OAKLAND, Calif. (May 11, 2009) – Tuesday, May 12, has been declared Andre Ward Day in Oakland and the 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist will spend part of it working. Ward and his opponent in Saturday’s huge 12-round super middleweight homecoming fight at the Oracle Arena–Edison Miranda—will both take part in a free open workout Tuesday at the Plaza between the Oracle Arena and Oakland-Alameda Coliseum. Miranda will begin his workout at 4:30 p.m. PT, and Ward will follow at 5:30 p.m. Ward said he can’t wait to wake up and begin his monumental day on Tuesday. “Wow! It’s exciting to get this news especially because this is the week of my fight,” Ward said. “It really gives me strength and comfort that The City of Oakland is behind Andre Ward..”
Oakland Mayor Ronald V. Dellums announced the proclamation on Monday. It reads in part:
“Whereas, we salute Andre Ward for his steadfast commitment, his vision and his perseverance in pursuit of prominence in the field of boxing; and his current ranking as an undefeated professional fighter and an Olympic Gold medalist; and…
Whereas, we applaud his devoting to the sport, his exemplary sportsmanship and we appreciate his unwavering desire and compassion for the prize fighting profession as well as his strength as an ambassador to the sport, serving as a role model to millions of young men and women in Oakland and beyond; and…
Whereas, we congratulate Andre Ward for passionately accepting his call to worship and for continuing to give honor to his faith; and we proudly welcome him home for his professional debut in Oakland.”
The 12-round fight for Ward’s North American Boxing Organization (NABO) and North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super middleweight titles will be the featured bout on a special Saturday primetime edition of ShoBox: The New Generation, live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
The event will be promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions in association with Leonard Productions. The Ward-Miranda bout will be presented in association with Seminole Warriors Boxing.
Tickets, starting at $25 are on sale at the Oracle Box Office (Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5:30 pm, and Saturday starting at 10 a.m.), online through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or through Ticketmaster Outlets at the following outlet partners: select Macy’s stores and select Ritmo Latino stores. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. PT. The first non-televised fight is at 5 p.m. PT.
WBC News: Nishioka-Gonzalez
From the office of WBC President José Sulaimán: Toshiaki Nishioka, the WBC super bantamweight champion from Japan, will be arriving in Monterrey, Mexico, on Monday, May 18, to defend his WBC championship against mandatory contender and former world champion Jhonny Gonzalez. Nishioka has been praised by the World Boxing Council, especially president Jose Sulaiman, for his professionalism and exemplary commitment during these difficult times that has made many countries and corporations make humiliating and drastic decisions that are hurting the world of sports, especially in Mexico.
Nishioka will arrive in Monterrey convinced that he will retain his super bantamweight championship and show the world that Mexico is no different from any other country.
The ring officials for this bout have been confirmed:
Referee: Kenny Bayless, Las Vegas, USA.
Judges: Gale Van Hoy, Texas, USA; David Sutherland, Oklahoma, USA; and Nathan Palmer, Indiana, USA.
Supervisor: Joe Dwyer from the USA.
On this same card, former champion Rafael Marquez will make his comeback after the three memorable fights against Israel Vazquez.
Juanito Rubillar, along with his team, arrived in Cancun today to prepare for his final elimination bout in the light flyweight division against former champion Omar Niño.
This fight card – “Mayan Challenge at X-caret” – will take place in Cancun, Mexico on June 6, 2009, and will be the first boxing event ever held at the ruins of the Mayan Empire.
RUMBLE IN VENICE BOXING AT THE BEACH
Los Angeles, CA (Monday May 11th, 2009) – Joe Wheatley Productions, in association with Ramon Espada of Espada Boxing Club will present an exciting afternoon of amateur boxing in Venice Beach, California on Sunday May 24, 2009, sponsored by PRO FIGHT SUPPLEMENTS.
2009 has already been a fantastic year for amateur boxing as over 36 schools have registered into Collegiate Boxing; a number not seen since the 1960?s, while the Golden Gloves also enjoyed an excellent turnout this year.
That trend looks to continue with this event which is entering its second consecutive year and will include fighters from Espada, USC and UCLA Boxing clubs along with members of the Navy, Marines and Air Force in honor of Memorial Day Weekend. USC is entering its third year as a boxing team which recently featured one of its members in the National Collegiate Championships, while UCLA is making its debut. Ramon Espada himself was a former amateur fighter for the U.S. Air Force who turned to coaching after a shoulder injury forced him to cut his career short. Now as a coach, Espada looks to teach these up and coming men and women the discipline and intelligence one needs to succeed.
“I feel I’m more of a teacher than a coach and I try to instill values in my guys that will last them a life time,” says Espada.
After a chance meeting with Joe Wheatley through a mutual friend, the two have embarked on a journey to bring their action-packed show to Venice Beach where they hope to make it a yearly event. “Joe’s a great guy who happens to love boxing too,” added Espada. I met him through a friend that owned the gym I used to work at. I was invited to a bodybuilding show at Venice Beach and when I was there I thought…this would be a great place to put on a show!”
The card which will be held at the Venice Recreation Center located at 1800 Ocean Front Walk in Venice, CA 90291, will feature clubs representing Nevada and Southern California in what will amount to roughly a 20-bout card that promises to excite.
Admission will be free and open to the public so make sure to be there to enjoy an action-packed afternoon of boxing!
Espada and Wheatley also have another show scheduled in January at the L.A. Fit Expo.