New York, NY – (9/22/2011) – On Saturday, October 1st, DiBella Entertainment (DBE) will present “Noche de ‘Maravilla’: Martinez vs. Barker” featuring Middleweight Champion
Sergio Martinez (47-2-2, 26KO’s) defending his WBC Diamond belt and Ring Championship against England’s undefeated European Champion “Dazzling” Darren Barker (23-0, 14KO’s), at Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, NJ. Opening up HBO’s World Championship Boxing® telecast will be the rematch between top-rated middleweight contender “Irish” Andy Lee (26-1, 19KO’s) and former participant of “The Contender”, and the only man to defeat Lee as a pro, Brian Vera (19-5, 12KO’s), in a 10-round middleweight matchup.
Tickets for “Noche de ‘Maravilla'” are priced at $300, $200, $100, and $50, and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at any Ticketmaster retail outlet, or in person at the Boardwalk Hall box office.
Checking in from his rigorous training camp, Barker says he is “in a happy place” ahead of the Martinez shot. Barker is ready to swap the peace and tranquillity of his LakeDBE Ontario training camp for the hustle and bustle of New York City, but the Londoner says his training camp has been the perfect preparation for the biggest fight of his career against Sergio Martinez on October 1 in Atlantic City.
The 29-year-old unbeaten European Champion is confident that he can shock the world when he faces the world’s premier middleweight, and says that his preparations have been perfect for the showdown, live on HBO in the U.S,. and Sky Sports in the U.K.
“It’s a really nice place and that matters a lot,” said Barker. “If I was somewhere boring with nothing to do in my downtime, I’d probably go nuts, but this is a lovely part of the world, I can see Niagara Falls from the base, it’s just perfect – a perfect place for a perfect fight night. It’s been a very happy camp for all of us – Tony (Sims, trainer) and my brother Lee have been fantastic and I could not be in a better place going into the fight.
“The training is going to plan brilliantly, I’ve never trained harder for a fight, but then again, I have to train that hard because it’s Sergio Martinez, one of the best in the business. I’d be selling myself short if I didn’t put an extra 20 percent in every day.”
The 23-0 fighter also acknowledged that he is a major underdog in the fight, but made it clear that he is not in the States just to make up the numbers.
“My fans are coming over to see me win, not see me try,” said Barker. “I am a real threat to Sergio, I won’t be happy with just a good showing. I am here to win and that’s why I’m working double hard.”
Tickets for “Noche de ‘Maravilla'” are priced at $300, $200, $100, and $50, and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at any Ticketmaster retail outlet, or in person at the Boardwalk Hall box office.
The United States’ Top Female Boxers to Face off for the Final Olympic Team Trials Berths at the 2011 National PAL Championships, October 3-8 in Toledo, Ohio
(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – The Road to London will go through Toledo for the United States’ top female boxers. With the Olympic debut of women’s boxing less than a year away, the spotlight is on elite female boxers across the nation. The 2011 National PAL Championships will be the final qualifying tournament for the Olympic Team Trials for Women’s Boxing as boxers from throughout the United States convene in Toledo for the event, which will be contested October 3-8 at the SeaGate Convention Center.
At least the top three finishers in the three Olympic weight classes will claim spots in the Olympic Trials, slated for early 2012. The three weight divisions that will showcase the world’s best female boxers in London will be the flyweight (112 lbs), lightweight (132 lbs) and middleweight (165 lbs) classes. Due to each of the three Pan American Games qualifiers also finishing in the top four at the USA Boxing National Championships, there will now be a minimum of three Olympic Trials berths in each weight class on the line at the National PAL Championships. Should an Olympic Team Trials qualified athlete finish in the top three at the National PAL Championships, the next highest finisher will win the Trials berth until there are eight qualified boxers in each Olympic weight division.
The 2010 National PAL Championships served as an Olympic Trials qualifier for the male athletes and four of the PAL Champions went on to take gold at the Olympic Team Trials for Men’s Boxing in August. The first-ever Olympic Team Trials of Women’s Boxing will take place in early 2012 in a location to be determined.
National PAL Championships competition will begin on Monday, October 3 and run through Saturday, October 8 at the SeaGate Convention Center in Toledo. The open division women won’t be the only boxers competing for a national championship in Ohio. The National PAL Championships feature four different age groups ranging from the 11 and 12-year-old class through the open division for both the male and female athletes. Over 65 gold medals could be awarded at the conclusion of the week-long tournament.
As the 2011 National PAL Championships is an open tournament, the list of competitors won’t be available until after the event draw on Sunday, October 2.
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.
Ruiz Ready for a Challenge
Bantamweight prospect Michael Ruiz Jr. takes a step up in class tomorrow night as he vies for his first professional title against fellow unbeaten Jonathan Arrellano in the eight-round main event at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California. The fight, which will air at a later date on Fox Deportes, takes place at 121-pounds and is for the WBC Youth Intercontinental Super Bantamweight title.
Ruiz (8-0-1, 3 KOs) of Fresno, California was last in the ring in May, scoring a six-round unanimous decision over durable Jonathan Alcantara in Reno, Nevada. In the months since, Ruiz has remained in the gym, readying for whenever he got the call for his next fight. “I am always in the gym, so when they called me for this fight, I was ready for it,” explains Ruiz.
Ruiz’ team had been looking for a chance to make a splash against the next level of opponent when Arrellano came available. “It is a good fight for Mike,” says Ruiz’ father and trainer Michael Ruiz Sr. “This is what we need to showcase what he has against somebody that is undefeated also. [A win] would put him up there on the skill level where other boxers are, where they get more exposed. So it will give Michael the opportunity at more exposure and better his career tremendously.”
For Ruiz’ manager Repo Ric, the fight has a personal aspect. “This will be a big night for me,” explains Repo. “Henry Ramirez, which is the manager of the kid…the way we met was over the phone. He’s cussing me out, I’m cussing him out. He’s saying he can whoop any fighter I got. Well it’s time for that now. Let’s get it on.”
Repo is very familiar with the undefeated Arrellano (9-0-1, 2 KOs) of Ontario. “This guy is a very good fighter,” says Repo. “Actually the way I met the kid, he came up to me at a fight one day said he’d like for me to be a hype man for him. He pulled out his iphone and showed me a video of me coming out of a dressing room talking trash to another fighter. I actually ended up being a hype man for him one fight, so now I am going to go against this kid that really likes me. But its business now, he can like me after the fight. Right now it’s straight business.”
Ruiz, who traveled down Los Angeles to get in some work with Shane Mosley strength and conditioning coach Gustavo Satragni and some ring time at the local gyms, is more than prepared for tomorrow night. “Every fight I go in with the same preparation, always to win and never underestimate anybody,” explains Ruiz. “I am always confident and I always go in with the same mindset. I’ve only seen a couple of his fights, but he’s pretty skilled. He has a jab, good hooks. He sits back a lot. He has good hand movement, good foot movement, but not anything we can’t handle. This fight is like any other fight.”
In against an undefeated fighter, with a title on the line and television cameras rolling, Ruiz understands this is his chance to seize a moment and take a big step forward in his pursuit. “I just want to show people my skills and show what I can do against someone that is supposed to be pretty good,” says Ruiz. “This is an opportunity to show where I am at in my career and where I am going to go in the future.”
Tickets for the event, promoted by Thompson Boxing Promotions, are available online at ThompsonBoxing.com.