PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

At todays’s weigh in for the big rematch between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito, WBA Lightweight champion Brandon Rios was about a pound and a half over the mandated 135 pound limit and was forced to relinquish his belt. His opponent John Murray can beome champion with a victory over Rios on Saturday night’s mega card at Madison square Garden.

According to espn.com, Murray’s team threatened to call off the fight, but eventually extracted concessions from Rios. He will pay Murray $20,000 from his $325,000 purse, a nice increase for Murray, who is due $50,000 plus a piece of British television revenue.

Also, to prevent Rios from blowing up in weight overnight, Murray’s camp insisted that Rios not weigh more than 147 pounds at 9 a.m. ET Saturday. If he is over 147, the fight could be called off.

“I think that may play to my advantage, but I’m just going to concentrate on myself,” Murray said. “I’ll let him worry about himself. I’m just going to stay on my game and do my business. I’m not upset at all. I’m just focused on doing my business (Saturday) night.

“We had already prepared to take him into the deep waters. This is a great opportunity for a guy like me. Fights like this are the fights that I want. I want to be in the center of the ring, hammering away to see who is going to be left standing, him or me.”

“He’s been in a colder climate than he’s used to and that probably hurt him trying to make weight,” Carl Moretti of Top Rank, Rios’ promoter, said of the Southern California fighter. “He’s a big 135-pounder. He just couldn’t get down. The question is what happens Saturday night and in the future? I think it’s too soon to say that he’s done at 135 but he could be. We’ll have to talk about with him and his team, see if maybe he went about making weight the wrong way. But he looked drained, very drained.”

15rounds.com Photographer Claudia Bocanegra was on hand at BB King’s in New York City to capture the images of the press conference for the much anticipated undercard for Saturday night’s Pay Per View undercard that will Feature Brandon Rios taking on John Murray; Mike Jones and Sebastian Lujan and the rematch betwwen Pawel Wolak and Delvin Rodriguez plus Mike Lee and Glen Tapia

Ace Photographer Claudia Bocanegra was on had at New York’a Madison Square Garden where bitter rivals Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito met the media for the final time before their much anticipated rematch that will take place this Saturday night at MSG and on Pay Per View

Undefeated Welterweight Mike Jones talks to 15rounds.com Marc Abrams about his December 3rd showdown with Sebastian Lujan as part of the Miguel Cotto – Antonio Margarito II undercard

Saturday’s rematch between Mexican Antonio Margarito and Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto is about revenge. It is not about establishing primacy at the kooky catchweight of 153 pounds or resolving some residual doubt from their first encounter. It is about satisfying the bloodlust Puerto Ricans feel because of the ruin Margarito brought to their guy’s career in 2008.

Once you admit this fight appeals to nothing but a sense of vengeance, you can suspend other moral considerations. And once that’s done, all the Margarito-Cotto II pieces fall happily into place.

Tuesday afternoon the New York State Athletic Commission tossed a fig leaf of plausible deniability over a few of the other moral considerations that might otherwise flash us from Madison Square Garden during Saturday night’s pay-per-view event. After a sympathetic doctor was finally located to underwrite the condition of Margarito’s surgically repaired right eye and/or orbital bone, deniability was established: If Margarito is blinded by Cotto, why, it will be an accident like any other – the very sort of thing every fighter risks whenever he dons gloves.

At this moment (as opposed to the heartfelt recriminations sure to come if tragedy strikes), does anyone besides Margarito’s wife care if the worst happens to Margarito? No. Not even Margarito cares. Frankly, he’s about to make a pretty rational decision; he’s risking the sight in one eye to make millions of dollars. Who among us wouldn’t do the same in this economy?

Margarito should not be in this fight. After a plaster-like substance was found on pads placed over his knuckles before a 2009 match with Shane Mosley, Margarito was stretched by Mosley and banned from the sport. He earned a pay-per-view fight with Manny Pacquiao 22 months later by acquiring a phony light middleweight title and being a Mexican expected to draw countrymen to Cowboys Stadium, where he was summarily undone by a man structurally not 2/3 his size. He earned Saturday’s fight by having two surgeries.

Margarito’s only real qualification for facing Cotto is the ire he now causes Puerto Ricans. That ire comes from the universally held suspicion Margarito used the very same pads against Cotto he was about to use against Mosley. If you were in MGM Grand Garden Arena on July 26, 2008 and happened to look at the screen above the ring and see Cotto’s misshapen face, it was probably the first image that came in your mind when, five months later, you learned what happened in Margarito’s dressing room before his fight with Mosley.

If that is conjecture, it is conjecture of the most damning sort, something no amount of pettifogging by Margarito’s lawyers can undo. Witnesses to Margarito-Cotto I know what they saw, know how much it meant to them at the time, pro or con, and know what Margarito did to their memories is unforgivable.

Cotto has not been the same since his match with Margarito. He says he was criminally assaulted in their first fight. Whatever else Cotto might be, he is decidedly not a salesman; he would rather see Margarito in jail than across a boxing ring from him.

Because this fight is about Puerto Rican vengeance, it could not logically happen anywhere but Madison Square Garden, Cotto’s home field. When the NYSAC began its bluster routine a couple weeks back, there was talk about other venues in other states. But this fight was destined for New York or bust.

How do we know that? Miguel Cotto told us.

In an ill-advised Tuesday conference call, an event to have Cotto tell us only that he felt strong, Cotto was asked about the still-festering controversy concerning his fight’s venue. Cotto knew of no controversy; if the NYSAC didn’t license Margarito, Cotto would not fight him. Promoter Bob Arum then declared his own conference call “really not appropriate” and told his publicist to end it.

Which brings us to a note about media access: Beware of promoters bearing scoops.

Two weeks ago, during Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fightweek festivities in Houston, a reporter from a prominent magazine misunderstood the access Arum granted him. He wrote about alternate Margarito-Cotto II venues in states far-flung as Colorado and Mississippi. He was aflutter with possible venue changes and proud to breakfast with Arum. But his only real role was to be Arum’s megaphone as the wily old promoter applied pressure to the politically appointed folks hovering round the NYSAC’s licensing decision.

One of the ironies of Margarito’s post-Mosley career is that Arum has been more comfortable playing villain than Margarito has. Margarito wears the dark glasses and makes fun of Cotto’s whining, sure, but it’s obvious to anyone who knows Margarito that he desperately wants to be liked, not hated. Margarito’s transformation from the beloved figure he was after beating Cotto to the infamous character he now plays makes as much sense to him as those agility drills he does on HBO’s “24/7” program, and twice as much sense as whatever he’s supposed to be accomplishing with that slip rope they keep stringing across the ring posts.

Margarito’s role Saturday is to be easy for Cotto to hit. Sans hardening agent on his middle knuckles, it is unlikely Margarito will punch with force enough to stop Cotto a second time. Cotto would certainly like to beat Margarito or even stop him – it would confirm everything Cotto believes happened to his career – but it is not what is most important to him.

What is most important to Cotto is not being stopped by Margarito a second time. Do not expect, then, some frenzied and grudge-induced attack in the center of the ring. Expect Cotto to move and box like a man who does not want to find his legs gone in round 9, would very much like to win, and hopes he might do to Margarito what Mosley did.

Expect, in other words, revenge served cold: Cotto, UD-12.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

Undefeated Light Heavyweight Seanie Monaghan returns to action on December 3rd as part of the big Miguel Cotto – Antonio Margarito rematch undercard. Monaghan (10-0, 7 KO’s) has become one of the most popular prospects in New York and will be stepping up the competition.

Seanie, tell the fans out there a little about yourself.
Where did you grow up? What was your family upbringing like? Who are your main influences in your life? How did you get into boxing and how was your Amateur experience?
My mother and father are from Ireland. My mother was pregnant with me when they moved here to NY where i was born. I’ve lived my whole life in Long Beach NY. I was surrounded by a very big Irish family, my Grandmother was one of 17 children so my family was huge. My dad and all my uncles we’re huge boxing fans, they loved Marvin Hagler, Mike Tyson and Barry McGuigen. They would let me stay up late when I was a little kid and watch all the big fights. I always loved boxing but I never stepped into a gym until I was 21 years old. I was getting into a lot of street fights and my friend Bobby Calabrese brought me to a Boxing gym in Freeport Long Island. Bobby got to see my first fight (which i won) but he was murdered shortly after. I fight in his memory. I didn’t have a very long amateur career. I made it to the finals of the Golden Gloves and lost a controversial decision, the next year I lost another close one in the semi finals and decided to go pro. My amateur record was 10 and 4.

What kind of style do you bring into the ring?
When I step in the ring its strictly business, I’m a power puncher with both hands and my goal is to get my guy outta there as soon as possible without being reckless. As a boxing fan, I appreciate the skill of defense but I’m always hoping to see a big Knockout, so that’s what I try to give my fans.

Tell us about your team.
I’m trained by Joe Higgins out of the Freeport Boxing Club, the same trainer I’ve had since my first amateur fight. He’s a former Marine/Fireman and he’s really making a name for himself as a coach on the pro and amateur scene. Joe was a coach on this years Pan America games and he gets me all the best sparring available in NY with all of his connections. My manager is a personal friend of mine named PJ Kavanagh, a business man/ bar owner. He’s doing an unbelievable job with my career. I’ve been on all the biggest undercards and had experiences guys wait a lifetime for. I’m 100% confident in my team. We’re all on the same page and all very excited about our future in boxing.

You are one of the most popular fighters in New York, what does that mean to have so much fan support?
Its an unbelievable boost to have the support that i have. My home town of Long Beach has showed me unbelievable support from day one. I had 300+ people come to my pro debut. Now its more than doubled and its not just long beach anymore. My last fight at MSG a woman from Canada asked me to sign an autograph for her son because she said i was his favorite figher! That was crazy.

December 3rd is one of the biggest events of the year and Madison Square Garden will be rocking that night. How excited are you to participate on such a big stage?
Not only is Dec 3rd the most anticipated fight of the year, but it’s the 7 year anniversary that my friend Bobby Calabrese was murdered. So for me its a Huge event. I’ve never been in better shape. I’m fighting in the big house at MSG and it’s going to be a great night. Its sold out at almost 20,000 people! I’m really excited to see the main event, my wife is from Puerto Rico so we’ll be there rooting for Cotto. I’m also dying to see that Pawel Wolack/ Delvin Rodriguez rematch.

Do you know who your opponent is? What is your strategy for this fight?

My opponent is a guy named Santos Martinez from Michigan, i saw him get KOd by an amateur rival of mine so i would like to KO him faster and better to prove a point, but I’m gonna go in there cool headed and do what I always do. Box smart and if the opportunity comes, get him outta there.

There is a great tradition of Irish fighters in New York, how much of the history of that do you follow?
My family is right off the boat, we’re as Irish as it gets. My family talks about boxing at our holiday dinners. I’ve got the chance to meet and become friendly with Andy Lee, James Moore, John Duddy and Kevin McBride. Just to say i’m friends with those guys is cool enough in my neighborhood but to make my own name and be mentioned alongside guys like that would be great. I’m getting there.

You just became a father for the first time. Does that inspire you to work even harder?
My son Absolutely inspires me. I love him more than i can even describe and i want to be able to provide for him and help everyone else in my family and my close friends. I have an opportunity to make it big in this sport, i just have to stay focused one fight at a time, one training camp at a time and its mine.

What do you think about the Marquez/ Pacquiao decision?
Everyone’s making it seem like such a scandal with the Pacquiao/Marquez thing. I watched the fight and thought Pacquiao won by a round or two. I would have been alright with a draw. Marquez boxed very well but I thought he was a little too defensive. Pacquiao looked ackward at times but he did out land Marquez and he was forcing the pace all night. Marquez knew how to avoid Mannys left hand so he fight was a chess match. It was very close, I wanna watch it again because everyone seems to disagree with me on this one.

Where do you see your career going in 2012?
2012 is going to be another busy and exciting year for me. I had a late start in boxing so i’m catching up. I had 8 fights in 2011, I learned a lot and I’ve progressed with my boxing skills each fight. There’s negotiations going on now for a shot at the Irish Light Heavyweight Tile against Irish Champ Ciaran Healy on St Paddy’s Day. They contacted us about the fight and that would be a dream come true for me and my big Irish family. We’d be bragging about that forever! But first things first I gotta handle my business Dec 3rd.

Anything you want to say to your fans in closing?
I would just like to thank everyone for the support and attention we’ve been getting. I’m very proud and satisfied with the work we put in for this fight and the results will be evident on Dec 3rd.

Brinksmanship equaled salesmanship in Bob Arum’s extraordinary fight to keep the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito rematch on Dec. 3 in New York. Arum pushed all the right buttons, created all of the available leverage, in moves that figure to multiply the pay-per-view rewards in a way that traditional promoting could not have.

Even a conference call, usually ho-hum, now looks like an ingenious piece of marketing a few days after Cotto said Tuesday he would fight only in New York, a comment that led to Arum’s abrupt end to the call. Cotto surprised Arum, yet helped him put further pressure on the New York State Athletic Commission in a battle that kept the Madison Square Garden fight from being moved. Denver and Phoenix were the alternate sites, a couple of options that added up to leverage at the box office. New York didn’t want to lose the business to another city.

None of this is to say that Arum, who had plenty of his own business at risk, had a blueprint for each step in the fast-moving chain of events.

Nobody could have, especially in the contentious wake of Manny Pacquiao’s majority decision over Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12 and then promotional work the following week before Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s victory over Peter Manfredo in Houston. For conspiracy fans who believe Arum plots every move, please go back to your home on the grassy knoll.

In the end, Arum simply reacted shrewdly, countered when he had to, with money and smarts that left the New York commission with no choice but to license Margarito after reviewing medical recommendations, which were unanimous that Margarito’s surgically-repaired right eye was in no danger of permanent damage. It’s anybody’s guess as to what the messy process will do to the fight itself.

At the first sight of injury near an eye so terribly battered by Pacquiao more than a year ago, and it could be over. Expect heightened vigilance from the referee, ringside physician, New York commissioners and Margarito’s corner, especially in a fight that already includes an element of revenge.

Cotto continues to believe he was beaten by Margarito in 2008 by loaded hand-wraps discovered before Margarito’s loss to Shane Mosley in 2009.

In both HBO’s 24/7 and aforementioned conference call, Cotto used the word “criminal” in talking about Margarito.

“If you have another way to explain that, please, tell me what words to use,’’ he said.

When asked if he would target the eye, Cotto said:

“I’m going to use any advantage I think I have. I’m going to fight like always. I’m going to do my work.’’

Leave it to somebody else to argue whether Margarito should be allowed to fight at all after the hand-wrap scandal. The rematch comes with an edge that Cotto is seeking his own kind of justice. I can’t say I’m comfortable with the vigilante tone or the potential for another injury to Margarito’s eye. But I’ll be watching nonetheless, like so many others who won’t admit it, yet won’t be able to resist a drama that is part guilty-pleasure part blood-lust, unmistakably dangerous and thoroughly compelling.

AZ NOTES
· If New York said no, the Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission planned to license Margarito. “We were prepared to, but it wasn’t 100 percent certain,’’ said Arizona commission executive Dennis O’Connell, who received Top Rank’s medical documents on Margarito’s eye on Friday, Nov. 18, the same day that Top Rank contacted US Airways Center about the possible move. O’Connell had a Phoenix ophthalmologist review the documentation. If the NYAC-appointed doctor had found problems in his examination, Arizona would have had to conduct its own exam.

· Phoenix as an option for Cotto-Margarito II is another sign of the re-awakening of a market gone dormant during the immigration controversy involving SB1070, state legislation that turned the Arizona desert into no-man’s land for Mexican fighters and sponsors for a couple of years.

Philadelphia, PA—Undefeated welterweight contender Mike Jones, of Philadelphia, PA, who faces two-time world title challenger Sebastian Lujan, of Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina, in an IBF world title eliminator on the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito card Dec. 3 at Madison Square Garden, has added another strength and conditioning coach to his team.

Rich Meudt, 54, who has been conditioning athletes in various sports for the last 27 years, has been working with Jones for the last two months.

“When Mike started working with me he looked like a new-born calf,” said Meudt, a retired major after a 22-year stint in the Army. “Now he’s a strong bull. His legs are firmer, stronger and explosive. His balance, conditioning and endurance are excellent. He does everything I ask him to do and he exceeds all expectations.”

________________________________________________
*** http://youtu.be/LGoBvT9GyhU
*** Follow Mike Jones on twitter: @boxermikejones
________________________________________________

Meudt was brought on board by fellow-Jones strength and conditioning coach Danny Davis, who has worked with Jones for the last several years and who is also well-known for his longtime association with Bernard Hopkins.

“I brought Rich in to focus on Mike’s legs and conditioning,” said Davis. “Rich has done a great job, bringing in his expertise and knowledge. Mike looks very strong and sharp and he’s a hard worker who wants to go to the highest level and never complains about what he’s asked to do. That’s what makes a champion.”

Jones has responded well to the rigors of the grueling sessions.

“It’s very important to do different things each and every time so that I get a little bit better for each fight,” said Jones, a workout fanatic known for his long training and fitness sessions. “I feel more stable and better balanced. My legs are a lot stronger than they were. That will make me a better fighter and more dynamic as a puncher. I’m in the best shape ever. I believe it’s (the workouts) going to pay dividends on December 3.”

Not satisfied with just adding a new conditioning coach, Jones, who stays in excellent shape and watches what he eats, also added Amy West, a weight management nutritionist, to assist him in getting the most out of his daily eating routine.
ABOUT DEC. 3

The Mike Jones-Sebastian Lujan IBF eliminator is part of the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito II world championship telecast, which begins at 9 pm (EST)/6 pm (PT). It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to more than 292 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HDTV for those who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry.

Dan Rafael of espn.com reports that Antonio Margarito has been approved for his boxing License and will take on Miguel Cotto on December 3rd in New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Margarito was originally denied a license after it was revealed his eye was not cleared by the omission after surgery for a cataract. The figures to be a lot of boxing betting on this fight. To bet on this fight click here

“There is a fight. This gotta be a chapter in my book,” Top Rank promoter Bob Arum exclaimed after watching the commission hearing on a live webcast. The commission had reservations about licensing Margarito because of a serious eye injury he suffered in a lopsided decision loss to Manny Pacquiao last November. Margarito suffered a badly broken orbital bone in his face and developed a cataract in his right eye.

“We went through a lot and Antonio saw every doctor he was asked to see and all of them gave us the same news — that everything was great and that there was no reason for him not to be approved,” Sergio Diaz, Margarito’s co-manager, said. “When we told Antonio he was licensed, he was screaming and he was happy. Now he is saying he has to take care of business come Dec. 3.

“We understood New York was trying to cover themselves and get assurances from the doctor they picked. But we felt confident all this time,” said Margarito’s co-manager Sergio Diaz.

“Evidence has been introduced, including an affidavit from the applicant himself, detailing the rehabilitation steps taken to ensure that all of the rules of the commission will be followed,” Torres said. “After due consideration of the evidence of rehabilitation the commission finds the issuance of a license to the applicant not to be contrary to the best interests of boxing.”

“Further, following the thorough examination performed by Dr. Goldstein and his testimony that it is his opinion that the condition of Mr. Margarito’s eye is such that he is fit to be in the ring, the commission rules that Mr. Margarito’s petition for licensure in New York is granted.”
Moretti, who was at Tuesday’s meeting with Top Rank president Todd duBoef, and Margarito’s attorneys, David Moroso and Daniel Petrocelli, said they were all pleased with the commission vote.

“The tension in the room, you could cut it with a knife,” he said. “I’m drained because all Todd and I wanted, and what all of us wanted, was for this fight to happen in New York because it’s important for the sport. You have a Madison Square Garden that is almost sold out — and I bet it will be sold out in the next day or two — with electricity running through it. If we had to move the show, it wouldn’t have had the same impact. Just the fact that we got the license and it came down to the 11th and half hour, it’s unreal.”

Said Diaz, “It’s been a real pain in the neck but it was something we had to go through. We couldn’t run. Antonio has been fighting for this. There wasn’t anything any of us were trying to hide about his injury. We were open to any kind of exam.”

Arum was glad the saga was over.

“I think you got to commend the commission that they were thoughtful and deliberative and that having Margarito fly in to be examined by a doctor designated by them, while an inconvenience, I think was something that was good to do because you can have doctors opining about this and that, but if they don’t examine the patient you can’t get a full feel,” Arum said. “That being said, the criticism I have is why wasn’t this done before the press conference (to announce the fight) in September? One way or another it would alleviated all the problems.

“If he had passed at that time none of this would have occurred. If not, we would have moved on to another state because we felt that having had him treated by Crandall, the leading (eye) doctor in the country, maybe the world, and having a retinal specialist check him out, morally we were on the high ground. We believed his eye was as good as anyone’s based on Crandall’s treatment.”

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that after Friday’s special license hearing for Antonio Margarito, that Margarito must see a New York State approved doctor to see if he can be licensed due to an eye injury sustained in his loss to Manny Pacquiao last November.

Earlier in the week it was rumored that the show would be moved out of New York’s Madison Square Garden, scheduled for December 3rd if the former Welterweight champion could not be granted the license to fight in the state.

Saying that the commission’s “primary objective is to safeguard the health and safety of all the athletes who compete under its jurisdiction,” Said New York Commission Chairperson Melivina Lathan the commission is “noting our multiple concerns” about Margarito’s right eye. Margarito could have sought assistance from a great Canadian Pharmacy

She said the commission was directing Margarito to submit “as soon as possible” to an eye exam in New York.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said Margarito would submit to the exam and was pleased with the decision.

“That’s good. That’s fine,” Arum told ESPN.com. “That means he is not going to be automatically disqualified because he had the cataract surgery. The surgery was performed by the best possible doctor (Crandall). As long as it’s a competent doctor in New York who does the exam, fine. It’s better than a denial.”

Arum said he is happy with the plan.

“We offered to do this six weeks ago and we are happy to do it now,” he said. “They are arranging how the exam will take place and we will fly Margarito and the doctor in.”

Arum suggested that the exam should take place in Salt Lake City at Crandall’s office, so all of the necessary equipment will be available.

“Whichever doctor the commission selects, he will examine Margarito and find the same thing our doctor has found, that he is OK,” Arum said.

If New York denies the license, Arum said he will move the fight on short notice to another venue with places such as Denver, Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and venues in Mississippi possible.

Photo By Chris Farina / Top Rank

CATSKILLS, NEW YORK (November 10, 2011)-With just under a month before the biggest fight in his career, Joe DeGuardia is happy to report that Star Boxing’s Delvin Rodriguez is right on schedule with his preparation for his much anticipated rematch with Pawel Wolak (29-1-1, 19 KO’s) which is part of the Miguel Cotto – Antonio Margarito HBO Pay Per View card at Madison Square Garden that will take place on December 3rd.

Rodriguez and Wolak engaged in what many are calling the leading candidate for fight of the year that took place on July 15th. Both guys stood their ground, showed tremendous courage and thrilled the sold out crowd at the Roseland Ballroom in a bout that was a draw. Each guy claimed victory and on December 3rd they will get a chance to prove who is better.

Rodriguez (25-5-3, 14 KO’s) has had a smooth training camp as he is secluded in the Catskills.

“Everything has been smooth, on point and intense”, said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez believes that the familiarity and his own versatility will be the difference this time around.

“I know what he brings to the table. He is a brawler and he can’t change that. I can do different things in the ring and I know that will be the difference”

“These two styles go together and this will be another exciting fight”

Rodriguez of Danbury, Connecticut loves the fact that this fight has become an East Coast rivalry with the New Jersey resident and it’s only fitting that this showdown will take place at the Mecca of boxing.

“Because of the first fight, people on the East Coast are treating this like the main event. I have worked so hard to get to this point. This is even bigger then my world title fights because it’s my time to show that I belong.”

“This is such a big card and when I win this fight, I will show the people that I deserve to be mentioned with all the names at the top of the division. It’s great that the main event is Cotto and Margarito because when I win it could definitely put me in position to fight the winner of that fight and the combination of all that is what motivates me”

The Delvin Rodriguez-Pawel Wolak fight is part of the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito II world championship telecast, which begins at 9 pm (EST)/6 pm (PT). It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to more than 292 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HDTV for those who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry.

Tickets for the Madison Square Garden card are priced at $600, $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50. They can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, online at www.thegarden.com and all Ticketmaster outlets.

ABOUT STAR BOXING:

Star Boxing, Inc. has been in operation since1992. Star Boxing has worked to produce some of the most exciting and memorable boxing events in recent history. Star has continued to work with and develop a number of very exciting world champions, world rated contenders and young prospects. Star has consistently brought credibility, integrity, and exciting fights to the boxing industry. For more information on Star Boxing, visit the official website at www.starboxing.com

Star Boxing

Star Boxing Exclusive Merchandise

***All press releases are available in word and pdf documents.

Contact pr@starboxing.com if needed.***

Photo’s by Star Boxing photographer Ed Diller

The attached Photograph(s) may only be used for news, information or promotional purposes and only for the period commencing on the date of this e-mail and ending 90 days later (the “License Period”). Any other use and any use after the License Period is strictly prohibited without permission in writing from Star Boxing, Inc. All inquiries should be addressed to Star Boxing, Inc., 991 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, New York 10462.

Copyright c Star Boxing, Inc. 2010 All Rights Reserved.

Philadelphia, PA—Undefeated welterweight contender Mike Jones, of Philadelphia, PA, who faces two-time world title challenger Sebastian Lujan, of Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina, in an IBF world title eliminator on the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito card on Dec. 3 at Madison Square Garden, feels that this weekend’s Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez fight will end in a knockout.

“I think somebody’s going to get knocked out,” said Jones, who is ranked No. 1 by the WBO and in line to fight Pacquiao next year if he (Jones) gets by Lujan. “It’s going to be a great war, but somebody’s going to go down and stay down. Both of those guys got bigger, got stronger – obviously Pacquiao got bigger and stronger. I believe it’s going to be a great fight for the fans.” ________________________________________________
*** Follow Mike Jones on twitter: @boxermikejones
________________________________________________
Jones also has thoughts on how he would do against Pacquiao.
“I’m 100% focused on just beating Lujan, but if I were to fight Pacquiao I see myself outboxing him,” Jones said. “I see him coming in like the whirlwind he is but by the time that I fight him I’ll be clicking on all cylinders. I see me beating Pacquiao.”
Jones’ trainer, Vaughn Jackson, also weighed-in on his thoughts about the Pacquiao-Marquez fight.
“If Pacman doesn’t stop him early then Marquez will win a split decision,” said Jackson, who’s in the midst of training Jones for the Dec. 3 fight against Lujan. “Marquez has more skills than PacMan. PacMan jumps off his feet too much. In spite of his age, Marquez is a better all-round fighter who puts his punches together better. Marquez will box his way to a decision if it goes the distance.”
ABOUT DEC. 3
The Mike Jones-Sebastian Lujan IBF eliminator is part of the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito II world championship telecast, which begins at 9 pm (EST)/6 pm (PT). It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to more than 292 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HDTV for those who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry.
Tickets for the Madison Square Garden card are priced at $600, $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50. They can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, online at www.thegarden.com and all Ticketmaster outlets. They also are on sale at the offices of Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922).

Philadelphia, PA—Undefeated welterweight contender Mike Jones, of Philadelphia, PA, who faces two-time world title challenger Sebastian Lujan, of Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina, in one of the featured fights on the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito card, will be in line for a pair of much-coveted title shots with a win on Dec. 3 at Madison Square Garden.

A Jones victory over Lujan in their scheduled 12-rounder will gain him the No. 1 position in the welterweight rankings of the International Boxing Federation (IBF), currently ruled by Andre Berto, which could lead to a fight for Berto’s title in 2012. He also might possibly be matched with No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world Manny Pacquiao, according to Top Rank’s Bob Arum.

“There are some guys who we could match Pacquiao with,” Arum said at a recent press conference. “Mike Jones (pictured) and Sebastian Lujan are going to be fighting at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 3 for the No. 1 mandatory position against Berto. And the winner of the fight will get to meet Berto down the road, or if that doesn’t come about for any reason, will be ready to meet Manny Pacquiao down the road. But this fight is a very, very important fight for Mike Jones.”
________________________________________________

*** Follow Mike Jones on twitter: @boxermikejones
________________________________________________

“This is an opportunity for me to show the world I am one of the elite fighters out there,” said Jones, who will be fighting for the first time at Madison Square Garden. “I can’t wait until it happens. I’m in the gym everyday, working hard and preparing myself to be the best out there that night.”
A pro since 2005, Jones, 28, has a 25-0 record with 19 knockouts. He is ranked No. 3 by the IBF, No. 1 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) behind champion Manny Pacquiao, No. 2 by the World Boxing Association (WBA), No. 3 by the World Boxing Council (WBC).
Jones currently holds three titles—North American Boxing Association (NABA), North American Boxing Organization (NABO) and WBC Continental Americas, but it’s the world title he craves.
Lujan, 31, scored a big win in his last fight July 1 in San Antonio, TX, when he rallied to knock out Filipino southpaw Mark Melligen in nine rounds after accepting the match on less than one week’s notice.
A pro since 2001, Lujan is 38-5-2, 24 K0s. In two world title fights, he was stopped—due to a badly torn left ear—in 10 rounds by Margarito for the WBO welterweight title in 2005 in Atlantic City, NJ, he lost a 12-round decision to lefty Sergii Dzinziruk for the WBO junior middleweight title in 2006 in Munich Germany.
Lujan has won his last 12 fights.

ABOUT DEC. 3

The Mike Jones-Sebastian Lujan 12-round IBF eliminator is part of the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito II world championship telecast, which begins at 9 pm (EST)/6 pm (PT). It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to more than 292 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HDTV for those who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry.

Tickets for the Madison Square Garden card are priced at $600, $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50. They can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, online at www.thegarden.com and all Ticketmaster outlets. They also are on sale at the offices of Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922).

Before Nonito Donaire’s win over Omar Naravez this past Saturday, Top Rank hosted a press conference to announce the spectacular undercard that will take place before the much hyped rematch between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. 15rounds.com Claudia Bocanegra got the shots of Mike Jones, Pawel Wolak, Delvin Rodriguez and Mike Lee who will be appearing in high profile bouts on December 3rd.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that WBA Super Welterweight champion Miguel Cotto replaced Emanuel Steward with Pedro Luis Diaz for his December 3rd rematch with Antonio Margarito.

“I met Pedro Luis as an amateur several years ago and had the opportunity to share time with him in several international competitions,” Cotto said in a statement. “I was instantly amazed as to the vast boxing technique and conditioning knowledge that he transmitted to his fighters. I feel that together with (strength and conditioning coach) Phil (Landman), Pedro Luis is a perfect fit to bring my best potential for my next fight in December and lead me to victory.”

“It’s kind of surprising. Everything had been in place for me to train him,” Steward told ESPN.com.

“I want to take this opportunity to express my wholehearted gratitude to Emanuel Steward, who I consider a friend and mentor,” Cotto said in his statement. “Because of calendar conflicts and other matters, we were unable to work together for this next fight. He is one of the best trainers I have ever met in boxing and I will be forever appreciative for the two fights we worked together. We have both kept the doors open to maybe join forces in the future if the circumstances and timing are adequate.

“Now I will focus on my training camp. I feel happy and thrilled as ever to commence preparing for December. I will be ready and will win the fight for all of (my fans).”

This is the second high-profile fighter to replace Steward in recent weeks. Former light heavyweight titlist Chad Dawson, unwilling to train in Steward’s Detroit gym for what would have been their second fight together, replaced him with one of his former trainers, John Scully, as he prepares for his Oct. 15 challenge of champion Bernard Hopkins.

Although Dawson made the switch, he also has spoken highly of Steward in recent interviews and television appearances.

“Naturally, I thought about that,” Steward told ESPN.com, when asked about losing two top fighters in such a short period of time. “But each case is an individual case. Dawson wanted to stay closer to home and that was the last thing I was going to deal with. So he got somebody else he was comfortable with. In this case, Miguel wanted to start training already and wanted me there for longer than our unusual five or six weeks together.”

“Phil said to me, ‘Give me two weeks to get his body in shape’ and then I was going to come in for the regular camp of boxing training. I was going this weekend,” Steward said.

Philadelphia, PA—Undefeated welterweight contender Mike Jones, of Philadelphia, PA, makes his first appearance at Madison Square Garden on Saturday evening, Dec. 3, when he faces two-time world title challenger Sebastian Lujan, of Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina, in one of the featured fights on the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito card.

The winner of the Jones-Lujan 12-round contest will gain the No. 1 position in the welterweight rankings of the International Boxing Federation (IBF), currently ruled by Andre Berto.

“This is a tougher assignment than the ones Mike had with Jesus Soto-Karass,” said promoter J Russell Peltz, whose company is promoting this match with Top Rank, Inc. Peltz was referring to the two victories Jones (pictured) earned over Mexico’s Soto-Karras, the first one Nov. 13, 2010, in Cowboys Stadium by 10-round majority decision, the second one last Feb. 19 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas by 12-round unanimous decision.

“Mike said that if fighting Lujan over 12 rounds is what he has to do to get a title shot, then he’s fine with it. He knows what he has to do to win and he knows he has to be in the same shape—or better—than he was for the second fight with Soto-Karass.”

Jones: “Lujan puts on pressure, but not constant pressure like Soto-Karass. He moves his head a lot more than Soto-Karass but he throws wide punches. This could put me in line to fight for the world championship.”
A pro since 2005, Jones, 28, has a 25-0 record with 18 knockouts. He is ranked No. 3 by the IBF, No. 1 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) behind champion Manny Pacquiao, No. 3 by the World Boxing Association (WBA), No. 4 by the World Boxing Council (WBC).

Jones currently holds three titles—North American Boxing Association (NABA), North American Boxing Organization (NABO) and WBC Continental Americas, but it’s the world title he craves.
Lujan, 31, scored a big win in his last fight July 1 in San Antonio, TX, when he rallied to knock out Filipino southpaw Mark Melligen in nine rounds after accepting the match on short notice.

A pro since 2001, Lujan is 38-5-2, 24 K0s. In two world title fights, he was stopped—due to a badly torn left ear—in 10 rounds by Margarito for the WBO welterweight title in 2005 in Atlantic City, NJM. Lujan also lost a 12-round decision to lefty Sergii Dzinziruk for the WBO junior middleweight title in 2006 in Munich Germany.

Lujan has won his last 12 fights in a row.

ABOUT DEC. 3

The Mike Jones-Sebastian Lujan IBF eliminator is part of the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito II world championship telecast, which begins at 9 pm (EST)/6 pm (PT). It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to more than 292 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HDTV for those who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry.

Tickets for the Madison Square Garden card are priced at $600, $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50. They can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, online at www.thegarden.com and all Ticketmaster outlets. They also are on sale at the offices of Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922).

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, one of the candidates for Fight of They Year will have it’s sequal on the December 3rd Miguel Cotto – Antonio Margarito undercard as Jr. Middleweight Delvin Rodriguez and Pawel Wolak will attempt to pick up where they left off their July 15th slugfest that ended in a draw.

The card will take place at Madison Square Garden.

“The rematch is a little sooner than I wanted as I wanted a title to be in place first, but the fans deserve this and this is the right stage,” Wolak told ESPN.com on Wednesday night after agreeing to the fight. “You know it will be another classic.”

“I want the fight. It’s a great fight and a great opportunity,” Rodriguez said. “It is definitely a tough fight, but I enjoyed our first fight and I know I have to be 150 percent in shape, the best I can be. He brought out the best in me. He’s a guy you have to be prepared for to be able to keep up. I see the fight going even better for myself this time.”

“It’s turning out to be, on paper, the perfect night,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef said. “What a way to come back to the Garden after not having a big fight there for a while. There is a slow process that occurs when making matches but for this one, everything ended falling into place perfectly.”

Wednesday, Top Rank’s Carl Moretti worked it out with Dunkin and DeGuardia while Ramos-Rigondeaux is headed for a purse bid.

“Adding this fight to the card, they’re going to need a renovation from the renovation with the place being so crazy,” Moretti said, referring to the ongoing overhaul at Madison Square Garden. “Delvin brings a crowd, the Polish fans will be there to support Wolak and you have a big main event, it is going to be crazy. It’s going to be a special night at the Garden.”

“People want the fight. This fight needs no promotion,” Rodriguez said. “Fighting under Cotto-Margarito, I know the crowd will be jumping. People have been waiting for this fight since right after the first fight. Everyone keeps asking, ‘When is the rematch?’ It’s something people keep telling me about, something boxing needs.”

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that Brandon Rios will defend his WBA Lightweight title as part of the Miguel Cotto – Antonio Margarito II undercard in December 3rd in New York.

The bout will replace a previously announced WBA Super Bantamweight title clash between Rico Ramos and Guillermo Rigondeaux.

The Ramos – Rigondeaux bout was pulled from the card after a miscommunication between promoter’s Bob Arum and Dan Goossen of terms of the bout.

“We’re happy to get Brandon back in the ring. He has a telegenic personality, but it’s not just about being able to put Brandon on a major pay-per-view card that is so good. It’s about being able to put him on in Madison Square Garden and in front of a big New York crowd,” said Top Rank president Todd duBoef. “They will eat up his personality and his fighting style.”

“He was begging us at the press conference, telling us how much he wanted to be on the show,” duBoef said. “Well, he got what he wanted.”

“It’s great. We’re going to have the whole team together with Margarito. It’s pretty cool,” Rios said.

“It’s an honor to fight at that venue,” Rios said. “I’ve been told there’s something special about fighting at Madison Square Garden and I’m training hard to give fans a great fight.”

15rounds.com Claudia Bocanegra was on hand at The Edison Ballroom just off of Times Square to capture the pictures for the press conference to announce the December 3rd rematch between Super Welterweight champion Miguel Cotto taking on Antonio Margarito plus an announcement of Bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire October 22nd defense with Omar Narvaez

Former world champion Antonio Margarito talks about his rematch with Miguel Cotto on December 3rd

Famed trainer Robert Garcia talks Mayweather-Ortiz; Cotto-Margarito II; Donaire and Brandon Rios

Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito announce their December 3rd rematch plus Nonito Donaire announces his October 22nd title against Omar Narvaez

World Super Welterweight champion Miguel Cotto talks about his December 3rd battle rematch with Antonio Margarito

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that the anticiapted grudge match between WBC Super Welterweight champion Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito set for December 3rd in Madison Square Garden will be televised on on HBO Pay Per View.

“New York, Cotto versus Margarito, HBO. All the ingredients for a memorable night,” said Top Rank President Todd duBoef.

“What made us make the decision (to go back to HBO) was because they’re really giving us tremendous assets and the deal is very, very good,” said Top Rank CEO Bob Arum. “They’re gearing up and they think we can do 750,000 homes for that fight.”

“Showtime knows we are going with HBO and they took it OK,” Arum said. “They’re pros.”

Asked if the move would damage his new found relationship with Showtime, Arum said, “It’s not helping it, but it’s not hurting it. They’re sensible. If we have a product good for their network they’ll buy it, and we are certainly not going to shut the door to them.”

Dan Rafael of espn.com is confirming that the long awaited rematch between WBA Super Welterweight champion Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito will take place on December 3rd at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

“Everything is being finalized for the fight and when it is, we’ll be at Madison Square Garden,” Said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank who will promte the fight. The famed arena, which is undergoing a significant renovation. “Madison Square Garden is one of the most important arenas in the country and I like doing events here. Miguel has a big fan base here and we want those fans to see him again.”

“When you look at the electricity of previous Miguel Cotto fights that have been at the Garden and the magnitude of this event, the Garden was the perfect place to do it,” duBoef said. “Both guys were open to it. It’s great to be back at a big venue in a big city to keep boxing at the forefront.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the much rumored rematch between WBA Super Welterweight champion and former Welterweight champion Antonio Margarito will take place on December 3rd .

“We’re on board and moving forward,” Sergio Diaz, Margarito’s co-manager said. “We’ve met with Bob (Arum). We want the fight. Cotto wants the fight. We’re just finishing everything.”

“In our meeting, we had the opportunity to discuss all aspects of the Cotto-Margarito II deal,” Cotto attorney Gaby Penagaricano said. “Although we no doubt made progress, there are some aspects that will require further discussion (but) Miguel is certainly happy and even looking forward to having the opportunity to avenge his first loss.”

“We need to hammer out the site and we’re doing an analysis now of New York and Las Vegas,” Arum said. “The costs are so high in New York. The unions will kill you in New York.”

Margarito broke his orbital bone in his one-sided loss to Manny Pacquiao last November.

“(His vision) was pretty bad, really blurry,” Diaz said.

But Arum suggested that Margarito visit an eye specialist he had once seen. So Margarito arranged to visit Dr. Alan Crandall in Salt Lake City about two months ago.

“He told us Antonio’s problem was very fixable and not a career-ending injury,” Diaz said. “Antonio had pretty much accepted the fact that he would have surgery and have to retire. But they did this different kind of surgery that day, a half-hour surgery. They removed the cataract and put in a new lens. His vision is a whole lot better and will continue to get better. We have to do a minor laser surgery in a couple of weeks, but Antonio is going to be fine. He has been released to continue his career.”

“Cotto and Margarito can’t help but be a terrific fight because of their styles,” Arum said. “Margarito knows how to fight only one way, and that is to come straight ahead. Cotto has to be more intelligent this time and have more gas in the tank. I talked to Cotto about that and he said, ‘There’s one big difference for me in this fight as opposed to the first fight, the smart old guy in my corner.'”

“I think the rematch will continue from the first fight,” Diaz said. “Antonio is really excited about the fight. He knows it will be a war. Antonio knows it will be another exciting fight. Cotto is a tremendous fighter, a four-time world champion. Antonio’s a three-time champion. There are a lot of skeptics out there to show that Antonio’s win the first time was no fluke.

“If Antonio was questioning himself he wouldn’t have taken this fight. A lot of fighters say, ‘I beat him once why do I need to do it again?’ But Antonio is ready to get back in the ring. The payday is always good and the thought of being retired, I could see in his face when hit him. He was like, ‘I’m 32 (at the time) and I have to retire already?’ He wasn’t taking it good, so when he was told he could continue he said it was a blessing. This fight is a blessing.”

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra

He may be in the Twilight of his career and zeroing in on his 40th birthday but “Sugar” Shane Mosley is still a tough night’s work for anyone. For a few years now Mosley has wanted to fight Manny Pacquiao, he has got what he wished for and takes on the Filipino Icon on 7 May in Las Vegas at The MGM Grand in front of millions on Showtime PPV. It’s a fight Mosley believes he can win; he has blind faith in his ability and left his position as a partner of Golden Boy Promotions to take up this challenge. Mosley 46-6-1(39) has fought many of the best fighters in the world from 135-154 winning 5 world titles in 3 weight classes. He’s been one of the standard bearers of the past 2 decades fighting 15 past or present world champions including Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto & Floyd Mayweather.

Hello Shane, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – You are fighting Manny Pacquiao on 7 May in Las Vegas. What are your thoughts on the fight & how good do you think Pacquiao is?

Shane Mosley – I think he’s a great fighter, he does a lot of good things. It’s going to be a terrific fight.

Anson Wainwright – Of course it has been much discussed you have left Golden Boy & will be fighting Pacquiao who’s a Top Rank fighter. How are things?

Shane Mosley – No, it’s moving pretty smoothly along with Top Rank. Everything I have asked for has been ok and I’m just happy.

Anson Wainwright – People will say that you haven’t won in your last two fights and not looked the best in your fights with Mayweather & Mora. What do you say to them?

Shane Mosley – I believe I will do a lot better than I did in those two fights. My mentality right now is I’m ready to go and fight and give my 100% all.

Anson Wainwright – It would of been easy for you to stay with Golden Boy where your were a partner and claim your reported 5% but you’re obviously still highly motivated despite being months shy of 40. What are your thoughts on this?

Shane Mosley – I’m very motivated and happy to be able to box at this age. I’ve been boxing for about 31 years and I’ve fought at this level a lot. I’m willing to go in there and prove that I’m still one of the best fighters and fighting Pacquaio will prove that and be a great accomplishment for me.

Anson Wainwright – The Mayweather fight wasn’t your finest hour in the ring. Could you talk us through the fight from your point of view along with the second round?

Shane Mosley – A lot of times I don’t look back on them or think about them (The fights). But it was a pretty good punch, I just couldn’t at that point do what I needed to do to win the fight to KO him but I’ve been working very hard to make sure I close the deal next time I get a person hurt.

Anson Wainwright – If I can take you back to the Margarito fight, going into that fight you had a lot going on outside the ring. The on fight night there was the gauzing that went into Margarito glove. How much of what was going on were you aware of or were you just focused on the fight?

Shane Mosley – Yeah I was just focusing on my game plan, because if he had concrete gloves on I didn’t care I was going to win that fight. I trained hard, I was determined to prove the critic’s and everybody wrong that I was to old and that his rhythm was to much for me and he was going to knock me out and retire me. And I did I stopped him and proved the critics wrong. I’m going to do that in this fight as well.

Anson Wainwright – Do you see this fight with Pacquiao similar to the Margarito one where you were also the underdog and have something to prove?

Shane Mosley – Yeah, I aim to do it again. I aim to shock the world and beat Pacquiao. Once again prove the critics wrong.

Anson Wainwright – How much longer do you think you can keep performing at the top of Boxing? Do you have any plans for what you’d like to do when your finish Boxing?

Shane Mosley – Well yeah I have my promotional company “Sugar” Shane Mosley Promotions and I’m looking to start signing fighters and get more active in the promotional field and help these young fighters become world champions and superstars. That would be another great challenge for me. After this fight I have another 3 or 4 fights in me, then I can start my promotional company.

Anson Wainwright – You’re son Shane Junior is also an up and coming boxer. How are things developing with him and his career?

Shane Mosley – He’s doing pretty good; he’s up here training with me now. Basically I’m just showing him the ropes right now what you have to go through to be world champion and that’s important mentally so he can see what it takes, realise if it’s for him or not. He’s doing good, his punches are pretty hard, and he’s getting faster and better as the days go by. I think he’s going to be alright.

Anson Wainwright – A chip off the old block hey?

Shane Mosley – Ha-ha I think so, he has the determination and he’s getting better and better as we go along.

Anson Wainwright – Has he had any amateur fights yet?

Shane Mosley – He’s had a few, I think I’ll start fighting him more so he can have the experience of fighting in the ring more. He’s been in the ring sparring a lot but not really fighting. There’s a difference between fighting and sparring, that’s what I aim to do a little more.

Anson Wainwright – You’ve fought many of the best fighters of the last 15 years. Who is the best fighter you’ve ever fought?

Shane Mosley – Styles make fights but the most difficult I’d say Winky (Wright) earlier in my career but later on Floyd (Mayweather) was a pretty good defensive fighter as well.

Anson Wainwright – To date what do you consider to be your proudest moment in Boxing?

Shane Mosley – I think the proudest moment was winning my first world title at Lightweight against Philip Holiday.

Anson Wainwright – What are your thoughts on the current Welterweight division?

Shane Mosley – I think there’s a lot of great challenge’s with Khan coming up. Me & Manny Pacquiao fighting, there’s others. The division’s good an exciting. There’s a lot of great talent out there.

Anson Wainwright – You’re known as one of boxing good guys but we don’t know to much about you away from Boxing. Can you tell us about other activities you are involved with? Also what are your hobbies & Interests?

Shane Mosley – Well I mean, I’m a family man, I have 4 kids. I like to play Basketball, snowboard, bowl. I’m a very active person, I’m an outdoors person. I like to get out and do things. Boxings in my heart so I don’t stray too far from that. I’m involved in a boxing programme and sponsor the kids in the community.

Anson Wainwright – Last year you teamed up with PETA to help stop dog fighting & the slaughter on Seal trade in Canada, it’s obviously something that’s close to your heart?

Shane Mosley – Well yeah, I have a few pets. Dog’s don’t have a choice to fight or not but we do. So I kind of got behind it and just spoke out about it.

Anson Wainwright – Finally do you have a message for your fans ahead of the Pacquiao fight?

Shane Mosley – This is going to be the fight you don’t want to miss. I’m definitely giving everything I’ve got. You wont be disappointed so come and check it out or watch it on PPV Showtime. It’s definitely going to be a knock out. Also follow me on Sugar Shane on Twitter.

Thank you for your time Shane, it’s been a pleasure.

Anson Wainwright

15rounds.com

Midweek Thoughts – Yuriorkis Gamboa looked sensational blowing away Jorge Solis on Saturday. Solis was no mug he was a very solid guy, he just couldn’t deal with the Cuban’s power and speed. Hopefully Juanma Lopez looks just as impressive in a few weeks and Top Rank can get these two together in what would surely be a barnburner…Mikey Garcia kept his unbeaten record but took Matt Remillard’s when Remillard’s corner mercifully stopped the fight at the end of the tenth. Garcia is only 23 but has the look of a man far more experience. He systematically broke down Remillard. Outside of Gamboa & Lopez, Garcia is right in the fight with anyone at Featherweight right now…I haven’t had chance to see it yet but the Kennedy-Diaz fight appeared to be a cracker…Disappointing to see Erislandy Lara on Friday night not really perform, all credit to Carlos Molina…On Saturday Leo Santa Cruz scored a very impressive KO over Stephane Jamoye, it’s the biggest win of Santa Cruz career & proved he can go place, I’m looking for him to have a big year now…I’ve been told Ricardo Mayorga dislocated his thumb in the Cotto fight. He’s also on the short list to fight Saul Alvarez in September provided “Canelo” wins in a June fight possibly against Ryan Rhodes. I’ll say this much if Mayorga does decide to give it another go and not retire a fight with “Canelo” would be a fun promotion. Alvarez wont ever of seen anything or anyone quite like Mayorga.

On Friday night it was the final of the WABA (Welsh Amateur Boxing Association)

Female

54kg Lynsey Holdaway beat Catherine Gillen after the referee stopped the action with Holdaway 20-1 up in the fourth and final round.

60kg Rebecca Price beat defending champion Ashley Brace 14-10.

Male

49kg Ben Baker beat Annes Rashid in the second round Rashid took two standing 8 counts before being stopped

52kg Two time European Bronze medallist Andrew Selby returned from his duty on the British squad to show the gulf in class as he stopped Andrew Perry in the second after Perry had two standing 8 counts in the first.

56kg Daniel Chapman run out 14-1 winner against last years Flyweight champion Jay Harris

60kg Zack Davies outpointed Craig Woodruff 16-4

64kg Chris Jenkins the Welsh representative in last years Commonwealth games beat Ashley Appleby when the referee stopped the action in the second. Jenkins was 9-0 up at the time of the stoppage

69kg Fred Evans who also went to the Commonwealth games won 18-8 against Jamie Evans.

75kg Liam Williams outpointed warren Sinden 19-4

81kg Charlie Moseley narrowly outpointed Tom Lloyd 13-9

91kg Lloyd Davies impressively overwhelmed Robert Penn and after 3 standing 8 counts the fight was called off in the second round.

91+kg Dorian Darch beat Andrew Wyn Davies 16-9 stopping Davies winning the title for the 5th consecutive year.

If you would like to hear from any particular fighters please e-mail me on elraincoat@live.co.uk

Follow all the action LIVE from the MGM Grand as Miguel Cotto defends the WBA Super Welterweight championship and Ricardo Mayorga. There will be a three fight undercard beginning at 9pm est/6pm pac time featuring Yuri Foreman battling Pawel Wolak; IBF Lightweight champion Miguel Vazquez defending against Mandatory challenger Lenny Zappavigna as well as NFL Safety Tommy Zbikowski taking on Rich Bryant

REFRESH BROWSER FOR MINUTE BY MINUTE UPDATES

12 ROUNDS–WBA SUPER WELTERWEIGHT TITLE–MIGUEL COTTO (35-2, 28 KO’S) VS RICARDO MAYORGA (29-7-1, 23 KO’S)

Round 1: Counter left from Cotto…Mayorga chops a right to the head…Big body shot by Cotto…Chopping right from Mayorga…tradong left hooks…good left hook from Cotto…10-9 Cotto

Round 2: Brawl on the ropes huge shots and an uppercut from Mayorga…Good right from Cotto…Jab…Uppercut from Mayorga…Flurry…19-19

Round 3 Cotto lands a left hook..Mayorga lands a right and BEGS COTTO TO FIGHT…Cotto lands 2 body shots…Good right to the chin…29-28 Cotto

Round 4 Mayorga lands a nice right…good body shot…combination…38-38

Round 5 Mayorga showboats and gets caught with body punches and uppercuts…Head shots…2 rights from Mayorga…Wicked exchange that is highlighted by a Cotto left hook..Mayorga lands a chopping right…left hook to the chin by Cotto…48-47 Cotto

Round 6 Cotto left uppercut…Mayorga combo to the body…Cotto lands a jab…counter left and right uppercut…58-56 Cotto

Round 7 Mayorga lands 2 rights…uppercut on inside..right uppercut…Right buckled Cotto….67-66 Cotto

Round 8 Cotto lands a left hook…Cotto counters with the left…Hard jab..Swelling around the right eye of Mayorga…Good combination..Mayorga lands a straight right…77-75 Cotto

Round 9 Left from Mayorga…Cotto jabbing..Mayorga lands a head combo..another combo…Cotto lands a jab…and another…Big uppercut from Mayorga…86-85 Cotto

Round 10 Good jab from Cotto…Great triple jab…another jab…96-94 Cotto

Round 11 Mayorga showboating and mocking Cotto…Good defense from Cotto at the end of the round…106-103 Cotto

ROUND 12 HUGE SHOT AND DOWN GOES MAYORGA…HE TAKES A HUGE JAB AND ASKS REFEREE ROBERT BYRD TO STOP THE FIGHT…MAYORGA MAY HAVE HURT HIS HAND WHEN HE GOT KNOCKDOWN…IT WAS A BIG LEFT HOOK FROM COTTO TO THE HEAD

10 ROUNDS–JR. MIDDLEWEIGHTS–YURI FOREMAN (28-1, 8 KO’S) VS PAWEL WOLAK (28-1, 18 KO’S)

ROUND 1 Wolak stalking…Big right to the head..combination…10-9 Wolak

Round 2 Foreman lands a jab…Wolak lands a right on the ropes…20-18 Wolak

Round 3 Uppercut on inside by Foreman…Good counter..counter right..combination to the head..Wolak gets in a chopping right..good body punches and head from Wolak and another right…30-28 Wolak

Round 4: Wolak landing right..right inside..Foreman 2 body shots…Good right…Right from Wolak..Right hurts Foreman…3 more big rights at the bell…40-37 Wolak

Round 5: Wolak lands a right…Hard rights on the ropes…Foreman lands a right and left uppercut…hard right from Wolak…Left…Foreman lands an uppercut…50-46 Wolak

Round 6: Wolak lands a combinations…Swelling around left eye of Wolak..Big finish from Wolak…60-55 Wolak—FOREMAN QUITS ON THE STOOL

Round 7

4 ROUNDS HEAVYWEIGHTS–TOMMY ZBIKOWSKI (1-0, 1 KO) VS RICH BRYANT (1-2, 1 KO)

ROUND 1 Tommy Z lands a right…Big right…LEFT HOOK DOWN GOES BRYANT AND REFEREE RUSSELL MORA STOPS THE BOUT

12 ROUNDS–IBF LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE–MIGUEL VAZQUEZ (27-3, 12 KO’S) VS LENNY ZAPPAVIGNA (25-0, 17KO’s)

Round 1 Vazquez Jabs…Vazquez lands a right..comb from Vazquez at the bell 10-9 Vazquez

Round 2:Vazquez lands a left hook..Left hook counter..Good jab 20-18 Vazquez

Round 3: Zappavigna lands a big overhand right and left hook…Zappavigna bleeding from left eye..29-28 Vazquez

Round 4: Zappavigna grazing right…38-38

Round 5 Vazquez 1-2; Counter shots…Zappavigna lands a body shot…jab…Zappa lands an overhand right…Zappa starting to bleed bad from right eye….48-47 Vazquez

Round 6 Zappa lands a combination…57-57

Round 7: Trading rights…Vazquez lands a couple jabs…Zappa lands a left…67-66 Vazquez

Round 8: Good jabs and 1-2 from Vazquez..Zappa lands a body punch…good 1-2…combination…body shot at end of round…77-75 Vazquez

Round 9Zappa gets through with a wide left...86-85 Vazquez

Round 10 Blood streaming down the face of Zappa..Zappa lands some uppsercuts on the inside…95-95

Round 11

Photo By Claudia Bocanegra

Ricardo Mayorga did not get the memo as the 10-1 underdog who by most experts opinons was supposed to be fodder, made Miguel Cotto work very hard to earn a twelfth round round knockout to retain the WBA Super Welterweight title in an entertaining scrap at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Cotto was very proficient with his jab and boxing skills as the he was easy to land on the bar brawling Mayorga. Mayorga made it dificult at times for Cotto as some of wild but hard swing got through and even looked like he wobbled Cotto on one occasion. The two engaged in wild exchanges throughout the affair with the challenger giving as good as he received and begged Cotto to fight him in the corner a couple times during the fight.

Cotto was very consistent but had a tough round seven as it seemed like Mayorga was making his last stand and drilled Cotto with a big right in the corner. Cotto got back to jabbing and landing effective body punches over the next few round and it seemed that Mayorga was falling behind on the cards.

In the final round, Cotto and Mayorga both threw huge left hooks with Cotto catching Mayorga flush on the jaw that caused a delayed reaction knockdown scored for Cotto. Mayorga went down holding his hand but got up. Cotto landed a couple of shots and Mayorga just spread his arms out in the corner and summoned referee Robert Byrd fifty-three seconds into round twelve.

Cotto, 154 lbs of Caguas, PR will now look for a summer showdown rematch with Antonio Margarito as Cotto now sports a record of 36-2 with twenty-nine knockouts. Mayorga, 154 lbs of Managua, Nicaragua is now 29-8-1.

“I tried to finish the final round but the pain in my hand was too much,” said Mayorga. “I don’t care about my thumb; I didn’t want it to end like that.”

After the fight, the humble Pride of Puerto Rico complemented his opponent, “[Mayorga] has pretty strong hands and he could beat anyone.”

Mayorga showed a rare bit of respect in return, “As a man, I have to admit when I do well and when I do not. Give Cotto credit,” said Mayorga. “He hits hard and is a great champion.”

Jr. Middleweight Pawel Wolak scored the most significant win of his career by scoring a stoppage victory over former world champion Yuri Foreman after Foreman quit on his stool after round six of their scheduled ten round bout.

Wolak was relentless with his pressure as he continuously drilled Foreman with right hands. Foreman did not handle the all out pressure of Wolak as he landed shots at will. Foreman was not able to box and move like is his nature as Wolak would not let Foreman feel comfortable at all during the eighteen minutes of action.

Wolak, 154 lbs of Mt. Arlington, NJ is now 29-1 with nineteen knockouts. Foreman lost his second in a row and is now 28-2.

“I didn’t feel like myself tonight,” said Foreman. “From the long layoff, I didn’t feel sharp. I felt mushy.”

Baltimore Ravens safety Tommy Zbikowski scored a body punch knockout over Rich Bryant in round one of a scheduled four round Heavyweight bout.

Zbikowski landed a left hook to the chest that sent Bryant down after a delayed reaction. After he got to his feet, referee Russell Mora stopped the fight at 1:45.

Zbikowski, 193 lbs of Chicago is 2-0 with two knockouts. Bryant is 1-3.

Miguel Vazquez retained the IBF Lightweight championship with a twelve round unanimous decision over mandatory contender Lenny Zappavigna.

Vazquez boxed well using an effective jab and occasional right hand. Vazquez opened up cuts over both eyes of the challanger. Zappavigna had a little success when he tried to push the action. Vazquez closed the show by boxing as he did in the early rounds.

Scores were 118-110; 118-110; and 117-111 for Vazquez, 135 lbs of Guadalajara, Mexico and is now 28-3. Zappavigna, 135 lbs of Sydney, AUS is now 25-1.

Middleweight prospect Matt Korobov scored a first round knockout over Michael Walker in a scheduled eight bout.

Korobov landed a perfect straight left that sent Walker down and out.

Korobov of St. Petersburg, FL is 14-0 with nine knockouts. Walker of Chicago is now 19-7-2.

In a competitive Super Bantamweight bout, Jesus Rojas scored a six round unanimous decision over Isaac Hidalgo.

Rojas, 122 lbs of Caguas, PR is now 17-1 after winning by scores of 59-55; 59-55 and 58-56. Hidalgo, 122 lbs of Tuscon, AZ is now 8-7-2.

Heavyweight Eric Molina scored a sixth round knockout over Joseph Rabotte in a scheduled round bout.

Molina dropped Rabotte from a big right in round two and once again in the fifth. Clearly beaten, Rabotte was saved by referee Kenny Bayless in round six after a series of punches.

Molina, 227 lbs of Lifort, TX is now 17-1 with thirteen knockouts. Rabotte, 255 lbs of Myrtle Beach, SC is now 9-16-1.

Lightweight Juan Gonzalez remained undefeated by stopping Jeremy McLaurin in round one in a scheduled eight round bout.

Gonzlaez of Caguas, Puerto Rico is 11-0 with ten knockouts. McLaurin of Coon Rapids, MN is now 8-2.

Photo by Chris Farina/ Top Rank

Miguel Cotto 154 – Ricardo Mayorga 154
(WBA Super Welterweight championship)
Yuri Foreman 155 – Pawel Wolak 154
Tommy Zbikowski 193 – Ricard Bryant 225
Miguel Vazquez 135 – Lenny Zappavigna 135
(IBF Lightweight Championship)

PHOTO BY CLAUDIA BOCANEGRA

Miguel Cotto has always given us many reasons to like him. He provided another one Wednesday in the build-up for his super-welterweight fight Saturday night with noisemaker Ricardo Mayorga.

Cotto refused to indulge in the silly ritual of posing — nose-to-nose, eyeball-to-eyeball, and don’t-dare-blink – for the gallery of cameras at the mid-week news conference at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

Take a bow, Miguel. Boxing needs a lot more of your class, poise and toughness.

There are various reports as to why Cotto said no to a tired piece of theater that would be amusing if it weren’t such a cliché. Mayorga is called crazy by anybody close to him, including his promoter, Don King, who knows something about crazy. Perhaps, Top Rank just told Cotto not to play a role in a scripted scene that could turn into a stupid brawl. Works for me.

But I also suspect that Cotto might be angry, rightfully so, at the homophobic insults that Mayorga always spews at any opponent days before opening bell. This time, Mayorga has joked about how he will beat Cotto into retirement and into a job working for Ricky Martin, the Puerto Rican singer who told Oprah that he’s gay.

“I have spoken to Ricky Martin’s camp and they say they have an opening for him,’’ Mayorga said in a conference call. Mayorga has repeated the insult in different words and an escalating tone, ad nauseam. Surprise, surprise. Trouble is, he did so again Wednesday with Cotto’s mother in the audience. Go ahead and insult Cotto, the quiet gentleman. But be careful of those insults when mom is around.

In declining to join the Mayorga circus, Cotto might have been making a stoic gesture, a signal that he intends to keep the fury bottled and brewing until opening bell. I’m not sure Cotto needs to. Mayorga has natural power, but doesn’t know how to deliver it. To wit: Mayorga has more manners than skill.

“If he has better skills than me, I haven’t seen them,’’ Cotto said in a comment that qualifies as a huge understatement. Before Mayorga’s mouth turned into an open sewer, the bout appeared to be a steppingstone for Cotto in his bid to avenge his stunning loss to Antonio Margarito in 2008.

What’s more, Mayorga-Cotto appeared to be part of a bigger story that includes promoter Bob Arum’s move to Showtime and CBS. There’s also Arum’s old-school partnership with King in an alliance that might finally lead to a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Maywather Jr. fight.

Then, however, Cotto put an unexpected twist into the plot. In saying no to the posed face-off, it was if he had decided he would not be the straight man for an opponent who talks, talks and talks until he sounds like a fool. Cotto’s cool, stubborn demeanor suggests he is a serious man who doesn’t suffer fools gladly.

The guess here is that he will gladly make a fool suffer Saturday night

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra