TEMECULA, CALIF. (September 22, 2008) – Let loose this dog of war! Undefeated junior middleweight contender ALFREDO “PERRO” ANGULO (13-0, 10 KOs), from Mexico, can’t wait to sink his teeth into his next victim — Andrey Tsurkan of (26-3, 17 KOs), of Ukraine — in a battle of Top-10 contenders highlighting “Night of the Rising Stars II..” Promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and Ringside Ticket, in association with Star Boxing, DiBella Entertainment and Arena Box-Promotion, “Night of the Rising Stars II” will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark, Saturday, October 4, live from the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif., beginning at 10:05 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast.)
The televised tripleheader will also feature the World Boxing Council (WBC) interim super welterweight championship between Sergio Martinez and Alex Bunema and a 10-round battle between undefeated featherweights Yuriorkis Gamboa and Marcos Ramirez.
Angulo, whose Spanish ring name “Perro” translates to dog in English, has promised to lay Tsurkan out on all fours.
“My fists are the paws that refreshes my undefeated record,” said Angulo from his California-based training camp. “I’m going to hound Tsurkan around the ring until he falls like everyone else I have fought. He’s going straight in the doghouse on October 4!”
Angulo recently cracked the Top-10 junior middleweight ratings thanks to his 2008 knockout victories of Top-10 contender Richard Gutierrez (24-1, 14 KOs), in his HBO debut, in May, where he captured the World Boxing Organization Inter-Continental junior middleweight title, and Ricardo Cortes (22-1-1, 15 KOs), in February, ending Cortes’ five-year, 12-bout winning streak. Angulo, who has won his last nine bouts by knockout, with only Gutierrez making it as far as the fifth round, is currently world-rated No. 6 by the WBO and No. 10 by the WBC.
Remaining tickets for “Night of the Rising Stars II,” priced at $150, $100 and $50, can be purchased at Pechanga’s box office, calling (877) 711-2WIN or online at www.pechanga.com/ticketsOnline. Additional service fees may be incurred. Doors open at 5 p.m. PT, with the first bout beginning at 6 p.m. PT.
BURNS: I WANT COOK OR MITCHELL NEXT
Scotsman Ricky Burns says he wants East End rivals Nicky Cook and Kevin Mitchell ringside on Friday night at York Hall- if they are brave enough to turn up.
Burns, 25, challenges tough Ghanaian Osumana Akaba for the vacant Commonwealth title at the home of boxing in front of the Sky television cameras.
And he has his sights firmly set on newly crowned WBO World Super-Featherweight king Cook and British champion Mitchell.
“I want Cook to be there so I can call him out after I’ve beaten Akaba,” said Burns.
“He said he wants a mandatory defence of his belt, and I’m more than happy to fight any time, anywhere, and I’ll tell him that in front of his own fans ringside on Friday night.
“Cook might have beaten one Scottish fighter in Alex Arthur to win the world title, but he won’t be so lucky second time around.”
Burns, who lost on points to Arthur in a European, Commonwealth and British title challenge when he was an inexperienced youngster, also wants Mitchell to make the journey to York Hall.
“I want to be made mandatory challenger to Mitchell’s British title, but I’m not sure he fancies fighting me,” said Burns.
“I’ve been waiting for that fight for ages, but I think Mitchell’s looking for a couple of soft touches before facing a real threat to his title like me.
“I want him ringside on Saturday, but I’m also worried that I might scare him off because I’ve improved so much in the last 12 months.
“If he was worried about fighting me before Friday, he’ll be even more concerned after he sees my performance against Akaba.”
Unbeaten in his last eight fights, Burns has a 23-2 record, and says that he is a far more aggressive fighter under new trainer Billy Nelson.
“People are going to see me coming forward a lot more and boxing off the front foot,” said Burns. “My power has improved dramatically since I started working with Billy and I’ll be aiming for a knockout on Friday night.
“I’ve fought at York Hall twice before and won by knockout both times, so I’ll be looking to make it a hat-trick on Friday.”