07.06.06 – Only three weeks remain for the anticipated undefeated doubleheader from Caesar’s Palace’s Open-Air Amphitheater in Las Vegas, NV. The June 24 doubleheader will be televised on HBO’s “Boxing After Dark” series, and will feature two 12 round bouts: a WBA Welterweight Eliminator between Joel Julio and Carlos Quintana, and a 12 round heavyweight main event between Calvin Brock and Timur Ibragimov. Brock and Ibragimov recently offered their thoughts on the bout and on training camp.:
Brock: “Ibragimov is a good boxer who can press the action some, but I would call him a, “Be safe first” boxer. With guys like him you have to cut off the ring and break them down. I had 190 amateur bouts so I’ve gone against guys like that in the amateurs” . . . This is Brock’s sixth training camp in California, PA. He first used this training facility to prepare for his Jan 21, 2005, bout against Clifford Etienne (TKO 3) . . . David Bostice, Robert Davis, and Brian Minto are serving as Brock’s sparring partners . . . Brock expects to enter the ring on June 24 “lean and weighing between 223-228”. He adds, “This is the greatest shape I’ve ever been in at this stage of a training camp. I was better conditioned before I came to camp. I trained harder beforehand, running for four weeks prior to camp. Twice per week for two of those weeks I ran six miles. Normally I wouldn’t run more than three miles before camp. That’s how motivated I am to show Ibragimov he’s going to wish he never stepped into the ring with me” . . . Brock has stopped four of his last six opponents. He is ranked in the top-five by all three major sanctioning bodies, and is ranked #8 by The Ring . .
Ibragimov: “Brock is a good fighter who can punch. He has a lot of experience having fought in the Olympics. It’s going to be a very interesting fight for boxing fans” . . . Timur has been at his Hollywood, FL training camp for the past six weeks and plans to arrive in Las Vegas on June 12 . . . He would not reveal any details about his camp, including who he is sparring with, but he did acknowledge that he has added strength and conditioning coach Jeremy Fevoruk to his team. Fevoruk has worked with Timur’s cousin, Sultan Ibragimov, and with Attila Levin . . .
LITZAU RETURNS TO ESPN ON JULY 14: Undefeated featherweight prospect Jason Litzau (18-0, 16 KO’s) returns to ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights” on July 14 at Harrah’s Rincon in Valley City, CA. Litzau will challenge fellow undefeated prospect Marcos Ramirez (21-0, 15 KO’s) in a 10 round featherweight scrap . . . Ramirez has stopped eight opponents in the first round . . . Litzau is ranked #10 by the WBA and #15 by the IBF . . .