LOS ANGELES (Nov. 29, 2011) – With just four days until their respective world championship showdowns on Saturday, Dec. 3, live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., all four fighters preparing for the World Championship Doubleheader participated in an open media workout at Westside Boxing Club in Los Angeles, Calif.
In the main event, unbeaten rising star Abner Mares (22-0-1, 13 KO’s), of Hawaiian Gardens, Calif., will defend his International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver Bantamweight Championship titles against the boxer he dethroned, former Two-Time IBF Bantamweight World Champion Joseph King Kong Agbeko (28-3, 22 KO’s), of Accra, Ghana.
In the co-featured world championship bout, Anselmo “Chemito” Moreno (31-1-1, 11 KO’s), of Panama City, Panama, will defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) Bantamweight Super Championship against Two-Division World Champion Vic “The Raging Bull’’ Darchinyan (37-3-1, 27 KO’s), of Sydney, Australia, by way of Vanadzor, Armenia.
The doubleheader is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don King Productions and Gary Shaw Productions and sponsored by Corona, DeWalt Tools and AT&T.
Tickets for Mares vs. Agbeko II, priced at $150, $100, $50 and $25, are available for purchase at all Ticketmaster locations, online at ticketmaster.com, via charge-by-phone at 800-745-3000 and at the Honda Center Box Office.
Here’s what the fighters had to say on Tuesday:
ABNER MARES:
“I’m really looking forward to facing him again. It took a lot away from the championship. Now I just want to go in the ring and perform, beat him again and fight a good fight.
“My last three or four opponents have been champions or world champions, so I think everyone knows what I’m capable of.
“I could have taken some time off or fought someone else. I hope to win the right way so people will give me the credit I deserve.
“It’s a world championship fight and it’s a great night for the fans. If it goes 12 rounds, let’s make it 12 interesting rounds.
“I need to maintain my distance and not fight his fight.
“The knockout comes by itself. We definitely want to throw a lot of punches and aim for his head, but I just want to perform. If the knockout comes, it’s comes.
“I’m excited to be fighting back in California. Anaheim has great boxing fans.
“When two warriors face each other all you can expect is a good fight.
“I want to go in there and make a statement in the first two rounds. He’s a good fighter and he never gave up in the last fight, so I think the first few rounds will be key.
“I just want to go in there and capitalize and move on. He’s a great champion and it should be a great fight. I need to fight smart, box and move onto other fighters.
“He’s a well-schooled fighter and he maintained and got back in the fight like a world champion will, but I’m ready to show a different Abner in this fight.
“If you don’t risk, you’re not going to win.”
JOSEPH AGBEKO:
“Boxing is always different. What happens in one fight doesn’t always happen again. I’m going in as warrior and I’m ready for war.
“My job is to go in and fight and come out as the winning fighter. I want to get the belt back.
“At the press conference, Mares said he wants a knockout. If he said he wants a knockout, then I’m going to knock him out.
“There will be a lot of changes in the ring this time, but the whole world will see the best Joseph Agbeko.
“In the last fight there were some fouls and this time the ref will be watching and doing the right thing.
“He knows how to throw a punch in the right place and I think he will on Saturday.
“I think about what happened every night and I’m looking forward to getting back in the ring.
“The key is for me to prove that I’m better than him.
“Mares is a good fighter, but I need to prove that I am the better fighter. I am physically ready to do that.
“I deserved a rematch and I’m glad they gave me one right away.
“I didn’t retaliate against him because I had to be professional and I have to obey the rules of the sport.”
ANSELMO MORENO:
“I’m going to fight him the way he’ll fight me. I’m not going to hesitate.
“This is my first fight in the U.S. and I’m ready to get in the ring and show my skills. I’m not nervous about my first fight in the U.S., I just want to show why I’m the world champion.
“Darchinyan has his own style and he’s been a champion, too. I think it will be a style fight and, if we do it properly, it will be one hell of a fight.
“You’re going to see a hell of a fight from me and I will defend my title [successfully].
“Vic has a different style, but I have a very rare style as well. I’m looking to connect on all my punches, but it’s not as easy as people think.
“If everything comes out good on Saturday night and I win, I want to fight the winner of Mares and Agbeko.
“My ability and my intelligence has to be the difference in the fight.”
VIC DARCHINYAN:
“I’m looking for a smart fight, but for sure I’ll knock him out.
“I’ve fought southpaws and taller guys in the past and I didn’t have problems with them. I think it will be a good fight but I won’t have any problems with him.
“I’m looking for bigger fights – I’m looking to move up to 122 (pounds) to fight the bigger guys after I beat him.
“I love southpaws – he fits my style. I’ll go to the body and the head and destroy him slowly before the knockout. But I will knock him out, 100 percent.
“I’m an exciting fighter. I’ll go after him and knock him out.
“I want to go higher and higher. I think this will be my last fight at 118. I just want to fight the best and fight for titles.”
“Mares vs. Agbeko II” is a 12-round bout for Mares’ IBF and WBC Silver Bantamweight Championships which will take place Saturday, Dec. 3 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. In the co-featured world championship bout, Anselmo “Chemito” Moreno will defend his WBA Bantamweight Super World Championship against former two-division World Champion Vic “The Raging Bull” Darchinyan. The doubleheader is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don King Productions and Gary Shaw Productions and sponsored by Corona, DeWalt Tools and AT&T. The doubleheader will be televised live on SHOWTIME® beginning at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
Tickets for Mares vs. Agbeko II, priced at $150, $100, $50 and $25, are available for purchase at all Ticketmaster locations, online at ticketmaster.com, via charge-by-phone at 800-745-3000 and at the Honda Center Box Office.
About Golden Boy Promotions:
Los Angeles-based Golden Boy Promotions was established in 2002 by Oscar de la Hoya, the first Hispanic to own a national boxing promotional company. In 2007, in its fifth year of promoting, Golden Boy Promotions set a record by selling over 2.5 million in pay-per-view homes in a single night. Also in 2007, Golden Boy Promotions established the record for highest grossing pay-per-view homes in a single year with more than 4 million total. In 2009, the company broke records again by breaking the million mark in pay-per-view homes again with the return of Floyd Mayweather. Golden Boy Promotions is one of boxing’s most active and respected promoters, presenting shows in packed venues around the United States and the world on networks such as HBO, HBO Latino, HBO Plus, SHOWTIME, TeleFutura, Televisa, ESPN2 and Fox Sports Net.
Golden Boy Promotions currently has over 70 fighters under contract, from future Hall of Famers Bernard Hopkins and Erik Morales to current world champions and superstars Devon Alexander, Saul Alvarez, Robert Guerrero, David Haye, Chris John, Amir Khan, Marcos Maidana, Abner Mares, Anselmo Moreno, Victor Ortiz and Humberto Soto. Also included on the company’s roster are top contenders Librado Andrade, Alfredo Angulo, Adrien Broner, Danny Garcia, Erislandy Lara, Daniel Ponce De Leon, Seth Mitchell and Peter Quillin as well as highly regarded prospects Randy Caballero, Eddie Gomez, Frankie Gomez, Antonio Orozco, Carlos Velasquez and Deontay Wilder.
Prospect Boxing: Cleland Christmas Show Set To Be a Cracker!
With just over a week to go till the Cleland Miners show, Propspect Boxing are please to confirm the line up for the card. Scheduled on the 3 fight card are Iain Butcher, Kris Hughes and Chris Steel.
After overcoming injury , Chris Steel takes on Malta born Daniel Micallef. Having previously been scheduled earlier this year but was cancelled due to injury ,this fight takes over 6 x 2 . Micallef comes into this fight off a loss to TausGroetner, while Steel comes into this fight coming off a 3 month lay off due to injury.
After a successfully points victory on his debut , Prospect promotions latest signing Iain Butcher will be looking for his first KO victory as he takes on Newport’s Darren Pryce in 4 x 3’s in flyweight.
Scottish champion Kris Hughes returns to action in 4 x 3’s against Belfast’s Michael Harvey’s. After a points victory over Youssef Al Hamidi in Wishaw,Hughes will make his second appearance as a Prospect fighter.
Tickets are selling well,however a few £30 ticket remain . Ticket price includes a buffet and there will also be a comedian.
Tickets available from 01698 338888 . Further information available from www.facebook.com/prospectboxing
25th annual Ring 8 Holiday & Awards Ceremony Dec. 18 in New York City
Roy Jones, Jr., John Ruiz, Tomasz Adamek & Emanuel Steward among award winners
NEW YORK, NY (Nov. 30, 2011) – The 25th annual RING 8 Holiday Event and Awards Ceremony will be held Sunday afternoon (12:30-5:30 PM/ET), December 18 at Russo’s On The Bay in Howard Beach, New York.
A star-studded group of past and present world champions and industry dignitaries will be in attendance. Steve Farhood will serve as Master of Ceremonies, while Dave Diamante will announce the award winners.
RING 8 was formed in 1954 by an ex-prizefighter, Jack Grebelsky, and it became the eighth subsidiary of what was then known as the National Veteran Boxers Association — hence, RING “8” — and today the organization’s motto remains: Boxers Helping Boxers.
“We’re excited to be celebrating the silver anniversary of the RING 8 Holiday Event and Awards Ceremony,” RING 8 president Bob Duffy said. “We continue our proud record of lending a helping hand to those in the boxing community who are less fortunate and may require assistance in terms of paying their rent, medical expenses, or whatever justifiable need. Our Holiday Event and Awards Ceremony celebrates our great sport of boxing and insures that much-needed funding is raised so we may continue our mission for our needy brothers and sisters in boxing. We will never waver from their corners. With all of these outstanding boxers and award winners, we’re confident that this will be our most successful event.”
2011 RING 8 HONOREES
Fighter of the Decade (nineties) — Roy Jones, Jr.
Fight of the Year: Delvin Rodriguez vs. Pawel Wolak
First Hispanic Heavyweight Champion of the World: John Ruiz
Outstanding Achievement Award – Tomasz Adamek
Trainer of the Decade: Emanuel Steward
Ring 8 Promoter of the Year: Ziggy Rozalski
Uncrowned Champion: Michael DeLaRue
Longevity Service to Amateur Boxing: Frank Pena
Humanitarian Award: Jill Diamond
Amateur Boxer of the Year: Marcus Brown
Ring 8 Member of the Year: Keith Sullivan
Official of the Year: Ralph Petrillo
Ring 8 Boxing Historian: Henry Hascup
Manager of the Year: Philip Pilevsky
In addition to Jones, Ruiz and Adamek, other invited former world champion quests include Mark Breland, Juan LaPorte, Virgil “Quicksilver” Hill, Lonnie Bradley, Kathy “Wildcat” Collins, Iran “The Blade” Barkley and Junior “Poison” Jones, as well unbeaten, present IBF super featherweight champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano and NABF light welterweight titlist Gabriel “Tito” Bracero, and from the ‘The Contender” television reality series, trainer Tommy Gallagher.
Tickets, priced at $125.00 per person, are available to purchase by calling 1.718.729.4862, emailing DepComish@aol.com or mailing checks (payable to Ring 8) to Tony Mazzarella, C/O Waterfront Crab House, 2-03 Borden Ave., Long Island, NY 11101. Donations of any denomination are welcome for those unable to attend the festivities.
Tickets include a complete brunch with cocktail hour upon entry, seating at the awards ceremony, dinner and dessert, and top-shelf open bar throughout the afternoon. There will also be a silent auction of boxing memorabilia. This event is expected to sell-out and everybody is urged to purchase tickets as soon as possible in order to secure favorable seating. Boxing and sports memorabilia will be on display.
Program ads are available for Back Page ($250.00), Inside Front Cover ($200.00), Inside Back Cover ($200.00), Full Page ($150.00), Half-Page ($80.00), and Quarter-Page ($50.00). The deadline for all ads is Nov.290 and must be emailed (DepComish@aol.com) or mailed to Bob Duffy (516.313.2304), 164 Lindbergh St., Massapequa, NY 11762.
Call Tony Mazzarella (718.729.4862) for additional information about Ring 8 or its annual Holiday and Awards Ceremony, or go online to www.Ring8ny.com.
Russo’s On The Bay is located at 162-45 Crossbay Blvd. in Howard Beach (718.843.5055).
Go on line to www.Ring8ny.com for more information about RING 8, the largest group of its kind in the United States with more than 350 members. Annual membership dues is only $25.00 and each member is entitled to a buffet dinner at RING 8 monthly meetings, the third Tuesday of every month, excluding July and August. All active boxers, amateur and professional, are entitled to a complimentary RING 8 yearly membership.