LOS ANGELES, August 17 – Just a little over two weeks remain before the hottest fight of the summer when WBA Super Lightweight World Champion Marcos “El Chino” Maidana and WBA and WBO Interim Lightweight World Champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero square off in a 12-round battle for Maidana’s title on August 27 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. which will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®. We checked in with Maidana in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Guerrero in Big Bear, Calif. for training camp reports so fight fans can find out what the two boxing stars are up to before the biggest fight of their careers.
THE CHAMPION – MARCOS MAIDANA – SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO
The summer heat is at its peak in Puerto Rico at this time of the year and while that’s great for the tourists and beach lovers who are hitting the Caribbean island in droves, it’s even better for
World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Lightweight World Champion Marcos Maidana, who has set up camp in Puerto Rico for the first time as he prepares for his August 27 showdown with Robert Guerrero.
“We like to base our training camp in different places to break up the routine,” said Maidana, who trained in Las Vegas for his last fight with Erik “El Terrible” Morales in April. “It’s more of a mental thing than anything else. This time we picked Puerto Rico because of its hot weather and because there are a lot of southpaw fighters there. We added a few things to my training, like working in the ocean and the sand which was a good change, but the rest of my routine stayed the same.”
Part of that “same” routine is having Rudy Perez, one of the most underrated trainers in the game, back in Maidana’s corner after leading his charge to victory against “El Terrible” earlier this year.
“I’m happy with the camp and with Rudy,” said Maidana. “I am settling into his style. The key is the amount of time I have in training camp. This camp has been longer than the previous one, so I have more time to learn new tricks.”
Since he has more time to prepare, Maidana promises that he will be more dangerous than ever, a scary prospect for Guerrero and any fighter at 140 pounds. Even more notable is that with the extra time in camp, “El Chino” promises that fatigue won’t be an issue on August 27.
“I am not the kind of person that likes making excuses, but for the Morales fight, we only had seven weeks to train and my body needs at least nine or ten,” Maidana said. “However, I think I made a big mistake by throwing so many punches in the first four rounds. It was like I left it all there and then it took me a while to recover. I thought I was going to knock him out and maybe got too excited in the early rounds. For this fight I will adjust that.”
Maidana-2Maidana makes it abundantly clear that he’s not looking to go 12 rounds for the fourth straight time even though two of those bouts (against Morales and Amir “King” Khan) were ‘Fight of the Year’ caliber bouts. Instead, he’s looking to get back to the routine that saw him knock out current WBC Welterweight World Champion “Vicious” Victor Ortiz, William Gonzalez and Victor Manuel Cayo in succession in 2009-10. Taking the judges out of the equation in Guerrero’s backyard of San Jose is even more important to Maidana.
“Going to your opponent’s home to fight is always risky these days, as we have seen some questionable decisions lately,” admits Maidana. “However, I trust the California State Athletic Commission judges, but that does not mean that I am preparing differently, because no matter where the fight is I always train hard to knock out my opponent. I have to prepare 100% when it comes to a great opponent of Guerrero’s level.”
THE CHALLENGER – ROBERT GUERRERO – BIG BEAR, CALIFORNIA
Already a five-time world champion in three weight divisions, 28-year-old Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero has plenty of experience being in fights with top-level competition, but the native of Gilroy, California is well aware that his fight with Maidana may just be the toughest of his 10-year professional career.
“Maidana, as everyone knows, is one of the toughest challenges for anyone in boxing,” said Guerrero. “He almost had Khan out in their fight, he stopped Ortiz and he’s never been knocked out in his career. This is a very tough fight and I’ll have to be on my ‘A’ game to come out victorious. Maidana is always ready for battle and I’m ready to meet the challenge and that equals fireworks. All I can say is, I thank the Lord Jesus Christ for putting me in this position and I’m coming to win.”
With just over two weeks to go before the world title challenge, Guerrero has been locked away at the high altitude of California’s San Bernardino Mountains in Big Bear, and with his intensified cardio routine and some hard sparring sessions, “The Ghost” is preparing for a fast-paced 12 round fight that will get fight fans at the HP Pavilion on their feet.
Everything is going well in camp,” said Guerrero’s trainer and father, Ruben Guerrero. “Robert is looking sharp and I see him getting better and better each day he spars. (Unbeaten rising star) Frankie Gomez and (WBC Super Welterweight Champion) Canelo Alvarez have been a big help getting us ready for this fight. We’re getting good work and we’ll be ready come fight night.”
Also in camp is Guerrero’s nutritionist, Bob Santos along with Robert’s brother Eric, and this tight knit crew is confident that when the dust settles on August 27, “The Ghost” will have another world title belt to put in his trophy case.
“If Robert can execute the game plan we’ve set for this fight, he’ll have a good chance to be successful,” said Santos. “Maidana is relentless and has underrated boxing skills. Bottom line is…we’re in a tough fight and the fans are going to be in for a treat.”
Maidana vs. Guerrero, a 12 round fight for the WBA Super Lightweight World Championship title and is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Universum Box Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, DeWalt Tools and AT&T. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast, which will also feature a ten round heavyweight showdown between Seth Mitchell and Mike Mollo, begins at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.
Tickets, priced at $252, $127, $62 and $26, are on sale now and available for purchase at the HP Pavilion Ticket Office, Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
Edwin Rodriguez takes on Chris Traietti on Saturday
WORCESTER, Mass. (August 18, 2011) – Historic Mechanics Hall hosts its 400th documented professional boxing show Saturday night, when Worcester’s adopted son, undefeated super middleweight sensation Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez, fights at home for the third time in his relatively young career.
The 26-year-old Dominican Republic native (18-0, 13 KOs) headlines a special edition of Broadway Boxing, presented by DiBella Entertainment, against intra-state rival and Iraq War veteran Chris Traietti (10-2, 6 KOs), of Quincy, in a 10-round bout.
Mechanics Hall has been a venue for pro boxing since 1920, but for a 41-year stretch it didn’t host a prizefighting show, until Rodriguez fought there in 2009 and again last year. Edwin relocated in Worcester from the Dominican Republic whenhe was 13, unable to speak a single word of English. Today, he’s a bi-lingual chess enthusiast who many consider leading 168-pound prospect in the world.
Back in the late twenties, like Edwin did many years later, Lou Brouillard (108-29-2, 66 KOs) moved to Worcester, and then went on to become world middleweight champion in 1933. The French-Canadian southpaw fought in Mechanics Hall nine times between 1929 and 1940, highlighted by his New England light heavyweight title-winning fight in 1938 versus Johnny Rossi (WTKO10).
Rodriguez, who trained the past two months in Houston with new chief second Ronnie Shields, had written into his contract that he’d fight a minimum of three times at home within three years. “I love fighting at home in front of my family, friends and fans,” Edwin said. “Being away from my family wasn’t fun, “but I did it so we’d all have a better life. They motivate me. Training in Houston was like training in Massachusetts. The air is thick there and it was very, very hot. We had wars in the gym and getting good sparring like I did will help take me to the next level.”
Rodriguez started boxing in 2001 and he developed into one of the top amateurs in the United States, compiling a solid 84-9 record that included gold-medal performances in the 2005 USA Boxing National Championships and 2006 U.S. National Golden Gloves Tournament. Rodriguez, who has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Dominican Republic, became the first Massachusetts boxer to win the middleweight title at the Nationals since “Marvelous”Marvin Hagler in 1973.
Saturday night’s Broadway Boxing show showcases the return of former WBA junior middleweight champion Joachim Alcine (32-2, 19 KOs) vs. upset specialist Jose “Stinger” Medina (14-9-2, 6 KOs), from Quincy. Also seeing action are two other boxers from Traietti’s hometown of Quincy –Rodriguez’ stable-mate junior lightweight Ryan“The Polish Prince” Kielczewski (10-0, 2 KOs) vs. James Lester (9-5, 4 KOs), and Gabriel Duluc (1-0, 1 KO) vs. Springfield (MA) junior welterweight Noel Garcia. Also scheduled to be in action are popular, female heavyweight Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis (5-0, 1 KO), fighting out of New York City, vs. Tiffany Woodard (4-4-1, 3 KOs); unbeaten Louisiana heavyweight prospect Kelvin Price (10-0, 6 KO) vs. Joseph Rabotte, and New Haven super bantamweight Luis “The KO King” Rosa(7-0, 5 KOs) vs. Shawn “Bones” Nichol (5-6, 5 KOs). All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets for Broadway Boxing are on sale now through DiBella Entertainment, and start at only $35. Main Floor tickets are priced at $55, $75, and $125. Rear Balcony tickets are $35 and $75. Tables for groups of 10 are priced at $1,000. Tickets can be purchased by calling DiBella Entertainment: (212) 947-2577 and through the Mechanics Hall box office at (508) 752-0888. More information may be obtained by visiting www.dbe1.com.
Doors open at 6 PM/ET with the first bout slated for 7 PM/ET.
Goonline to www.edwinrodriguezboxing.comor www.dbe1.com for more information about Rodriguez or the Aug. 20 Broadway Boxing show.
24TH WBO CONVENTION IN PUERTO RICO, FROM OCTOBER 24 TO OCTOBER 29, 2011
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – Remember the 24th World Boxing Organization (WBO) Annual Convention, to be held in Puerto Rico in 2011, from October 24th to 29th.
WBO President, Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel announced that the event will take place at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, located in Isla Verde, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Plus many activities for the guests, PR Best Boxing Promotions (PRBBP) will present a World Title Show during the WBO Convention. Also, in the Convention expected the presence of some of the WBO Champions, former Champions, other boxers, known trainers, managers, promoters, officials, and other political, social and cultural personalities.
As always, at the Convention will be discussed various topicas as rules, rankings, among others.
For reservations at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, can call 1 787 253-1700 Ext. 4161, 1 800 241-3333 or a accesing http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/SanJuan/Default.htm.
More information at www.wbo-int.com (www.facebook.com/WorldBoxingOrganization).