Ricky Burns expects to see the best of Nicky Cook next month – but still plans on sending him into retirement. World Boxing Organization (WBO) World Super-Featherweight champion Burns takes on Cook at the Liverpool Echo Arena on Saturday 16th July, live on Sky Sports 1HD.
It will be the third defence of his title, and the Scotsman expects it to be the toughest.
But speaking at a media work out on Tuesday, Burns said he plans on knocking out his London rival.
“I believe that Nicky will be at the top of his game,” said Burns.
“He will have got rid of his ring rust with his win in his last fight, and he’ll be coming up to Liverpool full of belief.
“But I will knock him out whatever shape he is in.
“That’s a promise. Cook is not good enough to live with me and I will break his heart.
“In fact, I think he will quit boxing after he has lost to me.
“You can’t afford to take breaks in this sport, and he is going to pay dearly for the time he has spent out of the ring.
“I’m younger, fresher and fitter and I will take him out on July 16.”
Burns completed some tough sparring with Paul Appleby, and trainer Billy Nelson believes he is in the shape of his life.
“These two go at it every single day,” said Nelson.
“It’s like they are having a world title fight when they spar, and that means Ricky will in peak condition when it comes to fighting Cook.
“I can’t believe that Cook has had sparring as good as Ricky’s, and that could be the key to victory in this fight.”
Burns v Cook headlines an action packed card at the Liverpool Echo Arena that includes the explosive rematch between local hero Tony Bellew and Derby’s Ovill McKenzie for the Commonwealth and Vacant British Light-Heavyweight Championship; Birmingham star Frankie Gavin defending his WBO Intercontinental Welterweight Championship against Driffield’s Curtis Woodhouse; Prizefighter winner Rocky Fielding; unbeaten Liverpool ace Joe Selkirk; Commonwealth Games Champion Callum Johnson; Oldham’s unbeaten hot-shot Ronnie Heffron; rising Welsh star Craig Evans; Paul Butler from Ellesmere Port and the pro-debut of former soldier John Loveday.
Tickets, priced at £50, £80 and £100, are available on 0844 8000 400 or www.echoarena.com
Coyne vs. McNemar on Saturday night
Undefeated cruiserweight contender Ryan “The Irish Outlaw” Coyne (16-0, 6 KOs) expected to have his dreams come to fruition on Saturday night when he was scheduled to face Guillermo Jones for his World Boxing Association (WBA) World cruiserweight championship. Coyne’s dream was put on hold when Jones pulled out of the fight citing that he suffered an injury in training camp. Coyne, while very disappointed, vows to put on a clinic versus the undefeated Dave McNemar (13-0, 10KOs) who has stepped in as a last minute replacement.
“Words can’t express my disappointment. I put my heart and soul into this training camp and I was ready to do something great on Saturday in a world title bout. Unfortunately because he (Jones) fell out of the ring and broke his love handle it is not going to happen. What can I say? I have to pick up the pieces and move on. McNemar stepped in on short notice. He is a tough, rugged guy. He is obviously not of Jones’ caliber but we are going to go in the ring and handle business. We are not going to miss a beat,” said Coyne.
Coyne is grateful for the tremendous support he has received from his hometown fans. The “Irish Outlaw” has sold a lot of tickets and looks forward to putting on a show for them on Saturday night. He can’t wait to reward their loyalty with a world title shot, “The situation is unfortunate but the show must go on. We have a tough guy ready to stand in and put on a good fight. I am going to put on a spectacular performance on Saturday night. It is going to be a great show on a great card and I am happy to be part of it. After we handle business on Saturday we look forward to moving forward to a title shot.”
Coyne versus McNemar takes place on June 25th at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri, on the undercard of the HBO televised Devon Alexander-Lucas Matthysse main event.
Twenty-Six Boxers Punch their Tickets for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials with Quarterfinal Victories at the 2011 USA Boxing National Championships
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Today’s quarterfinal bouts at the 2011 USA Boxing National Championships held a critical new importance, and the intensity of the boxers’ performance echoed the large stakes. All of today’s victors in the 13 Olympic weight classes earn berths in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials with this week’s event being the first-ever to serve as an Olympic Trials qualifier for both men and women.
All eyes were on the women’s lightweight division in the afternoon as two four-time national champions faced off for a berth in the semifinals. Current number one lightweight Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.) entered her bout with former titlist Caroline Barry (Boulder, Colo.) fresh off two straight stoppages, but Barry provided a whole new challenge for the 2010 Women’s World Championships bronze medalist. The tremendous ring experience didn’t end with the boxers as both competitors had the advantage of former Olympic head coaches giving them instructions between rounds. 2000 Olympic Coach Tom Mustin worked the corner of Underwood while 2004 Olympic Head Coach Basheer Abdullah guided Barry. Despite the intense anticipation, the bout more than exceeded expectations. After a tied first round, Barry claimed a 5-4 lead at the midway mark of the bout. The tremendous skill level was evident throughout the four rounds and it Underwood holding a 7-6 lead with one round remaining. The tension in the gym was palpable as the two boxers battled it out over the final two minutes. Yet only one hand could be raised and it was Underwood who took the victory, winning a 14-10 final decision to move one step closer to her fifth straight national title. Barry will have two more opportunities to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at the Women’s Golden Gloves and National PAL Championships. Underwood will face N’yteeyah Sherman (Barberton, Ohio) in the semifinals on Thursday.
The afternoon session got off to a quick start as three-time national champion Louie Byrd (Denver, Colo.) made his event debut against Erros Correa (San Jose, Calif.). Correa wasn’t intimidated by his credentialed opponent and moved out to an 8-4 lead after one right. Yet Byrd, who was battling a cold, pulled the bout to a 14-14 as the action moved into the final round. The third round ended with the two deadlocked at 21 as well, but Byrd pulled out the victory on his 98-91 total punch count advantage. Byrd moves on to the semifinals with the win and will take on Norberto Torres (Orlando, Fla.) in Thursday’s semifinal action.
Two Washington DC area natives claimed quarterfinal victories in the light welterweight division on Wednesday afternoon. 2010 National Golden Gloves champion Gary Allen Russell III (Capitol Heights, Md.) earned a berth in the U.S. Olympic Trials in an action-packed match-up with Abel Ramos (Eloy, Ariz.). The two boxers threw punches from bell to bell, and the score reflected it. Russell held a 15-9 advantage after one and took a 24-19 lead into the final round. The third round showcased Olympic-style boxing at its best as Russell and Ramos went toe-to-toe, lighting up the scoreboard with Russell taking the win on a 40-32 final tally. He will look to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Gary Russell, Jr., the bantamweight representative on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team when he competes in Mobile.
On the opposite side of the bracket, 2011 National Golden Gloves champion Michael Reed, Jr. (Waldorf, Md.) continued his winning streak with a convincing 24-12 victory over Manuel Lopez, Jr. (Centennial, Colo.). Reed will challenge Semajay Thomas (Chicago, Ill.) on Thursday for a spot in the light welterweight finals.
In middleweight action, Chris Pearson (Trotwood, Ohio) claimed his U.S. Olympic Team Trials berth in Wednesday’s quarterfinals with a 21-14 win over Noel Godson (Bloomfield, N.J.). Pearson is coming off a win over defending Olympic champion Bakhyt Sarsekbayev in World Series of Boxing action in the spring. Pearson’s win advanced him on to the semifinals and a match-up with Antoine Douglas (Burke, Va.) on Thursday.
Several top heavyweights battled for Olympic Trials berths at the end of the afternoon and the final bout of the session featured a showdown between 2009 National Champion Jordan Shimmell (Hudsonville, Mich.) and former USA Boxing National Team member Javonta Charles (Memphis, Tenn.). Shimmell claimed the victory by an 18-12 margin to move on to a semifinal contest with James Shorter (Elkhart, Ind.).
Quarterfinal action will resume with 35 bouts at 6 p.m. at the Colorado Springs Christian School.
Wednesday Afternoon Session
Quarterfinal Bouts
106 lbs/female: Elizabeth Rodriguez, Gilroy, Calif., won on walkover over, Natalie Gonzalez, New Rochelle, N.Y., W/O
108 lbs/male: Louie Byrd, Denver, Colo., dec. Eros Correa, San Jose, Calif., 21-21 (98-91)
108 lbs/male: David Carlton, Cincinnati, Ohio, dec. Michael Benedosso, Colorado Springs, Colo., 32-26
108 lbs/male: Norberto Torres, Orlando, Fla., dec. Marco Rangel, St. George, Utah, 22-18
108 lbs/male: Gregory Outlaw, Glenarden, Md., dec. Anthony Taylor, Jackson, Tenn., 28-17
119 lbs/female: Amanda Pavone, Burlington, Mass., dec. Shanice Herron, St. Louis, Mo., 32-7
119 lbs/female: Nephateria Miller, New Haven, Conn., won on retirement over, Tiffany Griffin, Chicago, Ill., RET-4 (0:00)
119 lbs/female: Lindsay Bartels, Omaha, Neb., stopped Bryonna Sumandig, Tacoma, Wash., RSC-4 (1:47)
119 lbs/female: Haley Pasion, Waipahu, Hawaii, dec. Shanne Ruelas, Fresno, Calif., 26-19
123 lbs/male: Luis Feliciano, Milwaukee, Wis., dec. Joshua McShane, Waianae, Hawaii 26-8
123 lbs/male: Antonio Nieves, Phoenix, Ariz., dec. Edwin Sandoval, Bakersfield, Calif., 11-9
123 lbs/male: Joet Gonzalez, Glendora, Calif., dec. Dennis Galarza, Orlando, Fla., 29-9
123 lbs/male: Joseph Diaz Jr., El Monte, Calif., dec. Corey Hill, Portland, Ore., 11-8
132 lbs/female: Queen Underwood, Tacoma, Wash., dec. Caroline Barry, Boulder, Colo., 14-10
132 lbs/female: Tiara Brown, Lehigh Acres, Fla., dec. Bertha Aracil, Yonkers, N.Y., 23-8
132 lbs/female: N’yteeyah Sherman, Barberton, Ohio, won on retirement over, Jayli Fimbres, Newton, N.D., RET-4 (0:00)
132 lbs/female: Lisa Porter, Northridge, Calif., dec. Jesse Owens, Virginia Beach, Va. 27-9
141 lbs/male: Gary Allen Russell III, Capitol Heights, Md., dec. Abel Ramos, Eloy, Ariz., 40-32
141 lbs/male: Semajay Thomas, Chicago, Ill., stopped Jamal Herring, Camp Lejeune, N.C., RSC-3 (2:14)
141 lbs/male: Thomas Duquette, Waltham, Mass., dec. Andre Keys, Tacoma, Wash., 13-9
141 lbs/male: Michael Reed, Waldorf, Md., dec. Manuel Lopez Jr., Centennial, Colo., 24-12
165 lbs/male: Edgar Alvarado Jr., San Bernardino, Calif., dec. Izaak Cardona, Colorado Springs, Colo., 16-15
165 lbs/male: Chris Pearson, Trotwood, Ohio, dec. Noel Godson, Bloomfield, N.J., 21-14
165 lbs/male: Antoine Douglas, Burke, Va., dec. Andre Penn, Rapid City, S.D., 17-11
165 lbs/male: Martez Jackson, Valdosta, Ga., dec. Damarius Russell, Camp Lejeune, N.C., 19-17
201 lbs/male: Joseph Williams, Far Rockaway, N.Y., dec. Robert Hall Jr., Jackson, Tenn., 13-5
201 lbs/male: Andrew Tabiti, Las Vegas, Nev., dec. Marco Figueroa, Orlando, Fla., 17-10
201 lbs/male: James Shorter, Elkhart, Ind., dec. Joshua Temple, St Louis, Mo., 20-19
201 lbs/male: Jordan Shimmell, Hudsonville, Ohio, dec. Javonte Charles, Memphis, Tenn., 18-12
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).