BoxingBB News

STEVE CUNNINGHAM HOLDS MEDIA WORKOUT

IN PREPARATION FOR TYSON FURY

PHILADELPHIA - Steve “USS” Cunningham held an open media workout at the Rock Ministries Gym in Philadelphia. With a little more than two weeks remaining until the fight, Cunningham, 25-2, 12 KOs, appeared confident, conditioned, and ready to fight Irish import Tyson Fury, 20-0, 14 KOs, a 6′ 9″ rising star of the heavyweight division. Cunningham went through a light workout for the press before speaking about the upcoming nationally televised fight at The Theater at Madison Square Garden scheduled for Saturday afternoon, April 20th. The Fury – Cunningham battle will be the main event of the 4PM ET broadcast on NBC.

Steve Cunningham Photo credits: phillyboxinghistory.com

“He wants to get under my skin with his antics, imitating Ali, doing all these tricks,” Cunningham said of Fury’s trash talking press conference performance from last month. “He wants me to just come in and punch him in the mouth, but I will stick to the game plan and not get out of control. It’s all about the game plan.”

“I’m going to utilize my strengths, and we’ve worked on my weaknesses,” Cunningham said. “So you’re going to see some different things. You’re going to see some things that are the same. I feel great. I feel strong. I feel energetic. I’m excited about this fight.”

Cunningham’s trainer, Brother Naazim Richardson, said, “Steve Cunningham has been overlooked. He is an intelligent fighter and he’s getting smarter all the time. See that’s the thing, he’s getting smarter all the time if you look at all his fights. In boxing power has always won guys things, but you never see anybody maintain with just power. Never happens…the strongest muscle in your body is that brain and the guy that can use that can find a way to manipulate almost any other person in the ring.”

Also fighting on the April 20 card, Philly favorite, Karl “Dynamite” Dargan, 12-0, 6 KO’s, participated in the media workout as well. Dynamite is preparing for his 6 round lightweight contest against Sergi Ganjelashvili of Ft Lauderdale, FL, 4-5-1. 

Dynamite is ready to fight anyone, ” Everything is on point. I’m sure they have an opponent for me, but most of my fights they don’t tell me who the opponent is. For me it’s not really for the fighter to know who the opponent is. A lot of people say well why not, don’t you have to strategize, do this, do that? But that’s what your trainer is for. Your trainer has to find out who you’re fighting. Your trainer has to find your strategy to beat your opponent. That’s not the fighter’s job.”

Dynamite said, “The main thing for me right now is staying active. The more active I am the better. The better you guys see me. I don’t think you guys have even seen the best of me yet as a professional.”

APRIL 20TH FIGHT INFO

April 20th at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York features a 12-round heavyweight battle between Tyson Fury and Steve Cunningham in the main event. Curtis Stevens will take on Derrick Findley in the 8-round middleweight co-feature. Six additional bouts are planned for the undercard. Doors open at The Theater at Madison Square Garden doors open at 1:15PM ET. The main event and co-feature will be broadcast 4PM ET on NBC as a special 2 hour afternoon presentation of NBC Fight Night. The card is presented by Hennessy Sports and Main Events.

The main event is an official IBF Heavyweight Voluntary Eliminator fight for the #2 position. The winner must meet #1 or the leading available contender to establish the mandatory challenger for Heavyweight King Wladimir Klitschko.

Tickets are priced at $25, $50, $100, $250 and $500. Tickets are available at the Madison Square Garden box office, through Ticketmaster 866-858-0008 and at ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices include a $5 Facility Surcharge. Ticketmaster purchases are subject to a Ticketmaster Surcharge. Wheelchairs, companion seats, aisle seats and Assistive Listening Devices are available 212-465-6035.

Cunningham Press Conference

“A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words”

Fury and Cunningham Confrontation at Press Conference

Photo Credits: Wojtek Kubik Photography

During a press conference to officially announce the NBC broadcast of the Tyson Fury vs. Steve Cunningham fight, which is scheduled to take place the afternoon of April 20th at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, a heated exchange ensued between Fury and Cunningham. The photo above clearly captures the continued antagonism that took place during the customary post press conference face off photo session. There is no love lost between the two heavyweight contenders. The unplanned press conference exchange set the stage perfectly for the battle to come. They say a picture says a thousand words… 

Catch the whole press conference here: http://www.ustream.tv/mainevents 

During a press conference to officially announce the NBC broadcast of the Tyson Fury vs. Steve Cunningham fight, which is scheduled to take place the afternoon of April 20th at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, a heated exchange ensued between Fury and Cunningham. The photo above clearly captures the continued antagonism that took place during the customary post press conference face off photo session. There is no love lost between the two heavyweight contenders. The unplanned press conference exchange set the stage perfectly for the battle to come. They say a picture says a thousand words… 

Catch the whole press conference here: http://www.ustream.tv/mainevents

On April 20 card L to R: Adam Kownacki, Sevdail Sherifi, Tyson Fury, Curtis Stevens, Dynamite Dargan, and Steve Cunningham

Photo Credits Wojtek Kubik Photography

FIGHT INFO:

April 20th at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York features a 12-round heavyweight battle between Tyson Fury and Steve Cunningham in the main event. Curtis Stevens will take on Derrick Findley in the 8-round middleweight co-feature. Six additional bouts are planned for the undercard. The main event and co-feature will be broadcast 4PM ET on NBC as a special 2 hour afternoon presentation of NBC Sports Fight Night. The card is presented by Hennessy Sports and Main Events.  

The main event is an official IBF Heavyweight Voluntary Eliminator fight for the #2 position. The winner must meet #1 or the leading available contender to establish the mandatory challenger for Heavyweight King Wladimir Klitschko.  

Tickets are priced at $25, $50, $100, $250 and $500. Tickets are available at the Madison Square Garden box office, through Ticketmaster 866-858-0008 and at ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices include a $5 Facility Surcharge. Ticketmaster purchases are subject to a Ticketmaster Surcharge. Wheelchairs, companion seats, aisle seats and Assistive Listening Devices are available 212-465-6035

By Vicky Villa – Ringside

Photo by George Jimenez – GeoIMAGEZ

Photo by GeoIMAGEZ (geoimagez.com)

Emanuel “The Tranzforma” Taylor (16-0, 11KOs) scored his second consecutive stoppage in 2013 when he challenged former world title challenger Victor Cayo (31-3, 22 KOs) in the main event of ESPN Friday Night Fights from the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Taylor was coming off a stoppage win against Tito Serrano just six weeks ago and was considered the underdog going into his fight against Cayo.  On the other hand, Cayo had racked up four consecutive wins since his last defeat against former champion Nate Campbell in March, 2012.

Cayo found success in the early rounds applying pressure and forcing Taylor to fight defensively.  His continuous attack and evident power paid dividends in the fifth round when he dropped Taylor with a right hook to the head.  The fight was going as planned for Cayo and he continued to dominate while Taylor fought in spurts.

With the fight seemingly slipping from his hands, and after hearing pleads from his team, Taylor stalked Cayo and landed his right hand, dropping and hurting his opponent in the eighth round.  Cayo answered the count but Taylor pounced on him landing numerous punches which went unanswered.  Referee Benji Esteves had seen enough and stopped the bout at 1:11 of the aforementioned round.

Photo by GeoIMAGEZ (geoimagez.com)

In the co-feature Magomed Abdusalamov (16-0, 16 KOs) continued his perfect knockout streak by defeating Victor Bisbal (21-1, 15 KOs) via 5th round TKO at 1:12.  Bisbal found success behind the jab and gave Magomed trouble in the early rounds.  But as the fight progressed he began to take punishment and in the 5^th round Magomed landed a monstrous uppercut that dropped Bisbal.  The Puerto Rican beat the count of eight but was clearly still hurt and referee Randy Newman halted the bout.

Undercards

Middleweights – 6 Rounds

Thomas LaManna (10-0, 6KOS) remains undefeated with a UD win over Joshua Snyder  (9-8-1, 3 KOS).  LaManna scored 2 knockdowns in the first and fourth rounds. Judges’ scores 58-54, 58-54, 57-55

Junior Middleweights 6 Rounds

John Jackson (14-1, 13 KOs) did not waste time and knocked out Francisco Alexis Pena (7-1, 5KOs) in the 1st round at 56 seconds

Junior Middleweights 6 Rounds (swing bout1)

Samuel Rogers (12-0, 7 KOs) keeps his undefeated record with a UD win against Ivan Ziglar (7-2-1, 4KOs). Judges scores 59-55, 60-54, 58-56

Lightweights 6 rounds

Scott Burrell (6-1, 5 KOs) defeated Edgardo Torres (2-1, 2 KOs) via a unanimous decision scores of 60-53, 60-53, 60-54.

By Boxeo Estelar Radio

Cesar Hernandez, George Jimenez & Giancarlo Oquendo

Robert Diaz stopped by Boxeo Estelar Radio to talk about his career as a manager, advisor to three-time World Champion Marco Antonio Barrera, and now matchmaker for Golden Boy Promotions.  He touched on the careers of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Paulie Malinaggi, Adrien Broner, and discussed in-depth what makes his job as a matchmaker with Golden Boy Promotions.  Diaz was interviewed by the Boxeo Estelar Team, Cesar Hernandez, George Jimenez and Giancarlo Oquendo.  Below is part of the interview:

Boxeo Estelar: Mr. Diaz, thank you for being on the show.  Tell us a little about your background, how did you start in boxing and what led you to eventually work with GBP?

Robert Diaz:  Well, like many people I started because of my passion for the sport.  I really liked boxing from a young age, thanks to my father who took me to the local events and whenever there was a big Pay per View event we watched it at home.  I also had the great fortune to work with Marco Antonio Barrera for some years and that’s where I began to develop a relationship with Golden Boy Promotions.  Eventually I received an offer to work for GBP and for me it was like a dream come true.

Boxeo Estelar: The fans never hear about the people behind the scenes who put together these fights, they always hear about the high profile promoters like Oscar De La Hoya and the fighters.  Tell us about some of the best fights you have made possible. 

Robert Diaz: Yes, there a lot of things that happen [behind the scenes] when trying to make the fights that the public wants to see and enjoy.  Sometimes the trainers or managers and even the fighters say “I don’t like that fight, get me someone else”.  One of the fights that I put together and gave me great satisfaction was the fight between Paulie Malinaggi and [Vyacheslav] Senchenko.  This was a fight where we had to travel to Ukraine and not many people gave Paulie a chance to win, yet I insisted in that this was a fight we could win.  Once in Ukraine a lot of unexpected things happened such as disagreements about the replacement gloves, because the original gloves we picked never arrived.  At the weigh in we noticed the Ukrainian looked much bigger and stronger and people said Paulie needed to knockout to win, yet he is not a puncher.  The whole team was inspired by this and Paulie came hungry for the win and did it via knockout.  After the fight, we were no longer the visitors and the attitude towards us changed.  We were viewed as the enemy so we postponed the celebrations until we arrived back in the US.

Boxeo Estelar:  That was a great win for Paulie and a surprise that he was able to win via KO.  It also revived a career that was thought to be over.  Since we are on this subject, there is talk that a certain Lightweight fighter wants to move up to challenge Paulie Malinaggi.  Any truth to this rumor? What can you tell the fans?

Robert Diaz: I’ve heard the same thing and to be honest I was surprised at first because it is a big jump, but at the same time this is what is beautiful about boxing.  There are fighters that are willing to take such challenges, and although I can’t confirm anything because I am in New York working, I need to find out if in fact its true but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is, and would love to see it.  Let’s not forget that this has happened before, Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero did it, Roberto “Manos de Piedra” Duran did it, and it wouldn’t be the first time a fighter skips a division to fight in the Welterweight division.

To listen to the entire interview please click here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/boxeoestelar

Also on this episode of Boxeo Estelar, promoter Leon De La Garza and Junior Middleweight Contender Delvin Rodriguez,

Boxeo Estelar Radio is an all-Spanish Boxing Radio Show which airs live every Wednesday at 8pm EST, 5pm Pacific, 9pm Puerto Rico. 

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Ringside report/Photos by George Jimenez – GeoIMAGEZ

In an anticipated matchup between two undefeated Heavyweights, Malik “King” Scott (35-0, 12 KOs) and Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov (14-0, 10KOs) fought to a draw in the main event of the Fight Night on NBC Sports Network Series, which took place on February 23 at the Paramount Theatre in Huntington, NY.

Going into the fight we knew this would be a classical matchup between a slick boxer against a puncher, and both fighters played their roles.  The bout was a “must see” for boxing aficionados and featured two relatively young undefeated fighters, in their prime, with clashing styles.  For the most part, Glazkov, who is the harder puncher out of the two was the aggressor and was coming forward all night, working Scott’s body inside and setting up traps in order to land one his bombs.  On the other hand, Scott used his great defense and ring generalship to block his opponent’s punches and escape when he found himself against the ropes.

There were a few key questions boxing fans asked before the fight; could Scott outbox his opponent and avoid being Czar’s 11th KO victim? Or could Glazkov show that he is more than a great puncher and utilize his pressure to break through Scott’s defense? Well, according to the judges’ scorecards there was no clear winner and at the end of 10 rounds they scored the fight a draw.  Judge Poturaj scored the fight for Scott 98-92, Judge John Mckaie scored it for Glazkov 96-94, and Julie Lederman scored it a draw 95-95.

Although both fighters had their moments in the fight, neither guy was hurt at any point, and the fight turned out to be the old dog chases cat type of fight.  Malik Scott proved once again he has a very difficult slick style (although not fan-friendly) and Glazkov showed some kinks in his armor he needs to work on before going to the next level.

In the televised co-main event, “The Fighting Pride of Huntington, New York”, undefeated junior welterweight prospect Chris Algieri, 15-0-0 (7KO’s) got past his toughest opponent  yet when he defeated New Jersey’s Jose “Mangu” Peralta, 10-1-0 (6KO’s) in a very entertaining 10 round bout.  Algieri dominated most of the rounds but decided to slug it out with Peralta which produced some great exchanges to the delight of the crowd.  Although “Mangu” had his moments in the early rounds, he began to slow down in the second half of the fight and Algieri used his boxing skills to outhustle Peralta in route to a win via unanimous decision.  The scores were 97-93, 96-94, and 98-92 all in favor of Algieri.

All photos property of GeoIMAGEZ are available for purchase.  Please contact us at [email protected]

 PRESS RELEASE
February 13, 2013

Geoimagez.com

“I have been offered an opportunity to fight in Poland for far more money than I would get for fighting Kubrat Pulev. Meaning no disrespect to Pulev, he has never held a major title and never headlined a televised card. Any money generated by the promotion would, for the most part, be generated by my popularity. I owe it to my family to engage in the most financially rewarding bouts, and engaging in a bout with Kubrat Pulev at this time simply does not make financial sense. I have spoken with the President of the IBF, Daryl Peoples, and informed him that, for the above reasons, I have withdrawn from the IBF box-off. I also thanked the IBF for the support it has shown me and the sport of boxing over the past years.”

CZAR GLAZKOV

TOTOWA, NJ (February 12, 2013) – Casual boxing fans might look at the heavyweight division today and think that to be a champion a boxer must be pushing seven feet tall. However hardcore enthusiasts understand that size isn’t the only quality that matters in boxing’s biggest division. In fact, many fight followers will tell you that the average-sized big men are the real killers among heavyweights.  

There’s an old adage of the sport that states, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall”. Until recently, this saying certainly was the case. Throughout the history of boxing, some of the heavyweights with the biggest reputations were not in the same league, height-wise, as the current crop of boxing behemoths.

Ring kings like Joe Louis, Sonny Liston and Larry Holmes all barely broke the six-foot mark, while Mike Tyson, Rocky Marciano, and Joe Frazier were less than six feet tall. Evander Holyfield, always considered relatively small, ruled the heavyweight roost after moving up from the cruiserweight division. Holyfield not only gathered titles and monster paydays during the 1990s, he saved a slumping heavyweight division at a time when giants like George Foreman, Riddick Bowe and Buster Douglas roamed the earth.

Today is no different. Although the biggest-ever heavyweights in history are currently in charge of the weight class, the boxing world shouldn’t look for someone bigger to defeat them. The new savior of the division just has to be better.  

Kathy Duva, Main Events CEO, recalls, “When Holyfield fought Douglas, all but one boxing writer from Evander’s home town picked Douglas to win the fight because he was so much bigger. As we all remember, Evander knocked the bigger man out in the third round to win the heavyweight title that night-a title which he defended successfully against many bigger men. As Evander said and went on to prove many times, ‘It’s not the size of the man that matters. It’s the size of his heart.’”

Next week one of the emerging young lions among heavyweights, Czar Glazkov, 14-0, 10 KOs, brings his exciting, hard-punching style to the Paramount Theatre in Huntington, NY on February 23rd. Czar takes on Malik Scott, 35-0, 12 KOs, in the 10-round main event of the latest edition of FIGHT NIGHT on NBC Sports Network. The telecast begins at 10:30PM ET.

At 6′ 3″, Czar is a “smaller” heavyweight, compared to the dominant Klitschko brothers who currently reside at the top of the heap. However, Glazkov brings a devastating punch and a crowd-pleasing style that could make him a true star of the sport.

Of course, he’ll first have to handle Scott, an undefeated Philadelphian, before moving up in the rankings, but Czar has the credentials to do it. He was an accomplished amateur who won numerous international titles before building his undefeated streak as a pro.

In his last outing, Czar halted the touted prospect Tor Hamer after just four rounds. The impressive win on national TV earned Glazkov a legion of new fans that began buzzing that he might be the one to inject new blood into the sagging heavyweight division. With a little more seasoning and a few choice opportunities, Czar very well may prove himself to be another “Giant Destroyer”, just like Holyfield.

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ABOUT FEBRUARY 23 FIGHTS

The February 23rd card is promoted by Main Events, Star Boxing and Goossen Tutor.  

Tickets priced at $200, $150, $125 $100 and $50 (standing room) can be purchased through Star Boxing 718-823-200, www.starboxing.com, Paramount Box office 631-673-7300, Ticketmaster 1-800-745-3000 or www.Ticketmaster.com .

Seven bouts are planned for the February 23 card to be held at The Paramount, 370 New York Ave, Huntington, NY.

SOCIAL MEDIA INFO

NBC SPORTS NETWORK FIGHT NIGHT

Twitter: #FightNight

Twitter: @main_events @NBCSN

Facebook:facebook.com/MainEventsBoxing facebook.com/NBCSports

To find the location of the NBC Sports Network on your local cable, satellite or IPTV provider, click here: http://www.nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/30092015/ns/sports/

Tweet the link to NBC Sports Network Fight Night channel finder: bit.ly/175UuU

NEW YORK, (February 5, 2013, 2013) “The Fighting Pride of Huntington, New York”, undefeated junior welterweight prospect Chris Algieri, 15-0-0 (7KO’s) will face the biggest fight of his career, challenging Jersey City, New Jersey’s Jose “Mangu” Peralta, 10-1-0 (6KO’s) in the televised co-main event of the acclaimed and nationally televised NBC Sports Network, FIGHT NIGHT card on Saturday, FEBRUARY 23, LIVE from The Paramount in Huntington. The telecast will begin at 10:30PM ET.
 
Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events and Joe DeGuardia, President of Star Boxing are very enthusiastic about the opportunity to showcase the Algieri/Peralta battle along with the sensational, sold out crowds that have become common on Long Island’s premier boxing venue.
 
“We’re very excited to bring NBC Sports Network to the boxing hotbed of Long Island, New York and The Paramount in Huntington where we’ve sold out five straight shows and have a received a tremendous amount of fan and media support,” said Joe DeGuardia.
 
DeGuardia spoke of the welterweight match up, “Chris Algieri is a very talented junior welterweight that has improved with each outing and Star Boxing is very proud that sports fans across the country will be able to see him fight against Jose Peralta, a very tough prospect from nearby Jersey City, New Jersey-it’s like a throwback to the old cross-town fights. ”
 
Born and raised in Huntington, New York, Algieri is looking forward to his nationally televised debut against Peralta.
 
“This is the national exposure I’ve wanted for my career. It’s a great opportunity to be in the spotlight. I’ve seen video of Jose Peralta and I know guys he’s trained with. We’re two hungry guys and it’s a perfect fight for both of us.”
  
   
About fighting at The Paramount, Algieri stated, “Although I’ve headlined four times at The Paramount in my hometown of Huntington, I don’t see it as an advantage. When the bell rings it’s just us in the ring and I need to stick to my game plan. That said, the fan support I’ve always received has been terrific and is greatly appreciated.”
 
Kathy Duva spoke of Peralta’s opportunity, “It is refreshing for a fighter like Peralta to gain national exposure on NBC Sports Network Fight Night. Peralta was given the opportunity to step up and gladly accepted it. Fighting an undefeated competitor like Algieri in his hometown will add a level of excitement that our Fight Night fans have come to expect.”
 
Peralta is thrilled about fighting on NBC Sports Network, “Fighting on NBC Sports Network is a great way for me to showcase my skills. I am grateful to Main Events for giving me this opportunity. I will not let my fans down.” 
 
Peralta expressed his thoughts about fighting in his opponent’s backyard, “I have no reservations about fighting in Algieri’s hometown. I will be totally prepared for him no matter where we fight. I intend to give it my all and hope to make some new fans in Huntington myself!”
 
The sport of boxing is alive and well and doing great as the success of the NBC Sports Network FIGHT NIGHT has illustrated.                                                       

 
The February 23rd card is promoted by Main Events, Star Boxing and Goossen Tutor.
 
ABOUT FEBRUARY 23 FIGHTS
Tickets priced at $200, $150, $125 $100 and $50 (standing room) can be purchased through Star Boxing 718-823-200, www.starboxing.com, Paramount Box office 631-673-7300, Ticketmaster 1-800-745-3000 or www.Ticketmaster.com .
 
Seven bouts are planned for the February 23 card to be held at The Paramount, 370 New York Ave, Huntington, NY.