Closing out a five-day, four-city international press tour which had already made stops in Los Angeles, Mexico City and New York City, WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs) and former Two-Time Super Welterweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) hosted a press conference on Friday, Aug. 28 in front of a hometown audience in Cotto’s native Puerto Rico. Hundreds of media members and thousands of screaming fans filled Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez to see Cotto and Canelo and their teams despite the area being hit by Tropical Storm Erika the night before.
Roman Martinez And Jonathan Oquendo Puerto Rico Media Day Quotes & Photos
WBO Junior Lightweight Champion Roman “Rocky” Martinez (29-2-2, 17 KOs) and WBO/IBF featherweight world-ranked Jonathan “Polvo” Oquendo (25-4, 16 KOs) worked out for the press in Puerto Rico on Monday, Aug, 31 in advance of their SHOWTIME PPV® fights against former world champions Orlando “Siri” Salido (42-13-2, 29 KOs) and Jhonny Gonzalez (58-9, 49 KOs), respectively. The event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas highlighted by HIGH STAKES: Floyd Mayweather vs. Andre Berto.
Martinez and Oquendo worked before the media at the Dorado Municipal Gym in Dorado, Puerto Rico. Both fighters completed a full training session with their respective trainers Raul Torres and Dennis Pantojas.
PBC on CBS – Jamie McDonnell: I Will Make a Statement Against Tomoki Kameda on Sunday
Arguably Britain’s most under-appreciated world champion, Jamie McDonnell (26-2-1, 12ko), fights out in Texas for the second time on Sunday, to again defend his WBA (reg) bantamweight title in a rematch with dangerous Japanese former WBO champion Tomoki Kameda (31-1, 19ko), whom he got off the floor to beat in a cracking little scrap back in May, winning a close UD by scores of 114-113 (x3).
The Doncaster man, out in the Lone Star State with twin brother Gavin, will again be cornered by manager David Coldwell, due to regular trainer Dave Hulley’s fear of flying, but the Brit is confident the slow start that plagued him in the first fight will be a thing of the past, as he seeks to take it to Kameda early and make a proper statement.
WW3: Andy Lee-Billy Joe Saunders Hit by Yet More Bad Luck / Billy Joe Cut in Sparring/ Off Until November
The fabled ‘luck of the Irish’ has hardly been with the Emerald Isle’s WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee – or for that matter, with veteran British promoter Frank Warren, ahead Lee’s much-anticipated clash with Hatfield’s mandatory challenger Billy Joe Saunders – that was due to take place in Manchester, England, on Oct 10th.
The fight has now had to be postponed AGAIN, after already moving back 3 weeks from Limerick, Ireland (Lee’s hometown) – ostensibly due to a ‘virus’ suffered by the champion – and following this second unfortunate drama – a cut sustained by Saunders in sparring -it looks like fans will be waiting until NOVEMBER to see them get it on.
Today’s drama had stemmed from the following tweet from Frank Warren;
Gilberto Ramirez: Tune Up Date Switched Before 2016 World Title Shot
Red hot Mexican super-middleweight contender and WBO mandatory challenger Gilberto Ramirez, is set to have one more tune up bout before the inevitable step up in class next year, when he will be set to challenge German based veteran and current WBO 168 lb champion Arthur Abraham in a fight that will likely take place around February or March.
Ramirez had been scheduled to box on the October 9th Top Rank show in Los Angeles, set to broadcast on truTV, although according to ESPN.com, that is likely to now be switched to November 20th at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, which – given the Cotto/Canelo fight in the City the following day, will ensure plenty of exposure for the highly touted Mexican, due to the boxing media that will descend on Vegas in droves that weekend.
Kell Brook Opponent to Be Announced This Week / Diego Chaves Still Likely with Klitschko/Fury TV Split
For those still waiting on an announcement regarding IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook’s next defence of his title – that is set to take place on October 24th in his Sheffield backyard, then the wait will come to an end this Wednesday, when an announcement is to be made live on Sky Sports News in the UK.
Brook was last seen destroying over-matched countryman Frankie Gavin inside 6 rounds back in May, and was almost set to face American brawler Brandon Rios, until the fight fell apart over contractual minutiae – including money and a rematch clause – yet Rios is now set to fight in November in California and is (sadly) firmly out of the picture.
Jose Santa Cruz on Vasyl Lomachenko: “That F*****? Give Him to Us!!
Jose Santa Cruz, father and trainer of new WBA (sup) featherweight champion Leo, believes there is little point in his son signing on for a rematch with fellow Mexican-American star Abner Mares, especially given the strong showing on Saturday night, and believes that fights with the divisions Eastern European element, including Ukrainian amateur standout and WBO 126 lb champion Vasyl Lomachenko, are the best way forward for his son.
Speaking via fighthype.com, the elder Santa Cruz said of the potential Mares rematch.
“If there are others with more technique, better technique, (we’d like them) to make for a better fight.”
The “Irish Bomber” Joe Smith Jr. Heads Rockin Fights 20
September 11th at The Paramount in Huntington, NY!
After seeing the widely broadcast video of a Irish boxer tourist, Mohammed Fadel Dobbous taking on a Turkish crowd last week (see below) I couldn’t help but think of Joe “The Irish Bomber” Smith Jr.
Watching the video and seeing the man described as a tourist / Irish professional boxer deck one of the attacking mob with a single shot, Smith’s natural punching power quickly came to mind.
Smith, 25 years old from Mastic, Shirley Long Island, is a talented professional boxer who comes from a impressive amateur career, including two New York Gold Glove and four New York Metro titles. Smith who carries the moniker “The Irish Bomber” because of his raw punching power is 18-1, 15Ko’s as a pro . Thats a 80% KO ratio higher than that of greats like Marvin Hagler and Stanley Ketchel .
“Britain’s Worst Boxer” Robin Deakin is Back in the Win Column!
“Rockin” Robin Deakin, cruelly branded ‘Britain’s worst boxer’ by the national press in the UK – before using the tag for his own promotional ends – has taken the first crucial step to regaining his British licence by getting a much needed win on Saturday, defeating Latvia’s Deniss Kornilovs by 4 round points decision at London’s famous York Hall, winning every round.
The battle-hardened trier was born severely disabled with a condition called Talipes – an affliction affecting the legs that was so serious his parents were told he may never even walk, let alone fight – a fact the red-tops in Britain repeatedly fail to mention, alongside his more than respectable amateur career that saw 46 wins from 76 contests.
Paulie Malignaggi: Not Ruling Out a Return / At the Same Time, In No Rush
After his recent stoppage loss to Danny Garcia in New York, local favourite and former two-weight world champion Paulie Malignaggi appeared to decide that the time had come to bring the curtain down on his long career, emotionally announcing that his time to retire was nigh, and that he would be seeking to focus on his burgeoning, and successful career, as a ringside analyst for Showtime and Sky Sports in the UK.
“I’m probably not fighting again,” Malignaggi said after the Garcia fight.
“You hate to make an emotional decision. My career started in Brooklyn 14 years ago. If it ends in Brooklyn tonight, then at least I ended it at home, where I’m from, and in front of the greatest fans in the world. I’ve got a really good job commentating and watching great fighters fight ringside. I hope to sit around ringside for a long time.”