On March 7th Star Boxing’s world rated light welterweight contender, The Pride of Greece, “Mighty” Mike Arnaoutis (21-2- 2,10KO) will meet ESPN.com’s 2008 prospect of the year “Vicious” Victor Ortiz (23-1- 1,18KO) in a 12 round light welterweight championship. The Arnaoutis vs. Ortiz battle will be part of that evening’s live triple header on HBO and will take place at The Tank in San Jose, CA. At stake will be both the USBA light welterweight title, held by Arnaoutis and the NABO light welterweight title, which is held by Ortiz..
The 29-year-old Arnaoutis (WBO #6, IBF #7, WBA #11, WBC #12) had a sensational year in 08′ winning all four of his fights and in the process repositioned himself as one of the top light welterweights in the world.
“I said that I would fight anyone and everyone and I am proving that by taking on Ortiz,” said Arnaoutis. “Ortiz is a good fighter, but I’m a great fighter and I will prove that on March 7th. He has never been in with someone of my caliber. He has never been in with someone who is as good and as tough as me. If he thinks by fighting me it’s going to be his coming out party he is making a huge mistake. I can not wait to show the world that “Mighty” Mike is back!”
“This is a significant fight for boxing and especially the light welterweight division,” stated Arnaoutis promoter, Joe DeGuardia, CEO of Star Boxing. “Ortiz has a lot of skills and is certainly one of the hottest fighters out there right now. He was chosen by ESPN.com as the 2008 Prospect of the year, which is a testament to his ability. All that being said, Mike has never been better than now and he is ready for the best his division has to offer. Both of these guys are ranked very high in the major sanctioning bodies (Ortiz ranked as the WBO #4, WBA #5, IBF #9 light welterweight in the world) so the winner clearly will be in line for a world championship.”
Arnaoutis vs. Ortiz on paper alone sets up to be an all-out war. Both southpaws know how to bring it and excite crowds with their fan friendly, guns blazing styles each time they enter the ring. The card is being promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.
Cunningham Praises Tomasz Adamek’s Knockout Victory
Former IBF Champion, Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham was ringside at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Friday night supporting his former foe, current champ, Tomasz ‘Goral’ Adamek, when he faced Kronk fighter Johnathon Banks from Detroit in the first defense of the IBF title.
Adamek secured the IBF and Ring Magazine Cruiserweight World titles on December 11th ’08 with a close split-decision win over the then champion, ‘USS’ Cunningham, in one of the greatest Cruiserweight battles of all time. The fight had it all, spectacular non-stop action, drama and three knockdowns and was rightly nominated as “Fight of the Year” candidate.
‘USS’ Cunningham, who later this year is to face former WBC title holder, Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite, in an IBF title eliminator to earn the rematch with Adamek he so eagerly desires, was just as fanatical in his support for the Champion as were the Polish fans that packed the arena.
After Adamek successfully defended his title by knocking his previously unbeaten opponent out in the eighth round, ‘USS’ Cunningham, still clutching the Polish flag which he waved enthusiasticly throughout the fight, said. “It was a very good win for Adamek. Banks was doing good the first four rounds, then he shut down in the fifth and Adamek stepped up and got him out of there.
Polish fans are awesome, it was a great crowd.
I want the rematch more than any other fight out there, so I’m going to do what I have to do to get it. And that is to fight and beat Braithwaite.”
On the subject of the desired rematch, it was recently announced that the Adamek-Cunningham II campaign website – www.wewantarematch.com – has broken the 250,000 visitors milestone since it’s inception just two months ago.
Don King Productions are expected to announce the date and venue for Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham vs. Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite in the very near future.
Watch this space…
Welterweight Tommy Rainone Looks To Make An Impact in 2009
LONG ISLAND – The professional boxing career of Tommy “Razor” Rainone started out just as he had hoped, fighting 10 times within his first 13 months. Since then the fights have been coming in less frequently, despite his burgeoning popularity in his native Long Island, NY and the entire Tri-State area.
“I’d like to be fighting every two months,” says Rainone, 12-2 (4 KO). “I’m hoping to fight in March and if so, I’d love to fight at least 5 times this year. I’m always in the gym, always ready.”
Rainone, a 29-year-old Plainview resident, is a promotional and managerial free agent openly seeking representation for his career. In his last performance, Rainone traveled all the way to Argentina this past December, stopping Santos Galli in seven rounds.
What makes Rainone special is his unique appeal with the fans; Depending on location and adequate advance notice, Rainone routinely brings in between $7,000-$8,000 in ticket sales. On bigger shows, like at Madison Square Garden and similar venues, Rainone has the potential to generate $10-$15K in sales.
“It definitely adds an element to my fights,” Rainone says of his fan base. “Having all of my family, friends and fans in the room at the same time for a common cause. That’s something very special to me.
“Having a promoter who can get you the right fights makes life a lot easier. I’ve had to play the role of promoter, manager and fighter for most of my career and it can be burdensome. I’d like to sign with someone this year if it’s the right fit. The opportunities have been there but I’ve had to turn them down because they weren’t right for me.”
Rainone aims to one day accomplish what every boxer sets out to do: Win a world title. He understands that he must walk before he runs and has set two short-term attainable goals that will bring him one step closer to his future objectives. The first is winning the New York State Welterweight Title, currently held by Daniel Sostre. The second is challenging fellow southpaw Demarcus “Chop Chop” Corley, a former world champion now competing in Rainone’s weight range. Rainone feels confident that he can give his career the push it needs by defeating Corley, who has fought the likes of Miguel Cotto and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“I’ve been a huge boxing fan since I was six years old. I’m following my dream. I set myself small, reasonable goals, just taking it one step at a time. All I need are the opportunities.”