In The Studio

NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS FIGHT NIGHT BOXING SERIES

NEW YORK - November 22, 2011 - NBC Sports Group announced today the formation of NBC Sports Network Fight Night, a boxing series featuring premier boxing talent. Fight Night will debut on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 on the NBC Sports Network (which will be renamed from VERSUS on Jan. 2, 2012), from Asylum Arena in Philadelphia, Pa. The Fight Night cards are being scheduled in cities that are served by a Comcast Sports Group regional network, and the regional networks will help promote the events and have the ability to re-air fights.

NBC Sports Group will work with Main Events and Hall-of-Fame matchmaker J Russell Peltz on a multi-promoter strategy for NBC Sports Network Fight Night designed to produce the best quality fights. It is a strategy in which any promoter can participate to get their boxers involved in these programs.

"This is a unique approach to have multiple promoters competing to put fights on NBC Sports Network," said Jon Miller, President, programming, NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network. "That, coupled with the legendary matchmaker J Russell Peltz serving as our quality control expert, ensures that boxing fans will enjoy exciting and competitive matches."

"We are reaching out to all promoters to get involved in the series, and our priority is simply to make exciting fights. We don't care who brings the fighters," said Kathy Duva, president, Main Events. "We expect that multiple promoters will be involved in each of the Fight Night programs. All fighters who are willing to further their careers by engaging in compelling, interesting, meaningful matches are welcome."

"Fights in this series will be solid, competitive and exciting," said Peltz. "Borrowing the philosophy of the late Madison Square Garden matchmaker Teddy Brenner, my bouts will be made on the following criteria: Do the fighters' styles mesh to make an exciting fight? Does this fight lead to something? And would I buy a ticket to it? These should be good fights for boxing fans."

NBC SPORTS NETWORK FIGHT NIGHT SCHEDULE (All Times ET)

Saturday, January 21, 9-11 p.m. - Philadelphia

Saturday, March 24, 10 p.m.-Midnight - Site TBA

Saturday, June 16, 9-11 p.m. - Site TBA

Saturday, December 8, 9-11 p.m. - Site TBA

--NBC SPORTS GROUP-

DONAIRE COPS LOP-SIDED DECISION OVER NARVAEZ

Ron Ross - October 22, 2011 Madison Square Garden, NY

They cried “Boo!” at the Theater at Madison Square Garden last night and it had nothing to do with Halloween. The fans came to see a scintillating ring battle between two highly touted warriors battling for a double-tiered World Title (WBC and WBO Bantamweight Championship) and as one fan so eloquently stated – “And what do I get to see? A lotta bull from the Pampas!”

In a 37 professional fight career, Argentina’s Omar Andres Narvaez, 117, had never tasted defeat. Maybe it’s because he was never 36 years old before, maybe he was awe-struck being in New York, maybe it was because he never fought anyone of the caliber of Nonito Donaire before, and maybe it was because he simply didn’t fight. Whatever the reason – or reasons – the closest he came to winning a round was the 13^th – and it was a 12-round fight.

One thing he was able to do was to stay out of harm’s way which did not exactly endear him to the fans’ hearts and made the man the crowd came to see – Nonito Donaire – another blossoming Philippine superstar in the mold of hit recording star-congressman-world’s greatest pound-for-pound prizefighter Manny Pacquaio – a bit of a disappointment, falling somewhat short of expectations.

Donaire, 116 ¼, the aggressor throughout the contest, tried making a fight out of it but it appeared as though Narvaez was content to just stay the distance and to his credit he handled all the attacks Donaire attempted and although he was shook up on a couple occasions, especially the fourth round when Donaire, blasting away with a no-let-up two-fisted onslaught, had him hurt, he held on and survived.

When the final bell sounded ending the fight, the cheers were few and far between, drowned out by a crowd expecting a lot more.

The scorecards of the 3 judges all came it at 120-108, a complete shut-out. There was no other way to see it. It ended Narvaez’ unbeaten career record, now 35-1-2, 19 KO’s) and improves Donaire to 27-1, 18 KO’s).

The co-featured 10-rounder for the NABF Featherweight Championship between Juan Carlos Martinez, San Luis Potosi, Mexico, 127 and power-punching Miguel Angel Garcia, Oxnard, CA, 124 was much more to the crowd’s liking. After a relatively cautiously fought feeling out first round, Garcia opened up with the heavy artillery. Martinez tried fighting back gamely but Garcia’s booming shots to the body and head were taking its toll. In the third round, with seconds left, Garcia dropped Martinez with a left hook to the jaw. A shaken Martinez pulled himself up only to be tagged by another left hook just as the bell rang, enabling him to stagger back to his corner. It was obvious the fight was over, but Martinez answered the bell for the fourth round, but was no match for the overpowering attack of Garcia, who dropped him twice more before referee Harvey Dock stepped in and called a merciful halt to the contest at 2:46 of the fourth round. The unbeaten Garcia is now 27-0, 23 KO’s while journeyman Martinez drops to 17-13-1, 5 KO’s.

Four local favorites kept the crowd very happy on the undercard. Sandwiched in between the two co-features, Mike Brooks, Oceanside, NY, 137 continued his unbeaten career, now 6-0, 1 KO, by outpunching and outboxing Eddie Ramirez, Laredo, Texas, 135 ¼, 6-10-1, 3 KO’s and sweeping all four rounds on all cards.

The Long Beach boardwalk must have been empty last night as it seemed that the entire population of that seaside community was packed into the Garden cheering on their favorite son, Sean Monaghan, 174 ½, who improved to 10-0, 7 KO’s, by pounding, battering and finally stopping, Anthony Pietrantonio, Sharon, PA 174 ¼, 7-8, 5 KO’s at 2:51 of the 5^th round of a scheduled six-rounder.

Another Long Islander, Tommy Rainone, 150 ¼, 16-4, 4 KO’s won a relatively lackluster six-round decision over Denver, Colorado’s Brad Jackson, 13-7-1, 7 KO’s.

Brooklyn’s Cletus Seldin, 146 ½, opened the show, stopping Miami’s Jose Segura Torres, 146 ¼, at 2:52 of round 2. Seldin is now 4-0, 2 KO’s. Torres, 2-3-2, 1 KO.

In a six round super-flyweight bout, Edwin “La Bomba” Gonzales, Caguas, Puerto Rico, 113 ¼, coming in with a record of 5-0, all knockout wins, looked as though he was going demolish New Rochelle’s Jose Rivera, 113, 3-3-2, 0 KO’s as he savaged him for four rounds, dropping him in the second with a left to the chin. But it seemed as though the bomb or “bomba” was defused after the fourth round and the gutsy Rivera came on to make a fight of it. There was no question that Gonzales won the fight by a clear margin, but he has to work on that gas tank.

Canadian Mikael Zewski, 148, now 11-0, 7 KO’s stopped Keuntray Henson, Memphis, TN, 147, 4-4, 1 KO. At 1:27 of the first round of a card that had plenty of fireworks but unfortunately fizzled a bit in the feature attraction.

-RR-

Casal’s journey continues

Oct. 15 vs. undefeated Anderson

NEW YORK (September 28, 2011) – Buffalo welterweight Nick “Hands of Gold” Casal continues his journey back to boxing prominence October 15 against undefeated prospect Michael “Slick” Anderson on the non-televised portion of the Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson pay-per-view event at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

Casal (21-4-1, 16 KOs) was a highly-decorated amateur who captured gold medals at the 2002 U.S. National Junior Championships and the Sweden Box-Cup for Under-19 boxers. In 2003, Nick reached the quarterfinals of the National Golden Gloves Tournament, defeating Anthony Dirrell in the process, before losing to current world champion, Andre Berto. Casal also won a bronze medal at the 2004 U.S. Championships but he had to drop out of the competition with a hand injury.

In 2004, Casal turned pro and he was unbeaten in his first 17 pro bouts, including a pair of draws. Nick extended current WBC Silver champion Antonio “Tony” DeMarco, the former WBC Interim light titlist, the full 10 rounds in 2002, albeit in a losing effort (94-96, 93-93, 97-93) that demonstrated his vast potential. Casal has won his last three fights, including a third-round technical knockout of Martin Tucker this past April in his Boxing 360 debut.

Casal, however, damaged his hand and he has been out of action since. His fight against Andersson was supposed to be September 30 on ShoBox, before being switched to Oct. 15. “Fighting on ShoBox would have given me more exposure but the Hopkins-Dawson show is much bigger with a larger audience,” said Casal who is training in Las Vegas. “I hurt my hand a little bit in my last fight but it’s now 100-percent.”

The 30-year-old Anderson (11-0-1, 9 KOs), fighting out of Newark, hasn’t fought anybody near Casal’s level of competition. If Anderson believes he’s going to use Casal as a stepping-stone, according to Nick, he’s got another thing coming. “I’m going to use him as a stepping-stone,”Casal insisted. “He has no experience and I’m coming for a win. I don’t know anything about him but, after the first round, I’ll know what to do.

“In another year, I hope to be fighting for a world title. I beat both Dirrells (Andre and Anthony), Berto and Vanes Martirosyan in the amateurs. I fought at 156 as an amateur and moved down to fight at 140 as a pro. Some of them went up in weight and won world titles. I just need a couple of more fights to be ready for a world title shot. I turned pro when I was 18 – maybe a little early – but I’m only 25 with a lot of fights left in me. I had a lot of growing up to do and now’s the time to make something happen.”

Casal’s promoter, Boxing 360 founder and CEO Mario Yagobi, believes his upcoming fight is a tremendous opportunity for Nick. “Nick has to step-up and, if he passes this test, it’s on to bigger and better things for him. This is a great opportunity. I think he’s up to it. In the past he has won better challenges in bigger fights. I believe he has the talent and heart to take him to the top. He made the commitment to train in Las Vegas, away from his home in Buffalo, in order to get better sparring. He’s working hard and I know he’ll be ready October 15^th.”

Casal’s talented Boxing 360 stable-mate, undefeated middleweight prospect DonYil Livingston (5-0-1, 3 KOs), will also be in action on the Oct. 15^thHopkins-Dawson undercard against unbeaten Kurtiss Colvin (6-0, 5 KOs) in a six-round bout.

Other members of Boxing 360’s stable include IBF World Light Junior Lightweight Champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano, USBA heavyweight champion Maurice Sugar Moe” Harris, WBC #5 super bantamweight Leon“Hurry Up” Moore, former IBF super middleweight champion Alejandro “Naco”Berrio, unbeaten welterweight prospect Vitaliy “Demyan” Demyanenko, WBC Caribbean& NY State super middleweight champion Lennox “2 Sharpe” Allen, Dominican lightweight champion Eudy “AK47” Bernardo, KO king Tyrone Brunson, Mike Mollo, Joel Diaz Jr., and “King” David Estrada.

Go to www.Boxing360.comfor more information about Casal, Boxing 360 or any of its other fighters as well as scheduled events.

-30-

BLOODLINES RUN DEEP IN "STAR POWER"

LOS ANGELES (August 11) - The sport of boxing has a rich history of families achieving pugilistic success as a group, be it fathers and sons, brothers (and occasionally sisters), uncles and nephews, or all of the above. Bloodlines run deep and this theme plays out in "STAR POWER: Mayweather vs. Ortiz", the September 17 mega-event which will be presented live by HBO Pay-Per-View®. The boxing extravaganza is loaded with these "fighting families," as five of the eight headlining boxers have made fighting a family affair in one way or another.

The most prominent among them is the Mayweather ménage, with Floyd "Money" Mayweather front and center. Floyd's uncle, Roger, is his trainer, but Roger was also an excellent boxer in his day, winning titles at 130 and 140 pounds in the '80s, facing the legendary likes of Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker and Kostya Tszyu. Floyd's father, Floyd Sr., was also in "Little Floyd's" corner for several years and was a solid welterweight contender in the '70s and '80s, notably facing Sugar Ray Leonard in 1978. Then there's Floyd's uncle Jeff, who was less accomplished than his two brothers but did face an up-and-coming Oscar de la Hoya in 1993 and has gone on to become a respected trainer himself.

The co-feature brings Erik Morales into focus. Like Floyd Mayweather Jr., Morales is a sure-shot for the Hall of Fame when he retires. Also like Mayweather, he comes from a family that has produced four professional fighters. "El Terrible's" father, Jose, had a brief career as a flyweight in the '70s and Erik has two brothers who entered the squared circle as professionals: Diego, who briefly held a super flyweight belt, and little brother Ivan, a currently undefeated bantamweight prospect.

Morales' opponent, Lucas Matthysse, also comes from a fighting family. The Argentine knockout artist's older brother, Walter, was a feared welterweight contender who was only taken the distance by one opponent in his 32 pro fights and fought twice on HBO, against Paul Williams in 2006 and Kermit Cintron in 2007.

The featured fight on the STAPLES Center segment of the event also involves two men with familial pride at stake, in Canelo Alvarez and Alfonso Gomez. Canelo has six brothers, but only three currently are competing as professionals, though none are threatening Canelo's alpha-dog status in the family as Rigoberto, Ricardo and Ramon Alvarez are all older than Canelo and, unlike their younger brother, have tasted defeat. On June 28, 2008, when Canelo defeated Miguel Vazquez, all seven Alvarez brothers fought on the same fight card, calling the historic night "The Alvarez Seven." If that wasn't enough to convince you Canelo stands apart from his brothers, then the fact that the other Alvarezes all have dark hair should tell you there's something special indeed about the carrot-topped, freckled face junior middleweight world champion who will get tested on the upcoming show by the veteran Gomez. Gomez, meanwhile, has no boxing brothers, but when he returns to the corner between rounds, the voice he hears is that of his father, Alfonso Gomez Sr.

Of course, it's the Mayweathers who take center stage anytime boxing families are discussed, both because they've accomplished so much as a group and because their personalities are impossible to ignore. Family legend has it that Floyd Jr. learned to box at the same age he learned to walk. The gym was his second home as far back as he can remember and even in his first home, he was notorious for punching any inanimate object in sight, whether it was meant to be treated like a speedbag or not.

Floyd's professional success has thrust the Mayweathers into the forefront of any discussion about the greatest families in boxing history. With all due respect to the Hiltons, the Chavezes, the Peñalosas, the Byrds, and any others among the 27 families that have produced multiple world titleholders, the top of the list has to boil down to the Mayweather clan and the Spinks family. Brothers Michael and Leon Spinks were both heavyweight champion of the world and Leon's son Cory was world welterweight champ. Plus Cory's brother, Darrell, was a decent club-fighter in St. Louis in the '90s.

So which is the greatest multi-generational fighting family of all-time? The Mayweather crew or the Spinks clan? It's hard to say until both legacies are complete, and the Mayweathers certainly have a chance to add to theirs when Floyd takes on Victor Ortiz on September 17.

In fact, five fighting families have a chance to add to their reputations on that night and it's no accident that the combatants on this card each stand out as the finest fighters their respective families have produced.

Posted By Michael Gerard Seiler to BOXING LEDGER | LATEST BOXING BLOGS | BOXING ARTICLES | BOXING BLOG FIGHT at 8/10/2011 04:31:00 PM

LARA WINS FIGHT – LOSES DECISION TO WILLIAMS

-->Ron Ross

The cut and bruised eye suffered by Paul Williams Saturday night in Atlantic City was nothing compared to the black eye suffered by the sport of Boxing. Erislandy Lara, the previously – and, in truth – still unbeaten Cuban middleweight, slammed, banged up, thrashed and bloodied the former two-time welterweight champ so convincingly that hardened boxing fans were calling for a stoppage, concerned for Williams well-being. Actually, there were three people in AC who did not see Lara as the winner – they just happened to be the judges. Three relatively inexperienced judges appointed by the New Jersey State Boxing Commission!! Who says that Santa Claus only comes around on Christmas? Or was this just the latest episode of Boardwalk Empire?

The obvious loss suffered by Williams (40-2, 27 KO’s) in the junior middleweight 12-rounder was no disgrace. He took his punishment but continued throwing punches. “Effort” warrants an “E” not an A+. The smaller Lara, now 15-1-1, 10 KO’s is an excellent boxer puncher with fast hands, good speed and solid ring smarts. When the scorecards were called out by ring announcer Joe Antonucci, it seemed that no one was more shocked than the drop-jawed Williams. Boxing cannot afford any further negative images. It’s time to start cleaning house. Sometimes you have to start at the top. RR

KLITSCHO DEFEATS HAYE

IBF/WBO/IBO Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (55-3, 49 KOs) defeated England's David Haye (25-2, 23 KOs) by a one-sided, twelve-round unanimous decision on Saturday night at the Imtech Arena in Hamburg, Germany. With the victory, Klitschko captured Haye's WBA Super World Heavyweight title. Official scores were 117-109, 118-108, 116-110.

Klitschko fought extremely well behind his left jab. Haye rarely caught Klitschko flush, and was unable to put together combinations. He used a lot of lateral movement, although he was too cautious, rarely mixing it up with the larger Klitschko. As the rounds progressed, Klitschko took control by backing up Haye with the jab, and subsequently, Klitschko started to find a home with his devastating right-hand shots in the later rounds.

--
Posted By Michael Gerard Seiler - Creator, Editor & Writer to BOXING LEDGER | LATEST BOXING BLOGS | BOXING ARTICLES | BOXING BLOG FIGHT at 7/03/2011 01:04:00 AM

KLITSCHKO-ADAMEK READY FOR BATTLE

QUOTES FOR THE AUTUMN BOUT OF HEAVYWEIGHTS

Vitali Klitschko:

"I like Poland. I've been here many times. I've lived here before. I have a lot of friends here. I have many good memories linked with Poland, they're positive. It just worked out that now I'll be fighting a Polish boxer. The most important thing to me will be the result. What more can I say? I think that it'll be a positive moment that will represent our countries. To quote Nelson Mandela: 'Sport has the strength to change the world'."

"You are a bad boxer if you don't wish to win a world title. Tomasz has a chance to become one. In this situation the only questions can be: Is this too important for him? Is it too late? It's never too early, never too late. He got his chance and he definitely has a chance if he wants it. The question is though, if I will let him take that chance."

"He's (Adamek) not an easy opponent, good technique, good condition, and a big heart to boxing, strong character and a strong desire to win. Those are the most important elements in boxing."

Reporter: Your fight with Adamek will be in Wroclaw, Poland on September 10, with approximately 40,000 fans. The Ukraine and Germans will come but there will be a dominance of Poles. Do you worry about a loud uproar for Adamek? "I'll repeat one more time that boxing fans are there to watch the fight. I understand that Tomasz will have a huge fan base. For me that's not the first time. I've fought in Germany against a German, in America against an American, in Britain against a Brit. So now that I'm fighting in Poland against a Pole, it makes no difference. The ring is always the same."

OPPONENTS SHAKE HANDS AT CONFERENCE - SMG POLSKA

Tomasz Adamek:

"I fight differently than I used to. I take a lot less hits, I'm more balanced. If you have a knack to box I think it's impossible not to keep learning. Everything is possible. You have to have faith and never give up. If you give up, you'll never win."

"In both Heavyweight and Cruiserweight they all said I was too small, and now it's (heavyweight) a hard weight class. As he (Vitali) gets older he's trying to do impossible things. I have shown that with determination you can win. I have a great trainer who taught me a lot since I started working with Andrew and they used to pound me. This lets me know that you can always beat the strongest people."

Reporter: In one of your last interviews, you said Vitali is getting older. Do you foresee maybe by the 7^th or 8^th round that he will become winded? "If I keep pushing a high pace then definitely because he is a bigger and taller guy so he tires faster. I have to keep changing my position while striking. This is what I'll be working on with Roger. I'll be working on being fast. This is an area where I'll be able to beat him."

Reporter: In boxing you say that if you want to tire someone out, you hit them hard, is this true with Klitscko? "Absolutely. I'll have to work up and down. He's a big guy. We're working on that. I have a good trainer." "I'll definitely have to keep a low position so I can get away from some serious strikes. That's the key. The rest you'll have to wait until September 10^th to see. I have to represent myself well for Poland and the rest of the world."

"If I take on a challenge I'm going to put 120% into it. I invite you all to the fight on September 10^th. You can watch it live in the stadium, or on TV. Best wishes to all.."

-ME-

SALITA CO-PROMOTING MAY 19TH SHOW AT ROSELAND

- Ron Ross

New York May 16, 2011: Dmitriy Salita is not accustomed to climbing into the ring without gloves covering his hands. On Thursday night he should make the adjustment with grace and dignity as Mr. Salita, Boxing Promoter. It will be his first promotion without Dmitriy Salita, Welterweight Contender, headlining the show. Co-promoting with Jed Weinstein of WCMG, Dmitriy will be bringing a mixed bag of entertainment in BOX NYC.

Salita Promotions in association with WCMG presents Box NYC on May 19th at Roseland Ballroom, a high-class boxing and entertainment event. The evening will feature seven professional boxing bouts, appearances by sports celebrities and Cypher Sounds as the MC for the evening. Cipha Sounds is a popular NYC DJ on the world famous radio station Hot 97.

In the main event, Mike Ruiz is looking for his biggest win as he fights for the New York State Welterweight Title. Mike has been training hard at Universal Boxing gym under the watchful eye of Moses Roman Jr. In the co-feature four times US Army champion and 2008 Olympic Alternate Boyd Melson is looking to put on a spectacular performance in front of his hometown fans. Boyd is trained by a former World champion Joe Gamache who has helped him transition from amateur to pro ranks.

The undercard will feature Irish Golden Gloves Champion Heavyweight prospect Tommy Hardwood, Deano Burrell, Jerell Miller and others.

Featured fighters are fighting a great fight inside the ring but an even better one outside it. Besides fighting for the NYS title Mike Ruiz is also fighting for Autism awareness and is donating a part of his purse to NY Families with Kids with Autism. In the co feature Boyd is donating his entire purse for research done for paralysis caused by spine nerve damage. In addition, the event will provide an opportunity to secure a seat at the World Series of Poker at a Texas Hold' Em poker tournament with proceeds from the event benefiting Sophie's Voice Foundation, a charitable organization co-founded by actor Boris Kodjoe and his wife, actress Nicole Ari Parker supporting children and adults with Spina Bifida.

Tickets are available at WWW.DSALITA.COM , by calling 917-440-3278

KID CHOCOLATE QUILLEN READY FOR BRINKLEY

LOS ANGELES (April 26, 2011) – Unbeaten prospect Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (23-0, 17 KOs), is in Reno for Friday night’s showdown against past world title challenger Jesse Brinkley (35-6, 22 KOs) in the 10 round main event, airing live on Telefutura, for the vacant USBO super middleweight championship.

Below find training camp notes and quotes from the 27-year-old Quillin, who was born in Chicago, raised in Grand Rapids (MI), and moved a year ago from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.

Training for Friday’s Fight

Quillin was back in Wild Card Gym three days after his last fight, a win by four-round TKO versus Dennis Sharpe on February 11. “I’m not champ yet, so there are no days off.” Qullin had training camp at Big Bear the past two weeks. In addition to training at Wild Card, prior to heading up to Big Bear, he spent two or three days a week for six weeks at his strength-and-conditioning coach Brad Bose’s Anatomi gym in Santa Monica, much of the time working out on The Vortex that “Kid Chocolate” described as a torture machine.

Big Bear

This is the first time in his pro career that Quillin has trained in high altitude, at Big Bear in the Summit High Altitude Training Center. “I came up here in good shape. Working at an elevated level is different. Great fighters have trained here like Oscar De La Hoya (his promoter). Shane Mosley and ‘Chop Chop’ Corley came by to say hello. That meant a lot to me. I’m very fortunate to be in this situation.

“I trained before in the Poconos (Mountains in Northeast Pennsylvania) but that’s nothing like up here. The Poconos are maybe 2500-3000 (feel above sea level) but it is 7000 here. I was always training there for four or six round fights but this is a 10-rounder.”

Sparring

Since being at Big Bear, Quillin has sparred five times for a total 39 rounds, the most 11 rounds in one day, with undefeated light heavyweight Sergey Kovalev (14-0, 12 KOs) and light middleweight Robert Garcia (29-2, 21 KOs). But he regularly sparred Monday, Wednesday and Fridays – 6 to 10 rounds each time – at Wild Card before heading to Big Bear. “Wild Card is packed with sparring partners – world champs, former world champs and up-and-comers. Before coming up here I sparred with guys like (Nobuhiro) Ishida and (Vanes) Martirosyan. Sergey and Robert have given me good sparring at Big Bear.”

1st Title Fight

“This is my first title fight but I’ve trained for a lot of my fights like they were title fights. It was that way for my fights against (Antwun) Echols, (Dionisio) Miranda and (Sam) Hill. Now, I have this great team that’s more capable of taking me where I’m going. I’ve elevated my skills working with all of these guys.”

Trainers

Quillin’s day-to-day trainer for this fight has been Eric Brown, who is Freddie Roach’s chief assistant. “They’ve put together a great game plan for this fight. I’m not going to tell the world what it is but everybody will see Friday night what I’m capable of doing in the ring.”

Brown has been quite impressed by Quillin’s improvements: “I’ve been most impressed by his patience and ability. His overall game has really improved. When he first came to Wild Card, he was in decent shape but when he started working with his strength-and-conditioning coach it (improvements) was evident right away. He’s had world-class sparring at Wild Card. His first fight, in Canada, was okay but it was hard to tell how much he’d improved because he knocked out his opponent in the first round. His second fight was testimony to his conditioning. He was on another level. He’s worked hard in the gym and I’ve seen a vast improvement, especially in his strength.

“Jesse (Brinkley) has been around for a while since The Contender. He came to the Wild Card for sparring. He’s a tough kid with a big heart – a fighter! He does nothing in particular very well but he’s good with everything. He’s not at Peter’s level, though, mentally, physically or skill wise. Everybody will see that Friday.”

For more information about Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin go online to www.TheKidChocolate.com or follow him on Twitter @/Kid Chocolate.

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Posted By Michael Gerard Seiler - Creator, Editor & Writer to BOXING LEDGER | LATEST BOXING BLOGS | BOXING ARTICLES | BOXING BLOG FIGHT at 4/26/2011 07:00:00 PM

ORTIZ STUNS BERTO TO TAKE WELTER TITLE

By: Michael Gerard Seiler

"Vicious" Victor Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KO's) defeated Andre Berto (27-1, 21 KO's) by a twelve-round unanimous decision, capturing the WBC welterweight title in what could become the 'Fight of the Year' for 2011. Official scores were 115-110, 114-112 and 114-111.

Entering the bout, both fighters were heavily questioned by the media about their overall star-potential in the sport. After quitting against Marcos Maidana in 2009, Ortiz was believed to lack the heart and courage of a true fighter. On the other hand, there were questions about Berto's chin: Could he take a solid punch? Ortiz and Berto answered and silenced their critics at Foxwoods tonight, letting everything they had deep inside of them come out in the ring.

During round one, it appeared that Ortiz floored Berto with a grazing left-hand shot that landed just behind the Miami native's right ear. However, referee Mike Ortega incorrectly ruled it a slip. Even if a fighter slips, such as Berto did according to Ortega, if a punch lands on a fighter that is falling, the correct ruling would be a knockdown. In this case, Ortiz' punch caused Berto to fall. Moments later, Ortiz would get an official knockdown scored.

Ortiz staggered Berto with a powerful right hook, and followed it up with a straight left - right uppercut combination, dropping Berto to one knee in the corner. After that, Berto was not quite the same fighter; He never fully recovered, displaying shaky legs numerous times throughout the course of the fight.

In round two, Berto answered back, firing and connecting with a counter-right cross, flooring Ortiz. Yet, Ortiz, 24, was not really hurt, as his right glove prevented his back from touching the canvas as he fell. Ortiz regained his composure, holding his own the last twenty seconds of the round. Before the knockdown, Ortiz was beating Berto to the punch and controlling the round, as the 27-year-old's legs looked wobbly.

Ortiz rocked Berto during round three with consecutive straight lefts in the second half of the round. Early on, Ortiz stunned Berto with a devastating left uppercut.

Berto opened round four by precisely landing a flush right cross to Ortiz' chin. Once again, Ortiz came right back, connecting with consecutive left-hand shots to Berto's head. Then, Ortiz pummeled Berto, leaving him with a bloody nose in his corner after the round.

After a close, competitive fifth round, Berto put Ortiz on the canvas with a crushing right cross. Ortiz' legs were unsteady, but Berto could not finish him. Next, a right hook and consecutive lefts to the head by Ortiz floored Berto, just before the bell rang to end the round.

From there, Ortiz beat up Berto in close quarters, fearlessly unleashing combinations and charging after him.

In round ten, Ortiz was deducted a point from referee Mike Ortega for hitting behind the head. Ortiz absorbed Berto's punches, and kept throwing more, showing a higher energy level.

After his back was pressed up against the ropes in round eleven, Berto looked as if he wished the fight was over. He was gassed from the relentless pressure applied by Ortiz.

Entering the twelfth round, Ortiz was not content to coast in the final three minutes; He only knew one way to finish - Go straight ahead and continue throwing punches until there is nothing left.

The courage, heart, and desire to win exhibited from both Ortiz and Berto was immeasurable. Still, Ortiz was simply the more complete fighter, proving the odds of being a 4-1 underdog were vastly inaccurate. While Berto hurt Ortiz at times, Ortiz landed harder and with greater accuracy.

Not to take away from Ortiz' victory, or to discredit Berto's performance in anyway, but Berto has been over-hyped by some in the media for a very long time. Berto has always shown trouble fighting in close quarters against elite fighters, usually electing to clinch after throwing power shots one-at-a-time. Berto has above average hand speed and efficient power, although he can be off-balance often with his enormously wide stance.

Did Berto underestimate Ortiz coming into the fight? Perhaps, but a fighter who knows how to fight on the inside with so much ferocity, as well as utilizing effective combination punching, such as Ortiz, will always give a one-dimensional fighter like Berto a great deal of trouble. If someone is going to defeat Ortiz again, it surely will not happen if that fighter only relies on his speed, agility and reflexes; One will need to have the complete package, and an added something that many critics thought Ortiz lacked - a ton of heart.

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Posted By Michael Gerard Seiler - Creator, Editor & Writer to BOXING LEDGER | LATEST BOXING BLOGS | BOXING ARTICLES | BOXING BLOG FIGHT at 4/17/2011 01:49:00 AM