TalkingBoxing News
MARQUEZ VS. JACA RETURNS TO THE RING IN TEXAS ON NOVEMBER 25
TUE October 31 -
DEMETRIUS HOPKINS IN HBO BOXING AFTER DARK CO-FEATURE ON THANKSGIVING WEEKEND
LOS ANGELES, October 31 – Texas fans were sorely disappointed when Juan Manuel Marquez’ Lone Star State debut against Jimrex Jaca earlier this month was scrapped due to VISA issues on the part of Jaca. Golden Boy Promotions has heard the fight fans of this great state, and on Saturday, November 25th, at the Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, Texas, Marquez - the WBO featherweight champion - will be back to defend his crown against Jaca in a much anticipated revisit.
Also on the card, highly regarded junior welterweight contender Demetrius Hopkins will put his unbeaten record on the line in a ten round contest.
Both bouts will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 10:15pm ET/PT.
A world-class undercard featuring contenders, prospects and local stars will be announced shortly.
One of boxing’s best, pound for pound, Juan Manuel Marquez (45-3-1, 34 KOs) has thrilled fight fans for over 13 years with his pinpoint accuracy and fight ending power. Best remembered for his thrilling 12 round draw with Manny Pacquiao in 2004, Marquez is a former WBA and IBF featherweight champion with four successful defenses to his credit. In August, he added the WBO featherweight title to his resume when he stopped tough Terdsak Jandaeng in seven rounds.
The nephew of middleweight legend Bernard Hopkins, Demetrius Hopkins has worked tirelessly to create his own identity in the boxing world and has passed with flying colors, compiling 24 wins (10 by knockout) with no losses and a single technical draw. The USBA junior welterweight champion, “The Gladiator” was once seen as strictly a technician in the ring, but with four of his last five wins coming by knockout over top-notch competition, opponents now have to fear Hopkins’ power as well.
TICKETS GO ON SALE SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH at the Dodge Arena Box Office and all Dodge Arena Outlets. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.dodgearena.com or by calling 1-866-RIO-TIXX. Ticket prices are $200, $100, $75, $50, $35, $25, plus convenience charges.
New and improved Ruiz training for WBA elimination fight vs. Chagaev
TUE October 31 -
- LAS VEGAS (October 31, 2006) – Two-time world heavyweight champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz (41-6-1, 28 KOs) is training in Las Vegas with his new head trainer, Manny Siaca, Sr., for his November 18 mandated WBA elimination fight against No. 2 rated challenger Ruslan “White Tyson” Chagaev (21-0-1, 17 KOs) in Dusseldorf, Germany. The Ruiz-Chagaev winner will be the mandatory challenger for WBA heavyweight champion Nicolay Valuev.
The WBA No. 1 rated Ruiz promises fans will see a new and improved version against Chagaev, a southpaw from Uzebekistan now fighting out of Germany, the reigning WBA Intercontinental heavyweight champion.
”I’m learning new things from Manny,” Ruiz said. “I’m gradually moving into a new mode. I had leveled off. It hasn’t been since my stepfather trained me that I learned new boxing techniques and skills. I feel really good knowing that when I step in the ring I am bringing a different set of skills and a better mindset.
“Now I’m working with Manny to get away from being the old me. I’m not going to be lying back, waiting for the other guy, and just swinging away. We’re working on a new training method where I am now throwing punches and moving, not holding and waiting. But what’s really important, is that instead of talking about being the new me, I’m going to show everybody on November 18.”
Siaca has trained 23 world champions including his son, Manny Siaca, Jr., Edwin Rosario, Sammy Serrano, Leo Gamez and Eddie Mustafa Muhammad.
“John’s always had a good jab,” Siaca noted, “but now he’s throwing – bam, bam – four jabs and moving instead of throwing a jab and grabbing. He’s throwing punches in combinations. He’s fighting a southpaw, so things will be a little different. In the fight, John needs to move and throw. We’ll be ready for him. I really enjoy working with John. He’s a very decent and honorable guy who works hard. Johnny Ruiz will become the world heavyweight champion again. I’d bet my life on it.”
Return of The Jedi
TUE October 31 -
Silverhawk Boxing’s power-punching heavyweight Gerald “The Jedi” Nobles, after being inactive for nearly two years, successfully returned to the ring last Thursday night stopping Wallace McDaniels with a vicious right uppercut 2:58 into the opening round at The Plex in Charleston, South Carolina.
Nobles, making his Silverhawk Boxing debut, improved his record to 25-1 with 20 knockouts. Once rated as high as No. 9 in the world, Nobles declared that he’s ready right now to take on any of the top heavyweights.
“I’ll fight anybody in the world,” Nobles said after the bout. “I don’t care who they are – (Calvin) Brock, (Samuel) Peter, (Wladimir) Klitschko, (Oleg) Maskaev. If any of them can go 12 rounds with me, I’ll give them the decision. Silverhawk Boxing and my manager, Jim Rider, have my back now. I’m ready.
“I hear there is a tournament down in Australia called Superfighter on December 1st. The best heavyweights in the world will compete. I am hoping for an opportunity to fight on that show so I can challenge and knockout these so called best in the world.”
“It’s funny,“ Rider noted. “Nobody wanted anything to do with Gerald for two years. Now that he’s back in action with Silverhawk Boxing promoting him, other promoters and managers are coming out of the woodwork and trying to jump on his bandwagon. His weight is down and he looked very good last Thursday night. His punch is so powerful it makes a crack like nobody else’s punch.”
Former NABF heavyweight champion Robert “The Saint” Davis and light welterweight prospect Jaime “Superfly” Sandoval also were victorious in their Silverhawk Boxing debuts.
Davis (32-7, 20 KOs) floored Curtis Taylor three times en route to a third-round TKO, while Sandoval (12-1, 10 KOs) used his speed and quickness for a third round TKO of Donnell Logan.
For more information about Nobles, Davis, Sandoval or Silverhawk Championship Boxing go to www.silverhawkboxing.com.
Showtime Boxing Notes For November
TUE October 31 -
BACK-TO-BACK BOXING
Showtime will televise explosive back-to-back fight cards this weekend. On Friday, the main event on "ShoBox: The Next Generation" (11 p.m. ET/PT), the network’s prospect-oriented fistic series, features an excellent 12-round junior welterweight match between undefeated Isaac Hlatshwayo of South Africa and once-beaten Kendal Holt of Paterson, NJ. On Saturday night, WBO heavyweight world champion Sergei Liakhovich will take on Shannon Briggs on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING (9 p.m. ET/PT). Saturday's telecast will originate from Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and will be the first world heavyweight championship ever contested in the Grand Canyon State.
From a Don King Productions news release dated Monday, Oct. 30:
It will be suntan lotion in the afternoon and stars at night with the retractable roof open at Chase Field on Saturday when Don King presents the first world heavyweight championship ever held in Arizona.
Sergei “White Wolf” Liakhovich (23-1, 14 KOs), originally from Belarus and now a seven-year resident of Scottsdale, will defend his World Boxing Organization crown for the first time against Brooklyn, N.Y., native Shannon “The Cannon” Briggs (47-4-1, 41 KOs), the No. 3-ranked WBO contender.
King wanted the fans to be as close to the action as possible, so he only put 20,012 of the 49,800 available seats on sale—the ones closest to the infield, up and around home plate—with the ring placed over the pitcher’s mound. Ringside seats will be placed on the grass around the ring. Should there be any threat of rain showers, the roof can easily be closed.
Nick Charles will call the action on Friday night with Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst. The executive producer of ShoBox: The New Generation is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing.
On Saturday, Steve Albert will call the world championship doubleheader with Al Bernstein serving as lead analyst and Jim Gray as roving reporter. The executive producer of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is David Dinkins, Jr. with Bob Dunphy directing.
WBO Fight of the Year: Liakhovich vs. Brewster
The World Boxing Organization (WBO), one of the four major world organizations in the sport, named Lamon Brewster vs. Sergei Liakhovich the 2006 Fight of the Year at last week’s WBO annual conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
On April 1, at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio, Liakhovich won the WBO heavyweight championship when he defeated Brewster by unanimous decision in an action-packed close encounter live on SHOWTIME. Brewster was heavily favored by the experts coming into the fight, having defeated Wladimir Klitschko by fifth-round TKO in 2004 and having made three defenses of the belt. But Liakhovich, a relatively unknown opponent, shocked the boxing world as he weathered the heavy-handed champion’s numerous attacks and fought back from a seventh-round knockdown to dominate the latter part of the fight.
Bernstein commented from ringside after the bout, “Liakhovich gave a tremendously complete performance and he needed to. Brewster hit him with some tremendous punches. This fight was not only exciting, but it was skillfully fought. That is something we do not always see in the heavyweight division.”
And Albert, the network’s 19-year blow-by-blow announcer, added, “Boxing needed this – an exciting, competitive and compelling heavyweight fight. It clearly got it.”
Now, Liakhovich, one of four reigning heavyweight world champions from the former Soviet Union, is set to make his first defense of the title when he faces Shannon Briggs this Saturday on SHOWTIME.
Subscribers across the country can watch the award-winning bout in its entirety on SHOWTIME On Demand. In addition, viewers and fight fans can log on to www.SHO.com to watch exclusive video clips including three complete rounds from Brewster vs. Liakhovich as well as select rounds from past fights featuring Briggs and Saturday’s co-feature champion Juan Diaz (WBA Lightweight).
Alpha Omega & NESN in same corner
TUE October 31 -
- Alpha Omega Entertainment Group, Inc. has announced a one-year, eight-event professional boxing series to be broadcast on NESN, starting December 1 (8-10 PM/ET) of a show taped live October 28 at Mohegan Sun.
Alpha Omega’s broadcast team consists of blow-by-blow announcer Ed Berliner, color analyst Mike DeLisa and rotating boxing experts on different shows such as famed boxing historian Burt Sugar, 1960 Olympic gold medal winning boxer Dr. “Wilbert “Skeeter” McClure, The Boston Globe’s award-winning boxing writer Ron Borges and popular manager/trainer Mark Vaz.
“Signing a deal to be on the same television station as two of Boston’s most popular sports teams is a major step forward towards promoting good quality boxing shows,” Alpha Omega promoter Hank Tuohy said. “We want to introduce New England boxers to NESN’s seven-million viewers in order to attract more fans to our various venues throughout New England, build boxer interest and fan followings, as well as help bring pro boxing back in New England.”
“NESN is very excited to add professional boxing to our lineup of local sports programming,” said John Feld, NESN’s vice president of programming and executive producer. “With New England’s rich boxing history we felt it was important to cover the sport on a local level to better serve New England’s sports fans.”
Alpha Omega does not plan on signing fighters to promotional contracts, preferring to work with other promoters and free-agent boxers to promote the best possible product. “We’re looking forward to working with fellow promoters and showcasing fresh New England talent to promote the best shows for NESN broadcasts,” Tuohy explained.
Sprint/Nextel (DataLink Communications) is the title sponsor for the entire eight-fight series. Other proposed venues for shows include The Castle in Boston (December 15), Plymouth Memorial Hall, Barnstable Fairgrounds, and sites in Worcester (MA), Portland (ME), Manchester (NH) and Springfield (MA).
ALPHA OMEGA
Cape Cod businessman Dino Mitrokostas and sports marketing specialist Hank Tuohy teamed earlier this year to form Alpha Omega, which represents a new breed of boxing promoter combining sports and entertainment through event marketing and cross promotions.
Alpha Omega promoted its first pro boxing show this past summer at Plymouth Memorial Hall. Tuohy has been involved in boxing since 1998, including the promoter (Tuohy Sports & Entertainment) of three ESPN2 pro boxing cards, while Dino Mitrokostas owns several businesses including a popular restaurant/sports bar on Cape Cod. Dino also has produced a two-show pilot comedy about two ultimate sports fans, Regular Joes.
NESN
NESN, New England’s most-watched sports network, is owned by the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins and delivered to over 4 million homes throughout the six-state region. The definitive source for New England sports programming, NESN’s award winning coverage of the Red Sox and Bruins originates entirely in high definition (HD). The network will also deliver over 100 live college events this season including 15 Boston College basketball games, the Beanpot Hockey Tournament and Hockey East Championship.
Briggs Positive He Will KO Liakhovich
TUE October 31 -
Saturday, Nov. 4, 2006, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME
NEW YORK - It only seems like hard-hitting Shannon “The Cannon’’ Briggs – bleached-gold dreadlocks and all - has been around forever.
“It’s funny,” he said, “because when everyone thinks of me, they think I am old because I fought George Foreman and Lennox Lewis, and other guys. But those fights were when I was very young. When I tell people my age, they’re like, ‘Naw, you can’t be.’ ”
For the record, the six-foot-four-inch Briggs is just 34 and has won 11 consecutive fights, all by knockout. A dangerous threat to any boxer in the heavyweight division, he is the World Boxing Organization (WBO) No. 3 and World Boxing Association (WBA) No. 8 contender. In addition, 27 of Briggs’ 41 career knockout victories have occurred in the first round.
“A lot of guys in my division are in their prime at 34,” said Briggs, who has always been armed with enormous talent and devastating two-fisted power. “They think I am an ancient warrior. But I feel I am just hitting my prime. I have plenty of fight left in me. I feel invigorated.”
To reinforce his point, Briggs has incorporated a “seek and destroy” mindset during a winning streak that began in March 2003. The days of Briggs feeling out a foe or pacing himself are over.
“The people want to see blood. They want action,” Briggs said of his newfound method of operating. “I hate to sound barbaric because I am not that way outside of the ring, but this is a job. The customers are getting what they want.’’
The heavy hitter has also bulked up. Briggs weighed 273 pounds when he scored a third-round TKO in his last start over Chris Koval on May 24, 2006, in New York. Two months earlier, Briggs was 269 pounds when he knocked out Dick Ryan in the fourth round on March 18 in Fort Smith, Ark.
Scales have been banned in Briggs’ home, and he declines to step on one at the gym. “I hate scales,” he said. “I do not weigh myself anymore. I am trying to perfect the art of the one-punch KO.”
Briggs does not worry that the additional poundage will put him at a disadvantage when he challenges (WBO) heavyweight champion Sergei Liakhovich in the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING main event on Nov. 4 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz.
“I have never been touted as having great stamina,’’ Briggs said. “I am training hard, but I am training for a knockout. This is going to be a great fight.’’
A knockout specialist who hardly ever goes beyond five rounds, Briggs is not concerned if the fight goes into the later innings.
“I do not worry about it,” he said. “I do not see it as a problem. But it is something I am working on. It is going to take some work on my part to improve my endurance and stamina. I am looking for a tough fight. At the same time, I will be going for a knockout from round one to 12.
“Liakhovich has improved since his knockout loss to Maurice Harris. He took some time off and fought his way back. Now, he is a better fighter. I think that this fight will be the fight of the year. I am confident I can make Liakhovich quit.’’
Briggs has had his share of memorable fights during his career. In two of his most unforgettable performances, he retired George Foreman by outpointing him to claim the linear heavyweight title (Foreman never fought again) and he almost knocked out Lennox Lewis.
“I am proud of every fight,” Briggs said. “I am proud just to be boxing. I was born an asthmatic. I was a real sick child. I never thought I would ever be in a sport, let alone be champion and be recognized and known.
“So, from my first fight to my last it has been like a blessing to me. Sometimes I pinch myself and say, man, ‘I am Shannon Briggs.’ I was homeless at one time. I slept on friend's couches and on trains. I look back and see how far I came.’’
For all his special moments inside of the ring, Briggs has experienced much strife outside of it. He had managerial woes, nasty splits with trainers, lost fights he should have won easily, lost his will to compete and split his energies chasing an acting career and fighting for a world title.
“My career has had ups and downs,’’ Briggs said. “I had a nice climb to the top. This is not my last run.”
That Briggs still is running is a credit to his perseverance. He never knew his dad. His stepfather died in jail.
Briggs, who was born on Dec. 4, 1971, moved in with an aunt in the same tough Brownsville neighborhood in Brooklyn that nurtured former heavyweight champions Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe.
“Tyson, Bowe and I lived within a mile or two of each other,” Briggs said. “I was an only child, but pretty much a homeless kid. My mom became sick. I was, like, in the streets. I would stay with relatives sometimes, friends, sometimes a train station. I would go from place to place, but I always made a way. I am a survivor.”
Despite the environment, Briggs avoided major trouble long enough to get a shot at the 1992 Olympic Games. A hand injury ended the dream, but he was able to reunite with his mom and put up money for her rehabilitation.
Briggs went to a boxing gym for the first time in his mid-teens.
“We used to slap fight a lot in the street,” he said. “One day, a friend of my dad purchased some boxing gloves for us. He said, ‘why don’t you guys put on the gloves instead of beating each other up?’
“My friends always said I should go to the gym. So I took the bus there one afternoon. First time I sparred, I got beat up. I thought I would never go back. But, I fell in love. It was like a disease. Once I got it, I could not get rid of it. I always found myself on that bus going back. I had talent. I would go to the gym to just hang around. I would sweep up sometimes. I was cleaning up and hanging around, so I was able to watch. Sometimes, I would sleep in the gym.
Briggs credits boxing with saving his life.
“Boxing got me off the streets,” Briggs said. “It gave me a place to go. It was not my home, but it was a safe place and a place where I found some type of structure. I was around people and not just running the streets getting myself in trouble. Tough times came about, too, but I was fortunate.’’
Briggs began boxing as an amateur at age 18. “I only had 30 amateur fights,’’ he said, “but I had been in the gym for a while and was a boxing fan. I studied boxing. I was a huge fan of the guys in the 1980s like Matthew Saad Muhammad and Dwight Qawi.
“I also was a really big Muhammad Ali fan. I would mimic him and try to do everything he did, like talk like him. For a long time, people called me Ali. Nobody even knew my name. I guess Shannon is an unfamiliar name, especially in the ghetto.
“At the time, I was on the USA Team and that helped a lot. I traveled, stayed in different hotels. At one point as an amateur, I was picked up by Lou Duva and Shelly Finkel when I did not have a place to stay. I stayed with them in Virginia Beach for quite a while. I learned a lot.’’
Possessing a brutal left jab and thumping left hook, the 1992 U.S. National amateur champion at 201 pounds turned professional at age 20 on July 24, 1992. He won his first 25 fights, 20 by knockout, 18 inside of three rounds, and did not lose a single round.
Briggs suffered his first loss when he was stopped in the third round by New Jersey prospect Darroll Wilson (15-0-2) on March 15, 1996, in Atlantic City. Briggs started aggressively and won the initial two sessions, but was cut over his left eye. Wilson scored a spectacular one-punch knockdown with a left hook in the third and Briggs was counted out at 2:17.
Armed with a new sense of purpose, Briggs rebounded to win his next four starts by knockout to get his shot at Foreman on Nov. 22, 1997, in Atlantic City. In his greatest sports moment, Briggs won the linear heavyweight championship with a controversial 12-round majority decision (117-113, 116-112 and 114 apiece). Foreman landed the hardest punches, but Briggs maintained a fast pace, boxed effectively and landed nearly 50 more power shots to win. Foreman announced his retirement following the bout.
“It was a great experience for me especially since I was just a young kid,” Briggs said. “I was brought in to be knocked out. But, I did not play my part. It was a very, very close decision.
“I felt unbelievable, but I could not really enjoy it. The media ripped me apart, writing the fight was fixed. My best moment became my worst moment, so it was a bittersweet type of thing.
“The victory over Foreman put me on the world stage and let me fight Lennox Lewis next.’’
On March 28, 1998, Briggs met Lewis in Atlantic City and nearly won the World Boxing Council (WBC) title in dramatic fashion. In the bout’s opening seconds, he staggered Lewis with a right hand that nearly knocked him through the ropes. Briggs, however, punched himself out as Lewis survived the round, and the defending champion wound up winning by fifth-round knockout.
After Briggs scored a first-round TKO in his next start, he boxed to a 10-round draw against Francois Botha (39-2 going in) on Aug. 7, 1999, in Atlantic City. It was a close, hard fight and both fighters were hurt, cut and battered. Briggs decked his foe in the eighth, but Botha rallied in the last two rounds. At the end, one judge had it 95-92 for Botha, while the other scorers had it 94-94.
Many think Briggs was fortunate to escape without a loss.
“I did everything right for the Botha fight, but had a bad chain of events happen,’’ Briggs said. “I tore my left bicep before the fight. I had an ulcer the size of a dime in my stomach. I trained in Big Bear (Calif.) thinking the altitude would be good, but it was terrible. I could not run. It was too cold. After the second round, I was gasping for air. Botha broke my rib. Cauliflower ears, stitches over both eyes, yet I hung in for 10 rounds. I was fortunate to get a draw. Physically, he really gave me a beating. And, mentally, I was down on myself because the fight was so hard and grueling.’’
After winning his next outing, Briggs lost a shocking eight-round decision to Sedreck Fields on April 27, 2000, in New York. Briggs started well and landed the harder punches, but Fields outworked him in the late rounds.
“Although I thought I won, losing to Fields was very embarrassing,” said Briggs, who came up short by the upset scores 77-75 twice and 76-76. “He had such a bad record. I came in just to knock out an opponent and make a payday.’’
Briggs won his next four starts by first-round knockout before losing a lopsided decision to Jameel McCline on April 27, 2002, in New York. McCline consistently outworked Briggs, scored a knockdown in the fifth and triumphed 99-90 on all three scorecards.
“I had a back injury but went through with the fight anyway,” said Briggs, who weighed a then-career-high 268 pounds. “I fought at maybe 30 percent.’’
The kind of people qualities Briggs most admires include “people that can come back,’’ he said.
Looking back, Briggs said that his whole career has been funny to him.
“My career has been a great ride,” he said. “I would not change anything. I am where I am today because of it. I have what I have today because of what I have gone through. If I would have knocked out Lewis in that first or second round, I might not be here now. I might have been blown away in ashes.
“I would have been partying and celebrating and all that type stuff. I was young. I was not ready for it. Look at Mike Tyson: 20 years old, heavyweight champion of the world. Where is he now? Imagine being 20 years old and having $100 million? I cannot even imagine it. I like to think, where I am right now, I could control myself.
“I turned pro at 20. It has been 14 years. Foreman and Lewis tried to destroy me, but I have never been seriously hurt. I have only been knocked out twice in 52 fights. I am making money. I am having fun and enjoying my career. I got to meet all types of people. I came into boxing as a fan from the outside, watching Ali and Larry Holmes. Then, I actually got to meet and shake their hands and see that they are real people. Before, I thought they were like comic book heroes. In the ring with a Foreman, I was like, ‘this cannot be happening.’ My dad watched him. I watched him. I read everything you could read about him.
“I feel like I am inside a comic book now. I am still having fun.’’
When he is not having fun with his boxing career, Briggs also competes in K-1 (mixed martial arts), has done some modeling and had roles in three movies. His childhood heroes were Ali and Holmes. He always admired Tyson, and always wanted to fight him, but it never happened.
Briggs thought for the longest time his next start would be against International Boxing Federation (IBF) heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, but the fight fell through.
“By now, everybody knows how I feel about that fight falling apart,” Briggs said. “But the bottom line is I am fighting Liakhovich for the world heavyweight title. I am ready to give my all.’’
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