Philadelphia, PA—Undefeated welterweight contender Mike Jones, of Philadelphia, PA, makes his first appearance at Madison Square Garden on Saturday evening, Dec. 3, when he faces two-time world title challenger Sebastian Lujan, of Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina, in one of the featured fights on the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito card.
The winner of the Jones-Lujan 12-round contest will gain the No. 1 position in the welterweight rankings of the International Boxing Federation (IBF), currently ruled by Andre Berto.
“This is a tougher assignment than the ones Mike had with Jesus Soto-Karass,” said promoter J Russell Peltz, whose company is promoting this match with Top Rank, Inc. Peltz was referring to the two victories Jones (pictured) earned over Mexico’s Soto-Karras, the first one Nov. 13, 2010, in Cowboys Stadium by 10-round majority decision, the second one last Feb. 19 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas by 12-round unanimous decision.
“Mike said that if fighting Lujan over 12 rounds is what he has to do to get a title shot, then he’s fine with it. He knows what he has to do to win and he knows he has to be in the same shape—or better—than he was for the second fight with Soto-Karass.”
Jones: “Lujan puts on pressure, but not constant pressure like Soto-Karass. He moves his head a lot more than Soto-Karass but he throws wide punches. This could put me in line to fight for the world championship.”
A pro since 2005, Jones, 28, has a 25-0 record with 18 knockouts. He is ranked No. 3 by the IBF, No. 1 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) behind champion Manny Pacquiao, No. 3 by the World Boxing Association (WBA), No. 4 by the World Boxing Council (WBC).
Jones currently holds three titles—North American Boxing Association (NABA), North American Boxing Organization (NABO) and WBC Continental Americas, but it’s the world title he craves.
Lujan, 31, scored a big win in his last fight July 1 in San Antonio, TX, when he rallied to knock out Filipino southpaw Mark Melligen in nine rounds after accepting the match on short notice.
A pro since 2001, Lujan is 38-5-2, 24 K0s. In two world title fights, he was stopped—due to a badly torn left ear—in 10 rounds by Margarito for the WBO welterweight title in 2005 in Atlantic City, NJM. Lujan also lost a 12-round decision to lefty Sergii Dzinziruk for the WBO junior middleweight title in 2006 in Munich Germany.
Lujan has won his last 12 fights in a row.
ABOUT DEC. 3
The Mike Jones-Sebastian Lujan IBF eliminator is part of the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito II world championship telecast, which begins at 9 pm (EST)/6 pm (PT). It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to more than 292 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HDTV for those who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry.
Tickets for the Madison Square Garden card are priced at $600, $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50. They can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, online at www.thegarden.com and all Ticketmaster outlets. They also are on sale at the offices of Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922).
Joseph Diaz and Jesse Hart Advance to Third Round Action at the 2011 World Championships
(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – The United States’ added two victories to its win total on Monday as bantamweight Joseph Diaz, Jr. (S. El Monte, Calif.) and middleweight Jesse Hart (Philadelphia, Pa.) both claimed second round wins. Three American boxers fell short in their second round contests with light flyweight Eros Correa (San Jose, Calif.), lightweight Jose Ramirez (Avenal, Calif.), and heavyweight Joseph Williams’ (Queens, N.Y.) all suffering losses on Monday.
Hart took the ring after watching two of his American teammates fall in second round action and he was determined to stem in the tide in his bout with Tajikistan’s Sobirjon Nazarov. The contest was close throughout the first two rounds with Hart claiming a 3-1 lead after one and owning a 9-7 advantage after the second stanza. Yet Hart wouldn’t be deterred in the final round; he more than doubled his point total over the final three minutes to win a 13-8 decision. He advances to third round competition on Tuesday where he will battle Kazakhstan’s Danabek Suzhanov for a middleweight berth in the 2012 Olympic Games.
Diaz was the final U.S. boxer to compete on Monday, and he ensured the day ended on a high note, winning his bantamweight match-up with 2004 Olympic silver medalist Worapoj Petchkoom of Thailand. The 18-year-old took a 5-4 lead after the opening round and tripled his advantage in the second to grab a 13-10 edge with three minutes remaining. The punches were flying in the final round with both boxers scoring 11 points, but Diaz held on to his three point lead to win a 24-21 decision and a spot in the third round. He will face Mexico’s Oscar Valdez on Tuesday with an Olympic spot on the line.
Correa opened Monday’s competition for Team USA in a bout with 2008 Olympian and 2009 World Championships silver medalist David Ayrapetyan of Russia. Ayrapetyan grabbed the early lead and the younger and less experienced Correa couldn’t overcome his deficit. He trailed by a 10-3 margin after one and faced a 14-7 deficit as the final round began. Despite his best efforts, Correa lost a 23-10 final decision to his Russian foe, eliminating him from the tournament.
Ramirez took on one of the most decorated boxers in the tournament in his second round bout, facing 2008 Olympic gold medalist and Outstanding Boxer Vasyl Lomanchenko of Ukraine. The bout was close throughout with Lomanchenko taking a slim 5-3 lead over Ramirez in the first round. The American boxer trailed by a 9-6 margin after the second and although Ramirez came on strong in the third and final round, Lomanchenko won a 16-9 decision to move on in the tournament.
Williams, a late addition to the United States squad, faced off with Kazakhstan’s Vassiliy Levit in his second bout of the tournament. The American boxer kept the contest close in the opening stanza, trailing by one point after the first. Yet Levit took control in the second, moving out to a 10-4 lead en route to a 14-6 final victory over Williams.
Six U.S. boxers will compete in Tuesday’s action with Olympic spots on the line for flyweight Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio), Diaz, welterweight Errol Spence (Desoto, Texas), Hart and light heavyweight Marcus Browne (Staten Island, N.Y.). As the super heavyweight division competitors must finish in the top six to qualify for the Olympic Games, Lenroy “Cam” Thompson (Lenexa, Kansas) needs two more victories to officially punch his ticket for London. AIBA will begin live-streaming all of the bouts on Tuesday and the competition can be seen at www.aibaboxingtv.com and www.aiba.org.
Browne will be the first U.S. boxer to compete on Tuesday as he faces 2009 Heavyweight World Champion Egor Mekhontsev of Russia in the ninth bout of Tuesday’s morning session at approximately 1 p.m. (4 a.m. ET/1 a.m. PT).
Hart and Diaz will both make a quick return to the ring in afternoon session with Hart competing in the third bout at approximately 3:30 p.m. (6:30 a.m. ET/3:30 a.m. PT) and Diaz boxing in the eighth bout at approximately 5 p.m. (8 a.m. ET/5 a.m. PT).
Warren will look to make history by becoming the first U.S. boxer to compete in three Olympic Games in his third round match-up with Rey Saludar of the Philippines in the fourth bout of Tuesday’s evening session at approximately 7:45 p.m. (10:45 a.m. ET/7:45 a.m. PT).
Spence and Thompson will join him in the evening session in their match-ups with Hungary’s Imre Backsai and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Viktar Zuyev of Belarus respectively. Spence will compete in the ninth bout of evening action at approximately 9 p.m. (12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT). Thompson will close the day’s competition for his U.S. squad in the 12th bout of the night’s session at approximately 9:45 p.m. (12:45 p.m. ET/9:45 a.m. ET). Tuesday’s full bout sheets are attached, and all times are estimates and could be affected by stoppages and event delays.
USA Boxing National Coach Joe Zanders (Long Beach, Calif.), coaches Ronald Simms (Stafford, Va.) and Manny Robles (Los Angeles, Calif.), technical advisor Ken Porter (Akron, Ohio), and Team Manager Ken Buffington (Marshalltown, Iowa) are leading the United States team in Baku.
The 2011 World Championships are the first international qualifying tournament for the 2012 Olympic Games, and the light flyweight through light heavyweight boxers must place in top ten to qualify for London while the heavyweight and super heavyweight competitors need to place in the top six.
For the full brackets for all 10 weight classes and the most up-to-date results, go to http://www.aiba.org/en-US/2011/2011WorldBoxingChampionships.aspx. For more information on Team USA, go to www.usaboxing.org. USA Boxing will tweet all the American results as they happen @usaboxing.
The first AIBA Men’s World Championships were held in 1974 in Havana, Cuba. The event, which consistently showcases the best boxers in the world, is held every two years.
U.S. Results
108 lbs: David Ayrapetyan, RUS, dec. Eros Correa, San Jose, Calif./USA, 23-10
123 lbs: Joseph Diaz, Jr., S. El Monte, Calif./USA dec. Worapoj Petchkoom, THA, 24-21
132 lbs: Vasyl Lomanchenko, UKR, dec. Jose Ramirez, Avenal, Calif./USA, 16-9
165 lbs: Jesse Hart, Philadelphia, Pa./USA dec. Sobirjon Nazarov, TJK, 13-8
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).
IABA UPDATE (O’NEILL, NEVIN, JOYCE ADVANCE AT AIBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS)
IRISH AMATEUR BOXING ASSOCIATION
John Joe Nevin turned on the style to move to within one win of qualifying for his second Olympic Games in-a-row at the the AIBA World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan today.
But Irish team captain Ken Egan bowed out after he was retired in the third round of his heavyweight clash with Cuba’s Jose Gomez-Larduet.
Nevin, a bronze medal winner at the 2009 AIBA World Championships, beat India’s two-time Olympian Akhil Kumar 21-14.
The 22-year-old Cavan bantamweight, who was the youngest member of the Irish 2008 Olympic squad, will now face Otgondalai Dorjnyambuu of Mongolia today just three,
three minute rounds away from booking his second Olympic ticket in four years.
Meanwhile, Ken Egan was retired 1 minute and 20 seconds into the third after taking a standing count versus Cuba’s Jose Gomez-Larduet in the heavyweight class.
The Cuban was very generously adjudged to have been 23-11 up going into the third. Two ringside observers believed that Egan, who has moved up to heavyweight this year,
had produced a fine second frame and was giving as good as he got.
Earlier today, David Oliver Joyce turned in big second and third rounds to advance to the last-16.
The St Michael’s Athy lightweight shared the first frame 5-5 with Mohammad Khaiber of Afghanistan but pulled away in the second to register a convincing 26-13 win.
The 2009 European Union champion will now face Asian Games silver-medalist Jai Bhagwan of India tomorrow one win away from qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Darren O’Neill is also just one win away from qualifying for the Olympics following an edge-of-the-seat 15-13 win over Egypt’s Mohamad Hikal earlier this afternoon.
The hieroglyphics appeared to be on the wall for the Egyptian middleweight after O’Neill took a 4-2 first round lead, but Hikal reduced the deficit to 8-7 by the end of the second.
Both boxers received public warnings in the third, Hikal for dropping his head, O’Neill for pushing.
O’Neill will now meet Mladen Manev of Bulgaria in the last-16 tomorrow with a place at the London Olympics up for grabs. The Kilkenny southpaw beat Manev 6-0 at the 2010 European Championships in Moscow.
Paddy Barnes dropped out of the Championships following a surprise 20-12 defeat to Mark Barriga of the Philippines this morning.
The Belfast light-flyweight, the 2010 European champion, was favourite to advance to the last-16 of the competition, but Barriga claimed the first round 6-4 en route to an eight point margin of victory.
Joe Ward, Michael Conlan, Roy Sheehan, Joyce, Nevin and O’Neill will all be boxing for a place in the quarter-finals and automatic qualification for the London Olympics tomorrow.
Con Sheehan will also be in action in the last-16. However, super-heavyweight must reach the semi-finals to guarantee qualification for London.
2011 AIBA World Men’s Championships Baku, Azerbaijan
September 27th
52Kg: (last 64) Michael Conlan (St John Bosco) beat Alexandr Riscan (Moldova) 25-12
September 29th
69Kg: (last 64) Roy Sheehan (St Michael’s Athy) beat Carl Hield (Bahamas) 15-10
September 30th
64Kg: (last 64) Ray Moylette (St Anne’s) beat Arturs Ahmetous (Latvia) 16-11
October 1st (last 64)
75Kg: Darren O’Neill (Paulstown) beat Glodi Eneste (Norway) 16-5
60Kg: David Oliver Joyce (St Michael’s Athy) beat Mohammad Momevand (Iran) 23-11
October 2nd (last 32)
52Kg:Michael Conlan (St John Bosco) beat Olzhas Sattibayev (Kazakhstan) 18-17
64Kg: Ray Moylette (St Anne’s) lost to Manoj Kumar (India) 7-19
69Kg: Roy Sheehan (St Michael’s Athy) beat Borna Katalinic (Croatia) 21-17
81Kg: Joe Ward (Moate) beat Dilovarsho Abdurakhmanov (Tajikistan) 22-4
91+Kg: Con Sheehan (Clonmel) beat Faruth Kalonov (Tajikistan) RSC2
October 3rd (last 32)
49Kg: Paddy Barnes (Holy Family) lost to Mark Barriga (Philippines) 12-20
56Kg: John Joe Nevin (Cavan) beat Akhil Kumar (India) 21-14
60Kg: David Oliver Joyce (St Michael’s Athy) beat Mohammad Khaiber (Afghanistan) 26-13
75Kg: Darren O’Neill (Paulstown) beat Mohamad Hikal (Egypt) 15-13
91Kg: Ken Egan (Neilstown) lost to Jose Gomez Larduet (Cuba) RET3
October 4th (Last 16)
52Kg: Michael Conlan (St John Bosco) v Nordine Oubaali (France) (evening)
56Kg: John Joe Nevin (Cavan) v Otgondalai Dorjnyambuu (Mongolia) (afternoon)
69Kg: Roy Sheehan (St Michael’s Athy) v Egidijus Kavaliauskas (Lithuania) (evening)
60kg; David Oliver Joyce (St Michael’s Athy) v Jai Bhagwan (India) (evening)
75Kg: Darren O’Neill (Paulstown) v Mladen Manev (Bulgaria) (afternoon)
81Kg: Joe Ward (Moate) v Ehsan Rouzbahani (Iran) (morning)
91+Kg: Con Sheehan (Clonmel) v Roberto Cammerelle (Italy) (evening)