PUNTERS on Betfair are confident that Carl Froch has what it takes to secure his place in the Super Six tournament final by beating Glen Johnson in Atlantic City on Saturday. The Nottingham-born star is the huge favourite at just 1-4 to make a successful first defence of his World Boxing Council (WBC) super-middleweight crown.
Froch steps into the ring against a rejuvenated Johnson, who impressed during his eighth round stoppage of Allen Green in November of last year. Despite a decent showing in the tournament’s previous group stage, Johnson remains the 9-2 underdog for this bout.
Customers on the betting exchange make Froch just 8-11 to retain his 168lb belt by way of judges’ decision, while the 33-year-old is a 3-1 shot for victory by knockout. Jamaican battler Johnson is available at 8-1 to win the fight by judges’ decision and 10-1 by KO.
Betfair’s Alex Bake said: “The feeling amongst our customers is that Johnson is giving too much away. He’s nine years older with very little recent experience of fighting at this weight. Froch has demonstrated time and again that he has what it takes to win, be it at home or abroad.”
Froch v Johnson – Betfair bet: 1-4 Froch, 9-2 Johnson, 41-1 the draw
Method of victory – Betfair bet: 8-11 Froch decision, 3-1 Froch KO, 8-1 Johnson decision, 10-1 Johnson
Melson Added to June 10 “Boricua Invasion” Card!
New York, NY (June 2, 2011) – US Army Captain and undefeated junior middleweight Boyd “Rainmaker” Melson will battle durable South Carolinian Kelvin Kibler in a special four round attraction bout on the “Boricua Invasion I” card Friday, June 10 at the Roseland Ballroom in his native New York City.
On May 19, Melson, 3-0 (1 KO), destroyed Hector Rivera in 44 seconds, opening the door for a quicker than expected return to the squared circle.
It is a blessing to be able to compete again a few weeks later,” said Melson, a West Point graduate. “We had our best camp heading into our last fight in comparison to our camps for our previous two fights, and this good fortune allowed us to pick right back up where we left off without any interruption. My bond with Coach Joey Gamache is growing more and more special with each moment that we are training together. I am forever thankful for the energy and knowledge he brings to the gym each and every day.”
Melson, whose popularity continues to rise in the Big Apple, will once again donate his earnings to “Justadollarplease”, a Non-Profit organization set up through the Rutgers University Foundation to raise funds for America’s first spinal cord injury trial using umbilical cord stem cells.
“I am stopping by Rutgers today to donate my purse from my last fight. It’s good to know that I’ll have another donation to make by the end of next week.”
In association with “Justadollarplease”, Melson recently started Team Fight to Walk, whose mission is to raise awareness within the boxing community about the importance of stem cell research for spinal cord injuries. Team Fight to Walk is comprised of Melson, IBF cruiserweight champion Steve “USS” Cunningham, title contender DeAndre “The Bull” Latimore, and prospects Sid “The Messenger” El Harrak, Denis “Da Momma’s Boy” Douglin, Vinny “The Lion” O’Brien and Delen “Sniper” Parsley.
Tickets to “Boricua Invasion”, which is taking place two days before the Puerto Rican Day Parade and is headlined by Puerto Rico’s top young talents, are available at ticketmaster.com.
The Roseland Ballroom is located at 239 West 52nd Street.
For more information on “Justadollarplease” and Team Fight to Walk, go to www.justadollarplease.org and www.teamfighttowalk.com.
‘Chop’ Perez returns to Holyoke for June 25th ‘Homecoming
HOLYOKE, Mass. (June 3, 2011) – Super featherweight Joseph “Chip” Perez returns to Holyoke for the June 25th “Homecoming” pro boxing card, presented by American Fighting Organization, at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke.
Another Holyoke boxer, veteran Derrick “Double Impact” Whitley (24-25-3, 11 KOs), returns to the ring for the first time in nearly four years versus Adam “Hitman” Harris (10-4, 7 KOs), of Worcester (MA), in the eight-round main event at a 190-pound catch-weight. Whitley has never been floored in 52 professional fights.
Boxing dates back to 1896 in Holyoke; Rocky Marciano made his pro debut there in 1947, and other Hall of Famers such as Willie Pep, Sandy Saddler, Beau Jack, Sixto Escobar and Fritzie Zivic, along with world champions Tony DeMarco, Paddy DeMarco, Lou Ambers and Lou Salica, fought in the western Massachusetts city where volleyball was invented in 1895. “Iron” Mike Tyson won a Golden Gloves title there in 1984, however, pro boxing hasn’t been held in Holyoke since 2000, which marked the only time in the past half-century.
Perez (5-1, 2 KOs) faces his stiffest test to date against a much more experienced Kevin Carmody (10-13, 1 KO) in the six-round co-feature. I’m very excited to fighting in the Boys & Girls Club where I learned how to fight when I was 12,” the 24-year-old former New England Golden Gloves champion said. “It’s awesome to be fighting in my hometown, where I was born and grew-up, and have so many family members and friends still living in Holyoke.”
Unlike his first five pro fights, Perez enters this match-up coming off of a loss, albeit by way of a third-round disqualification. “Chip” dropped fellow his undefeated (2-0) opponent, Esteban Nichol, but Perez was penalized for hitting Nichol when he was down on one knee.
“”I think that puts a little pressure on me,” Perez explained. “Everybody who saw it knows I lost, but that it was by disqualification because I made a mistake. On paper, they see a loss, and so do I. Maybe I shouldn’t think this way but I feel that I need to prove myself. I’ve trained very hard to show everybody that I wasn’t defeated by my opponent. I have to bounce back impressively, especially fighting at home on Holyoke.
“I know I can’t erase that loss, on paper, but I can do that in the minds of people who didn’t see what happened. Maybe deep down inside, I’m trying to prove to myself that I wasn’t defeated. Looking at that ‘1’ on my record bothers me. It’s like a mosquito who keeps biting you and you can’t kill him. It’s irritating.”
Fighting on the undercard in four-round bouts is pro debuting junior welterweight Jair “Da-Bully” Ramos, of Waterbury (CT), and Joel Alarcon (0-2), of New Bedford (MA), Holyoke light heavyweight Pedro “Tyson” Gonzales in his pro debut vs. George Perez (0-1-1), Springfield light heavyweight Reinaldo Graceski (1-0) vs. TBA, Springfield welterweights Jose Angel “KO” Ortiz (4-6-1, 1 KO) and Noel Garcia (2-9-1, 1 KO) throw-down, New Haven bantamweight Nate Green and Philadelphia’s John Lowery both make their pro debuts, and Springfield cruiserweight Jose Torres and Covon Graham will also be making their pro debuts. All bouts and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets are priced at $40.00, $50.00 and $100.00 and are available at or by calling (413.534.7366) the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke (70 Nick Cosmos Way), as well as going on line at www.afomma.com. Doors open at 6 PM/ET, first bout at 7 PM/ET.