(January 11, 2010) With rumors swirling about what will be happening with the World Boxing Council 154 lb. title, champion Sergio Martinez has come out to set the record straight. In short, despite the wishes of some to become champion without having to go through “Maravilla”, Martinez has no plans on relinquishing the belt anytime soon.
“Everyone who knows me knows that I cherish the green belt more than any other accomplishment I’ve ever had in boxing,” said Martinez. “If people are looking for an excuse to become champion without fighting me, I have bad news for them. I plan on being WBC Champion for a long time.”
As for future plans, Martinez is gung-ho about chasing down the big name fights that had eluded him prior to his December 5 slugfest with Paul Williams. But even a move up to middleweight for a bout with Kelly Pavlik or a rematch with Williams will have no bearing on his standing as WBC champion.
“I know I may have to move up in weight to fight Pavlik or Williams,” said Martinez. “But I will not make any decision on the belt until after the fight.”
JUAN CARLOS BURGOS VS JUAN CARLOS MARTINEZ HEADLINE CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT CARD ON JANUARY 15 IN LAREDO, TEXAS,
TELEVISED LIVE ON ESPN
Arthur Pelullo’s Banner Promotions and Kenneth Thompson’s Thompson Boxing Promotions will present a sensational championship fight card this Friday, January 15, 2010, at the Laredo Entertainment Center, located at 6700 Arena Boulevard in Laredo, Texas. The main event, co-featured bout, and other selected fights will be televised live on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, their Spanish-Language Network, and ESPN 360.com.
In the main event scheduled for 12 rounds, Juan Carlos Burgos, 23-0 with 16 knockouts, of Tijuana, Mexico, will defend the WBC Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) featherweight title against Juan Carlos Martinez, 15-10-1 with 5 knockouts, of San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
The 22 year-old Burgos is a five-year pro – he made his debut at 16 in Mexico. The young contender was born into boxing – his father was an amateur boxer and his uncle is the former IBF junior flyweight world champion Victor Burgos. Juan Carlos has given consistently impressive performances and climbed in the world rankings – he is currently ranked No. 2 in the world by the WBC and No. 14 by the WBO at 126 pounds.
Martinez, now 28 years old, is a six-year professional veteran. He is coming off one of his career-best wins in his last fight on September 26, 2009, an upset 10 round unanimous decision against hometown favorite Jose Hernandez (22-4) in Chicago. Martinez is experienced against very good opposition and has gone the distance against WBC interim lightweight world champion Antonio De Marco and former WBC featherweight world champion Guty Espadas.
The co-featured bout will be a six-round junior middleweight fight between 2008 U.S. Olympian Demetrius Andrade, 8-0 with 6 knockouts, of Providence, Rhode Island, against Bernardo Guereca, 15-9-1 with 3 knockouts, of Albuquerque, New Mexico. A rising young star – ESPN.com ranks him as one of the top young prospects in 2010 – Demetrius is co-promoted by Star Boxing Promotions.
Several experienced veterans and young prospects will also be included on the card.
Garret Simon will make his professional debut in a four-round heavyweight bout. Simon is from Puyallup, Washington, and was the 2008 National Junior Olympic gold medalist at 201 pounds. He will be facing Zakhariah King of Ft. Worth, Texas, who is also making his professional debut.
Local favorite Rodolfo Gomez Jr., 5-0, 4 KOs, Laredo, Texas will fight an opponent to be announced be in a four-round welterweight fight. Gomez is the son of Manuel “Shotgun” Gomez.
Three more fights are planned to complete the card. All bouts subject to change without notice.
Doors open at: 6:00 P.M. (Central Time)
First fight at: 8:00 P.M. (Central Time)
Tickets prices: $5, $10, $20, $50, $70; service charge and facility fee are added to each ticket price.
Tickets available at: Laredo Entertainment Center Box Office; all TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, and TicketMaster.com.
“NEW BLOOD” FOR THE NEW YEAR THOMPSON BOXING’S HIT SERIES RETURNS ON JAN. 22
LOS ANGELES, January 11 – In 2008, Thompson Boxing Promotions introduced the “New Blood” series, and since then, the brightest prospects in the sport have taken this platform to show their skills to appreciative Southern California fight fans. On Friday, January 22, “New Blood” returns with a high-impact six-bout card featuring the area’s top talent, including Patrick Lopez, Daniel Hernandez, Hector Serrano, Efrain Esquivias, and Alberto Herrera.
Tickets for “NEW BLOOD VII”, priced at $75, $45, and $30, are available now and may be purchased by calling 714-935-0900.
In the “New Blood” main event, scheduled for eight rounds in the junior welterweight division, Indio’s Patrick “El Elegante” Lopez (17-2, 11 KOs) hopes to extend his two-fight winning streak in his toughest bout to date when he squares off against two-time world title challenger John “The Eastern Beast” Brown (24-16-2, 11 KOs) of Atlantic City.
A six round lightweight co-feature will see one of the game’s top rising stars, Daniel “Travieso” Hernandez (8-0, 4 KOs) of South Gate, return to action to take on Los Mochis, Mexico veteran Baudel Cardenas (18-19-2, 6 KOs) in what should be an entertaining battle.
Also scheduled for six rounds is a junior welterweight war between Riverside lightweight Hector “Teco” Serrano (10-0, 3 KOs) and Los Mochis’ Cristian Favela (17-23-6, 10 KOs) Serrano is 2-0 since a yearlong layoff, and his career is firmly on the upswing as he prepares for the veteran Favela.
Undefeated Los Angeles featherweight Efrain Esquivias (6-0, 4 KOs) first made a name for himself as a 2006 National Golden Gloves champion. On January 22nd he will look to improve on his perfect pro record in a six rounder against Albuquerque’s Randy Arrellin (2-1, 1 KO).
Riverside’s Alberto Herrera (6-0, 5 KOs) made his pro debut in 2009, he’s been living up to his nickname of “Baby Dynamite”. On January 22nd, he’s back in a junior middleweight six rounder against Boise, Idaho’s equally explosive Hilario Lopez (11-8, 8 KOs).
Opening up the show will be a four round clash of debuting junior welterweights, as Watsonville’s Johnatan Garcia takes on Riverside’s Anthony Reyes.
Bouts subject to change. Doors open at 6:30pm, and the first bell rings at 7:45pm. The Doubletree Hotel is located at 222 North Vineyard Avenue in Ontario. The hotel phone number is 909-937-0900.