Statement Ruslan Chagaev to Valuev vs. Ruiz – Chagaev: It was a draw! Universum fighter Ruslan Chagaev saw the heavyweight clash between Nikolai Valuev and John Ruiz on Saturday night at home in front of the TV. After his Achilles tendon tear in June, the WBA heavyweight champion “in recess” is back in light training..
Here’s what Ruslan Chagaev had to say about the fight:
What do you think about the points victory of Valuev?
Chagaev: “For me, the fight was at the most a draw. I even leaned toward Ruiz. If he would have won, nobody would have complained.”
You’ve defeated both Ruiz and Valuev. How do you assess their performance?
Chagaev: “All in all, I saw nothing new. The only thing I noticed is that Ruiz was a little more aggressive and Valuev’s jab has improved a little. But I’m still not worried.”
What’s next for you?
Chagaev: “I’m WBA world champion because I have clearly beaten both. Unfortunately, because I’m still recovering from the injury, I’m currently in wait mode. But I will come back and beat Valuev. He’ll be happy until I’m healthy again, then I’ll show who the true world champion is. The nice thing is he can’t get away from me.”
Chagaev’s promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl added: “It looks as if Nikolai Valuev’s left hand is somewhat improved. This is good because since he must face our injured world champion Chagaev, it will be a high-class fight. This is good for the fans as well as for boxing. Nevertheless, after this fight of Valuev, I have no doubts that Ruslan will also beat him the second time.”
KHAN FIST FESTIVAL RETURNS THIS SATURDAY!
Undefeated No. 2 Lightweight Contender Amir Khan to Defend Commonwealth Title Against Breidis Prescott.
LONDON (August 31, 2008) — Undefeated Commonwealth lightweight champion and 2004 Olympic silver medallist AMIR KHAN returns to the ring This Saturday! September 6, at Manchester’s MEN Arena, with a new trainer and a new television broadcast partner. Khan (18-0, 14 KOs), from Bolton, will be making his fifth title defense against undefeated Colombian knockout artist Breidis Prescott (19-0, 17 KOs), making his European debut.
Khan, currently world-rated No. 2 and No. 4 by the World Boxing Organization and the World Boxing Council, respectively, will be stepping into the ring for the first time with new trainer Jorge Rubio. Rubio, the Florida-based Cuban expatriate, is best known for formerly training Cuba’s vaunted national amateur squad. He is also currently working with 2004 Olympic Champion and undefeated professional wunderkind Yuriorkis Gamboa.
Promoted by Frank Warren, Saturday’s fight will also mark Khan’s debut on Sky Box Office where he has signed a multi-fight deal that will follow him on the final leg of his journey toward a world championship fight. The night of boxing, headlined by Khan vs. Prescott, will be available to Sky digital subscribers for £14.95 on Sky Box Office channel 743 and in high definition on channel 753. It can be ordered by pressing the red button on the Sky remote handset – there is a £1 booking fee for any orders made by phone. For further information and to order the event, viewers can call: 08442 410 888.
BOXING GREAT, SUGAR RAY LEONARD, TO BE HONORED WITH JIM MURRAY MEMORIAL FOUNDATION 2008 “GREAT ONES” AWARD
Olympic Gold Medalist and Boxing Legend, Sugar Ray Leonard, joins prestigious list of
Great Ones, Arnold Palmer, Joe Namath, Chris McCarron, Bobby Rahal, Duke Snider, Luc Robitaille
LOS ANGELES [August 31, 2008] – The Jim Murray Memorial Foundation (JMMF) will honor Sugar Ray Leonard, one of the legendary sports icons of the 20th century whose very name epitomizes boxing and conjures the image of a champion, with its “Great Ones” award at the Tenth Anniversary “Tribute to Living Legends of Sports and Media” on Thursday, October 30, 2008, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, Calif.
Leonard’s name has been synonymous with boxing greatness since the early 1970’s having a career that includes three National Golden Gloves titles, two Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) championships and the 1975 Pan-American Games crown. Not to mention winning a gold medal in boxing at the 1976 Olympic games. After turning pro in 1977, Leonard won world titles in the welterweight, junior middleweight, super middleweight, and light heavyweight divisions. He was the first boxer to win world titles in five different weight classes, a record that stands to this day.
Leonard’s sincere, charismatic personality coupled with his ring experience led to a successful career as a television broadcaster for NBC, ABC, HBO and ESPN. Leonard was host and mentor for the second and third seasons of the critically acclaimed series, Contender, on ESPN, and produced by Dreamworks Television and Mark Burnett Productions. For many years, Leonard has been the international chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk for a Cure and Ray recently began his own foundation, The Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation, which exclusively benefits the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Southern California chapter. He also participates in a variety of national and international causes benefiting children’s charities. He has four children and lives in Southern California with his wife Bernadette.
“We are so pleased to honor Sugar Ray Leonard this year with the ‘Great Ones’ award,” said Linda McCoy-Murray, President/Founder of the JMMF. “His reputation in both his sport as well as the community around him most certainly qualifies him as a Great One!”
The 2008 JMMF scholarship winners are Kyle Austin, Syracuse University; Kyle Goon, University of Maryland; Ryan Haney, Trinity College-Hartford; Alex Herbach, University of Southern California; Bill Oram, University of Montana; Michael Sanserino, Indiana University; and Mark Viera, Penn State University. The Jim Murray Memorial Foundation was established in 1998 by McCoy-Murray. As of 2008, the JMMF has awarded 63 journalism scholarships totaling $332,500.00.