MARCH 5, 2012 (NEWPORT BEACH, CA) – Ever since it gained worldwide notice in 1996, women’s boxing has produced a series of great fighters, but two iconic names stand above the rest – Christy Martin and Mia St. John.
This summer, nearly a decade after their first bout in 2002, Martin and St. John will meet again, in FINAL VICTORY, only this time the stakes will be even higher, as these two champions will fight for the final time and it will be for the World Boxing Council (WBC) World Super Welterweight Belt in a big night of championship boxing on Tuesday evening, June 19th that will be presented by Table Mountain Casino, in association with Roy Englebrecht Promotions.
For Martin, this is her opportunity to reach the 50-win milestone against a heated rival looking to keep her from that mark. More importantly, it will be a fitting celebration of a career and life thought to be over when “The Coal Miner’s Daughter” was allegedly shot and stabbed by her ex-husband Jim in 2010. Yet despite the odds, Martin not only survived, but she returned to the ring in 2011. Now she wants to finish the most memorable career in women’s boxing history by defeating St. John. “I am excited about this opportunity to get my 50th win against Mia St John to finish my career,” said Martin. “I am honored to fight for the WBC World Title at Table Mountain Casino and look forward to becoming a World Champion once again. This time I will KO Mia, that’s as good a guarantee as you get.”
St. John has her own reasons for wanting this fight, and the way she sees it, this matchup is all about respect and redemption. In 2002, despite her stellar 26-1-1 record, it took an exciting 10 round war with Martin to earn the acclaim from the boxing world that she deserved. Since then, “The Knockout” has continued to be one of the sport’s great ambassadors, in and out of the ring, and all that’s left for her is to even the score with her greatest rival in Christy Martin. “I’ve waited nearly 10 years for this rematch,” stated St John. “I know I out-boxed Christy in the last fight, but this time I am going to BEAT her. Now we’ll see who the real WBC Champion is, La Gallina or La Guerrera.”
“Since I promoted my first female pro boxing bout in December of 1995 on a Battle In The Ballroom show at the Irvine Marriott, I am proud to say that Roy Englebrecht Promotions has promoted more female boxing bouts than any other fight promoter in history,” stated Englebrecht. “To now have the opportunity, with the FINAL VICTORY show, to work with and promote two boxing, if not sports icons, in Christy and Mia, is an honor and privilege, and believe me fight fans in the Central Valley will be in for a special evening when these two ladies meet in the ring with a legitimate world championship on the line.”
The Final Victory show which will also include four undercard bouts will be held in the Events Center at Table Mountain Casino in Friant, California, which is located just 15 miles outside Fresno. Tickets for this night of championship boxing will be priced at $70 VIP, $65 Gold, and $55 General Admission, and will go on sale on May 7th at 12 noon at www.tmcasino.com or at Table Mountain Casino. Doors will open at 6pm with the first bout scheduled to begin at 6:30pm, and you must be 18 years or older to attend the show.
Needless to say, this event is as historic as it is compelling, making it the must see fight of the Summer of 2012.
Christy Martin
“The Coal Miner’s Daughter”
49-6, 31 KOs
5-4, 147 pounds
Orlando, Florida
36-1-2 in first 39 pro fights
Has only been stopped twice (once due to injury, once by Laila Ali)
Unbeaten in four of her last five bouts
Former WBC junior middleweight champion
Holds 2002 decision win over St. John
Featured on several Don King Productions Pay-Per-View cards
Has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine
Survived harrowing shooting by her husband in November 2010; came back to fight in June of 2011 and was defeating Dakota Stone before the fight was stopped due to her broken hand.
Mia Rosales St. John
“The Knockout”
46-11, 18 KOs
5-6, 147 pounds
Oxnard, California
15 wins in three rounds or less
Former WBC international lightweight champion
Former WBC international welterweight champion
Former IBA lightweight champion
Unbeaten in first 23 pro fights
Featured on several Top Rank Pay-Per-View cards
Has appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine
Has won three of her last five bouts
For Final Victory show information contact:
Roy Englebrecht at Roy Englebrecht Promotions at boxing77@aol.com or 949-760-3131
Paris stun Milan to win quarter-final first leg
Lausanne, Switzerland, 5 March 2012 – In the much anticipated showdown between last year’s champions Paris United and the classy Italian outfit Dolce & Gabbana Milano Thunder, there were some riveting encounters between two of the most exiting teams in this season’s WSB competition. It was a real nail-biter right until the very end but once again home advantage made the difference in this one.
After failing to make weight, Geoffrey Dos Santos was unable to present himself for the Bantamweight contest, giving Milano the walk-over and the early advantage in the tie. Irish record breaker John Joe Nevin quickly restored parity with a hard fought victory in the Lightweight battle after dominating 21-year-old Serbian National champion Branimir Stankovic. Nevin has been in fine form this season, extending his unbeaten record to three wins no losses, but this triumph did not come easy with Stankovic mounting a strong fight back. Though in the end it was too little too late as the Irish 2009 AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist took the fight by split decision.
Milan were back in front in the match after their Irish Middleweight William McLaughlin cut Cameroonian 29-year-old Joseph Maluma in their contest and was awarded the win by TKO. It was a quality performance that had him ahead on all three judges’ scorecards. McLaughlin is really making a name for himself this season with his fourth win of an excellent campaign for him.
Frenchman Ludovic Groguhé, who was transferred during the summer from Paris to Milan and is one of the stars of the WSB, has somehow lost him way of late and had looked out of sorts following two successive defeats. His battle against Hrvoje Sep was an opportunity to set the record straight and make him a hero with his new team. However the Croatian Light Heavyweight had other ideas, starting this fight with real intent. Groguhé began brightly, dictating the tempo of the bout from the centre of the ring but Sep, with the raucous support of the crowd, somehow turned the fight on its head in the latter stages to snatch a deserved win and drag Paris level at 2:2.
All to fight for as once more the Heavyweight face-off doubled up as the decider. Step into the ring the giant Filip Hrgovic against Polish rising star Michal Olas. At 19 years of age and measuring 198cm, Hrgovic is an imposing figure and with his experience it was a tough ask for the orthodox Pole. Clearly lifted by his compatriot’s win in the Light Heavyweight contest, Hrgovic looked hungry and in no mood to take prisoners as he completely overawed Olas from the first bell. With his opponent in real trouble in the early stages, Hrgovic stamped his authority to win by TKO in the second round, thus handing the 3:2 win to Paris United on the night.
Once again this action did not disappoint and it will be on a knife-edge for in the return leg this Friday in Italy.