LOS ANGELES (May 31, 2011) — Manny Pacquiao has settled his defamation lawsuit against Richard Schaefer and Oscar de la Hoya on confidential terms. In connection with the dismissal, Mr. Schaefer and Mr. De la Hoya made the following statement:
“Richard Schaefer and Oscar de la Hoya, on behalf of themselves and Golden Boy Promotions, wish to make it crystal clear that we never intended to claim that Manny Pacquiao has used or is using any performance enhancing drugs, and further state that we do not have any evidence whatsoever of such use.
“Manny Pacquiao is one of the greatest fighters of all time, and we apologize if anyone construed our prior remarks as in any way claiming or even suggesting that Manny uses or has used performance enhancing drugs.”
Rios v Antillon Tix Now On Sale
LOS ANGELES (May 31, 2011) – Undefeated World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight champion “Bam Bam” BRANDON RIOS will make the first defense of his world title when he takes on two-time world title challenger and current Top-Five-rated contender URBANO ANTILLO, Saturday, July 9, at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The co-main event will feature former International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight champion KERMIT CINTRON and CARLOS MOLINA in a 10-round super welterweight fight. Both bouts will be televised live on SHOWTIME®, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast.)
The four warriors have a combined record of 105-9-4 (73 KOs) – a winning percentage of 89% and a victory by knockout ratio of 70%.
The SHOWTIME Championship Boxing telecast will also include highlights from overseas as IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (28-0, 23 KOs), defends his title for the eighth time – but first in his home country of Romania – against mandatory challenger Jean-Paul Mendy (29-0-1, 16 KOs), from France.
Promoted by Top Rank, tickets for The Home Depot Center’s Rios vs. Antillon World Lightweight Championship fight card, priced at $125, $75, $50 and $25, are now on sale! They can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets and online at www.Ticketmaster.com as well as The Home Depot Center Box Office (open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Suites are available by calling 1-877-604-8777.
Rios (27-0-1, 19 KOs), a native of Lubbock, Tex., now fights out of Oxnard, Calif. Arguably the division’s most exciting fighter, he returns to the ring on the heels of his biggest professional victory, a 10th round TKO of defending champion Miguel Acosta, on February 26, to capture the WBA lightweight title. An all-action fan-friendly fighter, Rios, who is trained by former IBF junior lightweight champion Robert Garcia, possesses a self-described “throwback” style and a warrior’s mentality that screams excitement as proven by the fact that eight of his previous nine victories have been by knockout. Highlights of that streak include victories, all inside the distance, over Acosta (28-3-2), Anthony Peterson (30-0), Jorge Teron (23-1-1) and Omri Lowther (14-2), who had a combined record of 95-6-3 when they were defeated by Rios.
Antillon (28-2, 20 KOs), of Maywood, Calif., has given sensational performances in recent fights, most notably his last one, against World Boxing Council lightweight champion Humberto Soto last December, the consensus “Fight of the Year.” Though he lost to Soto by one point on two of the judges’ cards due to a controversial point deduction by the referee, Antillon emerged from that fight a certified world-class contender. Trained by Abel Sanchez, 10 of Antillon’s last 11 victories have been by knockout. Notable scalps hanging from Antillon’s belt include Rene Gonzalez (27-1-1), Tyrone Harris (23-4), former world title challenger Daniel Attah (24-4-1), and Bobby Pacquiao (28-13-3), the younger brother of Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao.
Cintron (32-3-1, 28 KOs), of Carolina, Puerto Rico, captured the IBF welterweight title in 2006 by knocking out Mark Suarez in the fifth round. He held the title for close to two years, successfully defending it against Walter Matthysse and Jesse Feliciano, both by knockout, before losing it to Antonio Margarito in 2008. Since moving up in weight in 2009 Cintron has become a force in the superr welterweight division where he is still the only man to defeat top-rated contender Alfredo Angulo. He also boasts a Draw against 2010 Fighter of the Year and World Middleweight Champion Sergio Martinez.
Molina (18-4-2, 6 KOs), a native of Michoacán, México, who fights out of Chicago, enters this fight riding a three-year, 11-bout unbeaten streak. In 2011 he knocked out Allen Conyers (12-4) in the seventh round and had a 10-round Draw against undefeated contender Erislandy Lara (15-0). Other highlights of Molina’s unbeaten streak include an NABO junior middleweight title victory over Danny Perez (34-5), and 10-round decision victories over Ed Paredes (21-2), and Alexis Camacho (17-1).
Kayode ready for Godfrey bout on 6/10
According to manager Steve Feder, cruiserweight powerhouse Lateef “Power” Kayode (16-0, 14 KOs) is finishing up his best training camp ever in preparation for his nationally televised battle with Rhode Island contender Matt “Too Smooth” Godfrey (20-2, 14 KOs).
Kayode and Godfrey will meet on June 10 in the 10-round main event at Chumash Resort Casino in Santa Ynez, California, and live on Showtime’s popular series ShoBox: The New Generation at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
“This training camp was our best to date,” said Feder. “In addition to our six days a week at Wild Card Boxing, we were able to work with Heavyweight Chris Arreola for two weeks in Riverside. He taught us a lot about dealing with and applying pressure. We also worked again with strength and conditioning coach Mike Vale and we added Juan Ruiz Bernabe to work specifically on short bursts and balance for speed work.”
Feder says trainer Freddie Roach has made some adjustments in Kayode’s style that will make Godfrey easy pickings for the 27-year-old from Lagos, Nigeria… a perfect return from what some thought was a disappointing performance in his last fight.
“The last fight was good for us because Lateef now knows that from here on, he will have to hunt his opponents down to get them to trade. 14 fighters who traded with Lateef ended up on the canvas. We see this fight as perfect for us coming off the Nick Iannuzzi fight. Iannuzzi came with a game plan to punch and run and go the distance without taking any chances of going toe-to-toe and we expect Godfrey to rely on a similar tactic. Lateef has to get used to this.”
Team Kayode also doesn’t hesitate to admit the big picture, as they see it.
“Since turning pro in August of 2008, it’s been a journey with one goal in mind. Lateef wants to be the world champion. End of story. Then, once he’s obtained that coveted title, at some point we will turn heavyweight and do it all over again. He ultimately wants to be heavyweight champion. After his cruiser campaign is totally satisfied, we’ll take the natural steps.”
It wouldn’t have been considered strange if Kayode had taken a few easier fights to get his KO MOJO back, but Feder says that wasn’t even a consideration.
“We had a slew of opponents we could have taken on as tune-ups before picking back up, but we saw nothing that dictated us to take a step back. We discussed the plan with our matchmaker John Beninati and promoter, Gary Shaw and we all decided that we have the best cruiserweight prospect in the world and taking on anyone less than a Matt Godfrey would be a step back.”