MIKKEL KESSLER AND ANDRE WARD NATIONAL CONFERNECE CALL QUOTES

November 11, 2009 by GFL · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Boxing News 

Both Fighters and Promoters Dan Goossen and

Kalle Sauerland Predict a War Come Nov. 21 in Oakland

WHO: WBA Super Middleweight Champion Mikkel “Viking Warrior” Kessler

Unbeaten 2004 Olympic Games Gold Medalist Andre “S.O.G.’’ Ward

Goossen Tutor Promotions President Dan Goossen

Sauerland Event and Kessler Promoter Kalle Sauerland

OAKLAND, Calif., (Nov. 10, 2009) — Quotes from Tuesday’s national conference call hyping the first Super Six World Boxing Classic in the United States on Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast). The matchup between World Boxing Association (WBA) super middleweight champion Mikkel “Viking Warrior” Kessler and hometown undefeated hero Andre “S.O.G” Ward is a scheduled 12-rounder and will be for Kessler’s WBA 168-pound title and is a first-round matchup in Group Stage 1.

MIKKEL KESSLER

“it’s nice to be over here in the States. I don’t think I’ve ever been in better shape. I’ve done a lot of sparring, good sparring and I’m ready to come over here and fight. I have no injuries or anything. Everything’s been great.

“I’ve been here for two weeks now and everything is going good. The climate and time change is very good. Of course it took me three or four days to get used to it but as I said before, my condition has never been better. I just sparred eight rounds today and it was one of the best eight rounds of my life. I’m looking forward to Ward and I’m looking forward to war.

About fighting away from home in the first round:

“I told my promoter before that I don’t care where I fight. I’m used to fighting outside of Denmark. Of course you always want your home field. I wanted to fight in Denmark but maybe next time hopefully. A fight is a fight and a ring is a ring. It doesn’t mean anything to me where it is. Obviously if it’s a decision you have one more point if it’s your home field. But I’m not that kind of boxer. I’m the kind of fighter who makes his points through the rounds. I’ve tried it three or four times before and I know how it is. I’m not afraid of that.

“I made my travel schedule before the other fights. I know when (Jermain) Taylor and (Andre) Dirrell arrived (in Europe) and it wasn’t long enough. You have to be there at least three weeks before so you can adapt to the time change.

“It feels good to be the favorite (in the six-man tournament). As a fighter you always want to be the underdog and to go in there with no one believing in you. I’m happy that people have seen my skills as a fighter and that I can show them that I am the champ.

“I don’t think about knockouts (in regard to the Super Six format). If it’s there, it’s there. But I have to think about it one fight at a time and I think guys will go in there looking for the knockout if they need the extra point to get into the semifinals so I think that’ll be very interesting. But right now I have to only think about the win.”

Are you looking forward to showcasing your skills in front of an American audience?

“Yes, of course. I’m going to show them how my boxing style is. I’m ready for that, to show the American fans how I fight. It’s difficult for me being a Danish guy to get known in the U.S. So here’s my big chance for it.”

What did you learn from the whole Calzaghe experience?

“I fought my heart out. I learned a lot from the experience. It was my first loss and I thought, ‘Oh, no. Everything’s over now.’ But it has only made me stronger.”

Did you learn any lessons from watching the first two fights of the tournament?

“Of course I saw the fights but I can’t use any of it in my next fight because I’m not fighting those opponents. I’m going to fight another guy. I’m going to take it like all my other fights and I’m not thinking about the tournament, only this fight.

“Every fight I fight like it’s my last fight. That’s the way I see it and why I get better and better for each fight. I’m very excited to fight Ward in his hometown. I think it’s going to be a great fight.”

ANDRE WARD

“I’m mentally and physically prepared. I just can’t wait. I’m 11 days away and I’m counting my fingers every single day because I’m ready for war.

“I’m just approaching this with great anticipation. It’s something you dream about. The best words I can give you are I’m very impatient and I’m ready to fight. I’ve haven’t been training for this for five or six weeks. I’ve been training for this for most of my life. I’ve been doing this since I was 9 years old and I’m 25 now so it’s time. It’s just time to go after this world championship. I don’t think my road up to this point has been slow. I don’t know what the barometer is or who sets the standard but one thing you have to keep in mind is that some of the gold medalists like Sugar Ray Leonard who did it in three years and guys like that, they fought without head gear. So the acclimation process to the pros was a lot easier for those guys, amongst a lot of other reasons. So I don’t think our road up to this point has been slow or stagnant. It’s been right on time.

“Nazim Richardson, a decorated trainer, used to tell us that you may have what it takes to beat the champion but you have to be man enough to win a championship and also to keep it. And I’m man enough now and at the point where I not only have the intelligence but the physical strength to not only win it but to keep it for a very long time. We were just waiting for the right time. I don’t think it’s been slow at all.

Will you be looking for the knockout?

“Just the win. Obviously you look at different things and different strategies that may lead to a knockout but I don’t go in there looking for it. If you look for it it never comes so absolutely it’s just about winning first and foremost.

During the Olympics you were always the first to arrive and the first to leave and you studied so much film. Have you done the same preparing for Kessler?

“It’s just a testament to my personality and how seriously I take my job. I think the main thing is that I love to win. I’m very, very competitive and know there are some ingredients that come with winning and that part of that is in the gym and in the ring as far as physical preparation goes. But it’s also the mental preparation and just watching film and that kind of thing. It’s the same approach I took as an amateur, at the highest level as an amateur, and it’s the same approach I take now. It’s just who I am.

“My thing is I want to just maximize my potential in training camp so when the fight comes it’s just time to perform and you don’t have to second-guess it. So I’ve trained for Mikkel Kessler the same way.”

What did you take away from the last time you fought in Oakland?

“I mean, everything was pretty much the way I thought it would be. I’m the type of person who likes to live my life in the middle. Because people are going to be screaming and yelling and they’re going to try and get your attention two week’s before the fight or a week before. Even the night of the fight they’re yelling your name. Good things and bad things. I just try and stay in the middle. I try to stay focused and keep my eye on the fight at hand. This is a long time coming, more than a decade of preparation so I won’t allow it to be a distraction. And just like the (Edison) Miranda fight I will use the crowd as motivation. They were excited for the last fight and they are extremely excited for the next fight. I’m definitely going to use it to my advantage but at the end of the day it comes down to two men fighting and who comes out on top. Who’s going to focus and who’s going to execute the game plan. If you go in there thinking just about the home-field advantage it’s going to be a long time because it’s not going to get you through every time. It’s just focus. It’s focus if you’re fighting at home or fighting abroad.”

Is Kessler the most talented fighter you’ve ever faced?

“Absolutely. Without a shadow of a doubt. He’s the champion. He’s the most skilled and the most tough. Absolutely.

Did you learn any lessons watching the first two fights of the tournament?

“Not really. When you fight a champion you have to believe. What I’m saying is there were some cases in the Dirrell fight with body language that some of the closer rounds went to Froch. Even though I thought Dirrell won the fight. That’s something that you have to be aware of. You have to been in command at all times. It’s different for you guys in the media who get to think of all the different things that can happen. When you fight a fight like this, this is it. This is what you think, this is what you eat, this is what you drink. You can’t sit back and think, what if this happen or that happens. It just happens. It’s all about this fight right here.”

Will the 168-pound weight limit be a problem for you over the next year and a half?

“I don’t think it will be a problem. I live a clean life. I don’t have any extremes when I’m not fighting. I’ve only had 20 fights and I’m always training. I think if there wasn’t a tournament I would be in the super middleweight division at that time anyway. I don’t think it’ll be a problem at all.

“I expect a very, very, very tough fight. I don’t want to get into many details but I expect to see the very best Mikkel Kessler. I expect a better Mikkel Kessler than I saw against Pedromo. I expect a better Mikkel Kessler than I saw against Calzaghe. If I didn’t expect to beat every man in this tournament then I shouldn’t be in this tournament.

“I’m planning on bringing the total package. I don’t know how you perceive me as a fighter but I plan to bring a little bit of everything on November 21st. Not just speed, not just foot work. The total package.

Do you feel the pressure from the American boxing fans after the loss of the two Americans in the first Super Six fights?

“I don’t look at it like pressure. I look at it like it’s a privilege. I’ve been here before with the Olympics and it’s something that I relish. There’s always going to be pressure. It just depends on how you deal with the pressure. It was unfortunate that both Americans lost their fights but It’s just added more motivation. It just really motivates me and I did take it personal because that’s what everyone expected it to be. Even Carl Froch said everything is going as scheduled. And I take that personal. I’m a proud American and it’s time for the super middleweight champion to be an American. They’ve dominated over there for a long, long time but I want to do my part to bring back the belt here on American soil.”

Kessler has fought twice as much as you as a pro. How will you overcome his experience?

“I’ve been fighting for a long, long time. This isn’t my first big fight. This isn’t my first big stage. I’ve been here before in terms of the pressure. It’s just my time to shine. If you look at other great fighters when you have the skill and the hunger, records don’t mean anything. If you look at Floyd Mayweather Jr. when he fought Genaro Hernandez he wasn’t supposed to win that fight. Muhammad Ali when he beat Sonny Liston he wasn’t supposed to win that fight. Sugar Ray Leonard and Wilfredo Benitez, Leonard really wasn’t supposed to win that fight. So that’s how I look at it. A guy who has more fights than you is not going to stop you from fulfilling your goal.

“I don’t want to be the shining American. I’m not necessarily looking to be the man. I just want to do my part as an American to represent. I’ve always been the type of guy who protects the kid from the bully. I don’t want to say the Americans are getting bullied by the media or anything. I’m not going to go that far. But we haven’t been given much of a chance. But I take that and I use it as motivation.

“I think we’re both hungry. I think I have a different kind of hunger. He has a hunger to keep what he has and I have a hunger to want to take what he has. It’s hunger none the less but it’s just slightly different that’s all.

If you win this fight does that make you the favorite to win the tournament?

“I think it would. If I beat Mikkel Kessler it will send shock waves into the tournament and throughout the boxing world because it’s just something they cannot fathom happening. They just don’t see it happening. They won’t believe it until it happens. I think people’s minds will change after this for sure.”

Talk about your relationship with your longtime trainer Virgil Hunter?

“Virgil’s been like a God-send to me because he’s been so much more than a trainer. He’s been my one and only trainer my whole career. And that’s very important for a fighter to have. We don’t even have to talk much. He knows what I’m thinking and I know what he’s thinking. But even bigger than that, when my father passed in 2002 he stepped in and became a father to me. He’s helped me and given me a lot of wisdom. A lot of people have said I have wisdom beyond my years and the reason why is because he’s a wise man. If you want to be a wise man you hang around wise people. He’s just taught me so much about manhood, about life. He’s just helped me rise up to be the man that I am today; The family man that I am today. I want him to get the recognition he truly deserves. To be a recognized trainer you have to have a breakthrough fight. Well, this is our breakthrough fight. He’s been so many things: A father-figure and an adviser. But I would love the world to acknowledge him as a world-class trainer.”

KALLE SAUERLAND

“We’re very excited coming into this big fight. It’s going to be a massive event and a massive challenge for Mikkel Kessler here. Mikkel Kessler is a man who has been there before having boxed Joe Calzaghe in front of 55,000 fans. So we’re going into the Lion’s Den which is something I think speaks a lot to the champion’s mentality. He has prepared for this tournament and is going away from home for his first fight to box in front of 19,000 fans in Oakland. So it’s obviously going to be a massive stadium and a massive setting for this great Super Six event. Everyone will get to see the Viking Warrior coming into the States and making a statement about what he wants to do in this tournament.

DAN GOOSSEN

“There are a lot of great fights coming up but I’m looking forward to Ward-Kessler. It’s a can’t miss. Andre Ward is an offensive-minded very intelligent fighter inside of that ring. Mikkel Kessler is a proud champ. We know it’s going to be a great fight. All of the participants of the first two fights will be ringside and we will introduce them to the media.

“Andre Ward is one of the meanest fighters I’ve ever been associated with and we’ve been associated with some great fighters throughout the years.”

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CHANGING OF THE GUARD AT 175

August 14, 2009 by GFL · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Boxing News 

By Anson Wainwright

Last year the Light Heavyweight division was largely ruled by dinosaur future hall of famers or aging old vets including the now retired Joe Calzaghe, Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jnr, Antonio Tarver & Glen Johnson. Fast forward to today and the land that in bygone years was a stop over between the Middleweights and ultimate glory of the Heavyweight giants is undergoing major surgery and enjoying a new lease of life.
 
It can be largely attributed to the emergence of Chad Dawson who stepped up from the Super Middleweight and wrested the WBC championship from Tomasz Adamek in 2007 a win that looks better and better ever since Adamek went on to become the top guy at Cruiserweight. What followed amounted to little more than Dawson settling into the division and title with two soft defence’s.
 
He kicked 2008 off with a win that showed he had the intestinal fortitude that is needed when things get a little dicey when he outpointed Glen Johnson in a fight that could of gone either way depending who’s work you liked the best. After that close win “Bad” Chad stayed in the big league and dually turned back Antonio Tarver. After a contractually obliged rematch which was a near replay of the first Dawson has marked himself out as the future of the division. He will again go old ground when he faces Johnson in November. A win will further solidify he claim to be the top dog at 175.
 
With Calzaghe retired and Hopkins still toying with his next move if there is in deed to be be one. Dawson could be called the Interim Light Heavyweight champion that asterisk could be removed up on Hopkins retirement, move to Cruiserweight or better yet if he could beat Hopkins. One other thing that could help Dawson in the long run is that the Johnson fight will take place in his home town of Hartford, CT.  If he can develop a good home support that will help his continued development and hopefully move him more into the mainstream.
 
While Dawson 27, more than held his own against the old guard he didn’t have any  allies in his quest to vanquish the oldies…until recently that is. In June Canadian’s Jean Pascal moved up to 175 having previously campaigned at 168 to win a highly entertaining fight with Canadian transplant Adrian Diaconu and capture the WBC crown.
 
It is rumoured that in September Pascal will make his first defence against one of those aging Vets, Silvio Branco. The undeserving Branco is 16 years Pascal’s senior and while he shouldn’t provide to much trouble in what shouldn’t amount to much more than a showcase for Pascal. A rematch with Diaconu will likely happen at some point based on the excitement and drama of the first fight. Not to mention another lively evening at the Bell Centre in Montreal between two locals.
 
This Saturday one of the brightest prospects in the world Kazakhstan’s Beibut Shumenov 8-0(5) looks to win his first world title when he faces off with Spain’s Gabriel Campillo 18-2(6) who’ll be attempting to make his first defence of the WBA trinket he won in June.
 
Shumenov 25, has a fine amateur pedigree which includes an appearance at the 2004 Olympics. Shumenov only debuted in November 2008 amassing 35 rounds of pro action so far. He’s been on the fast track almost from the get go beating veteran’s Donnell Wiggins & Epifanio Mendoza along with former world champions Montell Griffin & Byron Mitchell. 
 
Shumenov isn’t the only young gun looking to make a big impression this month. American Tavouris Cloud 19-0(18) looks to break out in another changing of the guard fight when he squares off with Britain’s Clinton Woods. Power punching Cloud 27, took apart anvil chinned Julio Gonzalez and became the first man to stop him when the action was mercifully called a halt too in the tenth.
 
Since then Cloud has made several interesting moves including not fighting. It’ll be a shade over a year since the Gonzalez fight when he squares off with Woods. He also turned down a spot on the projected Dawson-Johnson card on HBO with a shot at Dawson next up if both won. On one hand it may not be the best business move ever but it shows his hunger for the title shot and straight away.
 
As well as those guys also looking to break through are young guns from Europe and America including Wales newest star Nathan Cleverly 17-0(7) who broke out of the shadows when he added the British title to his Commonwealth crown when he took apart previously unbeaten Danny McIntosh in 7 one sided rounds in a fight that appeared to be 50-50 going in. His first defence is tentatively scheduled for 9 October in Belfast. The former Joe Calzaghe protege who was trained by Enzo Calzaghe up until the unacrimonious split between the Calzaghe’s & Frank Warren. He learnt plenty from countless sparring session’s with Calzaghe, Enzo Maccarinelli plus several others. The move away doesn’t seem to of hampered Cleverly who has really come on since leaps and bounds setting out on his own including developing power which has seen the 22 year old score stoppages in his last four outings.
 
Ukrainian Ismayl Sillakh 8-0(7) has based himself in America where 7 of his 8 fights have taken place. While he also has a impressive amateur pedigree which culminated with a silver at the 2005 World Championships at Middleweight, the 24 year old isn’t in quite the rush Shumenov is to reach the top but still seems to have the skills to get there after all he only debuted a year ago. He will next see action this weekend on the “Pinoy Power” card in Las Vegas where he’ll be looking to show off his considerable talent.
 
The American up and comers include Cedric Agnew 11-0(4) who has been a pro since January 2007. He’s still only 22 however one minus seems to be the Chicago fighters lack of power. Maryland product Mark “TNT” Tucker 11-0(7) has been very active in his 18 months as a pro including fighting a ten rounder last time out. Tucker 21, has gained impressive exposure regularly sparring with top guys like Paul Williams & Glen Johnson. Tucker returns toward the end of September when he fights for a minor title.
With Calzaghe retired, Hopkins semi retired, Roy Jones on a good bye world tour, Tarver & Johnson both over 40 and nearer the end than the beginning of there careers. Hungarian Zsolt Erdei has been very inactive of late and close to the end at 35. Woods 37, last chance comes against Cloud. Those guys can now be supplanted with Dawson, Pascal, Shumenov & Cloud along with impressive prospects like Cleverly, Sillakh, Agnew & Tucker who will look to break out further. The Light Heavyweight division looks like it’s in good hands for the coming years.

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ROY JONES JR. RETURNS TO FIGHT IN PENSACOLA AGAINST OMAR SHEIKA

February 14, 2009 by dklarman · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Boxing News 

IN “MARCH BADNESS” ON SATURDAY, MARCH 21 LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW
Card will Feature MMA Bouts with Stars Seth Petruzelli,

Bob Lashley, Roy Nelson, Jeff Monson & Doug Marshall

Pensacola, FL (February 11, 2009) – Roy Jones Jr., Eight-Time World Champion, returns to Pensacola to fight for the first time since January, 1999 when he battles Omar Sheika at the Pensacola Civic Center on Saturday, March 21, 2009.   The fight card will also feature a bevy of Mixed Martial Arts stars headlined by Seth Petruzelli, who most recently knocked out Internet legend and previously undefeated Kimbo Slice.  The event is being promoted by Square Ring Promotions in association with Hirsch Borao Boxing and the Pensacola Civic Center and will be broadcast live on pay-per-view.

Tickets, priced at $128, $103, $78, $53 & $28 go on sale Wednesday, February 11th at 10:00 a.m. and will be available at all Ticketmaster locations, the Pensacola Civic Center Box Office and Ticketmaster.com.

It wasn’t that long ago that Roy Jones Jr. (52-5, 38 KOs) was the consensus “pound-for-pound” champion and just over 20 years since the exuberant, talent-brimming Jones was denied an Olympic Gold Medal by corrupt judges.  In a contradictory but unofficial admission the “Silver Medialist” Jones was named the Most Valuable Boxer at the ’88 Seoul Olympics.  Jones later used that unfortunate episode as inspiration to become an eight-time world champion in four weight classes, claiming belts at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight.

He blew through the 90s and well into the 21st Century in unstoppable fashion, stunning his opponents with blinding quickness and brutal power, beating the top names in the sport, including Bernard Hopkins, James “Lights Out” Toney, Mike McCallum and Virgil Hill.  He made history on March 1, 2003 when he stymied then-heavyweight champion John Ruiz to become the first former middleweight champion to win the heavyweight title in more than 100 years.

Following the Ruiz triumph, Jones was to take on “Iron” Mike Tyson, but when the deal fell through he had to lose twenty-five pounds of solid muscle in six weeks to drop not one, but two weight classes to regain the light heavyweight championship from Florida rival and nemesis Antonio Tarver on November 8, 2003.  It was an unprecedented feat in boxing history, going from middleweight champion to heavyweight champion then back down to win the light heavyweight championship once again.  However, the sudden weight variations had taken a toll on Jones’ body and he subsequently lost consecutive bouts against Tarver (twice) and Glen Johnson.

Down, but not out, Jones came back to score wins in his next two fights, setting up a highly-anticipated duel with Puerto Rican legend Felix “Tito” Trinidad at Madison Square Garden on January 19, 2008.  A Felis renewed Jones looked sharp and focused, flooring Trinidad twice, in capturing a hard fought unanimous win.   In his most recent bout, on November 8, 2008 in “Battle of the Superpowers” Jones fought undefeated and the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Joe Calzaghe.  Jones started out strong, knocking Calzaghe down with a left-right combination in the first round and had “Super” Joe practically out on his feet.  To his credit, Calzaghe mustered the heart to get through the round, gaining strength in the next few rounds until Jones rocked him in the sixth with a deadly uppercut.  The fight, however, took a significant turn in the seventh when Jones was cut for the first time in his career from a Calzaghe right hand.  Jones’ corner was unable to stop the bleeding, and the steady stream of blood running over his eye was wreaking havoc on his vision and his pace had slowed considerably.  Calzaghe went on to win a unanimous decision.  To Roy, this was just another valley, and he will now begin another trek back to the peak and the first step takes place on March 21 against the always game, exciting brawler Omar Sheika.

Sheika (27-8, 18 KOs) of Paterson, N.J. accomplished something Roy Jones Jr. did not: he beat Glen Johnson, on June 2, 2000 at the famed Blue Horizon in Philadelphia. In the fourth-round, Sheika was getting inside of Johnson’s jab and began to nail him with uppercuts.  He then floored Johnson with a powerful right hand. The fight went the distance and Sheika won a majority decision.

The Johnson win catapulted Sheika to a world title fight against reigning super middleweight champion and another Jones common opponent, Joe Calzaghe on August 12, 2000.  In the fifth round of that bout a nasty laceration was forming above Omar’s left eye due to an accidental clash of heads earlier in the fight.  However, the referee had ruled it had come from a punch and when it was decided that Omar could not continue, the fight ended as a technical knockout loss for Sheika.

But Sheika may mostly be known for his two brawling and brutal bouts against Scott Pemberton.  The first meeting took place on July 25, 2003 and was ESPN2’s Fight of the Year.  Pemberton won a 12-round split decision after being knocked down by Sheika in round two and surviving a late round rally.  Their January 23, 2004 rematch, again for the NABF super middleweight title, was just as action-packed and an early candidate for 2004’s Fight of the Year.  Sheika knocked Pemberton down in round two and in the sixth, drove Pemberton into the ropes with an overhand right leading to a mandatory 8-count.  Pemberton survived the round and in a reversal of fortune, knocked Sheika down for the first time in his career in the tenth and the fight was soon stopped.  In Sheika’s last bout, on September 29, 2007, he stopped Tiwon Taylor in the fourth round in Atlantic City.

Mixed Martial Arts Fights

Seth “The Silverback” Petruzelli       vs.        Doug “Rhino” Marshall

Bobby Lashly      vs.        TBD

Roy “Big Country” Nelson     vs.        Jeff “The Snowman” Monson

Headlining the Mixed Martial Arts portion of the card will be Seth “The Silverback” Petruzelli (10-4, 9 KOs) a wrestling/karate specialist from Fort Myers, FL.  Seth has had only three of his fourteen bouts go longer than one round.  Most recently, on October 4, 2008, Petruzelli took a fight against Internet Legend Kimbo Slice on one hour notice in an event broadcast on national television.  Petruzelli attacked Slice from the opening bell and the fight was stopped 14 seconds in, giving Kimbo his first professional loss…and a new MMA star was born.

Doug “Rhino” Marshall (9-3, 6 KOs, 3 Submissions) is a Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu specialist from Visalia, CA.  Doug began his MMA career at heavyweight and won his pro debut in 32 seconds.  “Rhino” was given the opportunity to fight for a title in only his third pro fight and won that in 22 seconds!  Doug’s thirst for winning was motivating him to train harder and his new regimen dropped him down to light heavyweight.  On August 17, 2006, Doug won the WEC light heavyweight championship and had three successful defenses.

Bobby Lashley (1-0, 1 KO) is 6’3”, 265 lbs and cut like a Greco-Roman statue.  He hails from Junction City, Kansas and was a three-time NCAA wrestling champion (1996-’98) and four-time All-American while at Missouri Valley College.  After college, Lashley joined the Army and was a two-time Armed Forces Champion and 2002 Silver Medalist at the Military World Championships.  In 2005, he began working in professional wrestling and before long was a WWE superstar.  In 2007, Lashley was the star of Wrestlemania 23, representing Donald Trump in a bet against Vince McMahon.  Lashley won the match and helped Trump shave Vince McMahon’s head in the ring.  Lashley then began to train in MMA full time and made his debut on December 13, 2008 by stopping his opponent in 41 seconds in Miami, FL.

Roy “Big Country” Nelson (13-3, 6 KOs, 3 Submissions) is a grappler and Jui Jitsu specialist from Las Vegas, NV.  Nelson played football and baseball and wrestled in high school.  “Big Country” became motivated to learn martial arts after watching “The Karate Kid” and now trains with Ken Shamrock in The Lion’s Den.  The 250 lb. heavy-handed Nelson is the current International Fight League (IFL) Heavyweight Champion.  He’s a fan-favorite for two reasons…his body type (soft) and his skill (outstanding).

Jeff “The Snowman” Monson (27-8, 2 KOs, 17 Submissions) from Olympia, WA is 5’ 8” 240 lbs of solid muscle and was recently featured in a 3-page spread in ESPN The Magazine, as the world’s most intimidating MMA fighter.  Monson got his nickname while in a 1999 grappling tournament in Brazil.  He came in unknown and beat four Brazilians in a row, each tougher than the one before him, to win the tournament.  They said he was like a snowball: white, compact, rolling downhill while getting bigger and stronger.  In a fight, he is an avalanche headed straight for you.  From 2002 to 2006, Monson won sixteen consecutive fights over the four and a half year time period.  Monson, who has run into problems with the law as an open anarchist, comes into the ring using John Lennon’s “Imagine” and is a card-carrying member of the Industrial Workers of the World (Wobblies). Not only a superb athlete, Monson is an intellectual and idealist, and these attributes coupled with his skills as a fighter, make him one dangerous and unpredictable opponent.

“March Badness” is being distributed by Square Ring Promotions, Inc. live on pay per view at 9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT in North America, on cable and satellite via iNDemand, TVN, DirecTV and Dish Network in the United States, as well as Viewer’s Choice, Shaw Cable, Star Choice and Bell TV in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.

CONTACTS:  Ed Keenan, EMC (609) 399-1330 keenan@emcevents.com <mailto:keenan@emcevents.com>

Bob Trieger, Full Court Press, (978) 664-4482, bobtfcp@hotmail.com

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