London (20 September) PROMOTER Mick Hennessy has come out and ridiculed any suggestion from Mike Perez that he deserves a shot at British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
Hennessy is working towards unbeaten Fury returning to the ring in November on the back of an exciting fifth round stoppage of American Nicolai Firtha at the King’s Hall last Saturday night.
Cork-based Perez, from Cuba, has come out and challenged Fury to a dust-up but promoter Hennessy says he can “forget about it”.
Hennessy commented: “Clearly somebody’s little cage has bee rattled in Ireland after Tyson’s great win at the weekend and from what I can see it is the people around him who are mouthing off, not Perez. I would be surprised if it was Perez because when Tyson was an amateur he gave him two very bad beatings in sparring and there were plenty of witnesses to it.
“That was when Perez was already a pro and Tyson was out of shape and a raw amateur. Since then we offered Perez the chance to fight Tyson at the King’s Hall and after verbally agreeing to the fight his people then turned it down in order to fight Jonathan Banks on the Odyssey Arena show a week earlier in Belfast and ended up not boxing on either show. Clearly the people around him are desperate to get him a fight but it won’t be on the back of Tyson Fury.
“Anyone who knows anything about boxing will know that Tyson is in a completely different league to Perez. This isn’t three three-minute rounds like the amateurs or the one-night tournament he was involved in, it’s a 12-round fight and Tyson would badly expose him.
“He had his chance to fight Tyson, talked a good game but didn’t follow through so he has missed the boat. We’re not here to be messed about, Tyson is moving on. So Perez, or whoever it is, can shoot his mouth off all he wants but he’s just not in our plans now.”
Olusegun Ajose & Ali Chebah Battle in WBC Super Lightweight Eliminator on Sept. 30 Edition of ShoBox
NEW YORK (Sept. 20, 2011) – World Boxing Council (WBC) No. 1-ranked super lightweight contender Olusegun Ajose will face No. 6-ranked Ali Chebah in a WBC super lightweight eliminator on Friday, Sept. 30, in the main event on ShoBox: The New Generation LIVE on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) from Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, Calif.
The 12-round bout, which will be the United States debut for each fighter, will determine the No. 1 mandatory contender for the WBC 140-pound title currently held by Erik Morales.
The 12th-ranked lightweight in the World Boxing Organization (WBO), Colombia’s exciting, hard-hitting Darley Perez (22-0, 17 KOs) will make his ShoBox debut against Oscar Meza (22-4, 18 KOs), of Mexico, in a 10-round lightweight co-feature.
The event, the second of five ShoBox telecasts in eight weeks and first of two within a one-week span, is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions in association with DiBella Entertainment.
Ajose (29-0, 14 KOs), of Nigeria, has fought his last 16 bouts in England, where the 5-foot-9, 31-year-old southpaw lived until recently relocating to New York City. His most impressive win was an eighth-round knockout over former contender Colin Lynes on April 3, 2010, which he followed up with a six-round decision over Arek Malek last Feb. 12 in his lone outing this year.
“This fight has been a stumbling block for me for about two years,” said Ajose, who is making just his third start since June 2009. “I was the No. 1 contender for so long but was bypassed many times. People heard I am a good boxer but they don’t know how good I am and this is my chance to show them what I’ve got.”
Looking to make a name for himself in the U.S, Ajose believes ShoBox is the perfect vehicle to make a statement.
“There is the saying, ‘If you are more than people think you are, then the next step is to prove it,’” he said. “That is exactly what I will do – prove to the American fight fans that I am better than good.
“Watch me and don’t blink.”
Chebah (33-1, 26 KOs), of France, will be making his 2011 debut. He’s riding an eight-fight win streak since his only loss on Sept. 27, 2009 against Reyes Sanchez in Mexico City. His most notable victories are a third-round knockout over Pipino Cuevas Jr. in 2008, a second-round knockout over Joel Juarez in 2009 and a fifth-round knockout over previously undefeated Fidel Monterrosa Munoz, also in 2009.
While he owns a better than 75 percent knockout ratio, the 5-foot-9, 25-year-old Chebah will be facing his toughest opponent to date in Ajose, a slick and speedy boxer with a world title shot on his mind.
“I fought a southpaw once, but I have an awkward style and I will adapt to anyone in front of me,” Chebah said. “I don’t care about southpaw, orthodox, pressure, defensive, mobile, anything.
“My style is pressure, pressure, pressure. You are going to see a Frenchman with Mexican style, slick and mentally tough.
Chebah won both his fights in 2010 by third-round TKO, the last coming over Laszlo Komjathi on Sept. 23 in Algeria.
In the co-featured bout, the 27-year-old Perez turned pro in February 2009 and fought 12 times that year. He is coming off two consecutive knockouts in June and July, but has mostly faced limited opposition since making his U.S. debut in December 2010 – a fourth-round knockout over Ramesis Gil in Kissimmee, Fla. He owns a victory over former WBO Latino lightweight champion and contender Jose Reyes on April 29, 2011.
Perez has watched patiently as his gym mate and fellow Colombian Yonnhy Perez, who is also trained by Danny Zamora in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., developed as a fighter on ShoBox and moved on to capture a world title.
“This is a great opportunity for Darley to be on ShoBox,” Zamora said. “He knows that that’s how Yonnhy started, on ShoBox, and from there to SHOWTIME, and he became a world champion.”
Perez, who registered a first-round knockout over Baudel Cardenas in his most recent fight last July 22 in Ontario, Calif., will face perhaps the toughest test of his career against Meza, a battle-tested veteran.
Meza fought current World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight champion Brandon Rios in 2009, losing via fifth-round TKO. Meza has won three consecutive fights since his last loss in June of 2010 against highly regarded Mercito Gesta. In his most recent outing, Meza scored a third-round TKO over Kelly Wright last June 11 in Chandler, Ariz.
“I feel that my preparation for this fight is the best I’ve had in the last three or four years,” Meza said. “I’m going to be well-prepared, and I’m going to give everything I’ve got on the day of the fight.
“This is a big fight for me and I need to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Curt Menefee will call the action alongside ringside analyst Steve Farhood and boxing expert Antonio Tarver. The executive producer is Gordon Hall, with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
Usman Ahmed in Prizefighter
Internet sensation Usman Ahmed will get the chance to make a name for himself in the right way as he joins the line-up for Prizefighter Super Flyweights at Liverpool Olympia on Wednesday October 12, live on Sky Sports.
Ahmed hit the headlines when a video of his flamboyant ring walk and first round knockout defeat to Ashley Sexton became a viral hit on YouTube. One version of the video has now been viewed over five million times as Sexton delivers a punishing right to floor the confident Derby man in their English Flyweight title clash in Brentwood in January 2010.
The 29 year-old had previously fought for the Chris Edwards for the British and Commonwealth titles and promoter Eddie Hearn believes that a strong showing at Olympia could earn Ahmed a shot at redemption.
“Usman has had a rough ride with the Sexton knockout, but it’s certainly raised his profile which is important in such a tight division,” said Hearn. “In Prizefighter he has the chance to make the headlines for the right reasons and with his showmanship and self-confidence, a win in Liverpool could earn Usman another title shot and a lot of fans.”
Ahmed joins British champion Lee Haskins, English Bantamweight champion Craig Lyon from St Helens, Liverpool’s Mike Robinson, Merseyside’s third representative unbeaten 23 year-old Ryan Farrag, and another unbeaten fighter in Northampton’s Nathan Reeve, the 21 year-old former. The boxers taking the final two spots will be announced soon, with Ahmed and Robinson both denied another shot at Sexton after the Londoner withdrew from the line-up.
Tickets for the Super Flyweights show at Liverpool’s Olympia on Wednesday 12 October are on sale now from Matchroom Sport on 01277 359900 priced £30 unreserved, £50 ringside, £100 VIP.