LOS ANGELES (August 4, 2011) – Unbeaten middleweight contender Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin wants to make-up for lost time, yet, the multi-talented fighter has to remain patient and play the boxing game.
Quillin virtually lost all of 2009 due to a series of injuries — hand surgery, hairline eye fracture, and then an emergencyappendectomy — that kept him out of the ring for 1 ½ years.
International Boxing Federation No. 5-rated Quillin (25-0, 19 KOs), fighting out of Los Angeles, basically used late replacement Jason“The Hammer” LeHoullier (21-6-1, 8 KOs) as a human punching bag in their July 23 fight that ended in a fifth-round technical knockout. Quillin’s original opponent, Tarvis Simms, withdrew less than a week prior to their fight due to a broken rib.
“Hey,”Quillin said, “at least I got in a fight and I was able to showcase my talents in Las Vegas, after having eight agonizing weeks of training. Golden Boy delivered. LeHoullier may not have been the opponent I would have liked, but Icame out of that fight in good shape, and I’m ready to return as soon as possible.
”I looked good and did what I said: he’d fall down or quit. That’s my mission every fight. I’m not just out there to look good.”
Quillin’s trainer, Freddie Roach, recently went public saying ‘Kid Chocolate” can beat world middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, who reportedly is tied-up until March. “I’m willing to fight anybody that Golden Boy, Freddie and John Seip (his manager) put in there with me for a major test,” Quillin explained.“Sergio Martinez is the best out there for me. He’s a good athlete, but I can match his athleticism, and I’m a little better boxer. The Paul Williams fight was the only spectacular fight he’s had. The blueprint to beat (Kelly) Pavlik had already been written for him by (Bernard) Hopkins.
“I’m hungry and when I get my chance, I promise that I won’t let anybody down. My team is working together and I’ll be ready.”
The general consensus is that Quillin needs to gain valuable experience defeating a top 10 fighter in order to position him for a legitimate shot at fighting Martinez. “Petey did what he had to do against LeHouiller and he also got in some rounds,” Seip commented. “He boxed a few rounds and broke-down his opponent. It was more like a sparring session, fighting at his pace, and when his corner said to takeout his opponent, he did. I would have liked to have seen him in deeper waters but, basically, he played with the guy. His left hook was fabulous and his legs were strong, something that wasn’t there before he started working with these guys. He has great speed and, defensively, he’s much better and better balanced. He looks really good, no longer going out there for the knockout. I’ve been impressed by his improvement.
“We’re looking for a big-time fight. I’m waiting to hear back from Golden Boy about his next fight, whether it’s in September or October. Golden Boy needs to get us a couple of good fights before Martinez. We’ll take on guys like (Julio) Chavez, Jr., (Matthew) Macklin, (Daniel) Geale, (Peter) Manfredo) or (Marco Antonio) Rubio. Those are the type opponents we need to fight and win to get closer to a Martinez fight. Petey is HBO ready; he’s 25-0 and a KO artist. Golden Boy needs to get us a big fight on HBO so the boxing world can see this kid fight.”
Sweet days are ahead for “Kid Chocolate” and someday his post fight ritual of tossing candy kisses into the crowd, he firmly believes, will be right after a world title belt is placed around his waist.
For more information about Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin go online to www.TheKidChocolate.com or follow him on Twitter @/Kid Chocolate.
Undefeated Paris meets Once-Beaten Coleman in 10-Rounder
August 4, 2011 – ESPN’s Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra will originate from Santa Ynez Calif., on August 5 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN 3D and ESPN3.com when undefeated junior welterweight Vernon “The Iceman” Paris (24-0,14 KOs) and Tim “The Pitbull” Coleman (19-1-1, 5 KOs) meet in the 10-round main event.
Joe Tessitore and Sergio Mora will be ringside at the Chumash Casino describing the action, while studio host Jonathan Coachman will present all the latest boxing news and highlights. Mora, former World Boxing Council (WBC) light middleweight champion and the first champion of The Contender, is sitting in for Teddy Atlas who has gone to Russia to train Alexander Povetkin for his late August fight in Germany. The card is presented by Gary Shaw Promotions.
Friday’s telecast will be the final telecast on ESPN3D this season.
Detroit’s Paris has won his last eight fights, including an eight-round decision over Emanuel Augustus in his last outing.
Las Vegas’ Coleman has won his last five fights, including a third-round one-punch knockout over two-time Venezuelan Olympian Patrick Lopez.
“Coleman dropped Lopez with a right hand in the opening seconds of the second round,” ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael wrote,. “They continued their slugfest early in the third round before Coleman landed a spectacular and sneaky right uppercut that dropped Lopez face first. He, turned around and staggered across the ring until crashing into a corner pad as the referee tried to catch him before stopping the fight. It was a surefire knockout of the year candidate for Coleman.”
Promoter Carlos Llinas said, “They (Friday’s main event boxers) were supposed to fight before, but Tim Coleman was scared to come to Detroit. I think he said the same thing that David Haye said – he stubbed his little toe and he couldn’t fight. So hopefully, he shows up in California to fight. “
Las Vegas’ Coleman has won his last five fights, including a third-round one-punch knockout over two-time Venezuelan Olympian Patrick Lopez.
Friday’s card will also feature undefeated junior lightweight Art “Lionheart” Hovhannisyan (14-0-1, 8 KOs) against Cristobal “Lacandon” Cruz (39-12-2, 23 KOs). Glendale Calif.’s Hovhannisyan is coming off a sixth-round TKO win over Archie Ray Marquez, while Mexico’s Cruz is coming off a 12-round unanimous decision loss to Orlando Salido.
Mares-Agbeko on August 13
LAS VEGAS (Aug. 4, 2011) – Boxing promoters Don King Productions and Golden Boy Promotions will include a World Boxing Council United States heavyweight national championship, a World Boxing Association FEDECARIBE regional junior lightweight championship and a handful of boxing’s top undefeated rising stars on the non-televised undercard of the SHOWTIME® Bantamweight Tournament Final: Winner Takes All that pits International Boxing Federation bantamweight champion Joseph King Kong Agbeko against undefeated World Boxing Council (WBC) silver bantamweight champion Abner Mares on Saturday, Aug. 13 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
In a twelve round bout, WBC No. 12-ranked heavyweight contender Eric “Drummer Boy” Molina (17-1, 13 KO’s), from Lyford, Texas, will take on Warren “The Hit Man” Browning (14-1-1, 9 KO’s), from London, Ky., for the WBC U.S. heavyweight national championship. The WBA FEDECARIBE super lightweight title will be on the line when undefeated Cuban-born Angelo “La Cobra” Santana (10-0, 7 KO’s), from Miami, Fl. squares off against Jesse Carradine (7-1-1, 3 KO’s), from Cincinnati, Ohio in a nine round fight.
Former interim World Boxing Organization Bantamweight Champion and former World Boxing Association Flyweight Champion Eric Morel (44-2, 22 KO’s), born in Puerto Rico but now fighting out of Madison, Wis., will be featured in a bantamweight attraction scheduled for 10 rounds against Daniel Quevedo (13-11-2, 8 KO’s) from Los Angeles, Calif.
Undefeated lightweight rising star Luis Ramos Jr. (19-0, 8 KO’s), from Santa Ana, Calif., will risk his perfect record against “Dangerous” David Rodela (15-4-4, 6 KO’s), from the boxing hotbed of Oxnard, Calif., in an battle slated for 10 rounds.
Also in action will be rising star Carlos Molina (14-0, 7 KO’s) of Norwalk, Calif., who will put his unbeaten record on the line in an eight round junior welterweight bout against an opponent to be named.
Eric Molina is an intriguing heavyweight prospect. His dream is to become the first Mexican American heavyweight world champion, and he’s off to a good start. He’s a hard worker inside the gym and in life as evidenced by the fact he earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from University of Texas at Brownsville and has volunteered to work with special needs children in his native Texas.
He’s a tall, rangy boxer at 6 foot 6 inches, but his Mexican toughness comes out in the ring as he is a busy heavyweight. Possessing an 84-inch full reach, he can cause problems for any opponent.
Molina will be tested by Warren Browning, a former Toughman champion, who fought undefeated cruiserweight Ryan Coyne last summer and was within striking distance of pulling an upset going into the ninth round before being caught with a punch on the ear that ended the fight.
Eric Morel is on a nine-fight winning streak that dates back to 2005. The 35-year-old, who turned professional in 1996, won the WBA flyweight world title in 2002 and made five successful defenses. He is coming off of a fourth-round technical knockout over former world title challenger Luis Maldonado on April 1. Morel will face the younger Quevedo, a 27-year-old on a three-fight win streak that includes two early knockouts in 2011.
Undefeated lightweight Angelo Santana has one of the most interesting back stories in boxing. Like so many Cubans before him, Santana jumped onto a makeshift raft with 27 others in the summer of 2007 and washed up in Miami three days later. Just 10 days later, a boxing manager brought him to the attention of Don King, who signed him immediately. Four months later, Santana’s first appearance as a professional came when he appeared at Madison Square Garden on the undercard of Felix Trinidad vs. Roy Jones Jr. He won that night and has won every night since.
Santana looks to maintain his perfect record against Jesse Carradine (7-1-1, 3 KOs) of Cincinnati. Carradine had a successful amateur career and is tall for his weight at 5 feet 10 inches. A skilled boxer, he excels when he can keep shorter opponents at a distance where he can ply his craft. Carradine also benefits from the wisdom and sage advice of trainer Donald Turner, who guided Evander Holyfield and other greats of the sport.
Rising lightweight star Luis Ramos Jr., is coming off the biggest win of his career against former world title challenger Francisco Lorenzo on June 3. The 23-year-old undefeated southpaw, a former amateur star who has also defeated respected veteran Walter Estrada, will face another tough test against David Rodela in the first 10-round fight of his career. The 29-year old Rodela has paid his dues with wins over Kevin Kelley, Julio Gamboa and Gamalier Rodriguez on his way to this all-Southern California showdown.
Also hailing from Southern California is Norwalk junior welterweight prospect Carlos Molina. A professional since 2007, the 25-year-old Molina has made steady progress through the competitive local circuit, drawing rave reviews along the way. In his most recent bout, Molina scored a near shutout win over John Figueroa last November and after a minor injury that sidelined for the first half of 2011, he is eager to get back in the ring and continue on his road to the top.
The Bantamweight Tournament Final: Winner Takes All is promoted by Don King Productions and Golden Boy Promotions and is sponsored by Corona.
Tickets, priced at $200, $100, $75, $50 and $25, along with a limited number of VIP suite seats priced at $150, are on sale now and may be purchased at the Hard Rock Hotel Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.Ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000.
The highly anticipated 12-round world title match and Bantamweight Tournament Final between Joseph Agbeko (28-2, 22 KOs), from Accra, Ghana, and Abner Mares (21-0-1, 13 KOs) of Hawaiian Gardens, Calif., by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, was originally scheduled for April 23, but was postponed when Agbeko was injured moments after arrival at Los Angeles International Airport during fight week. Doctors at a nearby hospital diagnosed the champion with sudden onset sciatica, a back injury.
Agbeko, who had never previously missed a fight, was told by a Los Angeles physician to receive treatment and wait six weeks before resuming training after the April 23 postponement. He has resumed training and will be fully fit to face Mares on Aug. 13.
Agbeko will be making his first start since recapturing the IBF crown with an impressive 12-round unanimous decision win over then-unbeaten Yonnhy Perez in the bantamweight tournament semifinal on Dec. 11, 2010, in Tacoma, Wash. Agbeko convincingly won a thrilling give-and-take battle by the scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113. Their exciting fight came in a rematch of a 2009 Halloween night slugfest that Perez won on points.
It will also be the first fight back for Mares since the semifinals in Tacoma, where he rallied dramatically to earn the most significant victory of his career, a 12-round split decision win over former two-division world champion Vic Darchinyan in a bloody, knockdown-laden affair. Mares recovered from a deep cut along his hairline in the opening round, the first knockdown of his career in the second round and a point-deduction in the fourth round to floor Darchinyan in the seventh round en route to a victory by scores of 115-111, 113-112 and 111-115.