28.05.09 – IBF middleweight champ Arthur Abraham (29-0, 23 KOs) will fight 29 year old Mahir Oral (25-1-2) on June 27 at the Max Schmeling Halle in Berlin, Germany. Oral is promoted by Arena Box Promotion. ARD will broadcast the fight live in Germany. Abraham was originally scheduled to face mandatory challenger Giovanni Lorenzo. Since no contractual agreement could be reached, the IBF sanctioned the voluntary defence during its convention in Panama City. The mandatory defence will take place in September. .
Walker And Waite Finally Get Their Chance To Settle In The Ring At The “Tinley Park Rumble”
May 28 (Merrillville, In) – The glares that Michael “Midnight Stalker” Walker (19-2-2, 12 KOs) and “Iron” Orphius Waite (5-0, 3 KOs) shoot towards each other while training at the Octavius James’ One In A Million Inc. training facility would knockout any regular man, but these two talented middleweight prospects aren’t your average men nor fighters.
These are two of the world’s top middleweights and there is a bitterness amongst one another that has leaked over from their days of sparing, but on Friday, June 12 at the Holiday Inn/Tinley Park Convention Center they will have an opportunity to put all the talking aside in the Main Event of the “Tinley Park Rumble.”
“I could tell Orphius (Waite) was sizing me up during our sparring sessions, he wants to be me and he is trying to fight like I do, I’m ready and he is ready so let’s get it on,” said Walker. “(Waite) is messing with a different level of fighter and I don’t feel any respect at all, but I will get that respect when I whoop him.”
The powerful pair of fighters were originally meant to battle it out on the spectacular “Date With Destiny” card back in April, but Walker took a fight against unbeaten and highly touted Daniel Jacobs (15-0, 14 KOs) on the Manny Pacquiao- Ricky Hatton pay-per-view while Waite battled a very solid veteran of the ring Cedric Johnson (10-3, 8 KOs).
“(Walker) had his chance to shine and he didn’t do too well and now it’s my turn,” added Waite. “When we walk into the training facility we both get that weird vibe and when we sparred I left his face battered a few times even with the head gear.”
“Walker vs. Waite is one of those Main Events that will have the world of boxing talking, because you have two guys that know each other so well and aren’t willing to budge even a little bit,” said Octavius James, C.E.O. of Octavius James’ One In A Million Inc. “It’s going to be a bruising and brutal fight and it’s going to definitely be worth the price of admission.”
Also scheduled as part of another sensational undercard are undefeated welterweight sensation Ed “2 Fast 2 Furious” Ochoa (8-0, 8 KO’s) vs. rugged veteran Jessie Davis (11-12, 8 KO’s), the electric Angel Hernandez (12-3, 10 KOs) is facing the always tough Guadalupe Diaz (5-4, 1 KO), Chicago’s Bobby Jaskierny (3-1, 2 KOs) faces Mexico’s Jose Guzman (5-2, 4 KO’s), unbeaten Josh Crouch (4-0, 4 KOs) will fight the ring savvy Josh Rodriguez (4-8, 3 KO’s), middleweight Meegel Harper (1-0, 1 KO) and female sensation Evette Collazo (4-0, 2 KOs) returns to the ring with opponents to be named soon.
Tickets for “Tinley Park Rumble” are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at VIP $100, VIP ringside $75, ringside $50 and general admission $30 and they are available from any Ticket Master location at (800)745-3000, (866) 438-7372 or www.TicketMaster.com.
The Tinley Park Convention Center, which is just 25 minutes from Northwest Indiana, doors will open at 7 p.m. with the first bout at 8 p.m.
“WAR TIME” George Rivera Takes On Former World Title Challenger Jonathan Reid! Rivera Wants Jimmy Lange Next!
On Friday June 12th The Virginia Sports Complex in Caroline, VA hosts its first ever Professional Boxing card as Major League Boxing Presents “WAR TIME VS. THE CONTENDER!” In one of the evening’s featured bouts “WAR TIME” George Rivera (10-4, 3KO’s) takes on former Contender star and World Title Challenger Jonathan “REID DAWG” Reid (34-11, 19KO’s). Says Promoter Joe Hensley, “This is a HUGE fight for George Rivera. If he wins he may get a shot at Jimmy Lange in September. If he beats Lange, he’ll become the WBC USNBC Champion and will automatically be ranked in the Top 15 in the world in the junior middleweight division. But of course he’s got to beat Reid first. Our plan is to knock off one Contender in Reid, then another Contender in Lange. Reid fought for a World Title earlier in his career and he’s got more wins than George has professional rounds. If George wins, it’s on to much bigger and better things including big paydays. If he loses, it’s back to the proverbial drawing board. But we know George is ready and he’s got what it takes to handle Reid in June and Lange in September!
“I’m really looking forward to this fight” says Rivera. “This is the biggest fight of my career and I will come out with the victory. There are a few of the bigger name guys in my weight class in the Maryland, DC, and Virginia area like Jimmy Lange and Ishmail Arvin that I would like to fight after this but I’ve got to take care of Jonathan Reid first. I won’t let this opportunity pass me by.”
In addition to the Rivera-Reid clash Adam “THE REAL DEAL” Seal (6-1, 5KO’s) fights in his hometown for the first time as a pro as he takes on “DYNAMITE” Danny Sheehan, a veteran of 47 professional bouts. Sheehan has been in with a virtual who’s who of prospects and contenders throughout the years including Juan Carlos Robles, Adam Harris, Lou Del Valle, Tony Pope, James Butler, Prince Badi Ajamu, Rich LaMontagne, Contender Winner Troy Ross, Daniel Judah, Randy Griffin, Levan Easley, Elvir Muriqui, and more! And what’s more impressive is that Sheehan fought this slugger’s row of contender’s in their own backyard and has rarely been stopped or even knocked off his feet. “I’m looking forward to the challenge” says the super tough Sheehan. Seal is coming off a devastating knockout win over fellow prospect Terry Roy in January of this year. “I’m anxious to get back in the ring” says Seal. “I can’t wait to fight in my hometown, people are really excited about it! I’m ready to go right now!”
A competitive undercard is presently being put together and will be announced shortly. Scheduled to compete are Dwayne “THE BIG TICKET” McRae (3-0, 3KO’s), Thomas “KO” Snow (10-1, 8KO’s), Tyrell “DA SHOW SHOCKA” Samuel (11-2, 5KO’s), Isaac Rodrigues (14-0, 12KO’s), and the pro debut of Tajikstani amateur standout Sherali Dostiev.
The Virginia Sports Complex is located at 22182 Jefferson Davis Highway Ruther Glen, VA 22546. It is less than an hour’s drive from the Greater Washington DC area and only minutes away from Fredericksburg, VA. It is conveniently located on US Route 1 (Jefferson Davis Highway) in the heart of Caroline County, VA. “We’re excited about having our first show at The Virginia Sports Complex” says Joe Hensley, Promoter of Major League Boxing. “We’re so excited in fact that we already have a second date lined up for August 15th!”
Tickets for Major League Boxing – War Time Rivera vs. The Contender, are available at www.MajorLeagueBoxing.com. 1st and 2nd row seats are priced at $55, 3rd and 4th row seats are priced at $45, Birdseye Elevated Bleacher Seats are priced at $35, and General Admission Seats are priced at $25. These are advance ticket prices and all tickets are $10 more at the door. Children 12 and under are free in General Admission with a paying adult. Doors open at 6:30PM with the first fight scheduled for 7:30PM.
Founded in 2004, Virginia based Major League Boxing has been promoting professional boxing events throughout The Commonwealth of Virginia. Their roster of fighters includes cruiserweights Adam “THE REAL DEAL” Seal and “EL GUERRO” Juan Carlos Robles, middleweight Scott “CUJO” Sigmon, junior middleweight George “WAR TIME” Rivera, and junior welterweight Todd “WHITE LIGHTNING” Wilson.