LONDON (July 20, 2011) — Undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury (14-0, 10 KOs), who challenges British and Commonwealth heavyweight Champion Dereck “Del Boy” Chisora (14-0, 9 KOs) in Saturday’s 12-round main event on “The Big Brawl” Pay-Per-View event, live from Wembley Arena in London, held a workout today in London.
Also working out today was co-feature boxer Ashley Theophane, who defends his British Boxing Board of Control light welterweight title against Jason Cook.
Workout Quotes
Tyson Fury:
How do you feel: “Feeling good, feeling strong, feeling fit, feeling ready.”
What Chisora brings to the table: “He’s going to bring aggression, desire, youth. I think he brings quite a few things to the table, nothing I can’t handle, anyway.”
Prediction: “My prediction is I’m going to win, probably by knockout. As soon as I catch him, he’ll be knocked out.”
Next: “I’m going to, hopefully, get to fight Wladimir Klitschko. Keep pushing for that.”
Training Camp: “Training Camp was really good we had a long, nice training camp. A lot of good training, good sparring, and everything went really right. I drank a lot of water, vitamins and proteins. I did everything I should have done, so there are no excuses. All my toes are okay, as well.”
Ashley Theophane:
Training Camp: “Training camp’s gone well. I spent a month in Brooklyn and a month in London finishing off. It’s been a good camp. I’ve done some quality work, some quality sparring, and I’m ready to go.”
Jason Cook: “Jason Cook is a former European champion. He won the IBO title. He’s got a decent punch and he comes to fight very aggressive. It should be an interesting fight.”
Game Plan: “No real game-plan because Jason comes swinging at you to see if he can knock you out. I’m just the type of guy; I see how I adjust to fight. The first round or two rounds I see how it goes and then I will work him out and do what I have to do to get the win.”
TV: “First, it being on Channel 5 (in UK) is a great thing for boxing and a great thing for me. It gets to be seen, hopefully, by a few million people for the Theophane name to get out there. And for it to be shown in America and Canada is a great thing because I loved being on ESPN a few times and I have Canadian and US friends and fans. It’s good because it’s like as worldwide event. I’m lovin’ that!”
Prediction: “I’m not a guy who stops guys, but don’t be shocked if there is a stoppage, and I’m going to win, be it points or stoppage. I’m going to win looking good.”
Next: “For me, I haven’t fought in America for a year, nearly exactly a year since I beat Delvin Rodriquez who just had a great draw with Pawel Wolak. I’d love – if I had my own way – I know the WBC champ is Timothy Bradley, my No. 1 target. I know he needs an opponent because he’s not fighting Khan, so I’d be willing to box with him when he finishes his dealings with his next promoter. Or, I’d be willing, eventually, to fight Berto or Ortiz. They are the long-term guys I want. If Bradley, Ortiz or Berto – win or lose – I want to fight the best. That’s what I want to do.”
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“The Big Brawl” event on PPV, distributed in the U.S. by Integrated Sports Media, will be available for live viewing in the U.S. 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 telecast is also available in Canada to all Super Channel network subscribers.
FIGHT NOW TV SHOWCASING FURY
Fight Now TV, available on Cablevision, will air two of Tyson Fury’s past fights (vs. Daniil Peretyatko and Marcelo Luiz Nascimento) on Thursday and Friday nights, July 21 & 22, respectively, at 10 PM/ET in its Every Night a Different FIGHT prime time slot. For more information go on line to www.FightNow.com
BRITISH & COMMONWEALTH HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS
MAIN EVENT – 12 ROUNDS
DERECK“Del Boy” CHISORA
Unbeaten British & Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion
WBO #13 & EBU #6
Finchley, London, United Kingdom
14-0 (9 KOs)
Vs.
TYSON FURY
Undefeated Challenger
WBC #23 & EBU #10
Manchester, United Kingdom
14-0 (10 KOs)
BRITISH LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
CO-FEATURE – 12 ROUNDS
ASHLEY“Treasure” THEOPHANE
British Light Welterweight Champion
IBF #14, WBC #20
Kilburn, London, United Kingdom
29-4-1 (7 KOs)
Vs.
JASON“The Power” COOK
Challenger
Welsh Light Welterweight Champion/EBU #6
Maesteg, Wales, United Kingdom
28-3-1 (14 KOs)
BRITISH SOUTHERN AREA LIGHT MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
10 ROUNDS
RYAN TOMS
British Southern Area Champion
Wembley, London, Middlesex, UK
8-0 (3 KOs)
Vs.
“Phat”PAT McALEESE
Challenger
Newmarket, Cambridgeshire, UK
12-1-1 (2 KOs)
(ALL FIGHTS & FIGHTERS SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
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.
Vazquez, Mauras set to collide in epic rematch
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (July 20, 2011) – The way these two promising junior welterweights are talking, next week’s fight between Agustine Mauras and Johnathan Vazquez figures to be the start of a tremendous rivalry, not the end of a controversial feud stemming from their first showdown in the amateurs.
Three years ago in the semifinals of the New England Golden Gloves in Lowell, Mass., Mauras (1-0, 1 KO) edged Vazquez (4-0, 3 KOs), 3-2, in a close finish debated heavily by Vazquez’s camp. Mauras went on to lose to Jesus Caro of Providence, R.I., in the finals.
Since then, Vazquez has won his first four professional fights – three by knockout – and has become a hot commodity in his hometown of New Bedford, Mass., including a ringing endorsement from former New Bedford world-title contender Scott “The Sandman” Pemberton, while Mauras has toiled in relative anonymity despite his win over Vazquez three years ago.
With a chance to put his hometown of Lawrence, Mass., on the map and end the debate over who won their amateur bout, Mauras approached Vazquez for a rematch. The former Golden Gloves finalist will get his wish Friday, July 29th, 2011 when he and Vazquez square off in a four-round bout on the undercard of “Heat Wave,” presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports in association with Global Boxing Promotions at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
“People know his name more than they know mine,” Mauras said. “I’m thinking, ‘What about me?’ Knowing I’m the better fighter, I told [my manager] Sean [Farley], ‘Let’s make that fight.’ Most people wouldn’t take that risk, but this is a big opportunity.
“I crushed him in the amateurs and I’m going to beat him again on the 29th.”
Vazquez’s manager, Israel Santiago, scoffed at the idea Mauras beat Vazquez three years, let alone “crushed” him.
“Even the crowd knew Johnathan won,” Santiago said. “He’s just hyping himself up. Johnathan completely outboxed the kid.”
Coincidentally, Vazquez had already lost to Caro that year in the Golden Gloves while representing his home state, but when a spot opened up in the 141-pound weight class on Vermont’s team, Vazquez answered the call and fought Mauras.
“I’m glad he’s confident,” Vazquez said of Mauras, “but this is a different game now. He didn’t even beat me the first time to begin with, but if he thinks he did, then that’s good for him. That’s not the way it’ll play out this time.
“There are no more amateur judges, and this time I’m in top shape. I take this more seriously than I did back then.”
Led by head trainer Libby Medeiros, Vazquez’s conditioning has become one of his greatest attributes – even when he’s not actively training for an upcoming fight. Vazquez dealt with two cancellations earlier this year before finally reentering the ring May 6th against Andrew Jones. For the first time in his career, Vazquez fought beyond the opening round and ultimately went the distance with Jones in a 40-36, 39-38, 39-37 unanimous decision victory.
“That kid was tough,” Vazquez said. “That fight was good for me. I learned you always have to be in shape because not every fight is going to end so quickly. You’ve always got to be ready for whatever comes your way.”
Mauras’ first and only professional fight lasted just 98 seconds when he knocked out Plymouth native Fred Mandracchia (0-2) at the Palladium in Worcester, Mass. Vazquez saw the fight and didn’t notice any difference in Mauras’ game plan.
“He hasn’t changed much,” Vazquez said. “He’s a little bit of a brawler – a real forward fighter. He’ll come right at you. That’s why I think he’ll do the same thing this time because he’s so sure he beat me the first time around.”
“I’m a much different fighter now,” countered Mauras. “My style is made for the pros. In the amateurs, I came up short in a lot of fights because I couldn’t do the things I wanted to do, such as use my body, come inside and be more aggressive. Now I can do those things as a pro. To be honest, he’s the one who hasn’t changed that much. He still fights at the same pace and gets away with a lot because the pros are so much different than the amateurs.”
Asked why he thought he won the first fight, Mauras said, “Because he couldn’t touch me.”
“We were too fast for him then, and we’ll be too fast for him again on the 29th,” added Farley. “Johnathan was the aggressor, but it’s effective aggression that wins fights. In the amateurs, it’s all about points. If you don’t know boxing and you saw Johnathan chase us around the ring the entire night, then, yeah, I guess it was a competitive fight, but no matter what anyone thinks the only thing that matters is that three of the five judges thought we won the fight.
“Johnathan went to the national Golden Gloves twice before that at 119 pounds and was a far more well-known fighter. He had close to 70 amateur fights at that time. We had only 18. Do the math – that’s almost four times the experience. Johnathan was a familiar name with the New England judges, so if it was such a travesty, then why did we get the decision against a guy they voted to the nationals twice?”
Though the two sides will probably never see eye-to-eye on the outcome of that amateur fight three years ago, one thing they’ll both agree with is this rematch on the 29th could be a statement fight – one that will go a long way in determining how each fighter progresses as their futures continue to unfold.
“I have nothing against him and I wouldn’t even know him from a hole in the wall,” Mauras said, “but this is a big opportunity for me. I’m very thankful for this fight.”
“Heat Wave” features two championship bouts – a 12-round showdown between Kevin McBride (35-9-1, 29 KOs) and Mariusz Wach (24-0, 12 KOs) for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) International heavyweight title, and a 10-round intrastate battle between Elvin Ayala (23-5-1, 11 KOs) of New Haven, Conn., and rival Israel “Pito” Cardona (36-10, 28 KOs) of Hartford for the vacant WBC United States National Boxing Council (USNBC) middleweight title.
The undercard includes New Haven welterweight Edwin Soto (6-0-1, 2 KOs) battling Michael Denby (3-11-4, 2 KOs) of Felton, Del.; and undefeated heavyweight Artur Spzilka of Poland (5-0, 3 KOs) facing Philadelphia’s David Williams (6-4-1, 2 KOs). Cruiserweight Jose Torres of Springfield, Mass., will make his debut against fellow newcomer Pedro Rivera of Southbridge, Mass.; super middleweight Greg McCoy (2-3-1, 1 KO) of New Haven will fight in a separate four-round bout against Worcester’s Ralph Johnson (0-1); and super middleweight Keith Kozlin (6-2, 4 KOs) of Warwick, R.I., will face Woonsocket’s Reynaldo Rodriguez (5-2, 2 KOs) in a six-round intrastate showdown. The special attraction on July 29th will be an eight-round light middleweight bout featuring Worcester, Mass., veteran and former three-time world champion Jose Antonio Rivera (40-6-1, 24 KOs). All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets for “Heat Wave,” which are priced at $40, $65 and $105, can be purchased by calling CES at 401.724.2253/2254 or Ticketmaster at 1.800.745.3000. Fans can also purchase tickets online at www.cesboxing.com, www.ticketmaster.com, or at the Mohegan Sun Box Office. For more information on “Heat Wave,” visit www.cesboxing.com or www.mohegansun.com. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the first bout scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
JUANMA LOPEZ TRAVELS TO MEXICO TO WATCH ORLANDO SALIDO’S FIRST TITLE DEFENSE THIS SATURDAY
Former two time World Champion, Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez, will travel tomorrow to Mexico to watch the first title defense of the World Boxing Organization (WBO), Orlando Salido, this Saturday, July 23, at the Centro de Usos Multiples in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico.
Lopez (30-1, 27 KOs) will travel with Peter Rivera, PR Best Boxing Promotions (PRBBP) vice-president, also to talk about the potential rematch against Salido (35-11-2, 23 KOs), who defends his WBO 126lb belt versus Japanese Kenichi Yamaguchi (17-1-2, 4 KOs). Salido beat Lopez last April 16 by an eight round TKO at the coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico to gain the Featherweight crown.
“We are going to travel to Mexico to work in the rematch (Lopez-Salido) hoping for finalize all the details and scheduled the fight” Rivera said.
October 1 and 15 are possibles days to the Lopez-Salido fight that apparently be held in Puerto Rico.