17.09.08 – photo by Vanessa Bollmer – Only four months after breaking his jaw in his ninth-round TKO victory over Frantisek Kasanic, Marco “Captain” Huck (21-1, 16 KOs) returns to the ring on Saturday when he takes on European cruiserweight champion Jean Marc Monrose. Fighting in front of his fans in Bielefeld, Germany, Huck is confident the belt will stay in his hometown. “I will not disappoint my fans again,” he said at today´s official press conference. “I will leave the ring as the winner..”
One titanium place and six screws remind him of his victory over Kasanic in mid-May, which made him the IBF Intercontinental Champion. “That´s no problem at all,” Huck stated. “The jaw did not bother me in sparring at all. I am ready to fight Monrose.”
The French champion, who boasts an impressive record of 24-1 (15 KO´s), admitted he was full of respect for his opponent. “I have seen him on tape. He is a good fighter,” Monrose stated. “But I will remain the champion.”
It will be a special fight for Huck who returns to the place where he suffered the sole defeat of his career. Back in December 2007, IBF world champion Steve Cunningham clinched a 12th-round TKO victory. “That was a good learning experience,” coach Ulli Weger said. “Marco has drawn the right conclusions. He is back here in Bielefeld to make up for the loss. But it won´t be easy. Monrose is a strong opponent, a good fighter – Marco needs to be on alert and remain highly-focused all the time.”
In the second main fight, European super-middleweight champion Karo Murat (17-0, 11 KOs) will make the first defence of the title he won in April. He comes face-to-face with Spaniard Gabriel Campillo (16-1, 6 KOs). “He is a strong guy, very fast,” Murat assessed. “But I have worked very hard and will beat him.” Campillo was also confident of success. “The chances are good that I will take the belt home to Spain,” he stated. “I am in the best shape of my life.”
On the undercard, media and fan darling Cecilia Braekhus (8-0, 2 KOs) will make her ninth fight as a professional. “She keeps impressing me,” Ulli Wegner lauded. “We might not speak the same language but she knows exactly what I want from her in practice. She has got a great future ahead.” The First Lady will battle it out with Kimberly Harris.
TSURKAN READY FOR ANGULO
On Saturday October 4th Andrey Tsurkan (26- 3, 17KO) will go to battle against undefeated prospect Alfredo Angulo (13-0, 10KO). The Tsurkan vs. Angulo bout is scheduled for 10 rounds in the jr. middleweight division and will be part of that evenings HBO Boxing After Dark’s special edition triple header.
TSURKAN TRAINING CAMP NOTES
Tsurkan has had a tremendous training camp, getting work from numerous top rated contenders, including fellow Star Boxing stable-mate and current USBA welterweight champion Delvin Rodriguez (23-2-1, 14KO).
“I feel great,” said Tsurkan following an intense sparring session with Rodriguez. Tsurkan looked very sharp and in excellent condition, which is typical of the Ukraine native, now living and training in the Bronx. Tsurkan who is ranked as the WBC #9, WBA #12 jr. middleweight in the world always comes to fight and his non stop punching, aggressive style always makes for good and exciting fights. Tsurkan was last seen in action taking on the always tough and durable Jesse Feliciano back on April 25th of this year. It was Feliciano’s first fight since challenging Kermit Cintron for the IBF welterweight championship of the world. The fight was extremely close until the tenth round when Cintron finally was able to get to Feliciano and the fight was stopped. Tsurkan had a much easier time with Feliciano, dominating him from the opening bell until the eighth round when the referee had finally seen enough and called a halt to the contest at 1:17.
“I feel that I am in tremendous shape and I am looking forward to the fight on the 4th. I know Angulo is tough, but so am I,” stated a focused Tsurkan. Joe DeGuardia CEO of Star Boxing, and longtime promoter of Tsurkan, voiced a similar feeling regarding his jr. middleweight’s upcoming fight. “Andrey always comes to fight and always puts himself in the best possible position to come out victorious. This kid is like a machine. He is always pushing himself that extra inch or extra mile. He is the type of fighter you have to make sure he doesn’t over train, rather than not train enough. The fight with Angulo is going to be an absolute war. Both of these guys are tough kids who like to fight and have good power in both their hands. I don’t think there is a question that this is going to be the fight of the night, and to be honest, it has the makings to be a fight of the year candidate,” said DeGuardia. “We are very confident in Andrey’s ability and feel that his toughness and experience will propel him to a victory come October 4th.”
“Yeah he is definitely ready,” said USBA welterweight champion Delvin Rodriguez. “He is very strong, and his pressure and punch output make him a very difficult opponent to deal with. I have seen Angulo fight and know he definitely has a lot of potential, but this is a huge step up for him taking on Andrey and I don’t think Angulo will be able to withstand the constant pressure put on him.”
Team Tsurkan feels that Angulo does not really know what he is getting himself into with their fighter. “If Andrey fights the way we know he can and sticks to the game plan it’s going to be a very long night for Angulo,” said Tsurkan’s manager Anthony Fiorino. “This is the best Andrey I have seen in a longtime. He is determined and he has been working harder than ever in the gym preparing for this fight. Angulo is going to be in for a rude awakening come October 4th,” stated Mike Redd, Tsurkan’s trainer.
Promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and Ringside Ticket, in association with Star Boxing, Arena Box- Promotion, and DiBella Entertainment, remaining tickets for “Night of the Rising Stars II,” priced at $150, $100, $50, can be purchased at Pechanga’s box office, by calling toll free (877) 711-2WIN or online at www.pechanga.com/tickets/Online.
LUIS RAMOS RETURNS TO ACTION ON SEPTEMBER 26TH IN ONTARIO
VOICES GETTING LOUD IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ABOUT UNBEATEN PROSPECT
LOS ANGELES, CA (September 17, 2008) Unbeaten lightweight prospect Luis Ramos will return to action in the crowded Southern California boxing scene on Friday, September 26th at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California, it was announced today by his manager, Frank Espinoza, President of the Espinoza Boxing Club.
The 19 year old Ramos, 6-0 (4KO’s) will face Puerto Rican banger Celestino Rodriguez, 6-11-3 (6KO’s) of San Juan. P.R., in a scheduled six round bout.
With his exciting, aggressive style, Ramos has quickly become the talk of the Southern California boxing community, always looking for the next world champion.
In his last outing on July 30th, Ramos made his broadcast debut with a devastating fifth round knockout of Aaron Dominguez at the Sycuan Resort and Casino in El Cajon , California . The stoppage highlighted a terrific performance in which the Santa Ana southpaw was able to display his stiff jab, aggressive style and outstanding defense.
Said Espinoza, “People started hearing about Luis when he turned pro last October, but now the buzz is really growing. With his last win being on ESPN everywhere I go people ask me about this kid and when he’s fighting next.
I’ve seen tapes of Celestino Rodriguez and know that he has very heavy hands. Despite his record it will be a very tough test for Luis. Earlier this year Rodriguez knocked out an undefeated prospect in the first round in Puerto Rico so I know what he’s capable of. “
Continued Espinoza, “Luis is young and gaining valuable experience with the different styles he’s faced, but he’s been diligent with his training and should be in great shape on September 26th. He’s got a real crowd pleasing style and the fans in Ontario are in for a real treat.”
Advance tickets for the Thompson Boxing Promotions event can be obtained by calling 714-935-0900 or by visiting their website at www.thompsonboxing.com
The ESPINOZA BOXING CLUB was started in 1991 by Los Angeles area businessman Frank Espinoza. Espinoza has earned numerous accolades for his management skills from many boxing newspaper and internet writers. In the September 2008 issue of Ring Magazine, Espinoza is praised for his outstanding handling of the career of junior featherweight world champion and “Pound for Pound” superstar Israel “EL MAGNIFICO” Vazquez.
Espinoza also has managed retired former world champion Martin “EL GALLITO” Castillo and currently manages former world champion Julio “LA SOMBRA” Zarate along with world ranked Alex Valdez and Miguel “EL ANESTESISTA” Huerta in addition to undefeated prospects Manuel “SUAVECITO” Roman, Jesus “POLLO” Hernandez, Luis Ramos, Carlos Molina and Abraham Lopez.
For more information on The Espinoza Boxing Club, please visit their newly remodeled website at www.espinozaboxingclub.com