Mexican icon Erik Morales did not dare disappoint the crowd of over 50,000 on hand at the Monumental Plaza de Toros in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico celebrating in advance of Mexican Independence Day Saturday night, as he stopped Willie Limond in six rounds to notch his 50th career victory. Just two fights into his comeback, Morales seems to have shaken off much of the rust left from his retirement.
Limond (33-3, 8 KOs) of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom got off to a solid start. Limond, 143, showed solid defense as he blocked and parried a fair amount of the Morales, 143, offense for the first two rounds. While Limond may have been the naturally bigger guy, his eight kayos indicate that he is not much of a puncher. Morales (50-6, 35 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico was the heavy hitter in the fight, and that became clear as the fight progressed.
By the fourth round, Morales was asserting himself in the fight. Whereas Limond returned fire on even ground for the first few rounds, he was left defensive against Morales’ offensive pressure as the bout moved into the fifth round. In the sixth, Morales broke through with a vicious body shot that dropped Limond. While the Scot was clearly in pain, he was able to muster the energy to angrily punch the ground while taking referee Jay Nady’s count. Before the conclusion of the round, Morales dropped Limond twice more prompting the stoppage at 2:46 of the sixth.
Strangely, even though both fighters weighed in at the contracted 143-pounds, it was announced that the bout was for the WBC Silver Light Welterweight title. The light welterweight division limit, or super lightweight as the WBC calls it, is 140-pounds. Maybe even stranger, the WBC issued a press release earlier in the month that if Morales, the WBC #2 ranked light welterweight, defeated Limond, the Mexican legend would be made the mandatory challenger for the WBC Lightweight title. Morales has not made the lightweight limit of 135-pounds since August of 2007.
After the fight, Morales clearly stated his desire to campaign at lightweight. Looking ahead for Morales, the current WBC Lightweight Champion is Humberto Soto, who fights unheralded Fidel Monterrosa Munoz on September 18th in Mexico. Reportedly, Soto has a title defense against Marco Antonio Barrera in the offing. Should Barrera defeat Soto, it goes without saying that a Barrera-Morales IV would be the biggest fight either fighter’s handlers could make.
In a thrilling fight, WBC #1 ranked flyweight/IBF #5 108-pounder Edgar Sosa (40-6, 23 KOs) of Mexico City stopped game Filipino Ryan Bito (18-7-3, 6 KOs) of Sucat, Muntinlupa City, Philippines to win the WBC International Flyweight title.
Bito, the WBC #16 ranked flyweight, fought on even ground with Sosa, 111.76, early on in the bout, but eventually wilted to the Mexican’s vicious attack. Sosa supporters had reason to worry early on, as an accidental head clash opened a cut on his forehead in the third round. The blood seemed to give Bito, 110.26, additional confidence, as he landed several hard shots in the third and fourth.
Another accidental clash late in the fourth opened another cut on Sosa’s forehead late in the fourth. With two bad cuts bleeding steadily before the fight had gone long enough to become official, the bout was in danger of being stopped as a no contest. Especially considering Bito, fighting in North America for the first time, was having considerable success – it would not have been a surprise if the Mexican official stopped the fight at that convenient juncture.
Just as it seemed Sosa was in trouble, he rocked Bito just before the bell to end the fourth. As the fight entered into the middle rounds and the blood coming from his cuts stopped flowing, Sosa began to control the action. Sosa, in his third fight as a flyweight since dropping his WBC 108-pound title in controversial fashion to Rodel Mayol, varied his attack to Bito’s body and head, and started backing up the Filipino.
One minute into the tenth, Sosa dropped Bito with a horrid left body shot. Bito looked done, but gamely rose to his feet, and immediately entered into a fiery exchange with Sosa. A minute later, Sosa dropped Bito again with the same exact shot. Again Bito got up before the count of ten, but referee Guadalupe Garcia wisely stopped the contest. Official time of the stoppage was 2:05 of round ten. “I’d like to have one more fight before I fight for the title,” said Sosa after the fight.
Ana Maria Torres (22-3-2, 13 KOs) of Mexico City pleased her compatriots on hand at the bullring with an almost shockingly dominant ten-round unanimous decision over Alesia Graf (24-2, 9 KOs) of Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany to retain her WBC Super Flyweight title. Torres, 114.4, dropped Graf, 114.4, twice in the third round and continued to control the entire fight. Graf, the reigning WIBF/GBU 122-pound title-holder, not only had the superior boxing skills of Torres to deal with, she slipped at several instances on the rain dampened mat. Torres seemed on the verge of scoring a stoppage in the ninth, but Graf managed to make it the distance. All three judges scored the bout for Torres, 100-88.
Chicago Sun-Times April 30, 2009 | Jessica Sedgwick A lot of us are in a sad financial state, and as a result we’ve had to cut way back on our fun.
Fewer dinners out on the town, fewer visits to Wrigley or U.S. Cellular Field and definitely less shopping. Some of us (myself included) have even had to stop getting hair highlights and have stuck to an all-over hair color, just to save $60.
The Web site GrouponChicago.com knows this and wants to help us enjoy ourselves — and save money in the process.
The site, started by 28-year-old fun seeker Andrew Mason, offers one megacoupon every day on everything from 70 percent off thermal hair straightening to 50 percent off Cubs-Cardinals tickets.
He calls the coupons “groupons” because the deal is dependent on a certain number of people for the deal to go through. For example, today the site offers teeth whitening at BriteSmile, valued at $600, for $185. But 10 people will have to sign on or no one gets the groupon (your card won’t be charged until the 10 groupons are reached, and the site lets you know how many groupons have been purchased so you can keep track all day long). Luckily, a deal has fallen through only one time since the site launched back in November (apparently having live lobster delivered to your door didn’t resonate with Chicagoans).
It appears the poor economy is actually driving Mason’s business.
“People look at groupons as a way to enjoy luxuries they got used to when the economy was doing really well, at prices they can afford right now,” Mason says. “We highlight all the awesome things there are to do and nudge people. Prices are so low, it creates this ‘why not’ effect.” Past groupons have included beauty and health services such as massages, thermal hair straightening, an in-home personal trainer and a dip into a sensory depravation tank. Entertainment-related groupons have included cooking classes, restaurants and theater tickets. They’ve also offered self-defense classes for women, bike tuneups and a wedding reception space (sold for $800 and valued at $4,000). go to website groupon dallas
The most popular groupon was probably the rooftop tickets to a Cubs-Cardinals game, plus all you can eat and drink, for $60. The groupons were sold out before lunchtime.
But even Mason, who has a staff of about 16 people now, is surprised by the company’s success (he’s expanding into New York and San Francisco in the next few months).
“It’s caught us by surprise. Every time we make some sort of projection, we always end up embarrassingly underestimating ourselves,” Mason says. “What we hear from a lot of customers is that it’s defining their social lives. They plan their weekend around using the groupon.” Right now Mason likes the simplicity of offering only one groupon a day, though he said there probably will be more daily offerings soon.
THE SCOOP: UPCOMING GROUPONS Sssshhh! This is a secret. Even those on the groupon mailing list don’t know about this yet.
On Friday, Grouponchicago.com is offering sky-diving lessons for $120 (originally $210). And for the first time, the site is offering a “side deal” running Friday and carrying on through the weekend: a resume and cover letter revision by Freshly Baked Communications for just $15 (valued at $50). Enjoy!
EVENTS: SHOPPING MEETS ART THIS WEEKEND It’s Art Chicago time, which means party time for all of you creative and fashion-loving types. Here are a few fun Art Chicago-related events this weekend that we recommend you check out. (Art Chicago runs Friday through Monday at the Merchandise Mart. Go to Artchicago.com for more information):
A CREATIVE CHAT: Take a break from looking at art you can’t afford and stop by “One on One: A Creative Conversation” between fashion designer Cynthia Rowley and Chicago artist Nick Cave from 4 to 5 p.m. Friday at Art Chicago (at the Art Spot section).
CYNTHIA ROWLEY SHOPPING PARTY: Snag special discounts on women’s and men’s clothing and accessories from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Cynthia Rowley, 1653 N. Damen. Ten percent of the proceeds from the party will go toward RxArt, a not-for-profit organization that places contemporary art in children’s hospitals. Rowley will be there to style guests and sign books. this web site groupon dallas
ART ROCKS AFTER-PARTY: Check out paintings and digital art from local artists and sip tequila cocktails at this sure-to-be-ultra-stylish event, presented by Chicago fashion magazine Factio. The free event is from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday at Lumen, 839 W. Fulton Market (21 and over). RSVP at www.
factio-magazine.com/artrocks.
ART + FASHION EVENT AT JBAR: Check out art installations from Monique Meloche Gallery and the fashions of School of the Art Institute alumnus Moire Conroy from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at JBar at the James Hotel, 55 E. Ontario. Conroy will auction off her one-of-a-kind gown that was chosen to be part of the Oscars Designer Challenge in February. Proceeds from the auction will go to the School of the Art Institute’s fashion department. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served. RSVP to [email protected].
CLARISONIC PLUS: CLEAN MACHINE Unsure of what to get your mom for Mother’s Day? If you have a little extra money to splurge, the Clarisonic PLUS ($225) is a worthy product to consider.
Released earlier this year, this Clarisonic features three new settings to increase the speed of the brush.
The cleansing tool includes a Spot Therapy brush that you can use on your body, such as elbows, knees and hands. All it takes to thoroughly clean your face is one minute — a timer signals when to go from one part of your face to the next (start with left cheek, move to forehead, etc.) Your skin is massaged and your circulation is terrific, but the chief benefit is the complete absence of any debris on your face when finished. It also reduces the appearance of tiny lines and definitely shrinks your pores.
Pop into Sephora and ask for a demonstration. Your mom will thank you. Visit clarisonic.com.
COOL, CALM, COLLECTED LOOK: BRILL’S BEAUTY LINE In 1980s New York, there wasn’t a bigger “It” girl than “Queen of the Night” Dianne Brill. The big, brassy blond dabbled in in TV, books and modeling, but now she has hit pay dirt with her kicky yet effective skin-care line.
Brill’s “Still and Fill” skin-care collection focuses on “cooling, calming and de-stressing.” A few favorites: Ice Pack, anti-fatigue eye de-puffer stick, which reduces puffiness quickly ($46); Stripped Naked Peeling, which scrubs the skin and feels like a mask ($36.50), and Intense Temptation Facial Serum, with the essence of simulated temple snake venom ($118).
Find Dianne Brill’s entire line at beautyhabit.com.
POCKET ROCKET Suggestive and pretty, Urban Decay’s Pocket Rocket is a sure conversation starter. Inside the double-sided cap is a fully dressed male. Twist your wrist and the man is undressed to his skivvies. And make sure to rub the ink on the tube to release intoxicating pheromones. Eight tubes, with names like Eric and Julio ($18, urbandecay.com).
Color Photo: (See microfilm for photo description). ; Color Photo: Get special discounts on Cynthia Rowley’s spring line at the store’s shopping party Friday in celebration of Art Chicago. ; Color Photo: Today’s offer at grouponchicago.com: Get teeth whitening at BriteSmile for $185 (originally $600). Color Photo: Scott Stewart,Sun-Times / Founder Andrew Mason says rooftop tickets to a Cubs-Cardinals game were gone by lunchtime. ;
