NEW YORK (June 14, 2010) – Former Irish heavyweight champion and 1992 Olympian, Kevin “The Clones Colossus” McBride, returns to the ring July 10 for the first time in more than 2 ½ years against veteran Robert “Big Philly” Hawkins in an 8-round bout at Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York. The 37-year-old McBride (34-6-1, 29 KOs), fighting out of Boston, is best known for knocking Mike Tyson into retirement. The 6-6, 280-pound Irishman stopped Tyson in the sixth-round of their June 11, 2005 fight in Washington D.C. McBride fought three times after that, his last October 6, 2007 against Andrew Golota, and he’s been inactive ever since..
“I got my hunger back for boxing,” McBride explained the reason for his comeback. “I’m hungrier than ever to fulfill my dream of becoming the first Irish-born heavyweight champion of the world. I’ve dreamed of that since I was a kid and still do. The heavyweight division is wide open. The plan is to get a few wins and with the help of the McLoughlin brothers (advisors Eddie and Tony) and my manager, Jerry Quinn, get a world title shot. I’m not old, only 37, but I know I have a short window of opportunity. I’ve got the heart and punching power. One punch can change anybody’s chapter.
“I have Irish pride on my side. I mean business this time. Nobody thought I could beat Tyson and I did. They didn’t believe in me then and they’re going to doubt me now. I beat Tyson under tremendous pressure and feel that I’m capable of beating anybody. I’ve been out of action 2 ½ years. I had injuries to my back, ankle and wrist, but I’m healed now and ready to go all out. I was supposed to get a world title shot after I beat Tyson, but I didn’t and that took away my hunger for boxing.”
McBride is still being trained by Goody Petronelli, who handled Hall of Famer “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler and former world champion Stevie Collins. In New York, Kevin is working with trainer Nirmal Lorick at the Universal Boxing Gym in Queens.
“Kevin called me about wanting to fight again,” McBride’s new advisor Eddie McLoughlin explained. “He’s been training and sparring here in New York during the week and returning home to see his family on weekends. Kevin has been working hard in the gym and doing everything asked of him. I called my friend, Brian Burke, and he agreed to put Kevin on his card July 10 in Poughkeepsie. This fight should give us an indication of what Kevin has left and how far he can go. No judgments will be made until after this fight.”
Hawkins (23-15, 7 KOs) is very experienced having defeated Boris Powell, Gary Bell, Robert Wiggins, Terry Smith and Jerry Ballard, in addition to fighting world champions Oleg Maskaev twice and Samuel Peter, as well as David Tua.
“I felt like I was on top of the world when I beat Tyson,” McBride continued, “but complete gratification as a boxer is winning the world title. I have two beautiful kids and a lovely wife supporting me 100-percent. I’m Irish with a good record and I’d love to fight at Madison Square Garden next St. Patrick’s Day. My Irish fans have always come out to support me. Hawkins is a good test for me in my first fight back and we’re doing to take things one fight at a time.
“Goody is still may man and Irish painter Sean Scully is my inspiration. He’s a 60-something old man I worked with on a documentary. He told me to follow my dream and don’t give up. That’s what I’m doing. I lost my hunger for boxing but now I have it back.”
REYNOSO VS AMBRIZ 2 – “NEW BLOOD” ON JUNE 18TH
ORANGE, June 14 –The last time Reynoso and Ambriz entered the ring the two fighters walked out having proven their stick-to-itiveness but were not able to reach a resolution as to who was the superior pugilist when their 8-round fight went to the score cards and ended in a draw.
This Friday at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California their story will change. The scores will be settled.
Jose Reynoso (11-3-1, 1 KO), a southpaw, who hails from Riverside, has vowed to end this fight as the champion. “This fight is going to end differently. I can tell you that this fight won’t be left to the judges to make a decision. I’m going to give it my all. I know in my heart that I am a champion and the boxing fans will know it too when they see me giving all I got on Friday night. It’s going to go down.”
Continued Reynoso, “I know what to expect from Ambriz. Since I have been in the ring with him I know his strengths and weaknesses. My trainer Ruben worked with me on adjusting my style so it’s not an even match, I’m going to do subdue him and unleash.”
Countered the 24 year-old Aris Ambriz (13-0-1, 8 KOs) from the city of Azusa, “I’m going to win by jabbing him. I will stay away from him as much as possible. I know he likes to hold but that is no match for the combinations that I am going to throw. You’re going to see a big difference in this fight because my last fight against Reynoso wasn’t my best performance. It all comes down to the way I ate. I cheated on my diet regiment and gained weight during my training camp. I had to drop weight fast and I gained it back instantly after the weigh in, it made me sluggish on fight night. This time around, my diet has been steady and I’ve kept it extremely healthy eating grilled chicken and fish. My conditioning will make all the difference.”
Fight fans in attendance on Friday night will get to see first hand how this battle will play out. To reserve your tickets to “NEW BLOOD”, priced at $75, $45, and $30 please call 714-935-0900.
“New Blood” is presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions in association with Fox Sports en Español and brought to the boxing audience by Lucas Oil, it works!
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.
Hector Serrano vs. Angel Hernandez
Walter “2 guns” Wright Returns!
(Tacoma, WA) Brian Halquist Productions and the Emerald Queen Casino bring world class pro-boxing back to the Northwest, Saturday June 19, 2010 with Battle at the Boat 77! The event will feature the return of former ESPN Contender star Walter “2 guns” Wright (13-3, 7 KO’s) which will lead up to an explosive main event, featuring undefeated prospect Hector “Teco” Serrano (12-0, 4 KO’s) and Angel Hernandez (14-5, 11 KO’s).
Serrano, a resident of Huntington Park, CA, last fought in March of this year, scoring a 2nd RD TKO win over fellow Californian, Francisco Zepeda. This fight will be Serrano’s first fight outside of California, and is looking to continue his already impressive 12-fight winning streak. Serrano’s opponent will be 25-year-old Angel Hernandez out of Gary, IN. Hernandez last fought on the undercard of the Bernard Hopkins-Roy Jones Jr. fight in Las Vegas this past April. “This will be an excellent main event. I have heard great things about the undefeated Serrano, and putting him up against a fighter like Hernandez with world class experience will make for a great fight,” said Promoter Brian Halquist.
The Co-Main event will feature Seattle’s favorite boxer and former ESPN Contender star Walter “2 guns” Wright (13-3, 7 KO’s). Wright makes his much anticipated return to the ring after a 3 year absence. “Walter’s return to the ring is very exciting for us! He is one of those special fighters. He’s extremely exciting to watch and he has the talent to compete for a title,” concluded Halquist.
Also on the card will be a re-match between local fighters J.R. Delgadillo (0-0-1) out of Walla Walla, and Arlington’s Miguel Garcia (1-0-1). These two fought in their pro-debuts back in April 2009 at Battle at the Boat 71. The fight ended with the crowd pleasing 4 round draw. Coming off a win against local Ralph Prescott, Garcia is ready for redemption against a tough Delgadillo. Both fighters are looking to make a statement and settle the score in what promises to be a 4 round war!
Battle at the Boat 77 will be at the Emerald Queen Casino’s I-5 showroom. Doors open at 6 pm, with the first fight beginning at 7 pm.
The Fight Card
Hector Serrano (12-0, 4 KO’s) vs. Angel Hernandez (14-5, 11 KO’s)
Walter Wright (13-3, 7 KO’s) vs. TBA
JR Delgadillo (0-0-1) vs. Miguel Garcia (1-0-1)
Sergey Kovalev (7-0) vs. Harley Kilfian (8-5-2)
Aaron Schupp (1-0) vs. Ben Metts (1-2)
Evgeney Gradovich (3-0, 3 KO’s) vs. Manuel Ortega (1-2)
Daniel Reece (1-0) vs. Gerald Fisher (0-1)
TICKETS
Available at the Emerald Queen Casino box office 1-888-831-7655 and at all Ticketmaster outlets. Or online at www.ticketmaster.com
Ticket Prices: **VIP Ringside $100 – Reserved $40 – General Adm. $25
**All VIP ticket buyers will be invited to a pre-party function at the EQC Bridge Nightclub starting at 5:00 pm.
ISTANBUL BECOMES LATEST WORLD SERIES OF BOXING FRANCHISE FOLLOWING DEAL WITH SARAN MEDIA GROUP
Istanbul, Turkey, 11th June 2010 – Turkey’s Saran Media Group has been officially confirmed as the latest European franchise in the World Series of Boxing. The official signing ceremony was attended by AIBA President, Dr. C. K. Wu, and the Turkish Minister of Sport, Mr. Faruk Nafiz Özak, as well as the President of the Turkish Boxing Federation Mr. Eyüp Gözgeç.
The Saran Media Group will own and manage the Istanbul WSB franchise, which will involve a team of boxers competing in a global boxing league comprising a total of 12 city-based franchisees spread across four regional conferences: Asia, the Americas and Europe.
Kenan Saran, Managing Director of SARAN Media Group, the most powerful sports and media player in Turkey, welcomed the agreement, saying “WSB offers a much-needed platform to the continuous development of boxers in particular and the boxing sport as a whole. As SARAN, we are committed to making sure that we do our part to ensure that WSB is a success in Turkey. Our expertise in sports management, TV production and distribution will allow us to bring the top-level boxing matches to an eager TV audience in Turkey.”
Each franchisee will have a squad of between 10 and 20 boxers competing across five weight divisions: Bantam (54kg), Light (61kg), Middle (73kg), Light Heavy (85kg) and Heavy (91+kg). The top team from each conference, plus the best second-placed team, will go through to the play-off series to compete for a place in the team championship final at a neutral venue. Separate individual championships will also be held for the best boxers in each of the five weight divisions. The entire Turkish delegation of 11 boxers at the 2009 AIBA World Championships in Milan had already signed up for the WSB, providing a pool of national talent for the franchise team.