Showtime’s Hall of Fame broadcaster Al Bernstein will emcee a special Fight Night Afterparty at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, following the much anticipated rematch between Andre Berto-Victor Ortiz. Bernstein and other boxing celebrities will be on hand at this event presented by Corporate Planners, Unlimited. For information on attending the party log on to www.FightNightAfterparty.com.
Bernstein, who will call the match on television for Showtime Networks, will meet and greet party guests and emcee the post fight program that will include him and other boxing celebrities offering their analysis of the fight. Party attendees will also be able to participate with their questions and opinions. “This kind of interactive, fun experience immediately following a big fight is something that has been missing for boxing fans,” Bernstein said. “I am so happy to be a part of this concept that Corporate Planners, Unlimited has created. CPU is the champion when it comes to creating excellent events. This is an easily accessible and intimate party that will greatly enhance the fans’ experience that night. I am looking forward to meeting the fans and talking to them about this great match right after it happens,” he added.
The Fight Night Afterparty will be held in the MGM Conference Center, just a 3 minute walk from the Grand Garden Arena at the MGM, where the Berto-Ortiz match will be held. The event requires pre-registration by Feb. 4th on www.FightnightAfterParty.com to purchase Event Passes and is open not only to boxing fans who attend the fight, but also all those who simply plan to be at the MGM to share in the big fight atmosphere.
Party attendees can win special prizes and will have the opportunity to take photos with boxing celebrities in attendance. They will also be able to participate in a special videotaping for The Boxing Channel. All fans will leave with a signed photo from Hall of Famer Al Bernstein.
IABA UPDATE (2012 ELITE SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS)
IRISH AMATEUR BOXING ASSOCIATION
Visit www.iaba.ie
(Please see attached circular for Championships details and schedule)
The 2012 Irish Daily Star Sponsored National Elite Senior Championships is locked and loaded and ready to rumble at Dublin’s National Stadium.
Over 110 boxers have registered to compete at the tournament which gloves off at 7pm tomorrow evening (January 20th).
Friday’s weigh-in will take place between 8.30am and 10am and 12 noon and 1pm at the National Stadium, followed by the draw at 1.30pm.
An extra dimension has been added to the 2012 edition with the final Olympic qualifier for European male boxers penciled in for Trabzon, Turkey between April 13th and 22nd.
With Michael Conlan, John Joe Nevin and Darren O’Neill – who will all be defending their respective titles at the 2012 Championships – having already booked their tickets for the London Olympics in the flyweight, bantamweight and middleweight classes, Ireland will be targeting seven Olympic berths in Trabzon.
Ireland’s female boxers, including Katie Taylor, are aware that their only Olympic qualifier will be the AIBA Word Women’s Championships in Qinhuangdao, China in May.
Three Olympic places are available for women in the flyweight, lightweight and middleweight classes.
However, the north-eastern Turkish city of Trabzon and the Chinese province of Qinhuangdao will be put on the back burner for the next three weekends as Olympic, World, European and European Union medalists battle for supremacy at the home of Irish boxing.
Looking ahead to the blue ribband tournament of Irish amateur boxing, head coach Billy Walsh, a seven-time Elite champion and Olympian, predicted a keenly contested competition.
“The National Championships this year have the makings of the best Championships ever because there is so much at stake for so many boxers. The amount of talent we have in some weight divisions is phenomenal, he said.
“To pick out just one weight, welterweight, we have Roy Sheahan, John Joe Joyce, Willie McLaughlin, all world class boxers. We have Jason Quigley dropping down to it and Michael O’Reilly – and then there’s Adam Nolan the current champion.
“What a bunch of talent in that division. Then you have the whole Kenny Egan and Joe Ward scenario at light-heavyweight. These Championships will be phenomenal, even for the guys that have qualified for the Olympics, Michael Conan, John Joe Nevin and Darren O’Neill.
“I’m always making the point to the lads that to be National Senior champion – or Elite as its know nowadays – really is something special. I was lucky enough to win seven of them and every one of them is still very, very special to me.
“We are, of course, going to get a bit of juggling with the weights. The opportunity to qualify for the Olympics only comes around once every four years so guys are going to do whatever they can to make it.”
Ten-time Elite champion Ken Egan, who will be competing in his 12th consecutive Elite Championships, is eager to get between the ropes at IABA headquarters.
“It’s hard to believe – twelve years gone in the blink of an eye. I had a good test last November just to see if the fire is still burning. It definitely is. It goes without saying that this year is a massive year for Irish
boxing and it will all begin at the National Stadium this weekend.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Visit www.iaba.ie for news, draws, results, videos and photographs.
UNBEATEN RONNY RIOS FACES JEREMY McLAURIN FEB. 4 ON GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS PREMIERE “SÓLO BOXEO TECATE” SHOW OF 2012
LOS ANGELES, January 19 – The fists will be flying at The Phoenix Club in Anaheim, Calif. on Saturday, Feb. 4 when Golden Boy Promotions presents its first “Sólo Boxeo Tecate” event of 2012 which will feature a battle for local pride that pits Santa Ana’s Ronny Rios taking on Anaheim’s own Jeremy McLaurin in an eight round junior lightweight main event.
Also featured on this hard-hitting card will be an eight round featherweight co-main event between Salinas’ Alejandro Perez and Florida’s Derrick Wilson.
Rios vs. McLaurin headlines a night of world-class professional boxing presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate. Doors open at 6:00 pm, the first bell rings at 7:00 pm and the TeleFutura broadcast begins at 11:00 pm ET/PT.
Tickets, priced at $30 and $50, may be purchased online at www.flavorus.com/soloboxeo.
Unbeaten as a professional, former amateur star Ronny Rios (16-0, 7 KO’s) is one of the junior lightweight division’s brightest young prospects and, after solid 2011 wins over Georgi Kevlishvili and Noe Lopez Jr., he made a huge statement to the boxing world with a clear-cut eight round unanimous decision win over longtime contender Roger “Speedy” Gonzalez last September. Needless to say, 2012 will be a pivotal year for Rios and in order to keep the momentum going, he needs to kick it off right on Feb. 4.
Anaheim native Jeremy McLaurin (9-2, 5 KO’s) may have fought the majority of his fights in Minnesota, but the 30-year-old has been waiting his entire three-year professional career to return to his roots and headline in his hometown. The winner of two of his last three fights over fellow prospects Joel Flores and Gary Eyer, McLaurin’s dream fight has become a reality and he expects to make the most of it.
Salinas’ Alejandro Perez (15-3-1, 10 KO’s) has a well-deserved reputation for being willing to fight anyone, anytime, anywhere, and he carries that respect as a badge of honor. Just 25 years old, Perez has already faced current World Champion Rico Ramos, knocked out highly-regarded Antonio Escalante and held the WBC USNBC title at 122 pounds. Now returning to featherweight after two fights at 130 pounds, Perez will look to use a win over Wilson as a springboard to begining a title run.
23-year old Derrick Wilson (9-2-2, 3 KO’s) first made a name for himself in 2009 when he knocked out then-undefeated Charles Huerta in a single round. Since then, the Fort Myers, Florida native has gone won five of seven fights, including a 2010 win over then 7-0 Ricky Lopez. Now, he has the opportunity to beat a respected veteran in Alejandro Perez, and it’s fights like this that always make him rise to the occasion.
Tecate, cerveza con carácter, is the largest beer brand to sponsor boxing matches in the U.S. Part of its commitment to make boxing accessible to consumers is the title sponsorship of “Sólo Boxeo Tecate,” which creates an opportunity for local fans to witness some of the most exhilarating fights by today’s up-and-coming prospects. Additionally, Tecate has been a primary supporter of Golden Boy Promotions’ marquee events since 2007, and has launched a variety of initiatives to ensure consumers are part of the boxing experience, including boxer autograph signing sessions, commemorative cans, PPV mail-in rebate offers, and most recently the launch of a mobile museum “Tecate Museo de Boxeo,” which showcases decades of the most memorable moments in the sport.