VIDEO: Klitschko Holyfield Moorer Briggs



Klitschko to defend against Chisora on December 11


According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, IBF/WBO/Ring Magazine Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko will defends his titles against undefeated and unheralded Dereck Chisora on December 11 in Mannheim, Germany.

“I think it’s an interesting fight because a guy who is unbeaten is always an interesting opponent,” Klitschko’s manager Bernd Boente told ESPN.com. “He has a very good record and Wladimir and [trainer] Emanuel [Steward] watched some of Chisora’s fights on YouTube and they said he’s fast and can punch. They were impressed. They said he can definitely punch, has good hand speed and is mobile, and that always [makes for] a dangerous opponent.”

“I know that Dereck Chisora is a very dangerous opponent,” Klitschko said. “He’s young, he’s fast and he’s a very hard puncher. My coach, Emanuel Steward, has warned me about Chisora’s quality and reminded me about the great Muhammad Ali, who lost his championship in 1978 to Leon Spinks in his eighth professional fight. I won’t underestimate Chisora. I will prepare myself as intensely as I always do and try to give Chisora no chance.”

“I knew that my victory over Sam Sexton would be a big step in the world rankings, but this chance is unbelievable,” Chisora said. “Everybody thinks my chances against Klitschko are as good as a snowball’s chance in hell, but I don’t care. I have fought my whole life and I am ready for a battle. This will be my night and by the end of this year the whole world will know the name Dereck Chisora.”

“The atmosphere at all my fights in Mannheim is great,” Klitschko, 34, said. “I will always link the SAP Arena with winning my second world championship there against Chris Byrd. It is one of the highlights of my career.”



Klitschko stops Peter in Ten to retain Heavyweight crown


Wladimir Klitschko was dominant against as he reatined the Ring Magazine/IBF/WBO Heavyweight championship with a tenth round beatdown of Samuel Peter in a rematch of a bout from five years ago at in front of nearly 40,000 onlookers The Commerce Bank Arena in Frankfurt, Germany.

It was a typical fight for Klitschko as he dominated the fight with his jab that was consistently followed by a hard right hand. Peter’s eye began to swell as early as round two as a result of that jab. Klitschko continuously landed that same combination and forced Peter to be relegated to nothing more then attempted winging shots and seemed almost too happy to clinch on the inside.

Peter’s trainer Abel Sanchez tried to motivate his man after the seventh round by threatening to the stop the fight unless Peter started moving his hand. Peter tried in spots but it was was attempted shot at a time as he began to have a look of defeat on his face as his right eye closed.

Klitschko landed an uppercut in tenth that wobbled the challenger that followed up by a flurry of punches that were mostly glancing but it was enough to put Peter on his back that forced referee Robert Byrd to stop the fight at 1:22 of round twn.

Klitschko, 247 lbs of Kiev, Ukraine made the ninth title defense of this reign, and now fourteenth title defense overall and his record is now 55-3 with forty-nine knockouts.

Peter, 241 1/2 lbs of Las Vegas is now 34-4 with three of his four loss coming to the Klitschko brothers.



Klitschko and Peter come to terms for September 11 rematch


According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Wladimir Klitschko will indeed defend is IBF/WBO/Ring magazine Heavyweight title on September 11th in Frankfurt, Germany in a rematch of a 2005 bout.

“The Sam Peter thing has been agreed to,” Top Rank’s Bob Arum, Peter’s promoter, said. “They’re coming into the [Las Vegas] office to sign [on Thursday]. It was a relatively easy negotiation.”

Bernd Boente, Klitschko’s manager, told ESPN.com in an email, “We found an agreement which is not signed yet, but hopefully [Thursday] so that we can send out a press release.”

“Peter came close last time. This time he has the experience that if he gets Klitschko in trouble again, he can finish him,” Arum said. “If Peter happened to upset Klitschko that would really start a lot of talk in the heavyweight division.”

Said Boente, “This is a very interesting fight especially with the history of the first one in 2005. By the way, we have already sold 15,000 tickets in the Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt without an opponent.”

“We’re going [Thursday] morning to sign. We’re good to go,” said Ivaylo Gotzev, Peter’s manager. “My prediction has always been the same if we got a rematch. This time we’re going to finish the job and not leave it to the judges’ scorecard. We are going into the lion’s den to take him out.”

Bowling Green, Ky., financial officer charged with embezzling tax receipts.

Daily News (Bowling Green, KY) April 4, 2005 Byline: Jim Gaines Apr. 4–At all revenue meetings with Bowling Green elected officials and top city staff, Chief Financial Officer Davis Cooper reiterated that revenue from the city’s insurance premium tax fluctuated wildly, Mayor Elaine Walker said.

All of his predictions for other revenue sources were very accurate, she said.

“But that was the one that he kept saying, ‘There’s just no way to predict it,’ ” Walker said. “And that’s, in the end, what made it vulnerable.” Cooper was hired as city treasurer in 1980 and promoted to chief financial officer at the start of 2002. He was arrested March 18 and charged with embezzling from that very insurance tax’s receipts.

The insurance premium tax makes a good target for embezzlement because the amount of revenue it generated was known to be uneven, according to a federal affidavit by FBI Special Agent Richard Glenn.

The insurance premium tax collected $1,872,000 in fiscal 2004, $1,958,000 in the previous year, and $1,891,000 in 2002, City Treasurer Jeff Meisel said.

Those numbers add up to annual fluctuations of 5 percent and 3 percent, respectively. go to website bowling green ky

A total of 354 Kentucky cities taxed insurance premiums in fiscal year 2003, as allowed by state statute, according to Bobbie Bryant, director of communications for the Kentucky League of Cities. At least 10 more cities are doing so this year, she said.

Those taxes brought in $175 million in fiscal 2003, the last year for which the league has complete figures, Bryant said.

The tax was established in Bowling Green in 1952, Meisel said. Beginning in 1972, a large portion of the tax was set aside for the Fire Improvement Fund to buy equipment for the Bowling Green Fire Department, he said. The bulk of its funds are still earmarked for that purpose. go to web site bowling green ky

Life, health, accident, burial, casualty and auto insurance policies are taxed at 2 percent. Multiple-line policies with indivisible premiums pay a 5.5 percent tax. Inland marine, fire and allied perils, and policies for all other risks pay a 7 percent tax.

Cities can change tax rates for any of those types of policies, Bryant said.

The average tax rate on insurance premiums in Kentucky cities was 6.7 percent in fiscal year 2003, she said.

The insurance tax payments, usually in check form, are mailed to the city treasurer’s post office box, which is emptied by a courier.

They are supposed to be entered into the city computer system and deposited in a city account at U.S. Bank.

Cooper is suspected of taking envelopes containing payments on the city’s insurance premium tax from a city post office box and depositing them in a bank account he opened in 1985 at U.S. Bank.

Within the last five years, $2.3 million has passed through Cooper’s account, and at least one check he is suspected of taking dates from 1996, according to Glenn’s affidavit.

Cooper is free on a $50,000 unsecured bond. The FBI has said he is cooperating.

Cooper’s attorney, Alan Simpson, said Cooper intends to plead not guilty. A conviction on embezzlement charges could bring 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and restitution.

It’s easy and natural to let your guard down with someone who’s well-known and trusted, Walker said.

“That’s a very sad lesson, but I think that what it tells us in city government is that we need to set up our systems so that we protect even the people we do trust from any temptation,” she said.

The city will look at how the tax checks are transported from the post office and secured once they reach city offices, Walker said. More than one person should be present with the receipts at all times, she said.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.