31.07.08 – Former EBU super-bantamweight champion Spencer Oliver has told Setanta Sports News that there is no way back for Miguel Angel Cotto following his WBA welterweight title loss to Antonio Margarito at the weekend..

Cotto received what Oliver described as ‘a systematic beating’ and rubbished reports that the former undefeated WBA champion should get a rematch.

“Cotto was a big name in boxing what with [Floyd] Mayweather retiring. Over the first five rounds Cotto looked phenomenal, moving all the time, on the back foot and picking his punches.

“But in the sixth round he started looking vulnerable but the seventh round was the turning point, Margarito did a fantastic job.

“In the end he just broke his heart. He’ll never be the same fighter again, I can’t see him being any sort of force again.

“My feeling is he should retire but he’s not going to retire. There are too many fighters out there. But he will not be the same force he was before this fight.”

ISRAEL VAZQUEZ TO MEET FANS AT SOLO BOXEO EVENT IN TUSCON THIS FRIDAY

LOS ANGELES, CA (July 30, 2008) World Boxing Council Junior Featherweight Champion Israel Vazquez heads to Tucson, Arizona this Friday evening, August 1st to meet and greet boxing fans at the Desert Diamond Casino during the SOLO BOXEO TECATE event presented by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.

Vazquez will also be part of the live SOLO BOXEO TECATE broadcast with hosts Bernardo Osuna and Ricardo Celis.

Said Vazquez, “I’m looking forward to coming to Tucson this Friday. I’m always glad to meet the fans and see a great night of boxing.”

Vazquez cemented his place in the annals of boxing history over the last eighteen months with his three epic battles with former world champion Rafael Marquez, culminating in his outstanding rubber match win on March 1st at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

In regards to his immediate plans, Vazquez stated, “Right now I’m just enjoying the summer with my family. Hopefully, I’ll be back in the ring soon to put on a great performance for the fans.”

The Vazquez/Marquez trilogy, thought by many to be amongst the greatest in boxing history, has won numerous accolades by the boxing media with the most recent bout sure to land atop many “2008 Fight of the Year” lists as well as the final round being given consideration for “2008 Round of the Year” as Vasquez scored a knockdown in the terrific final round to win the fight.

Vazquez is currently ranked on numerous Pound for Pound lists including # 4 by Yahoo Sports, # 5 by Ring Magazine and # 7 by ESPN.

Tickets for the exciting night of boxing are now on sale and range from $30 to $100 in advance. They can be purchased at any Ticketmaster location, by calling 520-321-1000, by contacting the Desert Diamond Casino Box Office, or by visiting www.desertdiamondcasino.com. Doors open at 4:00 PM with the first bout starting at approximately 4:30 PM. Jhonny Gonzalez and Yan Barthelemy will be featured in separate bouts on the TeleFutura “Solo Boxeo” broadcast starting at 5:00 PM.

Ice-cool Captain Marco Huck braves the heat

Germany has been hit by a rare heat wave. With temperatures over 30° Celsius, Marco “Captain” Huck took time out for a special training session – he went water-skiing on Berlin´s famous Lake Wannsee. “That was a lot of fun,” he said. “Coach Ulli Wegner calls sessions like this ‘active relaxing’. I could do it all the time.”

The 23-year-old will return to the ring on September 20 when he takes on European Cruiserweight Champion Jean Marc Monrose in his hometown of Bielefeld, Germany.