CROWN BOXING INC. Las Vegas, NV, heads into the final week before their IBA Heavyweight Championship match between three time World Champion Olive McCall against the current Australian Champion John Hopoate from Sydney, Australia. The fighters are in training camps respectfully, Olive McCall in Las Vegas, and John Hopoate in California. Both contestants will arrive in Las Vegas this Sunday at The Orleans Hotel and Casino and will resume training in Las Vegas. The press conference will be held Wednesday, May 20, at The Orleans Hotel and Casino when both men will finally meet each other face to face..
This IBA Heavyweight Championship Bout will highlight the Las Vegas 2009 Memorial Day weekend. There is a feverish pitch with good advanced tickets sales. The remaining seven bout undercard is full of excitement featuring the local match up of 100% Patrick Liles won 7 (KO 7) against UNLV’s Henry Namauu in a Cruiserweight clash. The card will highlight Father and Son as Elijah McCall, son of Oliver McCall, fights Chad Davis of Phoenix Arizona in a Heavyweight Bout.
The IBA Championship Belt will be awarded to the winner on Friday, May 22, from The Orleans Hotel and Casino, in The Boxing Capital of the World Las Vegas, NV. The winner of this Championship Belt will certainly have boxing opportunities and matchmaker Frank Luca of Crown Boxing Inc. looks to unify The World Title with its IBA Champion.
Press credentials have been requested from around the world and their is a contingency of over 100 fans coming from Sydney Australia, to support John Hoppa Hopoate in his quest as he puts his Australian Heavyweight Championship on the line against the experienced Oliver McCall as he goes for his Fourth World Belt.
Fights will be held in the Mardi Gras Ballroom, Doors open 6pm / First bout 7pm.
(Card subject to Change)
Tickets on sale now at The Orleans Box office at 702-365-7075
Ticket can be purchased for $50 Ringside and $25 Reserved
European Boxing Roundup by Per Ake Persson
It´s rumored that WBO lightheavy champ Zsolt Erdei´s next defence will be in Germany September 5 and the opponent will be no other than Universum stablemate Juergen Braehmer, the current EBU champ. Braehmer defends that title June 6 in Oberhausen against Italian Antonio Brancalion and if all goes well – and Juergen is a firm favourite – the last hurdle for a showdown with Erdei should be done with.
Welters Jackson Osei Bonsu and Selcuk Aydin appear now to be on for Istanbul, Turkey, July 10, with the vacant EBU title and Aydin´s WBC Int´l belt at stake. The winner will then have to face Italian veteran Gianluca Branco. Jackson vs Selcuk is an exciting matchup between a puncher, Osei Bonsu, and a relentless pressure fighter in Aydin.
The undercard to Valuev vs Chagaev May 30 in Helsinki is getting pretty crowded and two EU titlefights have been added. Italian Leonard Bundu will at welter defend the crown against German Frank Shabani while Finn Juho Tolppola at jr welter will challenge Giuseppe Lauri. As for the Nordic Nightmare, Robert Helenius, born in Sweden but as a fighter raised mainly in Finland, face Brit Scott Gammer, who represent a step up in class for the 7-0 Helenius. Gammer have lost three of his last four fights but that have been against Danny Williams, John McDermott and Francesco Pianeta – in this fight Scott quit due to a broken hand at a time in the fight when he seemed to be coming on.
French Muay Thai world champ Jerome LeBanner returns to boxing May 23 in Deauville. LeBanner went 4-0 back in 98 and face German Werner Kreiskott, not the toughest of opponents, in his comeback. The show also marks the return for promoter Jean Christophe Courreges, who at one time was a major player on the French scene promoting among others the Tiozzo brothers.
WBA I/C supermiddle titleholder Stepjan Bozic will defend the title July 18 in Ulag, Opponent could be Costa Rican Henry Porras.
Swedish Pugnus Promotions have given up plans for a show in May and one Ingemar Johansson memorial June 27 in Gothenburg. Pugnus will be back with a big event in September though.
Belgian middles Michel Recloux and Jamel Bakhi clash for the vacant national title May 29 in Vise with BCCMG promoting.
Brian Mathiasen Boxing and Risum Boxing join forces for a show June 19 in Horsens, Denmark, headlined by local lightweight Kim Poulsen who goes for the rather obscure UBO I/C title. Supermiddle Fawaz Nasir is also on the bill.
FORMER WBO HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION RAY MERCER TO ATTEND 2009 HALL OF FAME WEEKEND
Hall of Fame Weekend June 11-14th
CANASTOTA, NY –MAY 13, 2009 – The International Boxing Hall of Fame announced today former WBO heavyweight champion “Merciless” Ray Mercer will attend festivities planned for the 20th Annual Hall of Fame Induction Weekend set for June 11-14th.
“Ray Mercer was a hard-punching heavyweight and was involved in some truly exciting bouts,” said Hall of Fame director Edward Brophy. “We’re looking forward to welcoming him to Canastota for the first time.”
Mercer compiled an 85-6 amateur record and captured the 1988 Olympic heavyweight gold medal. He turned pro in 1989 and wins over Garing Lane, Ossie Ocasio, Kimmuel Odum and Bert Cooper set up a WBO title clash with Francesco Damiani in 1991 (KO 9). In his first defense he scored a dramatic 5th round TKO over Tommy “The Duke” Morrison. Stripped of the title in 1992, he went on to score wins over Jesse Ferguson, Tim Witherspoon and Darroll Wilson among others. In 1996 he engaged in a rugged back and forth battle with 2009 Hall of Fame Inductee Lennox Lewis (L 10). He was unsuccessful in a 2002 WBO title bid against Wladimir Klitschko. Mercer’s pro record stands at 36-7-1 (26 KOs).
Events planned for the weekend include a banquet, night of rising stars, parade, golf tournament, boxing autograph card show, cocktail party and the Official Induction Ceremony honoring the Class of 2009. In addition, other special activities will be implemented for the celebration, including a fireworks display.
New inductees to be honored are bantamweight champion Orlando Canizales, heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, junior lightweight champion Brian Mitchell, matchmaker / publicist / promoter Bob Goodman, promoter Akihiko Honda, journalist Hugh McIlvaney and broadcaster Larry Merchant. Posthumous inductees will also be honored.
An impressive lineup of boxing legends of yesterday and today are scheduled to participate in weekend festivities.
For more information on the Hall of Fame’s 20th Annual Induction Weekend please call (315) 697-7095 or visit www.ibhof.com.