On July 2 in Flint, Michigan, the Universal Boxing Organization™ Inter-Continental Super Middleweight title will be at stake when Anthony Dirrell (21-0, 18 KOs) takes on Michi “El Matador” Munoz (23-6, 16 KOs) at the Atwood Stadium.
Dubbed “Fights & Fireworks”, the Dirrell vs. Munoz UBO title fight will headline the first professional boxing show at Atwood in 64 years. The venue can hold up to 11.000 spectators, and usually hosts concerts as well as football and baseball games.
26-year-old Anthony Dirrell, the younger brother of Super Six star Andre, will be in his first title fight since turning pro in 2005, while Michi Munoz (30) is a former NABC Champion and lost World Boxing Organization (WBO), WBC and UBO title challenges against Joey Gilbert, Carson Jones and Bronco McKart.
Dirrel last fought in May where he stopped Alberto Mercedes in three rounds in Santa Ynez, California. Munoz, born in Mexico but fighting out of Kansas his entire career, is coming off a second round victory over Mike McGuire.
Dirrell vs. Munoz will be promoted by Team Dirrell Promotions, and the undercard will feature quality fights with, among others, NABF Heavyweight Champion Jonathon Banks (25-1-1, 17 KOs) and the return of local lightweight Wes Ferguson (20-4-1, 6 KOs).
Atwood Stadium is located on 701 University Avenue in Downtown Flint. Tickets are priced $15 – $95, and can be purchased through www.startickets.com or at the box office located at the front gate of the building on the day of the show.
Blackwell faces Murray on Saturday
NICK BLACKWELL admits being a nervous wreck will help end Martin Murray’s world title aspirations this weekend.
The 20-year-old with just eight professional fights behind him challenges the St Helens man for the vacant British middleweight title at Wigan’s Robin Park Arena on Saturday night (June 18).
Murray is ranked number fourth in the world by the World Boxing Association (WBA) and Hatton Promotions agent Phillipe Fondu believes it’s only a matter of time before he becomes mandatory contender for Felix Sturm’s world crown.
But Trowbridge’s Blackwell reckons pre-fight jitters mean a painful night for Murray will also be risking his Commonwealth crown and WBA inter-continental title.
Blackwell who has been boxing professionally for just two years said: “Every fight I have I am really nervous, but I am not fazed one bit once that bell goes.
“The nerves make me fight better and so they should. If they didn’t, it would probably mean I am not focused properly.
“When I won the English title against Harry Matthews last year I’d never been so nervous and I was wondering why I box, but my performance showed how well I can perform when I’m edgy.”
Manager PJ Rowson will also be biting his fingernails, having initially been reluctant to allow his unbeaten protégé to step up in class and challenge Murray who has won all 22 pro fights.
Rowson explained: “I didn’t want this fight initially and when the opportunity came I thought long and hard.
“I put barriers up, but one by one we knocked them down when we talked about the fight so we took the offer.
“I could have got Nick another dozen wins against less demanding opponents, but what would he have learned.
“In the meantime, he begged for this chance and I am now of the opinion that we have nothing to lose.”
On the same bill British lightweight champion Anthony Crolla challenges Ghanaian southpaw Osumanu Akaba for the vacant WBA inter-continental lightweight title.
British Olympian Joe Murray boxes for his first professional title in his 11th fight meeting Georgian George Gachechiladze for the IBF international featherweight title.
Prospects on the undercard include Adam Little who faces Junior Thompson and Chris Male who will be tested by Marc Callaghan.
Tickets for this big night of title action are available £35, £55 (Ringside) and £75 VIP Ringside, www.brandhatton.com /0844 847 2500/ 01925 755222
WORLD BOXING COUNCIL NEWS
June 14, 2011 – Mexico City.
From the office of WBC President Dr. José Sulaimán:
The following is one of the weekly “Hook to the Body” columns by WBC President Dr. José Sulaimán that are published in El Universal every Sunday. From June 12, translated from Spanish:
HOOK TO THE BODY
By José Sulaimán
Having spent my adolescence and part of my early youth among indigenous people of the “Huasteca Potosina,” I learned to feel a great respect and admiration for them, as they are the true owners of the Mexican land, the reason for which the indifference and discrimination they are the subject of on their own land makes me angry, as they are very much in need. That is why I gladly accepted the invitation extended to me by the Oneida Indian Nation to visit their facilities at Turning Stone, which are very close to Canastota, and I was tremendously impressed by what a group of North American natives can do when the government of the United States acknowledged and supported them to develop their lands.
During the flight, my mind also flew to those days when I met someone who, as time went by, would become not only the greatest Mexican fighter of all times, but one of the greatest in the history of world boxing, the incomparable Julio Cesar Chavez, whom I have come to join at his well-deserved induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. Other great idols who were inducted this year are Mike Tyson and Kostya Tszyu, all of whom were World Boxing Council (WBC )world champions. Tyson and Tszyu will join the Mexican idol at the same time they are inducted. 2011 is a year of great inductions of immortals of boxing.
Some years ago, when my dear friend, the southpaw Ramon Felix, visited me as he frequently did, to tell me had a “young boy” who would be better than Jose Luis Ramirez, a great and devastating champion, I just laughed internally, as everybody does the same when they have a prospect. When would I imagine that such “young boy” would get to the highest point of world boxing? Ramon asked me to attend a fight in which the “young boy” would make his debut at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, where he was taken as a beginner to face an undefeated Mexican-American boxer from California, but he surprised everyone by resoundingly defeating his rival, getting to a spot where he could fight for the vacant super featherweight world title against the great favorite, “Azabache” Martinez.
Most media attacked the WBC because of that opportunity given to Chavez, as he was upgraded from No. 7 to No. 2 in the ratings – just like some people recently attacked “Canelo.” But he rose in the ratings when fighters ranked above him had lost in world title bouts, whereas Chavez was unbeaten when he got the opportunity. That night a twinkling star was born, and its light shone intensely for the following 25 years, a whole quarter of a century!! Chavez went on to set one of the greatest records of the history of documented boxing, which has existed for over 300 years, as he took part in 37 world championship fights, and in order to measure such record, it has to be said that the closest to Chavez was “The Brown Bomber”, the immortal Joe Louis, with 27 fights, and third place belongs to no other than the greatest of all, Muhammad Ali !!!!!!!!! Yes, Julio Cesar, the greatest in history since the age of cavemen with 37 world title fights !!!!!!!!!
Away from the current custom of promoters to have their champions face easy fighters, Julio never rejected anybody and faced everyone, even at their homes, fighting for the title against 11 world champions and 8 challengers that were ranked No 1. He reached a record of 14 years as an undefeated professional and 10 years as a world champion without ever losing a single fight, in a career that lasted over 25 years, since he made his debut on February 5, 1980, up to his retiring on September 17, 2005!!!!!!!!!
Julio Cesar Chavez, to me one of the 10 greatest in the whole history of boxing, was paid a magnificent homage by his Mexican fellow countrymen by setting another record at huge Aztec Stadium in Mexico City, with 136,274 fans in attendance to witness his tenth title defense against Greg Haugen on February 20, 1997, when all the Mexican people at the stadium sang in unison their song “Mexico Lindo y Querido.” Nobody has so many merits as the great Cesar of boxing, to be inducted into the International Hall of Fame, today Sunday June 12, 2011, together with another giant, Mike Tyson, as well as with the greatest Russian boxer ever, Kostya Tszyu.
I thank God for having written in my destiny the fact of being friend of someone who, like very few, ennobled the name of Mexico with so much glory and honor in all the countries of the world: JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ. Let´s honor those who deserve to be honored.
Thank you very much and see you next Sunday.