HOBOKEN, N.J. (June 16, 2011) – Undefeated challenger Tyson Fury believes his July 23 showdown in “The Big Brawl” Pay-Per-View event against defending British & Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion Dereck “Del Boy” Chisora, airing live from Wembley Arena in London, is merely the first step on his chosen journey.
“The Big Brawl,” presented by Hennessy Sports, will be distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 3 PM/ET – 12 PM/PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, and Avail-TVN, for a suggested retail price of only $24.95. Check with your PPV provider for same day replay times.
The 22-year-old Fury (14-0, 10 KOs) will be challenging World Boxing Council (“WBC”) # 12 rated Chisora (14-0, 9 KOs) for his British and Commonwealth title belts in the 12-round main event. “This is a very, very important fight for me, especially having it shown live in the United States,” Fury said between training sessions. “We’re both 14-0 and don’t like each other at all. It’s a good match-up. I had to call him out recently because I was worried that he was going to pull out of our fight. All he’s been talking about is money. But my promoter, Mick Hennessy, is paying him more money for this fight than he’s made in his entire career. I’m really looking forward to July 23rd because, after I beat Chisora, the sky’s the limit for me. I’ll win the European title and then knockout one of the Klitschkos. I will be world champion.”
Fury is a 6’ 9,” 260-pound Irishman who was born in Manchester and lives in Cheshire, England, but as an amateur boxer he represented both England and Ireland because his father is from Galway and grandmother (on his mother’s side) hails from Belfast. His Irish Traveller family has a long history in boxing going back to bare-knuckles days. Named after “Iron” Mike Tyson, the WBC No 21-rated Fury is the cousin of world middleweight contender and former Irish Olympian, Andy Lee.
The personable, charismatic Fury believes Irish boxing fans in the U.S., naturally, are going to embrace him as he expands his market across the Atlantic. “Fighting on pay per view in the U.S. is good for me, particularly among the Irish over there,” Fury noted. “Once the Irish in the states watch me fight and get to know me, I’ll win them over and then I’ll go back over there to celebrate with them when I win the world title.”
Fury is deceiving, physically-speaking, largely because his obvious bulk defies his athleticism, which is a huge advantage for Tyson in the ring. “Boxers my size usually can’t move very well,” he explained. “I have good movement. My foot and hand speed is very good. I was blessed when God gave out talent. I’m in good shape now and will be in the best shape of my life for this fight. I’m a nice boxer with power. I’m going to use by height and range against (the 6’ 1 ½”) Chisora.”
Go to www.IntegratedSportsnet.com and www.HennessySports.com for more information about “The Big Brawl: Chisora-Fury” PPV event. Follow Integrated Sports Media on Twitter @IntegratedPPV.
2011 USA Boxing National Championships Potential Storylines and Feature Story Ideas
(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Each of the 338 athletes slated to compete in the 2011 USA Boxing National Championships enjoyed their own unique journey to the premier Olympic-style boxing event. The tournament features numerous intriguing athlete storylines as well as a promising rebound for USA Boxing with the largest athlete participation in the event’s history.
From boxing family legacies to elite athletes overcoming tremendous obstacles, the 2011 USA Boxing National Championships will showcase a wide range of inspiring stories and historic performances. Fifteen returning champions, a 2008 Olympian and a victor from the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials will all compete in the event in search of both a prestigious national title as well as a coveted Olympic Team Trials berth.
The weeklong tournament will begin on Monday, June 20 with preliminary round action and run through the championship bouts on Saturday, June 25. USA Boxing will webcast the June 25’s championship bouts in the 13 Olympic weight divisions live at www.usaboxing.org at 6 p.m. MT.
The USA Boxing National Championships have been held annually since 1888, making it the longest running amateur boxing tournament in the United States, and the event consistently showcases future Olympians and future World Champions. Former champions include Muhammad Ali (as Cassius Clay). Pernell Whitaker, Oscar De La Hoya, Sugar Ray Leonard, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and Andre Ward.
2011 USA Boxing National Championships Storylines and Feature Story Ideas
Male athletes
Louie Byrd
Byrd hoped to make a run at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing but when he learned that he was two weeks too young to vie for a spot on that team, he focused his goals on London. The Denver native has owned his weight class in the United States since that time, claiming all three USA Boxing National Championships titles over the past four years. A new father to a baby girl, Byrd has a whole new motivation to claim the light flyweight spot on the 2012 Olympic Team. In addition to his four USA Boxing National Championships, Byrd won his fourth straight National Golden Gloves titles at four different weight classes in the April event and has qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
Lenroy “Cam” Thompson
Super heavyweight Thompson is known almost as well for his attire in the ring as for his performance. An avid advocate for breast cancer, Thompson shows his support in the ring with his pink trunks and headgear and generally boxes several breast cancer phrases adorned on his trunks. A two-time USA Boxing National Champion and the top ranked super heavyweight in the country, Thompson sells shirts to raise money from breast cancer at numerous boxing and MMA events. He has dominated the super heavyweight division over the past two years and plans to continue his winning streak in his unique fashion in Colorado Springs.
Michael Hunter
Hunter, a 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Men’s Boxing champion, has been through all of the Olympic Trials hoopla before. Yet after winning the 2008 event, he fell just short of qualifying internationally for the 2008 Olympic Games and wasn’t able to compete in Beijing. After making the move from super heavyweight down to the heavyweight division, Hunter is back for another shot at Olympic glory in 2012. He won his first national title at his new weight class in April at the National Golden Gloves to earn a berth in the Olympic Trials and will chase his first USA Boxing National Championships crown at his new weight class in Colorado Springs. The son of a professional heavyweight, Hunter got a late start in the sport but has shocked everyone with his skill and talent since taking up the sweet science.
Raynell Williams
Williams, the featherweight representative on the 2008 Olympic Team, could become only the third U.S. boxer in history to compete in two Olympic Games should he earn a berth on the 2012 squad. Following a devastating loss in the 2008 Olympic Games, Williams took a break from the sweet science to regroup. He’s making his long awaited return to the national scene at the 2011 USA Boxing National Championships where he hopes to earn a berth in his second straight U.S. Olympic Team Trials. The 22-year-old has made the move up to the lightweight division for his second run at Olympic gold.
Luis Arias
Arias, the reigning champion in a talent-laden middleweight division, is chasing two very important goals over the next two years. After falling just short in his Olympic run as an inexperienced teenager in 2008; Arias is seeking an Olympic berth in 2012. Yet his mother is more focused on his second goal, a degree from Marquette University, where Arias recently completed his junior year. The son of a Cuban father and Nicaraguan mother, Arias trains with 2000 Olympic Coach Israel Acosta, who competed with Arias’ father, Luis Arias, Sr., prior to the elder Arias retiring from the sport in the 1980s.
Errol Spence
The 21-year-old Spence got a late start in the sweet science but hasn’t stopped this Dallas native from dominating the welterweight division over the last two years. The top ranked welterweight in the U.S. picked up the gloves only six short years ago as a 15-year-old. His only boxing knowledge at the time came from pay-per-view bouts he and his father would watch together at a local barbershop, but he has since mastered the sport. He now enters the 2011 USA Boxing National Championships as the two-time defending national champion and punched his ticket for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials with a gold medal at the 2010 National PAL Championships.
Russell brothers
A pair of brothers are looking to follow in the footsteps of their older brother and earn a berth on the 2012 Olympic Team. Gary Antonio Russell and Gary Allan Russell III will both vie for national titles and Olympic Team Trials berths in Colorado Springs. The eldest Russell was the bantamweight representative on the 2008 squad and the tradition of boxing success is continuing in 2011. Antonio will box at the bantamweight division while Allan looks to add another national title to his 2010 National Golden Gloves championship at the light welterweight division. The Russell family is known not only for their boxing prowess but their family names as all six sons are named Gary Russell. Their father, Gary Russell, Sr., who named all of his sons in his honor, trains all of his sons.
Female athletes
Marlen Esparza
As a youngster, Esparza was asked by her father to escort her brother to the boxing gym. He never could have known that his young daughter would fall in love with the sport and have chance to make history. She was given the opportunity to take dance or boxing and over a decade later, and her choice to stick with her prowess in the ring has paid off. Esparza will compete for her sixth straight national title in Colorado Springs and could become only the third female boxer in history to complete the feat. Yet her history making potential doesn’t end there, Esparza dreams of becoming the first female boxing Olympic gold medalist. As one of the top female hopefuls going into the historic debut of women’s boxing in London, she was recently chosen as one of Coca-Cola’s eight pack of athletes for the London Olympics.
Queen Underwood
Known as one of the top boxers on the planet following a bronze medal at the 2010 World Championships, Queen Underwood is no stranger to being a strong woman in a man’s world. Following a career as a track athlete, Underwood took up the sport of boxing at 17 and has developed into one of the most highly respected female boxers in the world. Outside the ring, Underwood studied a very unique craft en route to her career in the Seattle Fire Department. She currently works in Sprinkler Fitters Local 669 as the sole female among dozens of men in the fire-protection division of Seattle-based McKinstry, a construction, consulting and energy firm. Her boss has learned that she’s just as strong if not stronger, than many of his men, but with a better attitude. Underwood heads into the 2011 USA Boxing National Championships as the top dog in the deepest weight class in the top tournament – the female lightweight division.
Melissa Parker (previously Roberts)
Former featherweight champion, Melissa Parker, took an important break from boxing following the birth of her daughter, Maleah. An active Marine, Parker was forced to leave her post in Hawaii due to her daughter’s left congenital hernia. Doctors gave her daughter only a 15% chance of survival, but she survived due to constant hospital care. Roberts returned to the sport after nearly a three-year absence in 2009 and returned to her old form, winning the featherweight title at the USA Boxing National Championships. She recently moved up to the lightweight division to make a run at Olympic gold and will represent the United States Marine Corps at the upcoming national championships.
Caroline Barry
Caroline Barry, one of the sport’s veterans, also found a calling for the military. A former national champion at the lightweight division and certified athlete trainer, Barry recently became a part of the United States Army’s squad at Fort Carson, Colo. In order to become a member of the team, Barry enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves and now competes as a member of the Army squad under the tutelage of 2004 Olympic Coach Basheer Abdullah. Barry says she is now living her dream with the opportunity to train full time with her Army family in the hopes of earning a berth in the 2012 Olympic Games.
Tyrieshia Douglas
2010 USA Boxing National Championships silver medalist views boxing as not only a calling or a hobby, but a life saver. The elite female boxer grew up in the foster care system in the Washington DC area and credits the sport of boxing for saving her life. As an elite boxer in one of the three female Olympic weight divisions, Douglas has the chance to be a huge inspiration to the young men and women coming behind her and works hard to make them proud.
Kymmberli Stowe
A former beauty queen and current MBA and law student, Stowe began boxing following a challenge from her brother, a boxing champion in his own right. She and her brother both enjoyed in the ring earlier in the decade but her beloved sibling was tragically murdered, which understandably had a large impact on Stowe. She hung up her gloves and gained over 60 pounds following his death. Yet once she heard that women’s boxing had gained Olympic inclusion, she returned to the boxing gym to fulfill a promise made to her brother that they would be come world champions. She champions the rights of boxers on USA Boxing’s Board of Directors while preparing to take the bar in her home state of Pennsylvania. In addition to her goals in the ring, she aspires to become a state senator.
The Han Family
Jennifer Han represented her country as the youngest member of the U.S. squad at the first-ever Women’s World Boxing Championships in 2001, but as the first Olympic Games for women’s boxing quickly approach, she has switched her focus to the coaching side. Han is currently preparing her younger sisters, Heather and Stephanie for the run at Olympic gold she never had the opportunity to undertake. Boxing is the family business in the Han clan with Israel Han also competing on the men’s side and older brother Abraham having competed as an amateur before his jump to the professional ranks.
Organizational storylines
Tournament size
The 2011 edition of the USA Boxing National Championships is the largest in the tournament’s history in the current format. The total of 338 athletes exceeds the 2007 event, which was also an Olympic Trials qualifier for the men as well as the combined numbers of the 2003 Men’s and Women’s National Championships. In addition, the largest weight class in the tournament is the female lightweight division with 36 athletes slated to compete for the lightweight crown in Colorado Springs.
First-ever qualifying tournament for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for both men and women
With the sport of women’s boxing making its Olympic debut at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the 2011 USA Boxing National Championships will mark the first-ever event in which both male and female athletes will qualify for the Olympic Team Trials. The top four finishers in all 13 Olympic weight divisions, which include 10 men and three women’s weight classes, will earn berths in the Olympic Team Trials. The high stakes in both the men’s and women’s competition ensures outstanding action throughout the week.
Growth in the exposure of Olympic-style boxing
The addition of widely-renowned boxing trainer Freddie Roach as well as the Olympic debut of women’s boxing has provided new and promising exposure opportunities for USA Boxing and the sport. The announcement of Freddie Roach’s partnership with USA Boxing and the USOC has garnered outstanding media attention with stories running in every major national media outlet. In addition, Roach recently announced a six episode series on his life to run on HBO, which will feature his work with USA Boxing in addition to his other duties at the Wild Card Boxing Gym in Hollywood. The sport of women’s boxing has enjoyed unprecedented media attention as well with just a year remaining before its Olympic debut. CNN’s Soledad O’Brien is dedicating a full hour to a feature on the United States’ top female athletes and MTV’s World of Jenks will be showcasing an aspiring female boxer as well. On the marketing side, five-time national champion and top ranked flyweight Marlen Esparza was recently chosen as one Coca-Cola’s eight pack of athletes, which the beverage giant will highlight leading into the London Olympics.
Staff Growth
USA Boxing’s National Office has made a significant rebound after large staff cuts two years ago. Former Coca-Cola executive Jerry Mayes has joined the organization as the Senior Director of Business Development, and will use his vast expertise to assist the organization in sponsor expansion and strategic development at every level. In addition, former USA Boxing employee and Olympic movement veteran Eddie Yoon has signed on as the Director of High Performance and Events. He is currently working closely with the coaching staff to provide the United States’ athletes to provide the best opportunity to succeed at high level international competitions.
Returning Olympians and international experience
For the first time ever, the United States has two potential returning Olympians as well as a U.S. Olympic Team Trials champion. While Rau’shee Warren is looking to make history by becoming the first U.S. Olympian ever to compete in three Olympic Games, two familiar faces are hoping to compete in London as well. Featherweight Olympian Raynell Williams and Olympic Trials super heavyweight champion would provide vast knowledge and experience to the 2012 squad should they earn berths in the team. With the strong pull of the professional ranks, this level of experience and knowledge would be unprecedented at USA Boxing. In addition, the United States’ women also boast vast international experience with the top female athletes in each of the three women’s Olympic weight classes all owning World Championships medals and having competed in six World Championships between them. Yet the strong knowledge doesn’t end with the current number one female athletes, numerous other top Olympic hopefuls boast World Championships and Continental Championships experience as well.
Organizational growth
In addition to the staff growth, USA Boxing’s National Office, board of directors and grassroots membership continue to work together to build greater success from the local level through the Olympic medal stand. USA Boxing’s staff and board have created a cohesive business plan that will see the organization through the next decade and aid in making USA Boxing a self-sufficient organization by 2016. There are current plans in place to create multiple revenue streams both at the national and local levels and the organization is current operating with a balanced budget.
USA Boxing, as the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing, is the United States’ member organization of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).
Jimmy Lange Headed to Brawl in Virginia Beach June 25 Before Returning Home September 10
Junior middleweight contender Jimmy Lange (34-4-2, 24 KOs) of Great Falls, VA will return to the ring on Saturday, June 25 as part of Beach Brawl 1 being held at the Virginia Beach Field House in Virginia Beach, VA. His opponent is to be determined for the event being produced by Dee Lee Promotions in association with Jeremy Watts and American Dream Sports Management.
Lange, who won a unanimous decision over Jimmy Holmes last March at the Patriot Center, is scheduled to headline his 13th card at the George Mason University arena in Fairfax, VA on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011.
Tickets for Beach Brawl 1 are priced at $30 and $50. For more information or to buy tickets, fans should call 757-646-4145 or 757-217-5188.
CONYERS REPLACES YORGEY AGAINST GABRIEL ROSADO ON JULY 15 AT BALLY’S ATLANTIC CITY
Atlantic City, NJ—Hard-hitting Allen Conyers, of the Bronx, NY, steps in for the injured Harry Joe Yorgey when he takes on Gabriel Rosado, of Philadelphia, PA, in the scheduled 10-round junior middleweight main event Friday evening, July 15, at Bally’s Atlantic City.
Yorgey, of Bridgeport, PA, sustained a shoulder injury in training Monday evening and will be out of action for three months.
Conyers, 35, is known as the Dream Shatterer for his record of derailing the careers of several promising fighters.
Earlier this year, he shattered the 20-0 record of James De La Rosa when he scored three knockdowns and a unanimous 10-round decision over the Texas prospect at the Silverdome in Pontiac, MI, on the Timothy Bradley vs. Devon Alexander card.
In one three-fight stretch, Conyers scored knockouts over Jonathan Tubbs (7-1-1 at the time), of Rochester, NY, Russell Jordan (12-3), also of Rochester, NY, and Derek Ennis (10-0-1), of Philadelphia, PA.
Conyers is dangerous early, having K0d Tubbs and Jordan each in the first round and Ennis in the second.
By comparison, Rosado lost a 12-round decision to Ennis last summer for the USBA junior middleweight title.
A pro since 2002, Conyers temporarily left boxing after losing to world-rated Said Ouali, of Morocco, in 2008, then returned this year, beating De La Rosa and losing to world-rated Carlos Molina, of Chicago, IL.
Overall, Conyers is 12-5, 9 K0s, fighting world-rated men like James Kirkland, of Austin, TX, and Delvin Rodriguez, of Danbury, CT.
“I know Conyers is dangerous, especially early in the fight,” said Rosado. “I can’t stick my chin out there and let him test it. I’m disappointed Yorgey won’t be in the opposite corner July 15, but I look forward to fighting him when he gets healthy. In the meantime, I cannot afford to get careless with Conyers.”
Six additional fights complete the July 15 card, which begins at 7.30 pm.
Tickets priced at $50 and $75 are on sale at the offices of Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922) and at Ticketmaster (800-745-3000). They also are available online at www.peltzboxing.com and www.ticketmaster.com.