As unbeaten Mike Jones, of Philadelphia, PA, who is 24-0, 18 K0s, and is ranked the #1 welterweight in the world behind World Boxing Organization (WBO) champion Manny Pacquiao, prepares to meet Raul Munoz (21-13-1, 16 KOs), of Leon, Mexico, on Saturday, June 25, at South Philly Arena, he has had an excellent training camp. Here are some quotes from Jones:
Mikes Jones Comments
• On facing non-ranked Raul Munoz on June 25: “I’m a professional. This is my job. Anytime I go out, whenever I go out, I’m going to put my best effort forth. I’m going to prepare myself like it’s a world championship fight because I’m trying my best to be one of the greatest out there. That’s my dream.”
• On fighting in his hometown for the first time in more than two years: “This fight means a lot to me, obviously, because I’m back home for the first time in more than two years. I want to look my best when I’m at home, just like I do when I’m anywhere else. It’s kind of a different feeling when you’re at home, because you really want to perform. Like Manny Pacquiao says, I want to do it for the fans. That’s what I want to do. I want to look my best for the fans. I want to look great in there.”
• What Jones learned from his two fights with Jesus Soto-Karass: “If I stick to the game plan and be patient, great things will happen. Those fights were a learning experience to help me with my future fights.”
• On the second Soto-Karass fight: “I wanted to show everybody that I could box. I can punch. I can do it all. On any given night, I can bring out the boxer, I can bring out the slugger. I’m just working on my game…to be the best at both of them. It’s satisfying to know I can go the distance. I’m going to be fighting guys ranked number 2, number 3, guys that can’t be knocked out. I always knew I could go the distance but I wanted to show the world that I could and be a good boxer.”
• On being ranked #1 by the WBO: “I’ve heard about it. I rarely look at that but it’s impossible not to. It’s great to be looked at that way. I’m a work in progress. I’m always working to try to get better.”
• Future plans: “I want a big fight, anybody in the Top 10, whatever the fans want. I think I’m ready for a title shot right now. It doesn’t hurt to get more seasoning. It doesn’t hurt to get a couple more fights before I go for a title shot because I know when I get in my best shape I can contend with the best of them.”
• On his ultimate goal of fighting Manny Pacquiao: “I can get a call any day to fight a guy like Manny Pacquiao so I gotta be in great shape all the time. As for me, I feel I can beat him because I got 100% confidence in myself. I feel as though I can beat anybody in the welterweight division. Pacquiao will bring far more than exposure. Any time you fight a Manny Pacquiao you’re also going to see seven digits ($) so that’s gotta be a dream come true for me and my family.”
• When did you start boxing: “I’ve been training since I was 15 years old, hard…non-stop. I always wanted to be a champion since I stepped foot in the boxing ring. I wanted to be great and I’m motivated to be one of the great fighters in the world.”
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Mike Jones vs. Raul Munoz, co-promoted by Top Rank, Inc., Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc., and Joe Hand Promotions, takes place Saturday, June 25, at the South Philly Arena, 7 West Ritner Street (next to Forman Mills). The scheduled 10-round contest will be televised live by Fox Sports Net at 10 pm EST as part of the Top Rank Live! Series. First of 7 fights: 8 pm.
The United States’ Top Boxing Olympians Shine in Second Round action at the 2011 USA Boxing National Championships
(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Several of the United States’ top Olympic hopefuls put on a show on the second day of action at the USA Boxing National Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo. Forty-five bouts of action in eight weight classes were contested in Tuesday’s afternoon action.
The hotly contested male light welterweight division took center stage on the day with defending champion Pedro Sosa (Bronx, N.Y.) suffering an upset loss and 2010 runner-up Michael Reed (Waldorf, Md.) claiming an impressive retirement victory. Sosa dropped a tiebreaker to Thomas Duquette (Waltham, Mass.) in their second round bout. Duquette claimed a slim one-point advantage after one round but Sosa came back in the second to take an 11-8 edge into the final round. The final bell sounded with the two deadlocked at 11, but Duquette pulled out a 76-75 total punch count win to take the bout. Reed didn’t have the same difficulty in his bout, winning a first round retirement over Dahlton Silva Cordeiro (Kahului, Hawaii). Reed will take on Manuel Lopez (Centennial, Colo.) in quarterfinal action on Wednesday.
Two of the top female lightweights claimed second round wins on Tuesday afternoon to set up a big-time showdown in Wednesday’s quarterfinal action. Four-time national champion Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.) won her second straight stoppage of the tournament, putting an end to her bout with Darina Mimms (Greensboro, N.C.) in the third round. Underwood will take on fellow four-time national champion Caroline Barry (Boulder, Colo.) in a highly anticipated contested on Wednesday afternoon. Barry moved on to the quarterfinals with an 11-9 win over 2010 Bantamweight National Champion Lauren Fisher (Dania, Fla.).
Edgar Alvarado, Jr. (San Bernadino, Calif.) continued his impressive performance at the 2011 USA Boxing National Championships with a slim 10-9 win over defending champion Luis Arias (Milwaukee, Wis.). The close victory comes one day after Alvarado upset 2011 USA Boxing National Championships bronze medalist Daquan Arnett (Orlando, Fla.). Alvarado will look to continue his winning streak and earn a spot in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in his quarterfinal contest with Izaak Cardona (Colorado Springs, Colo.).
In heavyweight action, 2009 National Champion Jordan Shimmell (Hudsonville, Mich.) earned his first win of the tournament with a 12-5 decision over Bobby Dean (Parshall, N.D.). The victory advances Shimmell on to a quarterfinal bout with Javonta Charles (Memphis, Tenn.).
Second round action will recommence at 6 p.m. with 57 second round bouts at the Colorado Springs Christian School.
Tuesday Afternoon Session
Second Round Results
108 lbs/male: Eros Correa, San Jose, Calif., dec. Keola McKee, Wailuku, Hawaii, 17-8
108 lbs/male: David Carlton, Cincinnati, Ohio, dec. Oscar Mojica, Dallas, Texas, 18-17
119 lbs/female: Amanda Pavone, Burlington Mass., dec. Erica Rosenburg, Fountain, Colo., 18-11
123 lbs/male: Luis Feliciano, Milwaukee, Wis., dec. O’Shanique Foster, Orange, Texas, 16-14
123 lbs/male: Joshua McShane, Waianae, Hawaii, dec. Fidel Cervantes, Marquette, Mich., 13-7
123 lbs/male: Joet Gonzalez, Glendora, Calif., dec. Isaac Torres, Mission, Texas, 10-7
123 lbs/male: Dennis Galarza, Orlando, Fla., dec. Joseph Pichardo, Helena, Mich., 17-9
123 lbs/male: Corey Hill, Portland, Ore., dec. Tyshawn Jones, Newark, N.J., 25-15
123 lbs/male: Edwin Sandoval, Bakersfield, Calif., dec. Mitchell Foley, Alpharetta, Ga., 14-11
123 lbs/male: Antonio Nieves, Cleveland, Ohio, dec. Emmanuel Nieves, Phoenix, Ariz., 17-13
123 lbs/male: Joseph Diaz Jr., El Monte, Calif., dec. Keithlen Franklin, Lafayette, La., 26-8
132 lbs/female: Tiara Brown, Lehigh Acres, Fla., dec. Jody-Ann Weller, Pomona, N.Y., 18-9
132 lbs/female: Bertha Aracil, Yonkers, N.Y., dec. Mikaela Mayer, Marquette, Mich. 14-12
132 lbs/female: Caroline Barry, Boulder, Colo., dec. Lauren Fisher, Dania, Fla., 11-9
132 lbs/female: Lisa Porter, Northridge, Calif., dec. Sherry Whetten, Tucson, Ariz., 17-9
132 lbs/female: N’yteeyah Sherman, Barberton, Ohio, dec. Rita Martinez, Las Cruces, N.M., 19-7
132 lbs/female: Queen Underwood, Tacoma, Wash., stopped Darina Mims, Greensboro, N.C., RSC-3 (0:57)
132 lbs/female: Jayli Fimbres, Newton, N.D., dec. Ishika Lay, Jacksonville Beach, Fla., 12-11
132 lbs/male: Jesse Owens, Virginia Beach, Va., dec. Amorena Baca, Denver, Colo., 14-13
141 lbs/male: Thomas Duquette, Waltham, Mass., dec. Pedro Sosa, Bronx, N.Y., 11-11 (76-75)
141 lbs/male: Gary Allen Russell, Capitol Heights, Md., dec. Andy Vences, San Jose, Calif., 28-17
141 lbs/male: Andre Keys, Tacoma, Wash., dec. Samuel Valentin, Land O’Lakes, Fla. 16-14
141 lbs/male: Jamal Herring, Camp Lejeune, N.C., dec. Anthony Flores, Inglewood, Calif., 19-11
141 lbs/male: Abel Ramos, Eloy, Ariz., dec. Duran Caferro, Helena, Mont., 18-13
141 lbs/male: Michael Reed, Waldorf, Md., won on retirement over Dahlton Cordeiro Silva, Kahului, Hawaii, RET (1:35)
141 lbs/male: Semajay Thomas, Chicago, Ill., dec. George E. Rincon, Carrolton, Texas, 26-14
141 lbs/male: Manuel Lopez Jr., Centennial, Colo., dec. David Moore, Milwaukee, Wis., 23-16
165 lbs/male: Noel Godson, Bloomfield, N.J., dec. D’Mitrius Ballard, Temple Hills, Md., 19-7
165 lbs/male: Andre Penn, Rapid City, S.D., dec. Edgar Juarez, San Luis, Ariz., 28-27
165 lbs/male: Izaak Cardona, Colorado Springs, Colo., dec. Aaron Coley, Hayward, Calif., 19-18
165 lbs/male: Antoine Douglas, Burke, Va., dec. Immanuwel Aleem, Richmond, Va., 20-9
165 lbs/male: Martez Jackson, Valdosta, Ga., dec. Brandon Larvadain, Bloomfield Hills, Miss., 13-11
165 lbs/male: Chris Pearson, Trotwood, Ohio, dec. Paul Littleton, Chicago, Ill., 22-7
165 lbs/male: Edgar Alvarado Jr., San Bernadino, Calif., dec. Luis Arias, Milwaukee, Wis., 10-9
165 lbs/male: Damarius Russell, Camp Lejeune, N.C., stopped Deandre Harris, Des Moines, Iowa, RSC-3 (1:51)
201 lbs/male: Joseph Williams, Rockaway, N.Y., dec. David Imoesiri, Long Beach, Calif., 14-14 (77-76)
201 lbs/male: Andrew Tabiti, Las Vegas, Nev., dec. Anthony Tettis, Ridgway, Pa., 10-9
201 lbs/male: Jordan Shimmell, Hudsonville, Mich., dec. Bobby Dean, Parshall, N.D., 12-5
201 lbs/male: Javonta Charles, Memphis, Tenn., dec. N’wanne Njoku, Seattle, Wash., 21-10
201 lbs/male: Robert Hall Jr., Jackson, Tenn., dec. Charles Blackwell, Tucson, Ariz., 31-25
201 lbs/male: Marco Figueroa, Orlando, Fla., dec. Ryan Watson, Deluth, Minn., 25-21
201 lbs/male: James Shorter, Elkhart, Ind., dec. Antwon Abron, Stockton, Calif., 14-12
201 lbs/male: Joshua Temple, St. Louis, Mo., dec. Robert Lopez, Tucson, Ariz., 17-6
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).
WBO GIVE THEIR BOXING CLINICS TO MAYAGUEZ WITH FORMER WORLD CHAMPION CARLOS “EL INDIO” QUINTANA
MAYAGÜEZ, PUERTO RICO- With the support of former World Champion Carlos “El Indio” Quintana, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) went today to Mayaguez (in the west area of Puerto Rico) where they conducted boxing clinics to the kids of the Yaguez Residential Complex as part of the Kids Drug Free program.
WBO President Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel, said that “we are so happy because we are here in Mayaguez with Quintana giving this kids a message to keep away from drugs. That is our goal, to keep kids in sports and away of drugs and other issues”.
The clinics were led by Jose Luis Vellon, Puerto Rican Boxing Federation President, former WBO welterweight champion Indio Quintana, and professional referee Jose H. Rivera, with the help of recreation leader Luis Rivera, referee Roberto Ramirez Jr., and judges Hernando Steidel and Raul Nieves. Also in the event there was Manuel Marrero Hueca from the WBO Executive Comitee, and trainers Julio Ortiz and Jose Malave.
‘Homecoming’ card in Holyoke Postponed
HOLYOKE, Mass. (June 21, 2011) – Saturday night’s scheduled “Homecoming” pro boxing card in Holyoke has been postponed until August 6. More details will be coming
Gomez vs. Proctor, Caballero vs. Santiago on July 1
LOS ANGELES, June 21 – Independence Day weekend will get off to an explosive start at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California on Friday, July 1, when two of boxing’s rising stars – Frankie Gomez and Randy Caballero – enter the ring in a quest to keep their unbeaten records intact against upset-minded foes.
In the main event of TeleFutura’s “Sólo Boxeo Tecate” broadcast, East Los Angeles’ Gomez takes on Kadaphi Proctor in an eight round junior welterweight bout. The evening’s co-featured bout will see Fantasy Springs favorite Caballero battle fellow unbeaten Alexis Santiago in an eight round matchup for the vacant WBC intercontinental youth super bantamweight title.
This night of world-class professional boxing is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and is sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, DeWalt Tools and AT&T. Doors open at 6:00pm PT on fight night and the first bell rings at 7:30pm PT. The TeleFutura broadcast begins at 11:30pm ET / PT (10:30pm CT).
Fans at home can also be part of the action by participating in Cinturón Tecate and voting for the fighter in the main event who displayed the most character in the ring by sending a text message to 55333. Voting will be open through the end of the weekend.
Tickets, priced at $25, $35 and $45 are on sale now and available for purchase at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com. Active or retired armed forces members who show their military ID at the Fantasy Springs Box Office on or before July 1 will receive a $5 discount.
It’s hard to believe, but 19-year-old Frankie Gomez (9-0, 7 KO’s) is already entering his second year as a professional boxer. With wins in all nine of his bouts and rave reviews coming from all corners, it’s easy to forget how young he is. The East Los Angeles native isn’t about to slow down, and after a 25 second knockout of Jason Davis in his most recent bout in April, he’s showing that he’s ready for all comers.
Hesperia’s 26-year-old Kadaphi Proctor (7-5-1) rebounded from some early bumps in the road during his four-year career to win his last three bouts. Most important was his last victory, a six round win over unbeaten Stan Martyniouk that saw him drop the highly-touted prospect three times en route to the upset. On July 1, he will look to show that lightning can strike twice.
Undefeated in six fights at Fantasy Springs, Coachella’s Randy Caballero (11-0, 7 KO’s) has repeatedly packed the venue with fans eager to see his heavy hands at work. At just 20 years old, he’s fighting for his first title and, with a three fight knockout streak going with wins over Felix Perez, Francis Ruiz and Sergio Cristobal, he’s aiming to make Alexis Santiago his next knockout victim.
20 years old and unbeaten like his July 1opponent, Phoenix’s Alexis Santiago (7-0-1, 2 KO’s) wants to separate himself from the pack by scoring a big win over Caballero on national television. A professional since 2009, Santiago has impressive skills and speed in the ring and he’s aware that he’ll need his full tool set to turn back Caballero in their eagerly-anticipated title fight.