Boxing News: WBC Congratulates China, Jason Estrada, Richel Hersisia

The World Boxing Council, which will held its 46th convention in Chengdu, China, congratulates such country on the medals that several of its boxers obtained in the recent Olympic tournament that took place in Beijing. The Chinese fighters won two gold medals and a silver one, and in addition to getting the victory, they showed exceptional quality at all times..

In the Lightflyweight division, Chinese fighter, Shiming Zow won the gold medal, by Technical Knockout in the second round, when after 19 seconds of the beginning of such round, his opponent, Serdamba Purevdorj from Mongolia, conceded defeat as he had an injury in his right shoulder.

Thus, Zow became the first man to give his homeland its first Olympic gold medal in history.

The other Chinese fighter who won a gold medal, was the Lightheavyweight boxer, Xiaoping Zhang, who defeated Kenn Egan from Ireland by a decision of 11 – 7.

And the silver medal was won by Zhilei Zhang, who lost by points to Roberto Cammarelle, from Italy, in the Heavyweight division.

Jason Estrada won’t get caught in trap fight

Godfrey-Nwodo NABF title fight headlines Friday night’s “Title Wave” at Mohegan Sun

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (August 25, 2008) – Others may consider his Friday night match-up against Texas champion Domonic Jenkins as simply a “stay busy” opportunity, however, 2004 U.S. Olympian Jason “Big Six” Estrada is fully aware that it’s a potential trap fight and he’s prepared as if it were a title bout.

Estrada (13-1, 3 KOs) takes on Jenkins (13-8-1, 6 KOs) in an eight-round Special Heavyweight Attraction this Friday evening on the “Title Wave” card, headlined by NABF cruiserweight champion Matt “Too Smooth” Godfrey’s title defense against challenger Emmanuel Nwodo, live on ESPN Friday Night Fights from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Estrada, rated No. 11 by the NABF and NABO, realizes that Jenkins has upset Malcolm Tann, Jason Gavern, Ron Guerrero, and Victor Bisbal, as well as been in against Chris Arreola, Tye Fields, Chazz Witherspoon, and Eddie Chambers. “Regardless of what others feel about Jenkins,” Estrada said, “I’m taking this fight completely serious, as if it’s for a championship. It’s these type of fights that guys take lightly and then get beaten. I know that this is an opportunity for me to move up in the heavyweight division. Jenkins and I were sparring partners for Tony Thompson when he was getting ready for Dominick Guinn.”

Estrada is somewhat frustrated that top 20 ranked fighters won’t fight him, but he realizes that fighting somebody like him with exceptional hand and foot speed is too big a risk for some. “I’m frustrated but patient,” he explained. “I am the top United States heavyweight prospect and I ‘m willing to fight anybody out there. But I have no idea what it’s going to take to get a big fight. Hopefully, it’ll get done sooner rather than later. I respect their decisions not to fight me because this is a business and they don’t want to lose out on a money fight (losing to Estrada before they cash in). But they can’t keep avoiding me if they really want to be considered top heavyweights. Just call my promoter (Jimmy Burchfield).”

Godfrey (16-1, 9 KOs), rated No. 5 by the WBC, headlines against Nigerian-born Nwodo (22-4, 18 KOs), former USBA champion currently rated No. 12 by the WBA and No. 14 by the WBC, in the 12-round main event on “Title Wave,” promoted by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES), in association with Mohegan Sun and ESPN.

WBC World Youth featherweight title-holder Matt “Sharp Shooter” Remillard (14-0, 7 KOs), fighting out of nearby Manchester, is scheduled to be in action in the 10-round co-feature.

In a pair of four-round bouts, Ledyard’s (CT) unbeaten super middleweight Brian Macy (4-0, 1 KO), 2000 National PAL champion and U. of Connecticut graduate, faces Shawn Kirk (4-2, 2 KOs), while light heavyweight Keith Kozlin makes his pro debut versus Borngard Washington (0-3).

In two four-round female bouts on the undercard, Hartford’s popular welterweight Addy Irizarry (5-2, 2 KOs) is up against her toughest challenge in former world champion Yvonne “Silk” Reiss (7-12-1) and Mystic (CT) super bantamweight Karen Dulin (0-1) goes for her first pro victory versus Christina Leadbeater (1-1, 1 KO). All fighters and bouts are subject to change.

Tickets for “Title Wave” are priced at $30.00, $45.00, $75.00 and $100.00 and available to purchase by calling CES (401.724.2253/2254), going on line at www.cesboxing.com or www.mohegansun.com, at the Mohegan Sun box office or any TicketMaster outlet.

Contact CES (401.724.2253/2254/www.cesboxing.com) for more information. Doors open at 6:30 PM/ET, first bout at 7:30 PM/ET.

Richel Back To Rocky II For Fine-Tuning!

25.8.2008: Since the last week, Dutch heavyweight banger Richel Hersisia has started the fine tuning for his main event clash with ex-WBO champ “Merciless” Ray Mercer, 35-7-1 (26 KO’s), on Pugnus Promotion’s big Karlstad, Sweden bill on September 5 by re-joining trainer Ralf Rocchigiani (himself a former WBO champ, but at cruiser) in Berlin.
Hersisia, 30-2 (24 KO’s), had started out camp in Duisburg, Germany with Ralf’s younger brother, and fellow ex-‘world’ champion, Graciano Rocchigiani, but wanted to spend the last three weeks with Ralf – called Rocky II in the German media, because he won his ‘world’ title after Graciano – in Berlin.

“Ralf knows me a little more intimately, because we worked very well and closely for my last two fights, so I forgot about spending the weekends home in favour of staying near to him,” reasoned the ‘Dutch Sonny Liston’, “I know this fight with Mercer is too important for me to take it easy.” Rocchigiani was pleased after the first few sessions, saying “Richel came very fit and he’s very determined. We just work on some little things now and get him mentally ready.”

The now 47-year-old Mercer, who gave up the WBO title in 1992 after winning it from Francesco Damiani and defending once against Tommy Morrison, certainly has fond memories of Europe, and in fact Scandinavia. In 2001, Mercer appeared in Denmark to knock out Brian Scott in two rounds and as recently as last September 2007, he needed just one round to smash Swedish hometown hero Mikael Lindblad to the canvas. Before the fight, Lindblad had sparred with Hersisia… Now the Dutchman can take revange for his former gym mate in the very same arena in Karlstad in a fight that promoter Anders Holmberg of Pugnus described as “the biggest fight in Sweden in the last 40 years”.

The 34-year-old Hersisia is coming off a one-year’s layoff, but is a clean and healthy liver even outside gym hours. Before stopping Brazilian champ Marcos Celestino in one round last September for the WBF Intercontinental belt, Hersisia had the highlight fight of his career, a give-and-take battle with world-ranked Taras Bidenko, which ended in a hotly disputed points defeat. This constitutes the only loss for the Dutch and Benelux champion in the last four years!

Explaining the inactivity, manager Olaf Schroeder of Fight Production says: “We had a lot of fights simply falling thru after Bidenko. That fight with Bidenko, I believe, opened a lot of people’s eyes about Richel. The ‘establishment’ could barely avoid him beating Bidenko and consequently we were shut out a bit. I was in talks about many fights against well-known opponents, but sooner or later it always was ‘No, thanks, but we changed our mind about fighting Hersisia’.” A fight, so much is for sure, is something a certain Raymond Mercer, despite his age, won’t shy away from.