angeles. He diagnosed the injury as a sprain and suggested the use of a rigid brace on the right knee.

However, while sparring in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon, Klitschko reported the knee did not respond to either medical treatment or the use of the brace.

LVBOXING.COM WEEKLY NEWS AND NOTES

By Lawrence Hidaka

Week of October 31, 2005

I FINALLY UNDERSTAND WHY JESUS CHAVEZ fought with such determination against Erik Morales a year and a half ago at the MGM Grand. Chavez broke his right hand early in the fight, but went at Morales furiously with his one good hand in an unforgettable losing effort. I came across the low-profile documentary “Split Decision” at the library, which tells the story of Chavez’ childhood and early pro history. We’ve heard stories of his immigration problems early in his career, but I never knew the full story until I viewed this film. As a child, Chavez was brought from Mexico into the U.S. illegally by his father. He basically grew up as an American kid in Chicago. At the age of seventeen, he made a terrible decision and associated himself with some neighborhood gang bangers and helped them rob a grocery store. He took responsibility for his actions, and insisted his family not try to bail him out of jail. Again, he was seventeen years old. He wound up serving three and a half years in prison and then getting deported because of his alien status. The bulk of the film documents his remarkable story from this point as a man with no country. It also features some great footage from his early fights. You can request the DVD “Split Decision” at your nearest Las Vegas-Clark County library branch. It has bilingual English-Spanish soundtracks. If you’re not yet a fan of Jesus Chavez, you will be after viewing the film. Off course, the Jesus Chavez story does not end with the events of the film. Chavez is unfortunately best known today as Leavander Johnson’s last opponent. And he is tentatively scheduled to continue his career with a title defense against Marco Antonio Barrera early next year. The Jesus Chavez story continues . . .

“FLUSHING FLASH” FIGHTS ON! Henderson resident Kevin “The Flushing Flash” Kelley will be in action this Friday night in Ventura, CA. The 38 year old former WBC featherweight champ will take on Sandro Marcos for the “interim NABF super featherweight title”. Get this, Marcos is 6-12 in his last 18 fights. His last fight was a 2nd round stoppage of a geriatric Johnny Tapia. The fight will air live at 9:00pm on Telefutura (Cox digital channel 64) . . .

BECAUSE REAL FIGHTERS HIT HARD. Reports circulating around the net have rapper 50 Cent cast as the opponent opposite Sylvester Stallone in the next “Rocky” movie. Others previously mentioned as candidates for the role include Antonio Tarver, Roy Jones, and Jeff Lacy. I was pulling for Tarver myself, just so Rocky could deliver the line, “Yeah, I have an excuse. I’m sixty years old. Duh.”

HAVE A GREAT BOXING WEEK

GUILTY FIGHT NITE AT THE ORLEANS

View this picture a little bigger

Read the Main Event Report by Lawrence Hidaka

Read the Undercard Report by Steven Robinson

LVBOXING.COM WEEKLY NEWS AND NOTES

By Lawrence Hidaka

Week of October 25, 2005

LOCK GOES DOWN SWINGING! GUILTY BOXING headliner Cornelius Lock got his big opportunity Friday night on Showtime’s SHOBOX THE NEW GENERATION. Lock was matched against undefeated but unknown Mario Santiago of Puerto Rico. In an action-packed opening round, Lock landed his best shots and had Santiago hurt. Lock gambled and went for it, trading hard shots with Santiago in a fight-of-the-year -type first 2 rounds. Lock has got some pop, but we soon learned that the unknown Santiago has a lot of pop, and Lock suffered much the worse. By the time Lock got on his bicycle in the 4th, the damage had been done. Santiago had landed fearsome body shots that looked like they should have broken Lock in half, and followed with clean shots to the jaw. By the 5th it was just a matter of time, as Santiago pursued a bloodied Lock around the ring, sealing the deal with a clean right to the head that left Lock spent on the ropes. Referee Marcos Rosales alertly stepped in to save Lock from further punishment. To his credit, Lock showed the guts that made him a popular GUILTY headliner and never went down. This Mario Santiago, who could be Miguel Cotto’s southpaw mini-me, is a guy with some big, exciting fights in his future . . .

“BIG TIME” LOSES AGAIN! In what looks like a career-killer, Las Vegas’ Jameel “Big Time” McCline got outhustled over 10 rounds by unheralded Zuri Lawrence Friday night in Hollywood, FL. It was McCline’s second loss this year. “Big Time” suffered a 10 round decision loss to Cal Brock here in Las Vegas in April . . .

AMATEUR BOXING SHOW IN NLV! The North Las Vegas Hoops facility will host North Las Vegas Center Ring's Nevada Day Boxing Show this Saturday at 6:00pm. The facility is located at 2020 Mendenhall (One Block North of Craig on Losee Road). Catch the top young boxers in Las Vegas in exciting amateur action . . .

“RAILROAD” TYE FIELDS BACK AT THE ORLEANS! Former San Diego State basketball player Tye Fields will be the headliner this Friday night at GUILTY Fight Night at the Orleans. We last saw Fields in August at the Orleans when he stopped Saul Montana in 3. This time they’re bringing former WBA heavyweight champ Bruce Seldon out of retirement to put a name on Fields’ record. If you haven’t seen Tye Fields at either of his two previous Orleans appearances, you just might want to get down there this Friday. Despite his modest boxing skills, his presence makes for an entertaining show. He brings about a million friends who are not shy about making a lot of noise for their guy. And at 6’9” and a heavily muscled 275, Fields is quite a sight to behold. When his massive arms whoosh through the air the resulting gale blows you back in your seat. And he’s a hard working nice guy who’s easy to root for. First fight goes at 7:00. See you there . . .

HAVE A GREAT BOXING WEEK!

10.25.05

FORMER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP SELDON VS. FIELDS IN MAIN EVENT ON GUILTY BOXING CARD
OCT. 28 IN LAS VEGAS

      Former World Boxing Association heavyweight champion Bruce Seldon of Camden, N.J., faces Tye Fields of Las Vegas in the 10-round main event on the nationally and internationally televised “Guilty Fight Night” card promoted by Guilty Boxing Oct. 28, at the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.
      World-ranked Cristobal Cruz of Tijuana, Mexico, meets Gerardo Zayas of Tijuana in the 10-round featherweight semi-main event.
      Seldon, the WBA heavyweight champion for more than two years from 1994 to 1996, has a record of 35-5 with 31 knockouts while Fields, the former International Boxing Federation United States Boxing Association heavyweight champ, has a mark of 34-1 with 31 knockouts.
      Cruz, ranked No. 22 by the World Boxing Council, has a record of 32-7-1 with 21 knockouts while Zayas has a mark of 10-16-2 with 10 knockouts.
      Seldon is in only his fourth fight since being dethroned by Mike Tyson Sept. 7, 1996. The 38-year-old Seldon was inactive for seven-and-one-half years until returning during 2004. His most recent bout was 17 1/2-month ago.
      The 6-foot-9-inch Fields has a seven-and-one-half-inch height and eight-inch (86 to 78) reach advantage. The 30-year-old Fields, a southpaw, was the USBA heavyweight champion during 2003 and 2004 before relinquishing it because of inactivity. He’s coming off a third-round knockout of Saul Montana on a Guilty Boxing card Aug. 5 in Las Vegas.
      The 28-year-old Cruz has won four of his past five fights by knockout, including his most recent, a six-round knockout of Francisco Dianzo on a Guilty Boxing card May 6 in Tijuana.
      Zayas, also 28, has won his past two bouts, a 10-round decision over Baudel Cardenas Sept. 30 in Navojoa, Mexico, and another 10-round verdict on a Guilty Boxing card June 17 in Tijuana.
      Guilty Boxing’s “Guilty Fight Night” telecasts are seen throughout the United States and internationally in Europe, Africa, middle eastern countries, the Caribbean and Japan.
      Guilty Boxing’s weekly “Guilty Fight Night” cards are seen in 202 million households worldwide, making Guilty Productions one of the fastest-growing providers of boxing television programming in the world.
      This is another in the ongoing series of “Guilty Fight Night” cards. The innovative Guilty Boxing series was launched May of 2004 and has presented cards in Arizona, California, Connecticut and Mexico as well as Las Vegas.
      Six-round fights on the nine-bout Guilty Boxing card include: middleweight Donovan George (6-0-1, 5 KOs) of Chicago against Julio Lanzas (3-4-1, 1 KO) of Colorado Springs, Colo.; bantamweight Juan Mercedes (10-1, 7 KOs) of Tijuana against Rodolfo Garay (14-3-1, 8 KOs) of Guasave, Mexico; and super flyweight Sergio Espinoza (9-2-1, 4 KOs) of Lemon Grove, Calif., against Giovanni Soto (16-6-1, 12 KOs) of Guasave.
      Four-round fights on the Guilty Boxing card include: cruiserweight Aaron Williams
(4-0-1, 3 KOs) of Las Vegas against an opponent to be determined; super lightweight Lester Belmoris (0-1) of Las Vegas against an opponent to be determined, super featherweight Dominic Coca (4-0, 1 KO) of Las Vegas against Charlie Valdez (6-3, 2 KOs) of Tijuana and featherweight Vincent O’Neil (0-0-1) of Las Vegas against Saul Ochoa (1-2-1, 0 KOs) of Phoenix.
      The Guilty Boxing card starts at 7 p.m. (Pacific).
      Commentators for Guilty Boxing’s “Guilty Fight Night” telecasts are “The Colonel” Bob Sheridan and Benny Ricardo. Sheridan, a Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, has worked almost 800 world championship bouts on six continents during a career that has spanned more than five decades. Ricardo, for 11 years a place kicker on four NFL teams, also is a veteran announcer and has covered the biggest events in the sports world, ranging from Super Bowls to World Cups.

10.14.05

Gonzalez wins a unanimous decision over Licona

Castillo Takes Out Corrales in the Fourth!

Will there be a rematch? Of course. Will it be any different? No. That is, unless Diego switches his style entirely becomes an outside fighter that can tag Castillo and get away. On the inside, Castillo has got Corrales figured out.

Read the Main Event Report by Gregory Robinson

Read the Undercard Report By Steven Robinson

TOP RANK PRESENTS A NIGHT AT THE FIGHTS AT THE ALADDIN

PAVLIK AND FULGENCIA PUT ON A SHOW BEFORE THE SHOW!

On the eve of the highly anticipated rematch between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo, Top Rank served up a tasty appetizer at the Aladdin featuring a hard-punching undefeated middleweight prospect and a tough as nails Colombian with guts to spare.

Read the Main Event Report by Lawrence Hidaka

Read the Undercard Report by Steven Robinson

Boxing All Weekend in Las Vegas

By Steven Robinson

Thanks to Top Rank Las Vegas boxing fans are going to get all the boxing they want this weekend. It starts Friday night at the Aladdin Hotel casino where Kelly Pavlik (26-0, 23 KO’s) of Youngstown, OH takes on Fulgencio Zuniga (17-1-1, 16 KO’s) of Padilla, Columbia for the NABF Middleweight Championship. The main event will be preceded by six (6) other fights including up and coming Las Vegas Welterweight Dominic Chavez (4-0, 1 KO) of Henderson. The doors open at 4:30 and the first fight is scheduled for 5:15 pm.

Then Saturday we go to the Thomas and Mack Center at UNLV to see a rematch of what may be the fight of the year between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo for the WBC – WBO Lightweight Championship. When these warriors met for the first time in May it was unending action – toe to toe, fight with all your heart action from bell to bell. Round 10 saw Corrales get up from two devastating knockdowns to knock out Castillo in what I believe was the most exciting round of boxing I have ever seen. The fight was not without controversy though as Corrales spit out his mouthpiece both times he was knocked down in round ten receiving a 1 point penalty the second time but giving him a little more time to recover. His actions caused a change in Nevada rules where a boxer is now penalized two points for spitting out his mouthpiece and his corner is required to keep an extra mouthpiece for timely replacement. Corrales, the reigning champ is 40-2, with 33 KO’s while Castillo has a record of 52-7-1, with 46 KO’s. Corrales comes off as the favorite at Wynn Las Vegas Sports book -130 while Castillo is +110. Tickets are still available at the Thomas and Mack Center Box Office and the bout can be seen on Showtime PPV.

Read the Full Article by Steven Robinson

LVBOXING.COM WEEKLY NEWS AND NOTES

By Lawrence Hidaka

Week of October 3, 2005

Lots to catch up on. Ready? Ding, ding!

KLITSCHKO SURVIVES PETER! Everything went as expected when Samuel Peter met Wladimir Klitschko September 24 in Reno in a heavyweight showdown, except Klitschko won the fight. Peter hit Klitschko, and Klitschko went down not once, not twice, but three times. What was not expected was that Klitschko got up each time, and had enough gas in the 12th round to dance around like a ballerina. Props to Klitschko for proving the naysayers wrong. How about that fantastic undercard bout with Miguel Cotto stopping anonymous Colombian Ricardo Torres in 7? That unknown Colombian can crack a little, staggering Cotto in the 1st, and knocking him down in the 2nd. But Cotto can crack a lot, dropping Torres four times before finally ending it in the 7th . . .

JONES LOSES AGAIN! Has anyone else noticed that Roy Jones, Jr. has become Muhammad Ali? His inspiring victory over John Ruiz was his Thrilla in Manila, the fight after which he should have retired with an unimpeachable body of work. Instead, like Ali, he chose to fight on with reflexes naturally diminished by age and wear. But unlike Ali, he can’t take the big punches he used to evade easily, and is not helped by friendly judges as Ali was. Now with three straight losses, Jones has allowed his hubris to seriously compromise his legacy . . .

YOU CAN’T BLAME CHRIS BYRD too much for the terrible fight the other night. We all know that the counter-punching defensive specialist Byrd needs someone to come to him to make a good fight. That’s always been the case, it’s not a secret. Lots of potential challengers fit that bill: Klitschkos, Peter, Brewster, Rahman, Brock. So who does the IBF send to challenge for the Heavyweight title? Davarryl Williamson, whose most important win has still not been identified by scholars. The IBF acknowledged the weakness of the match by not even insisting that the fight be the main event of the card. Has there ever been a “Heavyweight Championship” that was not the main event? . . .

LAS VEGANS MOSTLY LOSE! In a major upset on September 17, Eliza Olson was a surprise 10 rounds unanimous decision winner over Las Vegan Jessica Rakoczy in Lemoore, CA. Rakoczy was down in the 9th. Olson takes the IBA and WBC women’s lightweight titles. On the same night on a GUILTY card in Duluth, GA, Friday “The 13th” Ahunanya dropped a 9 round technical decision to Sultan Ibragimov. The fight went to the cards when Ahunanya suffered a gash caused by a butt. Elena “Baby Doll” Reid was scheduled for a fight the same night in San Jose, but it did not come off. She is now scheduled for the “Ring of Their Own” card this Saturday in Laughlin. Last Saturday in Rochester, WA, Henderson’s Jesse Feliciano got back on the winning track with a TKO9 over Rafael Ortiz. On the undercard of Tarver-Jones, Almazbek “Kid Diamond” Raiymkulov was stopped in the final round of a scheduled 10 by the persistent Nate Campbell . . .

ALMOST TOO MUCH BOXING IN LAS VEGAS THIS WEEK! It all starts this Thursday night when UNLV Boxing kicks off its season with a show at Big Dogs on Sahara at Torrey Pines. The action starts at 6:00pm. Then on Friday night boxing returns to the Aladdin with undefeated middleweight contender Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik taking on Fulgencio Zuniga. The undercard has Ricardo Castillo (older brother of Jose Luis) taking on who else? Phillip “Bring The” Payne. Doors open at 4:30. Then Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack it’s Corrales-Castillo II. ‘Nuff said. If you couldn’t get tickets to the Thomas & Mack, consider going down to Harrah’s Laughlin Saturday night for the return of “A Ring of Their Own” all-female pro boxing. Elena “Baby Doll” Reid and the Swedish Sensation Aasa Sandell will be featured in separate bouts. The card gets under way at 8:00pm . . .

HAVE A GREAT BOXING WEEK!

NATION SPORTS AND RICHARD STEELE’S BOXING CLUB
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Wednesday, October 12
At Black Mountain Golf & Country Club

Special Guests:
Former WBC Heavyweight Champion Ken Norton
Former WBC Bantamweight Champion Wayne “The Pocket Rocket” McCullough
Ex-Pittsburgh Steeler Michael Merriweather
World Lightweight Champion Diego “Chico” Corrales

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RESULTS FROM MONTHLY RICHARD STEELE BOXING CLUB
AND HOME COURTS AMATUER BOXING SHOW

Rookie Bales (Utah Boxing) RSC over Isaac Castaneda (Elite Boxing)
Samuel Magdaleno (Elite Boxing) points over Daniel Ramirez (Mesquite Boxing)
Michael Moreno (Elite Boxing) points over Joseph Ninco (Steele Boxing)
Jeff Salas (Utah Boxing) points over Joseph Gruger (Elite Boxing)
Monica Leon (Elite Boxing) points over Mariah Paz (Las Vegas Boxing)
Darren Dixon (Johnny Tocco) points over Trarell Burley (Hesperia)
Jesus Duran (Las Vegas Boxing) points over Tim LeGate (Utah Boxing)
Marco Russell (Las Vegas Boxing) points over Dominique Madden (Westminster Boxing)
Diaunte Flanagan (Steele Boxing) RSC over Travis Randall (Westminster Boxing)
Jacob Sanchez (Hesperia Boxing) points over Michael Castillo (Las Vegas Boxing)
Jacob Chavez (unattached) points over Diel Flannigan (Steele Boxing)
Mark Jones (Steele Boxing) RSC over Dujuan Looper (unattached)
James Ivory (Steele Boxing) points over Jacob Valenzuela (Hesperia Boxing)

9.28.05

A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IS UP FOR GRABS ON OCTOBER 13

LICONA BATTLES GONZALEZ FOR THE VACANT IBA TITLE

HOMBRE TV TO TELEVISE NOCHE de BOXEO CALIENTE - “The Night of The Heat of Boxing”

LAS VEGAS, NV, September 19 – When a world championship is on the line, suddenly everything changes. Training gets more intense, the punches get harder, and the fights get tougher. Luckily, featherweights Marcos Licona and Jose Gonzalez are up to the challenge, and on Thursday, October 13th, these two 126-pounders will battle it out for the right to be called champion, as the vacant IBA featherweight crown will be up for grabs in their 12 round clash, which will take place at the Stardust Resort & Casino Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Licona-Gonzalez, which headlines a top-notch lineup of competitive fights, is being promoted by Dangerous Curves Promotions, and they have retained Roy Englebrecht Promotions as their event coordinator. The six bout card will be aired live on HombreTV beginning at 6pm PST, is being sponsored by Crown Inc, and is titled Noche de Boxeo Caliente, “The Night of the Heat of Boxing”.

Doors open at 5pm, and the first bout begins at 6pm.

Read the Full Release

Weekly News and Notes

by Lawrence Hidaka

Week of September 26, 2005

“SOMETHING IS WRONG”

I was probably the only one who noticed the absence of Weekly News and Notes last week. As Leavander Johnson fought for his life at University Medical Center, I just couldn’t bring myself to think about boxing, much less celebrate it. This coming less than three months after the passing of Martin Sanchez of injuries suffered in a fight at the Orleans. On Leavander’s passing on Thursday, well, the feeling is hard to describe, it was just sickening and painful for all boxing fans. Our deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of Leavander Johnson.

After every ring tragedy, we hear the old saying, “Every boxer knows the risk he takes each time he steps into the ring.” But saying this and even believing it in no lessens the shame, revulsion, disappointment, anger . . . we boxing fans feel when someone dies as a result of participating in the sport we love.

Ring physician Dr. Margaret Goodman was quoted by the BBC as saying, “Something is wrong, I don't know what, but we need to re-evaluate the entire way we approach the testing and treatment of boxers. These kids trust their lives to us and we are failing them.” (you can read the article here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/4275652.stm)

Thank you, Dr. Goodman, for your honesty and caring, qualities we see too infrequently in those who control and influence boxing. The day after Leavander’s death, Nevada Athletic Commission chairman Skip Avansino announced the formation of an “Advisory Committee on Boxer Health and Safety”. The Nevada Athletic Commission is already the strictest and most safety-conscious boxing commission in the world, but they have committed themselves to doing an even better job of protecting boxers. Another saying we hear after a tragedy is “This death won’t be meaningless if something good can come of it.” It nearly borders on cliché. But in this case, with people like Dr. Goodman and Skip Avansino and Marc Ratner and all the other great Nevada ring officials and commission members on the case, I’m confident that indeed something good will come of the tragic deaths of Martin Sanchez and Leavander Johnson in 2005. I hope their family and friends can take a little bit of comfort in this.

See you next week.

9.24.05

Lopez Overcomes Ruiz!

***You definately need to see this pic bigger***

Then, view the Photo Gallery.

Read the Main Event Report by Lawrence Hidaka

Read the Undercard Report by Steven Robinson

Kevin Iole of the Review Journal Considers Boxing's Most Recent Tragedy

Full Story here

9.22.05

COTTO IN A.C., READY TO RUMBLE;

World champion Miguel Cotto is in Atlantic City and is "totally prepared" to take on #1 rated and undefeated Ricardo Torres at the Boardwalk Brawls on HBO Saturday night.

At a presser today, Cotto said:

"It really doesn't matter who I fight. I'm prepared to take on whoever Top Rank puts in front of me. I'm comfortable at my fighting weight of 140 and I plan to remain in this division for the next 12 to 14 months."

Cotto said he earlier fought Torres, 28-0, 26 KOs of Colombia, in an amateur bout. Cotto won via decision.

Cotto, 24, has a record of 24-0 with 20 knockouts. He is 4-0-0 in WBO world junior welterweight title fights. He was 2004 Puerto Rico Fighter of the Year. As amateur, Cotto had a record of 95-23 and represented Puerto Rico at 2000 Olympic Games.

Cotto vs. Torres will open the HBO telecast at 10:00 pm Saturday. Over 9,000 tickets have been sold at the Boardwalk Hall on a title card which includes Wladimir Klitschko vs. Sam Peter in a riveting heavyweight eliminator.

========================
VITALI KLITSCHKO/HASHIM RAHMAN 'SEEK AND DESTROY'

World heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko and interim champion Hasim Rahman will be at a 'Seek and Destroy' press conference Saturday, 1 pm, at Caesars Atlantic City. The heavyweights will be in the Marcus Aurelius Ballroom.

In earlier press conferences in L.A. and Las Vegas, Klitschko described Rahman as a "talkin' world champion.

"He talks the game," said Klitschko at the podium at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Klitschko looked over to Rahman and said "I will knock you out - promise."

"Not in my house," said Rahman. "I live and train in Las Vegas. Just wanted to let you know..."

Klitschko vs. Rahman 'Seek and Destroy' is scheduled Nov. 12 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas and will be available on HBO Pay-Per-View. Klitschko vs. Rahman is being promoted by Top Rank in association with K2 Promotions, Caesars Palace and Wynn Las Vegas.

9.21.05

Las Vegas Hoops Offering Boxing to Las Vegans

In a town that is the boxing capitol of the world, there aren't many places for people to learn how to box. Therefore, it's always good when another gym opens. Las Vegas Hoops is in North Las vegas off Lossee Road and Craig - they can be reached at 296-9246.

9.14.05

LVBOXING.COM WEEKLY NEWS AND NOTES

By Lawrence Hidaka

Week of September 12, 2005

RAHEEM UPSETS MORALES! Last week I neglected to plug Las Vegan Zahir Raheem’s challenge of Mexican hero Erik Morales at the Staples Center in L.A. Raheem, a 1996 U.S. Olympian, has gotten no respect his entire pro career, though he had just one professional loss, a close decision to Rocky Juarez last year. Like he needs me to rub it in. Raheem was born in Philadelphia and is billed as a Philadelphia fighter, but he currently trains in Las Vegas under Don House at the House of Pain Gym along with Kid Diamond and Steven Luevano. Rahim completely bamboozled Morales over 12 rounds with constant movement and quick hands thrown at awkward times. Morales looked a little soft at 135. The card was supposed to be a commercial for Pacquiao-Morales II. Much hoopla was made about the possible rematch if both men won their fights. Pacquiao did his part by disposing of Hector Velazquez in 6, but Rahim presumably spoiled the party, right? Turns out Top Rank announced soon after that Pacquiao-Morales II was still on for January 21. All that hype about both guys needing to win their fights to force the rematch? They were just kidding around. Yeah, boxing needs less credibility. Anyway, congratulations to Las Vegan Zahir Raheem . . .

“DANCING DESTROYER” BOUT CANCELLED! Herbie “The Dancing Destroyer” Hide was scheduled for a comeback bout as a cruiserweight last Saturday in Montreal, but his fight did not come off. Hide currently trains in Las Vegas under Floyd Mayweather, Sr. I’ve got my feelers out for the reason, I’ll have an update soon . . .

LAS VEGANS IN ACTION THIS WEEK! Jessica Rakozcy will defend her IBA lightweight title against Eliza Olson in this Saturday at the Palace Indian Gaming Center in Lemoore, CA. Olson is at least a weight class bigger than Jessica, but Jessica, the best unknown female fighter in the world, should have few problems. The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds. On the same night in San Jose, CA, Elena “Baby Doll” Reid will face Tracey Stephens. We saw Stephens get beat pretty bad by Melinda Cooper last year at the Plaza. On the same night on a GUILTY card in Duluth, GA, Las Vegan Friday “The 13th” Ahunanya will try to get back on the winning track against Sultan Ibragimov, whom we saw look pretty decent at the Orleans three months ago . . .

BARRERA-PEDEN THIS SATURDAY AT MGM GRAND! Marco Antonio Barrera will defend the world super featherweight championship against Aussie Robbie Peden this Saturday night at the MGM Grand. Barrera is about a 6-1 favorite, but this is not as bad a match as a lot of people think. Peden's only losses are to John Brown five years ago and Juan Manuel Marquez three years ago. Two of his last three fights have been nice stoppages of Nate Campbell. I see this fight going 12 competitive and entertaining rounds, unless Barrera drops the hammer in the late rounds. On the undercard, Leavander Johnson defends his IBF lightweight belt against Jesus Chavez, and "Sugar" Shane Mosley faces undefeated but untested Jose Luis Cruz. This is an HBO/PPV card, not sure why. The PPV telecast starts at 6:00 . . .

HAVE A GREAT BOXING WEEK!

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