UFC® 111 IS OFFICIALLY SOLD OUT – UFC TAKES OVER RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL TO CELEBRATE MEGA-FIGHT
UFC to Hold UFC 111 Viewing Party and Press Conference Inside NYC Landmark
Las Vegas, NV (USA) – UFC® 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy, one of the most anticipated UFC® events ever, is officially sold out. Now, for everyone who wants to see Georges St-Pierre, Dan Hardy, Frank Mir and Shane Carwin live and in person, and watch this epic Ultimate Fighting Championship® event in New York, the UFC is taking over Radio City Music Hall and other sites in Manhattan to celebrate the UFC 111 mega-fight and deliver unprecedented access to the fighters getting ready to battle for world titles.
Among the first of several planned events, UFC today officially announced it will stage a UFC 111 Viewing Party at the world famous Radio City Music Hall, presenting a closed-circuit screening of this historic fight card. Fight fans can watch all the action in High-Definition on Radio City Music Hall’s 70’ x 35’ screen, the largest screen to ever broadcast UFC® events.
“We are holding this viewing party so all of our fans in New York can experience UFC 111 at the iconic Radio City Music Hall, one of the coolest places in the city, and with some of our biggest UFC stars,” said Dana White, UFC President.
“The excitement of mixed martial arts will once again be on display in New York City with this unique UFC 111 Viewing Party at the Showplace of the Nation, Radio City Music Hall,” said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, MSG Sports. “All the loyal UFC fight fans will have a rare opportunity to come together for this historic night and watch the action on Radio City’s epic 70 foot screen in what will be another electric atmosphere.”
The sport’s biggest star, Hall of Famer Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, along with former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra, will make guest appearances at the Radio City Music Hall Viewing Party. UFC fighter and World Extreme Cagefighting® commentator Stephan Bonnar and Sirius Satellite host Jason Ellis will serve as event hosts.
Tickets for the UFC 111 Viewing Party are on sale now and are priced at $25 in advance, or $30 on the day of the event (March 27th). Tickets can be purchased at the Radio City Music Hall Box Office, Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, or online at www.radiocity.com. Tickets are also available by Ticketmaster phone at 866-858-0008. Doors will open at 7:15pm ET; Q&A Session with UFC fighters and host will begin at 8:00pm ET. UFC 111 Screening begins at 9:00pm ET, including the Spike TV preliminary fights and the entire live UFC 111 Pay-Per-View card.
UFC 111 Viewing Party Schedule:
7:15pm – 8:00pm ET: Doors open/Exclusive Chuck Liddell autograph session for the first 200 attendees
8:00pm – 9:00pm ET: Q&A session with Chuck Liddell, Matt Serra and hosts Bonnar and Ellis on stage
9:00pm – 10:00pm ET: UFC 111 on SPIKE TV prelims air live
10:00pm ET: Pay-Per-View screening begins/UFC 111 goes live!
Fans can get their first glimpse of the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Wednesday, March 24, when UFC will hold its traditional pre-fight press conference inside Radio City Music Hall’s main theatre. This event will be FREE and open to the public.
Dana White will take center stage and host the public press conference, with world welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, number one welterweight contender Dan Hardy, and interim heavyweight title contenders Frank Mir and Shane Carwin lining the dais. Immediately following the event, White, St-Pierre, Hardy, Mir and Carwin will remain on stage and take part in an unprecedented hour-long Q&A, just days before the fight, exclusively for the thousands of UFC fans in attendance. Doors will open for UFC® Fight Club™ members at 1:30pm ET. Doors will open to the General Public at 2:00pm ET. The press conference will begin at 3:00pm ET; the UFC 111 Q&A is expected to begin at 3:30pm ET and conclude around 4:30pm ET.
UFC 111 Press Conference Schedule
1:30pm ET: Doors open for UFC Fight Club Members
2:00 pm ET: Doors open for the General Public
3:00pm – 3:30pm ET: UFC 111 Press Conference
3:30 – 4:30pm ET: Q&A with UFC President Dana White and St-Pierre, Hardy, Mir and Carwin
Also on Wednesday night, Tequila CAZADORES® the Official Spirits Sponsor of the UFC will host a post-press conference party at Johnny Utah’s with UFC fighters expected to attend. The event, located at 25 West 51st Street, will take place from 5:00pm – 7:00pm ET featuring Tequila CAZADORES® cocktails and hand-passed hors d’oeuvres. Media are encouraged to attend.
UFC will hit other parts of Manhattan throughout the week, including Thursday, March 25 when St-Pierre, Hardy, Mir and Carwin will perform afternoon workouts for members of the Tri-State and International press at Peak Performance Strength & Condition Center located at 54 West 21st Street.
Also on Thursday, UFC and THQ® will take over M2 Ultralounge to mark the launch of the new UFC Undisputed 2010 Video Game. UFC President Dana White along with UFC Fighters Cain Velasquez and Frankie Edgar are expected to attend.
On Friday, March 26, UFC will hold the UFC 111 official weigh-in event — FREE and open to the public — in Newark at the Prudential Center. Doors will open at 3:00pm ET and all the fighters competing on the UFC 111 card will step on the scale at approximately 4:00pm ET.
Prior to the UFC 111 weigh-in event, UFC will offer a two-hour autograph session with several UFC fighters – FREE and open to the public – starting at 1:00pm ET and concluding at 3:00pm ET.
Members of UFC’s Fight Club can enter the arena early at 12:30pm ET and catch Matt Serra in a question-and-answer session from 2:00 – 4:00pm ET.
Later Friday evening, UFC will host a UFC 111 pre-fight VIP party in Soho. Dana White, UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and Chuck Liddell are among the guests expected to attend.
UFC may be making other unscheduled stops in New York and New Jersey throughout the week. Stay tuned to UFC.com and follow UFC on Twitter @ufc for more information.
UFC 111 takes place Saturday, March 27th, live, on Pay-Per-View and presented by TapouT. In featured bouts, one of the best fighters in the game today, UFC® welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, looks to extend his reign and his six fight winning streak against British bomber Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy, and former heavyweight champion Frank Mir looks to become only the second man in UFC history to win the championship three times when he takes on number one contender Shane Carwin for the interim UFC heavyweight title.
Ultimate Fighting Championship® – www.ufc.com
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC® produces over twelve UFC live Pay-Per-View events annually and 30 live arena events around the world. UFC programming is distributed in the United States on Viacom, Inc.’s Spike TV and on Comcast, Inc.’s Versus network. Globally, UFC programming is broadcast in over 130 countries, territories and jurisdictions, reaching 430 million homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. Ancillary businesses now include UFC.com with over 5 million unique visitors per month, the best-selling UFC “Undisputed” videogame franchise distributed by THQ, UFC Gym™, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo™ festivals, branded apparel, trading cards, articulated action figures and other media including best-selling DVDs and a U.S. bimonthly magazine.
Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Ultimate Fighting®, UFC®, The Ultimate Fighter®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa®, The Octagon™ and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, registered service marks, trademarks, trade dress and/or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC and licensed to its affiliated entities and other licensees in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC, its affiliates or other respective owners.
MSG Sports Properties
MSG Sports Properties, which includes world championship boxing, college basketball, tennis, track & field, and all other sports events, is part of Madison Square Garden, a fully-integrated sports, entertainment, and media business. The company is comprised of three business segments: MSG Sports, MSG Entertainment and MSG Media, which are strategically aligned to work together to drive MSG’s overall business, which is built on a foundation of iconic venues and compelling content that MSG creates, produces, presents and/or distributes through its programming networks and other media assets. MSG Sports consists of owning and operating sports franchises, including the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL), the New York Liberty (WNBA), and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). MSG Sports also features other sports properties, including the presentation of a wide variety of live sporting events including professional boxing, college basketball, track and field and tennis. MSG Entertainment is one of the country’s leaders in live entertainment. MSG Entertainment creates, produces and/or presents a variety of live productions, including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Radio City Rockettes. MSG Entertainment also presents or hosts other live entertainment events such as concerts, family shows and special events in MSG’s diverse collection of venues. These venues include Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theater, The Chicago Theater and the Wang Theater. MSG Media is a leader in production and content development for multiple distribution platforms, including content originating from MSG’s venues. MSG Media consists of the MSG Networks (MSG Network, MSG Plus, MSG HD and MSG Plus HD) regional sports networks and the Fuse Networks (Fuse and Fuse HD) a national television network dedicated to music. MSG Media is also responsible for managing MSG interactive initiatives across all business segments. More information is available at www.msg.com.
Pacquiao-Clottey is all about location, location, location
Portsmouth’s Spivey will defend his title at Scope – On GFL
Portsmouth’s Dorin Spivey will defend his NABA world lightweight title next month as part of International Championship Boxing’s Knockout Series at Scope.
Spivey won his title with a November knockout of Meacher Major and will be defending the championship for the first time on April 3. His opponent, Tyrell Samuel, is 14-3-0, with six knockouts.
Spivey, whose record stands at 37-5-0 with 29 KOs, saw new life in his career in 2008 when he signed with manager Pat Nelson. He has not fought locally since 2002.
“I am looking forward to appearing before my hometown crowd,” said Spivey. “No disrespect intended to my opponent, but I’m looking forward to a big win.”
ICB promoter Jack Fulton said he was thrilled to have Spivey to headline the first Knockout Series event, calling the fighter “a local hero.”
“I can’t think of a more fitting place for him to defend the title he fought so hard to earn than at home in the Norfolk Scope,” Fulton said.
While Spivey’s 10-round fight will be the main event for the card, there will be a number of other fights that night. Israel’s Ran Nakash, a cruiserweight who is unbeaten in 22 fights, with 16 knockouts, will fight Richard Stewart of Delaware.
Two other local fighters – Frankie Filippone and Bobby Jordan Jr. – are confirmed for the card.
The ICB says it has plans to hold fight cards each month through September.
“This area has a rich boxing history, and a series like this is long overdue,” Fulton said.”
“FAST EDDIE” CHAMBERS I PREPPED AND READY FOR WORLD TITLE FIGHT“FAST EDDIE” CHAMBERS I PREPPED AND READY FOR WORLD TITLE FIGHT
Challenges WBO/IBF Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko in Dusseldorf, Germany on Saturday, March 20th
Six Questions With the #1-rated WBO Heavyweight Contender.
Los Angeles, CA (March 11, 2010) – Top American heavyweight “Fast Eddie” Chambers (35-1, 18 KOs) is set to take on Ukrainian giant and WBO/IBF World Heavyweight Champion Wladimir “Dr. Steelhammer” Klitschko (53-3, 47 KOs) on Saturday night, March 20th, at the 51,000 seat ESPRIT Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany.
This will be the first world title opportunity for Chambers and his third time fighting on German soil. He sustained his only loss as a pro by decision in Berlin to Alexander Povetkin in his first visit back in January, 2008, and stopped another mammoth-sized Ukrainian – undefeated 6-7 Alexander Dimitrenko – in his most recent outing in Hamburg last July 4th.
Goossentutor.com now takes you “Inside the Mind” of Chambers leading into the final days prior to the biggest fight of his career with “Six Questions” for the American hopeful:
GOOSSENTUTOR.COM: How are you feeling both physically and mentally going into the biggest fight of your career against Wladimir Klitschko?
CHAMBERS: “I feel great, both physically and mentally! I’m in the best shape of my career. We’ve done a lot of things in camp to prepare both physically and mentally. We’ve been away from the everyday situations of being at home that we have been able to focus on the task at hand. We came up here to the Poconos to get that focus, work hard and do whatever is necessary to win this title fight.”
GOOSSENTUTOR.COM: Your Goossen Tutor stablemates – Tony Thompson and Chris Arreola – both lost to a Klitschko brother in world title fights. Were you able to take anything away from watching their fights and why do you feel that you can do what they could not – which is to win?
CHAMBERS: “I have a different set of skills than both of them, although I did see there were certain things that they did in their fights. One thing in particular was that they didn’t get their jabs in enough. Although Tony pressured Wladimir a great deal, even on one leg, he was able to make it very difficult at times for Wladimir to dominate the fight. And Chris also was using his jab and at times effectively. But he stood in front of Vitali too much. They really didn’t take advantage of their opportunities. With me, on the other hand, I use different angles, different movement and work my jab and stay behind my jab and will not allow Vladimir to keep his distance all day and pound away.”
GOOSSENTUTOR.COM: Do you feel more at ease going to Germany fighting for a third time?
CHAMBERS: “I am more used to it. My first time let me know that you can’t be short-training, just thinking all day about the fight and not enjoying the experience and have fun with it. This is supposed to be a life experience and you’re supposed to enjoy it. And if you just sit tight in your room and not enjoy the people and the experience of what you’re trying to be – a star in boxing – then it really isn’t going to work out for you. With the fight with Dimitrenko and now this fight, I’m just going to enjoy myself and experience going over there.”
GOOSSENTUTOR.COM: Like Wladimir Klitschko, your last opponent – Alexander Dimitrenko – entered the ring with a 6-inch height and reach advantage. You were very effective in out-boxing him. Can you fight Wladimir the same way or does his style cause you to make adjustments?
CHAMBERS: “I think you can in certain ways fight Wladimir the same way because they both fight from a distance. But you can’t just stand in front of Wladimir because with his long reach he’ll keep you at bay. I have to jab and move and do different things before I just come in and try and engage in the offense.”
GOOSSENTUTOR.COM: “Whom have you been sparring with to prepare for Klitschko?
CHAMBERS: “I had one guy who’s very tall and a good boxer and mover in Marcellus Brown. I also had Sean McClain, who is a guy who was busy and threw a lot of punches and we normally put him in around the middle to late rounds. And then we had Malik Scott come in. He’s a fast, tall boxer who would move and give me different angles and different looks and made me work to get in the last shot.”
GOOSSENTUTOR.COM: What can boxing fans expect from “Fast Eddie” Chambers on Saturday night, March 20th?
CHAMBERS: “A lot of speed; a lot of ability and movement and an overall work rate that it takes to be the heavyweight champion of the world on the night of March 20th.”
www.goossentutor.com
WEIGHTS FROM FOXWOODS—LIVE ON GFL
10 Rounds
Tony Grano (16-1-1, 13 KOs), Hartford, CT 222 lbs.
Mark Brown (15-2, 7 KOs), Salem, NJ 231 lbs.
6 Rounds
Mike Oliver (22-2, 7 KOs), Hartford, CT 120 lbs.
Kermin Guardia (37-11, 21 KOs), Miami, FL 120 lbs.
4 Rounds
Eris Quinteros (2-3, 1 KO), Atlanta, GA 157 lbs.
David Bauza (3-0, 3 KOs), Hartford, CT 158 lbs.
4 Rounds
Sadam Ali (5-0, 2 KOs), Brooklyn, NY 145 lbs.
Jose Duran (6-4-2, 3 KOs), Sarasota, FL 145 lbs.
4 Rounds
Manny Lopes (5-0-1, 1 KO), Marshfield, MA 166 lbs.
Greg McCoy (0-1), New Haven, CT 166 lbs.
4 Rounds
Joe Smith, Jr. (175 lbs.), Long Island, NY 175 lbs.
Carlos Adams (2-7, 0 KO), Memphis, TN 177 lbs.
4 Rounds
Joey Ortega (3-16, 1 KO), Lowell, MA 141 lbs.
Edwin Ortega (2-0, 1 KO), New Haven, CT 141 lbs.
“BRACE FOR IMPACT” FACT SHEET
Name: “Brace For Impact” Pro Card
Date: Friday night, March 12, 2009
Venue: Fox Theater, Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, CT
Promoter: Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc.
Matchmaker: Ted Panagiotis
Tickets: $40.00 (SOLD OUT), $60.00 and $100.00, and available to purchase by calling CES (401.724.2253/2254) or Foxwoods (800-200-2882), going online at www.cesboxing.com or www.foxwoods.com, or in person at Foxwood’s box office.
Information: Contact CES (401.724.2253/2254/www.cesboxing.com) or Foxwoods Resort Casino (www.foxwoods.com). Doors open at 6:00 PM/ET, first bout at 7:00 PM/ET.
Broadcast: www.GoFightLive.TV live and then On Demand for $9.99 with announcer Pat Sullivan and Michael Parente. by clicking:
http://www.gofightlive.tv/showEvent.do?eventId=632
JERRY JONES & BOB ARUM TELECONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
BOB ARUM: I am really excited. You get stale doing the same thing over and over again. Going back to casinos to put on these big events, I think that going to this fabulous stadium like Cowboys Stadium bringing the fights to the people, I think that boxing once again establishes boxing as being one of the major sports in this country as it is so many other places in the world.
Can you compare doing the first fight at the Astrodome to doing the first fight at Cowboys Stadium?
BOB ARUM: 1966 we led with Ali and did a couple of fights in England and in Germany and then we got a call from the Astrodome and he said bring Ali down here and I’ll protect you guys and we’ll do a fight against Cleveland Williams. We did and that building just blew me away. I’ve never seen anything before in my life. Suites and the amenities and there was nothing like anywhere in the world. And now 35 years later in another part of Texas, in Cowboys Stadium, it is the most phenomenal building I have ever been in. Words can’t describe it. You have to see it in person, the big screen, and all the restaurants. It is something really special. It is an honor for me to do a fight, Ali vs. Cleveland Williams in the old Astrodome and the first person, company, to do a fight in Cowboys Stadium and in June to do the first fight n the new Yankee Stadium, Foreman/Cotto, it is just thrilling. [note: Arum promoted the last fight in old Yankee Stadium, Ali-Norton III in 1976]
Is there a concern this may be Manny’s last fight with the election coming up?
BOB ARUM: I am not concerned with it. It is Manny’s decision in whatever way he would want to go. I spoke to Manny and I get no such vibes from him. He’s planning to fight again at least once this year should he be successful against Clottey and he has said nothing to me about retirement.
Could he do both?
BOB ARUM: If the Filipino Congressmen are anything like the US Congressmen, they sit around and do nothing most of the year so why wouldn’t he be able to fight.
Ticket sales?
BOB ARUM: As of this morning there were just over 4000 tickets left to sell and are moving rapidly towards a sellout. At least half are in the $200 plus category. There are less than 1000 in the $750 and $500 category. Party passes are up to Jerry. Jerry is the all-time best promoter, Party Passes for standing room only.
How does it feel compared to Las Vegas or a NY fight?
BOB ARUM: As far as Las Vegas it is more exciting. I love Las Vegas and live in Las Vegas, but the tickets in Las Vegas are limited to the size of the arena and they generally go to high rolling customers. Here the sales pitch is for the public and the same goes in NY, the public has to buy the tickets. It is completely different from a casino setting. That being said, I have not seen, since the Astrodome opened, a situation where the venue plays as big a role as the fighters in selling the event.
Does the venue overshadow the fight?
BOB ARUM: Whatever works. I have never had an experience where the venue has played such a paramount role in the promotion, but all that is good because the proof is in the pudding. It has helped us sell the tickets and it’s helped us get the publicity. The PPV numbers look very strong. The cable companies and the satellite providers are spending tremendous amounts of money advertising this event. I am going to experience the same in June in Yankee Stadium. The first boxing event in sparkling Yankee Stadium will spark tremendous interest and stories about the great fights that took place in the old Yankee Stadium. Like Louis/Schmeling and Ali/Norton.
Is this a great way to re-introduce the sport to the masses?
BOB ARUM: I believe that going to thee large venues and moving these boxing matches around the country will certainly help in branding the sport of boxing and making it what it should have been, a major sport in this country. You can’t be a major sport if all of your big events are in one city where people have to come from all over to attend the event. The Super Bowl, for example, wouldn’t be as important or as big, in my opinion, if it was held in the same city every year.
What have you learned about Jerry Jones?
BOB ARUM: No. 1, I met Jerry about 20 years ago when Jimmy Johnson brought him to one of the fights I was promoting in Las Vegas then I had a number of conversations with him and Al Davis when they were discussing a television deal internally from the NFL. They quizzed me on closed circuit television and various things. When we were talking about the Pacquiao/Mayweather fight, he called me at my house and said that he would like to put a bid in. We tried to arrange a meeting in Dallas and Richard Schaefer wouldn’t get on the plane and that went no place, so when the fight fell apart and we got Clottey as an opponent I called Jerry to see if he was interested and he said yes. He invited Todd and I to the Eagles playoff game on a Saturday and on Sunday we met in Jerry’s suite and within an hour cut the deal. What has blown me away is what an unbelievable promoter this guy is. He never gets tired. We did a two-day trip to Mexico. He kept going. He never stopped doing interviews. He did dozens of interviews with Mexican press. He has been one of the great partners that I have ever worked with.
JERRY JONES: It is great to be on the phone in this workout room and I feel like we’re ready to go practice football. My wife and I would travel the country to watch fights. We saw Bob’s fight at the Superdome and we’ve been to Las Vegas and are great fans of Las Vegas. We saw Ali fight several times and saw Sugar Ray and Marvin Hagler fight a lot. I had more time to go to the fights but since the Cowboys I have been gassed a couple of times and watch Showtime and HBO and it’s been always something that I have followed. It is unique that where I grew up in Arkansas we had a great fighter named Sonny Ingram, a Golden Gloves legend and he had a great boxing program out of my boy’s club and I lived a boy’s club. We had great fighters come through there and I weighed about 100 pounds and we’d get up there and box it up when we wanted to so I had involvement as a youngster but more involved as a fan.
What was your initial reaction when the first meeting fell through?
JERRY JONES: First off I have learned not to get disappointed. Just keep trying to make things work. I wanted that fight here between those two fighters worse than my next breath and so I was willing to wait as long as I needed to wait to have them join me. Bob was real sensitive and made it clear that the circumstances were not a negative about the Stadium or my interest in it. It was more about just getting a fight done. I am glad I went through it because it made me ready for the Pacquiao/Clottey fight. It was like, ‘put me in coach, I’m hot.’ Somehow and someway we wanted to have Manny fighting here and here it is.
JERRY JONES: First of all, there is no question it creates an intensity that wouldn’t be there otherwise. Let me give you an example…Tex Schramm for 29 years was the Cowboys. I wasn’t there two hours as owner of the Cowboys and he told me that the NFL and the Cowboys could never be a studio game. Everybody follows football primarily through television and only 7% of our fans have ever been in an NFL stadium. So where is all of the energy behind the sport? Numbers of people being involved. The NFL is where it is today because of that. You can take the pageantry of a crowd and the social aspect of having a huge crowd and having people in that crowd that aren’t necessarily the big hitters. The $50 people that are in there. You can get that out over television. That does help the sport. You don’t need that incentive to get the fighters to compete. The 100,000 people led the NBA players to play the most energetic All-Star game that they have had. I really believe that this is good for Las Vegas, not a negative for Las Vegas, to have a great fight in front of thousands of people.
Bob, what do you think about Clottey having Lenny De Jesus, as his trainer after his other trainer could not get his visa?
BOB ARUM: He and Lenny are really getting along well. He claims Lenny has taught him a lot of new things. Lenny has been around the sport for a long time, mostly as a cut man but also as a trainer. You know how much of boxing is mental and Joshua says that he feels confident. Can Lenny De Jesus be mentioned in the same category as a Freddie Roach? Of course not, but there aren’t many trainers around that are in the same category as Freddie.
Is Pacquiao stardom a reason you wanted to have a fight at your place?
JERRY JONES: Manny has had everything to do with it and not because he is on this call with me, but Bob Arum had everything to do with it as well. We have such visibility that we didn’t want to create interest, and I have a responsibility to the Cowboys and the NFL, we don’t want to deal with anything but the top. I made my mind up with the commitment to this stadium that I wasn’t going to be associated with anything but the best and working with the best. The make-up of Bob and Manny is what influenced me. I want to do everything I can to create interest in the stadium. Having Manny here and this competition, it says everything that I want to say, especially to our Mexican boxing fan and football fans and Hispanic fans, but also to everyone that has invested any way in this stadium. Whether it be buying suites or seats. This is going to be big time. I am going to deliver for what it means to you to be involved in this stadium. I am aligned with boxing and I have all the respect in the world for boxing and always thought it needs more exposure.
Are there plans for fights in the future?
JERRY JONES: It is a pleasure dealing with Bob and he came with such great recommendations from people he has dealt with in the past. He certainly has been a credit to sports, period. Obviously it has been oriented to the sport of boxing. I have every incentive to be involved with our stadium in the future of boxing. Logistically it is located right but it has a synergy with a lot of our fan base. It is no accident that there are going to be many football players at this fight. There is a common interest there. They are both physical sports. All of this fits with the Cowboys. I have arrived with a good horse in Bob. It would have been different if I had to partner up with someone of less integrity.
BOB ARUM: It is our intention to bring a lot of big matches to Cowboys Stadium, the fans here are terrific. This is the greatest venue in the world and it is something that can make boxing more visible. We have some of the best boxers in the world that will be coming here to watch the fight – Kelly Pavlik, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Those are fighters that one-day I hope to be talking to Jerry about having them star at Cowboys Stadium. Once this fight is over, Jerry, who has become a good friend of mine, we’ll sit together and plot the future.
Would you be willing to take a smaller all-Hispanic event in the future?
JERRY JONES: I am going to have to get used to it because there is not another Manny Pacquiao out here at this particular time. In sports we are al aware and have the promise of how great they are now and hopefully there is one or others that can stand up. I think if we can count on the coming on of other stars and if you can count on that the answer is yes. I could be interested in up and coming stars that could be less than Manny.
BOB ARUM: This weekend we have on this undercard we have some unbelievably talented young. We have Jose Benavides who is only 17 years old and people are saying he is the next big thing in boxing. Roberto Mariquain from Dallas who is coming in in Dallas Cowboy regalia and everybody says he is a future star. Salvador Sanchez III, the nephew of the late great Salvador Sanchez will be on the card. So there are a lot of future stars out there. There are going to be stars in the audience like Juan Manuel Lopez, the featherweight champion. Miguel Cotto will be here. All the fighters that we have been promoting will be coming to Dallas because they want to see for themselves this incredible venue and they hope that one day they will be featured on a card at Cowboys Stadium.
Have Cowboy players expressed interest in coming to the fight?
JERRY JONES: Michael Irvin is sitting right here waiting for Manny to come in and train today. I have invited all of the former Cowboys and many of them were there when we announced the fight as well as everybody that is on the team. I have had two coaches that are inordinate fight fans. Jimmy Johnson will be here with me, and Bill Parcells who is not going to be able to make it. We have a lot of fight fans among the Cowboys and NFL players in general. The NFL is reluctant to crossover with other sports but the people recognize that there is a crossover and that really excites me. The NFL raises awareness to all sports and that is a big thing to me. We are getting short on time and I want to create some action while I am still in the ring.
Since I am standing right here looking at Michael Irvin, I will use him as an example. Michael has an aura that everyone that is associated with him and won championships that people say we couldn’t have done it without him. He certainly was a great receiver and made a lot of great plays, but that wasn’t it. He had a way of creating energy. He did it at practice. He would challenge at practice. He would lift the level. Manny has it and a lot of people say what is it. It is taking a talent and maximizing it and walking the walk. When we see that done successfully and taken to a level, he walks in and has that aura. The world knows what his countrymen feel about him – all of that comes in the room with him. That is why he will be the first fighter to fight in Cowboys Stadium. He is an impressive young man and in the NFL right now we are looking at all of the college players that were seniors and juniors that want to come in the NFL and it is one with interviews and you have a team of 40 people, doctors and psychiatrists looking for it. You need to get around all that and you and I can see it.
BOB ARUM: Last week Julio Cesar Chavez Jr was in LA and I think he is a tremendous talent who has underachieved and part of it is his work ethic that leaves a little to be desired. So Bruce Trampler took him to the Wild Card Gym and he watched Manny Pacquiao train. His eyes opened because he realized that he had never really trained seriously after watching that. Manny trains for four straight hours without taking a break. The reason Manny Pacquiao is so good is what made Michael Irvin so good… they worked at it and they outworked everyone else.
JERRY JONES: To make that point, training in two-a-days in really hot weather is the greatest challenge for any football player. During two-a-days when you get the break, people go in and lay down in air conditioning and drink liquids and conserve their energy for the afternoon and this is really the challenging time. They used to have to go find Michael Irvin running with is pads on in the hot sun in Texas. Everyone on the team would know that. When he would walk out and sometimes he wouldn’t even have been to bed and everybody knew that too, and he’d walk out and everybody would be stretching on the field and he would just point and say who is it, who is going to outwork me today? That may be it. It is the work.
Will the ticket tax and no income tax give you an upper hand at Cowboys Stadium?
JERRY JONES: I know it gives us an upper hand on anything else we do by having no income tax in Texas. It isn’t just boxing.
BOB ARUM: That is not an accurate statement of the situation. Texas has a 3% boxing commission tax and a 5% state tax so it is an 8% tax. Nevada raised its tax from 4% to 6% and I believe it was justified because our schools are 50th out of 50 among the states. People have to learn that they have to pay for services and they have to pay for decent schools. So as a boxing promoter that does events in Las Vegas I am more than happy to do my share and to go from 4 to 6% is nothing particularly when kids in Nevada are not getting educated. Now maybe that shows my politics but that’s what I believe. There are no income taxes in Nevada, Texas or Florida and as far as that is concerned it is a level playing field.
JERRY JONES: It is numbers. Where the upper hand is, it is possible for some great fights, it is possible to have 100,000 people there. The locale, the center of the country, which we enjoy with the Cowboys and being close to Mexico is what we all enjoy. The other thing is that it is very attractive to my vision of our stadium and my vision of how I want my Cowboys positioned. I want to be very ambitious. But I want to be ambitious with the spirit in mind that this is good for Las Vegas because it creates more interest in fighting and fighting can participate in the kind of visibility that the Cowboys have. We are the most visible in programming in all of television. We have more people watching TVs when we play and vicariously these fights can benefit from that. That lifts all boxing and certainly I will attend fights in Las Vegas because I am a fight fan as well as a Las Vegas fan.
Just so you know, the $50 ticket is more than going to the Cowboys game. One of the things I tried to do in building our stadium was to build it big enough and to have what we call a ‘party pass’, which is standing room only. I did that so as many as 30,000 fans that came to the Giants game could come for $29. It was built so that more fans could afford to come to not only Cowboys games but also other sporting events. I think boxing can benefit from that. I have been rewarded by it, that our Mexican fans shake my hand and say thank you for having this fight here because we are going to get a chance to see boxing.
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Manny Pacquiao makes his debut on Good Morning America Weekend This Saturday morning. Check your local listings for times.
The Manny Pacquiao Foundation will be auctioning off original paintings of PacMan, signed personally by Pacquiao, Today! Thursday, March 11 at the Gaylord Texan Hotel in the Longhorn Exhibit Hall E, located on Level 1 of the Convention Center, beginning at 5 p.m. CT.
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Promoted by Top Rank, in association with the Tecate and MP Promotions, THE EVENT: PACQUIAO vs. CLOTTEY will take place This Saturday! March 13, in Cowboys Stadium, The $1.2 billion stadium is the largest, most technologically advanced entertainment venue in the world. Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), boxing’s only seven-division world champion, of General Santos City, Philippines, will be defending the World Boxing Organization welterweight title against Clottey (35-3, 21 KOs), of Accra, Ghana. THE EVENT will be produced and distributed Live on HBO Pay-Per-View®, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
Remaining Tickets to Pacquiao vs. Clottey, priced at $700, $500, $300, $200, $100, and $50, can be purchased in-person at the Cowboys Stadium box office in Arlington, or by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com.
MIKE MOLLO: “NEW TEAM, NEW ATTITUDE”!!!!
READY FOR FRIDAY, MARCH 26TH IN CHICAGO
HEAVYWEIGHT CONTENDER TRAINING IN FLORIDA
FOR SHOWDOWN WITH BILLY ZUMBRUN
CHICAGO, IL (March 10, 2010) Heavyweight contender Mike Mollo returns to action in his hometown of Chicago for the first time in two and half years to battle veteran Billy Zumbrun in the main event at WINDY CITY FIGHT NIGHT 9 on Friday, March 26th at Chicago’s UIC Pavilion.
WINDY CITY FIGHT NIGHT 9 is presented by Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions, HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING.
Training for most of the winter months in West Palm Beach, Florida, Mollo, 19-3-1 (12KO’s), is thrilled to be fighting in Chicago again and has a new team behind him that has given him a new attitude towards his goal, winning a world championship.
“It’s been like a breath of fresh air. My new team, manager Ed Gersh and trainers, Pete Brodsky and Dave Lewter are great to have on my side. I’ve been training in West Palm Beach for the last five months and I’m in the best shape of my life, physically and mentally” said Mollo.
Chicago has been the home to two of Mollo’s biggest victories in recent years, a brutal second round stoppage of Art Binkowski on October 13, 2007 at the Sears Center and a second round knockout of Kevin McBride on October 7, 2006 at the Allstate Arena.
Continued Mollo, “I love fighting in Chicago, I know there’s going to be a crowd of supporters for me. It’s been too long since I’ve fought at home and I can’t wait until March 26th.”
Against Zumbrun, Mollo will be facing a ten year professional who has amassed a record of 23-11-1 (13KO’s). The native of Ogden, Utah, has faced numerous heavyweight contenders and went the distance in a ten round battle with former world champion Riddick Bowe in 2005, losing a hard fought split decision.
About Zumbrun, Mollo stated, ‘He’s a very tough veteran but I’m so well prepared that I’d be big trouble for any heavyweight in the world on March 26th.
Other Chicagoland fan favorites featured at WINDY CITY FIGHT NIGHT 9 are cruiserweight contender Jason Robinson and newcomers; heavyweight David Latoria, junior welterweight Adrian Granados, featherweight William Hernandez, bantamweight Sergio Cristobal and Polish heavyweight Krzystof Zimnoch.
Advance tickets starting at $31 are available through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com), the UIC Pavilion Box Office (312-413-5740) and the 8 Count Productions’ Office (312-226-5800).
Doors on the evening of the event will open at 7pm with the first bell at 8pm. The UIC Pavilion is located at 525 S. Racine, just one block south of the Eisenhower Expressway. For further information, please visit their website at www.uicpavilion.com. The UIC Pavilion is now serving alcohol at all boxing events.
8 Count Productions, HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING, was started by Dominic Pesoli in 1998 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland. In 2003, Pesoli along with former featherweight contender Mike Garcia, opened JABB Boxing Gym, a 6,000 square foot venue dedicated to the finest Chicagoland boxers of all talent levels.
For more information on 8 Count Productions and JABB Boxing Gym, please visit www.8countproductions.com and www.jabbboxing.com
DEMETRIUS HOPKINS : “I FEEL MUCH STRONGER AT WELTERWEIGHT”
PHILADELPHIA CONTENDER MAKES TKO BOXING DEBUT
AGAINST FORMER WORLD CHAMPION FREDDIE NORWOOD
ON THURSDAY, MARCH 25TH IN LOS ANGELES , CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES, CA (March 10, 2010) Former world title challenger Demetrius “THE GLADIATOR” Hopkins returns to the ring against former world champion Freddie “LIL HAGLER” Norwood in the ten round main event at FIGHT NIGHT 2 AT THE COMMERCE CASINO on Thursday, March 25th in Los Angeles.
Training in the hardened gyms in his hometown of Philadelphia , the 29 year old Hopkins is preparing to the return to the ring for the first time as a welterweight, a move which he has contemplated for the last couple of years.
“I’m almost six feet tall and it’s been a struggle to make 140 for a long time. Today, I’m more than two weeks out for the fight against Norwood and I’m at 151. All those problems I had making weight are long in the past and I feel so much stronger in training these last few weeks” said Hopkins .
Sporting a record of 28-1-1 (11KO’s), Hopkins has long been known for his outstanding boxing skills with highlight reel knockout power. In his last bout fifteen months ago, he faced WBO junior welterweight title holder Kendall Holt on six days notice, battling evenly over twelve rounds, losing a close split decision.
Norwood, 43-3-1 (23KO’s), was among the best fighters of late 90’s, the southpaw owning a WBA Featherweight title defense against boxing superstar Juan Manual Marquez.
“I’m very familiar with Norwood , I’ve been watching his fights for years. My job will be to use my height and reach advantage against him. He’s going to want to stay inside against me so I’ll have to be smart about my attack as the fight progresses” continued Hopkins .
About his future plans at welterweight, Hopkins said “I’d like to fight Andre Berto, but first I need take care of business on March 25th. Norwood is going to be a tough fight but I’m ready to go. I’ve got a great team with TKO Boxing Promotions and Cameron Dunkin, 2010 is going to be a terrific year for me.”
The outstanding undercard for FIGHT NIGHT 2 AT THE COMMERCE CASINO features sensational Canadian newcomer Mikael Zewski , California based pro debuters Flavio Rodriguez and Randy Caballero, THE BROTHERS CHUDINOV, Dmitry and Fedor, undefeated Russian lightweight prospect Arman Sargysan and Ukrainian prospect Ivan Redkach.
In a special attraction four round heavyweight bout, Mike Finney of San Jacinto , California will square off against Carson City , Nevada ’s Steve Fierro.
More information on this evening of professional boxing will be announced shortly
Presented by TKO BOXING Promotions, tickets for FIGHT NIGHT 2 AT THE COMMERCE CASINO, starting at $25, can be purchased through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com or by phone 800-745-3000). The Commerce Casino is located at 6131 Telegraph Road . Doors on the evening of the event will open at 7pm, with the first bell at 8pm.
ABOUT TKO BOXING PROMOTIONS
Formed in early 2008, Chet Koerner’s Las Vegas based TKO BOXING Promotions, originators of the “HOMETOWN HEROES TO WORLD CHAMPIONS” national boxing series, stable includes; heavyweight Lenroy Thomas, cruiserweight Andres Taylor, super middleweight Fedor Chudinov, middleweights Peter Manfredo Jr., Elvin Ayala, James Countryman, Dmitry Chudinov and J’Leon Love, junior middleweights Bastie Samir, welterweights Demetrius Hopkins, Bradley Blankenship, Mikael Zewski, Leti Leti and Eric Mendez, junior welterweights Francisco Contreras, Joseph Elegele and Hastings Bwalya, lightweights Edner Cherry, Rolando Reyes, Terence Crawford and Fidel Maldonado Jr., featherweights Matt Remillard, Carney Bowman, Dat Nguyen, Delvin Placencia, Rafael Lora, Maxwell Awaku and Robert Rodriguez, super bantamweights Rafael Valenzuela, bantamweight Leo Santa Cruz and flyweights Rayonta Whitfield and Randy Caballero.
Michael Oliveira 2009 Brazilian Athlete of the Year
MIAMI (Mar. 11, 2010) – Unbeaten middleweight boxing sensation, “Chairman of the Board” Michael Oliveira (11-0, 9 KOs) has been officially selected as the winner of the Brazilian International Press Award’s 2009 Athlete of the Year Award.
The 19-year-old Oliveira, living in Miami and attending Miami Dade Community College, is the heir apparent to retired Acelino “Popo” Freitas in Brazilian boxing circles. Michael was the leading vote-getter from a group of only 10 nominated Brazilian athletes, including Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, as well as NBA players Nene Hilario and Anderson Varejao.
“I was honored just to be nominated, never mind selected, as the winner of this prestigious award,” Oliveira said. “I’d like to thank all my fans for supporting me with their votes. I represent all of the Brazilians living back home as well as those in the United States. Brazil is always No. 1 in my heart. We take all sports, especially boxing, serious but no matter what the final results, it always ends with Samba music and partying. I’m only 19 and hopefully I can win this award again for years to come.”
The hard-punching teenager, who is the reigning UNBC Latin champion, won each of his eight fights last year, and he hopes to be back in the ring in late April.
The Brazilian International Press Awards ceremony will be held April 17 in the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Go to www.MichaelOliveira.com for more information about Michael. Oliveira’s valued sponsors include The Confianca Moving, The Beira – Mar and Pro 1 from Sao Paulo, Dumonde Travel (Michael’s official travel agency) and the multi-national fuel company, Shell.
North American Fighting Championship Debut Show “Stand Your Ground” – Watch Live on GFL (VIDEO)
Original Video- More videos at TinyPic
ESPN News- Manny Pacquiao, Joshua Clottey practice civility at news conference March 10, 2010Manny Pacquiao, Joshua Clottey practice civility at news conference. […]Calvin Watkins
- Manny Pacquiao plans to entertain at post-fight party March 10, 2010Manny Pacquiao has big plans for Saturday night -- after his fight against Joshua Clottey. […]Associated Press
- Muhammad Ali visits San Francisco Giants' clubhouse March 9, 2010Muhammad Ali showed up in the San Francisco Giants' clubhouse as part of a campaign for his charity. […]Associated Press
- Judge dismisses felony coercion charge in battery case against Roger Mayweather March 9, 2010A court clerk says a judge dismissed a felony coercion charge against boxing trainer Roger Mayweather, who faces trial June 1 on allegations that he beat and choked a female boxer at a Las Vegas apartment he owned. […]Associated Press
- Floyd Mayweather Jr. associate faces charges in Vegas shooting March 9, 2010Police say an associate of boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been arrested on attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon charges in an August shooting outside a Las Vegas skating rink. […]Associated Press
- Promoter Bob Arum expects sellout for Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight at Cowboys Stadium March 9, 2010Promoter Bob Arum said he expects a sellout for the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight at Cowboys Stadium. […]Calvin Watkins
- Britain's Amir Khan to defend WBA light welterweight title against American Paulie Malignaggi March 9, 2010Amir Khan of Britain will defend his WBA light-welterweight title against American challenger Paulie Malignaggi on May 15 at New York's Madison Square Garden. […]Associated Press
- Devon Alexander stops Juan Urango to unify WBC, IBF light welterweight titles March 9, 2010Devon Alexander knocked out Juan Urango with a right uppercut at 1:12 of the seventh round to unify the WBC and IBF light welterweight titles on Saturday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena. […]Associated Press
- Vitali Klitschko to fight Albert Sosnowski in WBC heavyweight title defense March 9, 2010Vitali Klitschko will defend his WBC heavyweight title against Polish-born fighter Albert Sosnowski on May 29. […]Dan Rafael
- Victor Darchinyan wins decision, retains WBA, WBC super flyweight titles March 6, 2010Australian Victor Darchinyan scored an unanimous decision against Rodrigo Guerrero of Mexico City to retain his WBC and WBA super flyweight titles Saturday night at The Show inside the Agua Caliente Casino. […]Associated Press
- Manny Pacquiao, Joshua Clottey practice civility at news conference March 10, 2010
