Donaire to Serve as a Ringside Photog Friday in Vegas; Julaton in Reno to Support Quillin Friday; Barker vs. Spada on Saturday night

World Champion Nonito Donaire to Serve as a Ringside Photographer for 3MoreRounds.com at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas this Friday.

Three More RoundsUnified bantamweight champ Nonito Donaire will be ringside at this week’s ESPN Friday Night Fights, which takes place at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. No, Donaire, who’s coming off a spectacular knockout win over Fernando Montiel, won’t be lacing up the gloves, instead he’ll be going to work in a different field.

Donaire (26-1, 18 KOs), who’s been taking up photography in his free time, will be joining 3MoreRounds repoter Ryan Bates to serve as the guest photographer for 3MoreRounds.com. Fight fans may have noticed Donaire shooting the fights as recently as the April 9 card in Las Vegas, headlined by Erik Morales vs. Marcos Maidana. A favorite hobby of his, Donaire hopes to continue showing off other interesting talents.

This Friday’s card will feature Carlos Molina, making his second appearance at the venue, taking on Allan Conyers in the 10-round junior middleweight main event. Also on the card will be Rances Barthelemy (11-0, 9 KO’s), and Texas lightweight Hylon Williams Jr., (13-0, 3 KOs) in separate bouts.

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On fight night, doors will open at 4:30 pm. The first fight is at 5:00 pm and the main event will begin promptly at 6:00 pm.

The Cosmopolitan proudly presents another uniquely glamorous evening of world-class professional boxing; and this time, overlooking the heart of The Strip on the open-air multilevel deck of the city’s most fabulous luxury pool, The Boulevard Pool. Tickets are on sale now and are priced at $50, $150 and $250 for the VIP experience, which includes a private section with comfortable seating and complimentary cocktails. Special Cabana packages also are available. Tickets are available for purchase at www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com or by calling 877-551-7776 or 702-698-6880.

Julaton in Reno to Support Quillin Friday

Reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) Super Bantamweight Champion and female boxing sensation Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton will be on hand at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada on Friday night to show her support for fellow Wild Card Boxing Club fighter Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin as he takes on former title challenger Jesse Brinkley for the vacant USBO Super Middleweight title.

Julaton has seen first hand the dedication Quillin has to his craft in training, and looks forward to seeing the super middleweight prospect apply that hard work in the ring Friday night. “I know from watching him personally that he trains really hard,” says Julaton. “One thing I really like about him is that he is a really positive guy. Anytime he gets interviewed, he is conscious of the position he is in, but he always makes a statement on really positive things. I think because of that, he has a good aura and a good mindset and will do really well. I am real excited for him. I wish him all the best.”

Julaton was at the Wild Card when Quillin first arrived from the East Coast and, like many others at the gym, was impressed right off the bat. “It was almost like a trial period for him,” recalls Julaton. “Freddie [Roach] stalked him out and cornered him. They put him into the ring right away, setting him up for some sparring. And he did a lot of rounds. He goes in there, and it looked like he was ready to knock these guys out, and I think Freddie was real impressed with that. He knows out to set up his punches, time them and set them up.”

It was nearly a year ago when Julaton first saw Quillin in Hollywood. When Julaton went back to the Wild Card as she prepared to defend her WBO title, which she did successfully this past February, she was impressed with how much Quillin had improved. “In my last camp when I saw him earlier this year, he stayed consistent,” says Julaton. “He looked like he was putting his punches together. Before he seemed like more of a counter-puncher, but now it looks like he uses a lot more combinations and uses side movement more and using his distancing a little more.”

While Julaton admittedly has seen little of Jesse Brinkley in recent years, she is confident her gym mate Quillin has what it takes to move past the Reno favorite. “I know Brinkley is from Reno, so he has the hometown crowd advantage,” says Julaton. “It will be interesting to see what kind of crowd he has. I know Quillin is going in there, like the superstar that he is, he is going to go out there looking to make a statement. I think it’s going to be a great fight. I think Brinkley is going to fight him, and Quillin is going to use the boxing skills he has been honing for the last few months. He is a positive person and takes his training seriously and I am looking for big, bright things from him.”

For more information on Ana Julaton, please visit AnaJulaton.com or find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/AnaJulaton

“Brinkley vs. Quillin” will be held at the Reno Events Center in Downtown Reno. The fight will be televised on Telefutura’s Solo Boxeo series. Check local listings. Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster.com, by calling 800-745-3000, or by visiting the Silver Legacy or Reno Events Center box office during hours of operation. Prices are $33.25, $63.25, and $103.25. Doors open at 6pm, first bell at 7pm. The card is being presented by Don Chargin Productions, Golden Boy Promotions, Let’s Get It On Promotions, PR Entertainment, The Eldorado Hotel Casino, Silver Legacy Resort Casino and The Circus Circus Hotel Casino.

Barker ready for Spada test

Londoner gunning for European title at Olympia – launches new official website

Darren Barker takes on Domenico Spada on Saturday (April 30) at London’s Olympia for the vacant European Middleweight title – and is ready to re-launch his career after a year out of action.

Barker returns to Sky Sports for the first time since beating Affif Belghecham at Alexandra Palace on April 9 2010 to claim the title he fights for tomorrow night. A hip injury forced the 28 year-old to withdraw from a highly anticipated match with Matthew Macklin in September and vacate the belt.

The Barnet man has had an operation on the troublesome joint and is fully fit to face the tough Italian, where a win would see him reclaim the European strap, extend his unbeaten run to 23 fights and propel him into World title contention.

“I’m really excited to be back – it’s been a long, frustrating year for me,” said Barker – whose new website www.darrenbarker.co.uk launched today. “I’ve been training really hard and I am looking forward to getting back in there.

“This is my breakthrough year now – Spada is a very experienced opponent and it shows what direction I want to be heading in and where I want to be, I’m chasing this World title shot and he’s who I need to fight.

“I’ve seen a lot of him now, he’s a come forward opponent who is aggressive and knows his way around the ring so he’ll definitely give me a few rounds to brush off any cobwebs that I’ve got.”

Much has been made of the rough year that Barker has endured, but the man himself is keen to look to draw a line under both the injury problems and concentrate on his future under new promoters Matchroom Sport.

“You either get on with things or sit in the corner, lock yourself away and whinge,” said Barker. “I had to have surgery – it’s been done and my body is better than it’s ever been so I’m looking forward to getting in there and showing the boxing public what I can do.

“The most important thing is to win – I’m not one to make predictions. I’ll stick to my boxing, go out there and do what I do best because this fight can catapult me into the world scene.”

DARREN BARKER v DOMENICO SPADA: UNDERCARD* AND SELECTED WEIGHTS

12 x 3 mins Vacant European Middleweight Championship
Darren Barker (11st 5lb 15oz) v Domenico Spada (11st 5lb 1oz)

8 x 3 mins Flyweight Contest
Ashley Sexton (8st 5lb 7oz) v Mike Robinson (8st 5lb 2oz)

6 x 3 mins Middleweight Contest
Patrick Mendy (11st 5lb 15oz) v Paul Samuels (11st 5lb 15oz)

4 x 3 mins Light-Welterweight Contest
Chris Evangelou (10st 2lb 5oz) v Ibrar Riyaz (10st)

6 x 3 mins Light-Welterweight Contest
Tyler Goodjohn v Mark McKray

6 x 3 mins Middleweight Contest
John Ryder v Lee Noble

6 x 3 mins Light-Welterweight Contest
Phil Gill v Scott Evans

4 x 3 mins Light-Heavyweight Contest
Andreas Evangelou v Jamie Norkett

* Card subject to change