Ricky Burns has been declared the full World Boxing Organization (WBO) World Lightweight Champion after Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez has moved up to the light welterweight division.
Scottish star Burns won the Interim title when he beat Michael Katsidis last November in his first fight at lightweight, with Marquez holding the full title while he decided his next move.
This means that Burns will go into his title fight against former world champion Paulus Moses on March 10th at the Braehead Arena as the full champion.
“When I beat Katsidis I felt like a world champion anyway, but this makes it all real and I’m thrilled with the news that I’m now the official full world champion,” said Burns.
“It’s a great feeling, but now it’s now back to reality and training hard for what will be a tough title defence against Moses in my Scottish homecoming on March 10,”
“For the last ten years I’ve been grafting away in my career, but in the last couple of years it has really taken off with me beating Martinez and then beating a great warrior like Katsidis to put me up with the best in the world,”
The 28-year-old joins WBO World Light-Heavyweight Champion Nathan Cleverly as Britain’s only two world champions, with Cleverly defending his title against American Tommy Karpency on February 25th at Cardiff’s Motropoint Arena – both fights can be seen live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 456/Virgin Ch. 546).
“Nathan’s a great fighter and Britain has now got two world champions to be proud of who can fly the flag on the world stage.” added Burns.
Episode #2 On Freddie Roach Premieres Friday Night on HBO
NEW HBO SERIES ON FREDDIE ROACH, FROM RENOWNED FILMMAKER PETER BERG, DEBUTS AN ALL-NEW EPISODE FRIDAY NIGHT
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Peter Berg, Jim Lampley, Sarah Aubrey And Michael Price Executive Produce
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ON FREDDIE ROACH, the all-new cinéma-vérité series from renowned filmmaker and Emmy® nominee Peter Berg, debuts an all-new episode FRIDAY, JAN. 27 (9:30-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), followed by other episodes on subsequent Fridays at the same time, exclusively on HBO. Executive produced by Berg (“Friday Night Lights”), the HBO Original Programming presentation is a co-production of Film 44 and Atticus Entertainment.
The unscripted show focuses on Freddie Roach, who owns and operates the famed Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, where he has produced a host of world champions. This intensely personal look at the world-famous boxing trainer chronicles his life and career against the backdrop of Parkinson’s disease, an ailment very likely linked to his own boxing past.
Episode #2: “The Wild Card”
Debut: FRIDAY, JAN. 27 (9:30-10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: Jan 28 (11:30 a.m., 12:30 a.m.), 29 (11:30 a.m.) and 30 (7:30 p.m., 11:50 p.m.), and Feb. 1 (7:30 p.m.) and 2 (9:30 a.m., 8:30 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Jan. 29 (11:00 p.m.) and 31 (9:30 p.m.)
A routine day at the Wild Card Gym is suddenly thrown into chaos.
Episode #1 is available on HBO ON DEMAND and HBO GO.
On Freddie Roach is a Film 44 and Atticus Entertainment production; executive produced by Peter Berg, Sarah Aubrey, Jim Lampley and Michael Price; co-executive produced by Brendan Malloy and Emmett Malloy; produced by Matthew Goldberg, Christopher G. Cowen and Freddie Roach; editors, Brian Johnson and Stephen Strout; director of photography, Niles Harrison; camera operator, Brandon Carroll; music by The Antlers; original music by Rogue Wave.
HATTON PROMOTIONS KAZAKHSTAN SHOW WEIGH-IN
Hatton Promotions exciting new signing Zhanat Zhakiyanov and Thailand’s Noppadol Khongchana both weighed 53.3 kg (117 ½ pounds) ahead of their ten round bantamweight contest in Kazakhstan on Friday night (27th Jan).
The pair will box over ten round at the city sports hall in Petropavlovsk, the hometown of 24 -year-old EBU-EE bantamweight champion Zhakiyanov .
Zhakiyanov who has won 16 of his 17 bouts hopes a win will move him closer to a fight against England’s European Boxing Union (EBU) European 118lb champion Jamie McDonnell.
The weigh-in was supervised by the General Secretary of the Kazak Federation.
The show is a co-promotion between Hatton Promotion who are represented at the show by Philippe Fondu and local promoter Yerik Jailauov.
WORLD CONTENDERS JONATHAN OQUENDO Y JOSE “CHELO” GONZALEZ IN THE UNDERCARD OF LOPEZ VS SALIDO II ON MARCH 10
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO- World ranked Jonathan “Polvo” Oquendo and Jose “Chelo” Gonzalez will defend their regional titles next March 10 as part of the Juanma Lopez vs Orlando Salido II card to be held at the coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in a Top Rank presentation, in association with PR Best Boxing Promotions (PRBBP), Promociones Zanfer and San Juan City, to be televised live on Showtime.
Oquendo (22-2, 15 KOs), #2 ranked by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) in the super bantamweight division, will defend his 122lb WBO Latino title against a foe to be named in a 10 round fight. Oquendo, from Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, won his three fights in 2011, all by KO in the first two rounds.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez (18-0, 13 KOs), from Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, will defend his Latino lightweight belt versus a rival to be announced, also in a 10 round bout. Gonzalez, who is the #5 ranked fighter in the lightweights by the WBO, fought five times in 2011, with four of his victories came by knockout.
The main event of the evening presents Lopez (31-1, 28 KOs) seeking revenge against the 126 WBO champion, Salido (37-11-2, 25 KOs), who knocked him out last April 2011. Also in the TV undefeated, world ranked Miguel Angel “Mikey” Garcia (27-0, 23 KOs) will fight in a 12 round bout.
Six more bouts will complete the card.
Tickets for this show are availables at Ticketcenter (www.tcpr.com) calling 1 787 792-5000. Prices are $25, $50, $75, $100, $200 and $400.