TalkingBoxing News
Broadway Boxing Ends with 'Season Beatings' Featuring Salita, Santana & Stevens
WED December 14 - It's fight week, and DiBella Entertainment's New York stalwarts are ready to "Deck the Halls" and cap off the year in the season's finale of Broadway Boxing Presented by Turning Stone Resort & Casino when they hit the ring on "Season's Beatings" Thursday night, December 15, at the Grand Ballroom at the Manhattan Center. The final press conference was held today at Prime Grill on East 49th Street in Manhattan.
Unbeaten Dmitriy "Star of David" Salita will headline the card. The Brooklyn hero Salita (23-0, 14 KO's) will be looking to extend his professional unbeaten streak to 24 straight wins in the main event when he squares off against punching-machine Robert Frankel (12-4, 1 KO) of Denver, Colorado, known to throw 100 punches per round.
Spanish Harlem standout Edgar "El Chamaco" Santana (15-2, 10 KO's), and his sizzling style will be showcased in the co-feature.
The knockout artistry of Brownsville's Curtis "Showtime" Stevens (9-0, 8 KO's) will also be among the holiday gifts for fight fans when he takes on Kia Daniels (5-2, 3 KO's) of Louisville, KY.
Two additional stocking stuffers on the card will be Staten Island featherweight Gary Stark, Jr. (12-0, 6 KO'S), who will step into the ring against Jose Hernandez (8-2, 4 KO's) of Atlanta, GA, and Emmanuel "Sleek" Clottey (23-6, 14 KO's) in a welterweight contest against James Crayton (34-22-2, 21 KO's) from the fighting city of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Atlantic City prospect Lorenzo Bathea (4-1) will square off against Rasheen Daniels (3-7-1, 2 KO) from Warren, Ohio in a six round junior welterweight bout.
Tickets are priced at $150, $100, $80, $60 and $40, and are available by calling DiBella Entertainment at 212-947-2577.
Broadway Boxing Presented by Turning Stone Resort and Casino will air on a later date on MSG Network, Fox Sports Net New England, Comcast Sportsnet Chicago and HDNET. Along with Turning Stone Resort and Casino, the site and title sponsor, Broadway Boxing is also sponsored by HBO Sports, Locatestock.com and Gallagher's Steak House, as well as Prime Grill for the season-ending card.
Ruiz to Defend WBA Crown Against 'Giant Russian'
WED December 14 - The final press conference prior to John “The Quietman” Ruiz’s defense of his World Boxing Association heavyweight championship
against
Nicolay “Giant Russian” Valuev, which will take place on Saturday at
Max
Schmeling Halle here in Berlin, was staged today before a full audience
at
the Maritim proArte Hotel.
The fight will be shown on free German television on ARD channel 1 but will not be seen in America and is co-presented by Berlin-based Sauerland Event, promoter of Valuev, and Don King Productions, promoter of Ruiz.
The assembled German media seemed interested and curious to be covering the build up to a rare occurrence: a world heavyweight championship being determined in Berlin.
The press conference took place adjacent to the U.S. Embassy and a stone’s throw from the seat of government for Germany, the Reichstag and Bundeskanzleramt (the Reichstag is to Congress what the Bundeskanzleramt is to the White House….).
Another 500 yards down the road is the site of the former Berlin wall.
Today, a unified Berlin is a bustling, modern city of about 3.5 million people that is in the middle of its winter weather, which is almost always overcast and chilly.
Santa Claus and his reindeer are ubiquitous in this capital city with posters throughout town announcing the return of the annual holiday Wienacht Circus featuring, you guessed it, Santa Claus and more reindeer.
It will be staged on the former site of the castle of the Prussian Monarchy, where the German emperors lived beginning in 1871 with Wilhelm I. Frederic III took over in 1888 but he died after just 100 days. Wilhelm II then came to power until being exiled to Holland after World War I, ending the German monarchy and paving the way for the first German republic.
The castle of Prussia no longer stands. It was bombed out during World War II and later completely removed by the communist East German government after they took over in 1949, thus making it a perfect site for the circus.
Noteworthy in their holiday spirit, Berliners seem to have saved some of the old world flavor of the season as compared to what is seen in most malls of America during December. Shopping and eating at open-air clusters of temporary booths abound on various streets and corners throughout the heart of Berlin creating a festive holiday atmosphere.
Many of these booths are operated by craftsmen who have traveled into the city from the surrounding countryside to sell items they have created themselves for sale.
The undefeated, No. 1-challenger Valuev, who stands 7 feet and weighed in for his last fight against Larry Donald at an astonishing 324 ½ pounds, was asked by a reporter to explain how he obtained his “Beast from the East” nickname. He explained that was done by former management and that he now prefers the Giant Russian moniker, although.
A better description may be provided visually when Valuev enters the ring. He doesn’t step through the ropes, he steps OVER them.
Valuev says Ruiz’s star-studded world championship fight record including wins over Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield, Kirk Johnson, Hasim ‘The Rock” Rahman, Fres Oquendo, and Andrew Golota do not faze him.
“I am not any more nervous for this fight because it is my first world championship match,” Valuev said. “I will try to keep Ruiz away from inside clinching to use my height and reach advantages to prevail.
John Ruiz has been in Berlin for a week and was also polite when he spoke, noting this was the first time he has visited Germany.
“I’m honored to be in Germany defending my title,” Ruiz said. “If a KO comes it comes. That just means I get to leave work early. I’m coming into this fight in great shape to go 12 rounds.
“I’m not worried about his height or reach advantage. I trained to fight and will come to fight. My game plan is to take the fight to him, which will neutralize any height or reach advantage.”
When asked if he fears the bout going the distance, Ruiz spoke plainly.
“I know there have been questionable decisions [in Germany] but what can I do? I can only do my best.”
One journalist asked Ruiz if it was true that he arrived in Berlin with 28 pieces of luggage, and if so, why?
“We plan to bring pieces of the giant Russian back to the United States” he quipped. “We’re going to give them out as Christmas presents.”
Ruiz’s manager Norman Stone, normally colorful, was uncharacteristically demure in addressing the Berlin media.
“We respect Valuev,” Stone said. “He’s a big guy and a tough guy and anything can happen. That’s why preparation is so important. Johnny’s prepared. My guy’s ready and it’s going to be a great fight.”
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