TalkingBoxing News
Mayweather, Mitchell Short on Words, Long on Confidence
THU November 10 - With just a little over one week to go before they square-off at The Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, November 19, “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Sharmba Mitchell both appear to be confident and prepared as they put the finishing touches on their respective training camps. Neither seems anxious to provide locker room bulletin board reading material for the other, opting instead to do their talking inside the ring.
In what is being billed as “Pound for Pound King – Battle of Champions,” the scheduled special 12-round Welterweight bout features the undefeated WBC Junior Welterweight Champion Mayweather (34-0, 23 KOs) moving up in weight to take on the two-time former World Champion Mitchell (56-4, 31 KOs).
“My preparation is well on schedule,” Mayweather, regarded as the best “pound for pound” boxer in the world today, reported from his training camp in Las Vegas where he also resides. “I have had excellent sparring and I am not taking Mitchell for granted.
“I am looking forward to coming to Portland. I will put on a good show for the people of Portland and my fans around the world.
As for any predictions, Mayweather warned, “Mitchell will not go the distance.”
Mitchell is a slick southpaw from Washington, DC, who wants to regain his status as one of the best pound for pound boxers around and hopes this fight will help him to regain that lofty level. Training in Vero Beach, Florida, he predicted an upset on the fight’s outcome, and hinted at what the viewing public can expect in this highly anticipated duel.
“Floyd has both power and speed,” Mitchell acknowledged. “And I do too!
“We know that Floyd will be in shape, and we are working hard. We know that we must be ready for anything with Floyd, and we are preparing for that. I haven’t been this excited about a fight in a long time. A victory puts me right back where I belong.”
With 54 knockouts between them, this bout shapes up as a potential fistic explosion boxing fans won’t want to miss.
“Pound for Pound King – Battle of Champions” is being promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions, with Jordan Brand, a division of Nike Inc, as presenting sponsor. The event will be televised live on HBO.
Tickets priced at $350.00, $250.00, $100, $65 AND $30.00 can be purchased at the Rose Quarter Box Office (M-Sa 10a-5p), online at www.RoseQuarter.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, or by calling (503) 224-4400. Ticket price does not include service charges.
Rahman Prepares to Accept WBC Title
THU November 10 - Former World Boxing Council heavyweight champion and current
WBC
interim champion Hasim “The Rock” Rahman is expected to be named
undisputed
WBC heavyweight champion after the surprise announcement today that
Vitali
Klitschko intends to retire from boxing.
“After Vitali postponed his fight with me four times, I am thrilled that WBC President Jose Sulaiman is keeping his promise to me by convening his Board of Governors to automatically upgrade me from interim champion to again become the undisputed WBC heavyweight champion,” Rahman said.
Rahman’s promoter Don King is looking forward to his fighter being
named
outright WBC champion, which would mean he would then represent all
four
heavyweight world champions.
“Hasim Rahman is a courageous fighter, and I applaud him for his bravery and congratulate him on the news that the WBC will announce that he has become their undisputed heavyweight champion shortly,” King said.
Rahman (45-4-1, 33 KOs) has been the No. 1-ranked mandatory challenger to the WBC heavyweight champion Klitschko since Nov. 13, 2004. Since that time, Klitschko failed to meet Rahman on four separate occasions: A scheduled April 30 match at New York’s Madison Square Garden was rescheduled to June 18 after Klitschko suffered what was called a thigh injury while jogging.
Klitschko moved this mandatory defense to July 23 after stating his thigh did not respond to treatment. The July 23 match was again postponed after Klitschko claimed his thigh injury had spread to his back.
Klitschko then underwent what his handlers referred to as “minor back surgery” on April 19.
King responded in May by successfully petitioning under the rules and regulations of the WBC to sanction an interim heavyweight championship—at a cost of almost $2 million to Don King Productions—owing to Klitschko’s repeated inability to face his mandatory challenger, Rahman.
Klitschko responded by inexplicably petitioning the WBC asking for a second exception to face another fighter on Sept. 24—he had already received an exception to make a voluntary defense opposing Danny Williams on Dec. 11, 2004—in effect saying he was healthy enough to fight, just not against Rahman.
Rahman then took the huge risk of losing his mandatory challenger status on Aug. 13 when he agreed to face WBC No. 2-ranked, and WBC No. 2 mandatory challenger, Monte “Two Gunz” Barrett at the United Center in Chicago for the WBC interim heavyweight title.
The WBC Board of Governors subsequently rejected Klitschko’s petition on July 15 and ordered Klitschko to face the WBC interim champion on Nov. 12, which turned out to be Rahman after he scored a unanimous decision win over Barrett.
Rahman’s daring move to fight rather than wait for Klitschko now appears to have been prescient after Klitschko claimed yet another training injury—this time his right knee—on Nov. 5, which scuttled their scheduled Nov. 12 pay-per-view bout to have emanated from Las Vegas.
Rahman’s ascension to interim champion was significant because the WBC rules and regulations now call for Rahman to be immediately named its undisputed champion.
King currently represents World Boxing Association champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz; International Boxing Federation champion Chris Byrd; World Boxing Organization champion “Relentless” Lamon Brewster; and soon, it appears, Rahman as the WBC champion.
Ruiz will meet his mandatory challenger Nicolay Valuev in a previously scheduled match on Dec. 17 in Berlin, Germany. Rahman would next fight an opponent designated by the WBC.
King has gone on the record stating he thinks the public would like Rahman’s next opponent to be James “Lights Out” Toney.
After these matches, King plans to announce a tournament where all world heavyweight champions will fight each other to determine an undisputed champion. He expects the format to be similar to his 1986 box-off that produced the youngest heavyweight champion in history, Mike Tyson, and his 2001 Middleweight World Championship Series, which resulted in the first undisputed middleweight world champion since Marvelous Marvin Hagler held that distinction in 1987.
For the #1 Spot: Wright Battles Soliman, Dec. 10th
THU November 10 - Mohegan Sun, in association with Gary Shaw Productions, will host a sensational night of boxing action on Saturday, December 10th as the WBC/WBA No. 1 middleweight contender Ronald 'Winky' Wright (49-3, 25 KOs) from St. Petersburg, Florida battles #8 contender Sam "The King" Soliman (31-7, 12 KOs) from Melbourne, Australia in a 12-round IBF Middleweight Title Eliminator bout. The undercard is highlighted by local favorite and undefeated super middleweight contender Chad Dawson (19-0, 13KOs) from New Haven, Connecticut.
The action begins at 7:30pm live from the Mohegan Sun Arena and will be broadcast on HBO. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, November 9th for $150.00, $90.00, and $50.00 and are available through Ticketmaster. Customers may log onto ticketmaster.com; call any Ticketmaster phone number; or visit any Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets will be available at the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office on Thursday, November 10th.
Wright, the former undisputed junior middleweight champion (the only three-belt World Champion in Division History) and mandatory challenger, recently defeated Felix Trinidad from Puerto Rico in May. (Trinidad subsequently retired for a second time after his fight with Wright.) The pay-per-view fight, which was purchased by 500,000 viewers - the biggest boxing PPV in 2005 - proved to be Wright's best yet. Most ringside media, and one judge, had him winning all 12 rounds, while the two remaining judges gave him 11 of the 12.
Soliman, who despite being an unknown in the United States, has established himself as legitimate top 10 middleweight contender. He is ranked No. 1 in the world by the IBF, and has won 19 consecutive fights since dropping a split decision in a super middleweight bout in 2001 against countryman Anthony Mundine.
Mohegan Sun Arena is the premier entertainment venue in Connecticut. Major sporting events, including championship boxing, college and professional basketball, tennis and bowling along with world-renowned entertainers have performed in this 10,000-seat venue. Mohegan Sun Arena was the site of the 2002 "Fight of the Year" - Micky Ward versus Arturo Gatti. The venue has also hosted Showtime Championship Boxing, ESPN2's Friday Night Fights and HBO's Boxing After Dark series.
Mohegan Sun, owned by the Mohegan Tribe, is one of the largest, most distinctive and spectacular entertainment, gaming, shopping and meeting destinations in the United States. Situated on 240 acres along the Thames River in scenic southeastern Connecticut, Mohegan Sun is within easy access of New York, Boston, Hartford and Providence and located 15 minutes from the museums, antique shops and waterfront of Mystic Country.
What began with the Casino of the Earth in 1996 has evolved into a legendary destination that now includes: the Casino of the Sky and over 300,000 square feet of total gaming space; The Shops at Mohegan Sun, featuring more than 40 retail shops and dining venues ranging from food court-style to gourmet; the 10,000-seat Mohegan Sun Arena for world-class sporting events and concerts, and an intimate Cabaret; and a 34-story luxury hotel, featuring 1,200 guest rooms and suites, premier meeting and convention space and a world-class spa.
More information is available by calling 1.888.226.7711 or visiting mohegansun.com.
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