Amir Khan, Unified Super Lightweight Champion
“I always said when I was younger, I wanted to fight in different states and different areas of the world because I want to be the best and prove that I’m the best.
“We know how good Lamont is. He’s strong. He’s only lost one fight in his whole career. It’s going to be a tough night and you have a lot of support here, but I think we will have a lot more support [than people think].
“It’s been a long time since you had a big fight in DC, and we want to bring big fights back here again.”
Lamont Peterson, #1 Rated IBF Super Lightweight Contender
“I’ve been talking for two months now. I’m tired of talking. I’m ready to fight.
“I don’t like to be amped or crazy going into the ring because I’m a thinker. I just think about the game plan, go over that a few times and before I know it, they’re raising my hand at the end of the fight. I just keep going over that over and over again until it’s time to go.
“Khan has got his army here, so we really need DC to come out and represent!”
Seth Mitchell, Undefeated Heavyweight Contender
“I’m excited about the fight and I’m anxious. I’m tired of training.
“I’m not underestimating Timur at all.
“I’m confident. I know this is a big step for me. You don’t get a record like Timur’s without knowing how to fight and maneuver in the ring.
“I respect my opponent a lot, but come December 10, I’m pretty sure he won’t respect me and I won’t respect him either.
“I feel that it’s my time.”
Timur Ibragimov, Heavyweight Contender
“I fought so many times in Moscow, Germany, but never in the capital of America. It’s a big honor.”
Anthony Peterson, Lightweight Contender & Lamont’s Brother
“It’s been 15 months since my last fight. The Only thing I can say is keep your eyes open and don’t blink, because I got a lot of stuff to get off my chest on Saturday.
“I’m frustrated that it’s been so long since I fought, but it’s been a learning experience.
“I’ve got to prove a point to myself and to everybody else. I believe the Peterson brothers are the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and I’ll believe it till I die, but we have to prove it to everyone else.
“We had to endure a lot more than the average kids, but we made up for that with Barry. He showed us how to live outside of boxing. He is my father.”
Freddie Roach, Boxing Hall of Famer and Amir’s trainer
“I fought here on March 1 in 1986. Darryl Tyson kicked my butt, but we’re gonna change that in the upcoming fight.
“Amir Khan is really ready. We had a great training camp and we’ll see you all there Saturday night.”
Barry Hunter, Team Peterson Manager and Trainer
“It’s not often that you have someone like Amir take a fight in the other person’s hometown when you can have a fight anywhere else in the planet, but he chose DC, so he deserves all the thanks and praise in the world.”
Andre Hunter, Seth Mitchell’s Trainer
“Seth has prepared very well and we know Timur is coming to fight. Seth is ready to go.”
Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions
“Saturday night, we will see the future of the heavyweight division in Seth Mitchell.
“When Amir Khan won the Silver Medal in 2004, he already looked like a seasoned veteran. He had tremendous speed, power and foot work.”
Bernard Hopkins, Light Heavyweight World Champion and Golden Boy Promotions Partner
“DC is one of those towns that boxing needs to be back in. Everybody on this stage has the opportunity to prove why DC is now the place for boxing and that it is a fight town.
“Amir and Lamont, this is your time to shine. This is your opportunity to build your own legacy and your own careers starting Saturday.”
Greg O’Dell, President and CEO of Events DC
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of this fight.
“We want to make this fit for a ‘King,’ Amir Khan, but we also want to see some ‘Havoc’ from Lamont Peterson as well and we want to see our good friend Seth Mitchell cause a little ‘Mayhem’ when he’s fighting.”
# # #
“Capital Showdown: Khan vs. Peterson,” a 12-round Unified Super Lightweight World Title Fight for Khan’s WBA World Super Championship and IBF World Championship taking place on Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Khan Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, DeWalt Tools, AT&T and MicroTech. Also featured will be a 10-round heavyweight battle between Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell and Timur Ibragimov. The fights will be telecast in the United States on HBO World Championship Boxing at 9:45 p.m. ET/6:45 p.m. PT and on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. The Walter E. Washington Convention Center doors will open on fight night at 6:00 p.m. and the first fight will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets, priced at $300, $150, $75, $50 and $25, are available for purchase through Ticketmaster by calling (800) 745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. The Walter E. Washington Convention Center Box Office will be open Thursday, December 8 and Friday, December 9 from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and on Saturday, December 10 from 12:00 p.m. until approximately 11:00 p.m.
Douglin to face Martinez January 6 on Friday Night Fights!
Morganville, NJ (December 9, 2011) – Denis “Da Momma’s Boy” Douglin will make his national TV debut when he battles undefeated knockout artist Steven Martinez on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights” January 6 at Mallory Square in Key West, FL.
Both Douglin, 13-1 (8 KO’s), and Martinez, 11-0 (9 KO’s), won the 2008 National Golden Gloves Tournament in their respective weight classes, en route to becoming notable pro prospects. Although Douglin lives in Morganville, NJ and Martinez resides in nearby Bronx, NY, the two only trained together on a very limited basis.
“We sparred once earlier this year and that was it,” stated Douglin, who outpointed slick veteran Phillip McCants in July. “We fought in the same tournaments but he competed in a lower weight class. He faced my cousin (Delen Parsley) twice in the amateurs and I’ve seen a number of his pro fights. He’s a good fighter with solid skills.”
Last February, Douglin suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of Doel Carrasquillo. The skilled southpaw was written off by many insiders following the loss, but Douglin believes that he’ll turn doubters into believers come January 6.
“You’re only as good as your last fight and I learned a lot from the loss. The Martinez fight is a blessing and two young fighters putting everything on the line is something for the fans to be excited about. When I win, people will definitely know that I’m here to stay!”
Douglin-Martinez is scheduled for eight rounds in the junior middleweight division and will open the 2012 season of Friday Night Fights. The card is promoted by Dibella Entertainment. Ticket information will be available shortly.
The card airs live on ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPN Deportes at 9 pm ET.
The Reemergence of Bare Knuckle Boxing
Bareknuckle fighting has been going over for hundreds of years as a means of settling disputes between families as well as a sport. The first registered bareknuckle boxing champion of England was crowned in 1719 when James Figg claimed the title.
Over the years the sport expanded and a handful of assorted champions passed the title around, with the last sanctioned bout taking place in 1889 as John L. Sullivan defeated Jake Kilrain in an epic 75 round battle. Though the sport had evolved into a form of competition, travelling families have continued the tradition of settling family disputes purely through bareknuckle fighting.
Recently Ian Palmer released the film Knuckle which followed the lives of an Irish Traveler community over 12 years. Starring renowned Irish Traveler and undefeated bareknuckle fighter James Quinn, Knuckle is an in-depth look at the lives these families lived and the epic ongoing bareknuckle wars that were fought throughout the years.
As Knuckle created a lot of buzz in the UK with its release this past summer, Americans got introduced to the world of bareknuckle boxing as former 7 time cruiserweight champion Bobby Gunn and Richard Stewart fought for the vacant world heavyweight bareknuckle boxing championship, last held by John L. Sullivan.
In this first sanctioned bareknuckle boxing bout since in nearly 123 years, Gunn once again displayed his winning ways and knockout power, ending the fight in round 3 via knockout.
Within recent months of the movie release and championship fight, the buzz and popularity for bareknuckle boxing has taken off exponentially. Websites, blogs and pages have been created throughout the online world in support of seeing bareknuckle boxing become as big as traditional boxing and MMA. One of the top bareknuckle groups can be found on Facebook. Rage!! Bareknuckle Boxing Group is comprised of bareknuckle fighters and enthusiasts who share the same passion and support for this growing sport. It is a common place for fight fans to talk about all the latest news in the bareknuckle boxing world.
The reason for the recent taking off of bareknuckle boxing is that it offers the science of boxing coupled with the excitement of a MMA fight. A common misconception is that bareknuckle boxing is simply a street fight or a back alley brawl. But anyone who has ever witnessed a bout has seen that it is a smart fight fought between two professionals; not two inebriated fellas outside of a pub.
It is more than simply a tough man competition where you swing wild in hopes of landing a knockout blow. Bareknuckle boxing requires patience and thought process; careless and wild punching will likely result in damaging of your hands.
And because so much care is put into picking your punches and waiting for your openings, fighters are rarely injured in this sport. If the growing trend continues, it can be expected that within a year we will see the emergence of different weight classes and a plethora of fighters from around the world stepping forward and taking their shot at the title.
Currently Bobby Gunn and James Quinn are scheduled to fight for the world heavyweight bareknuckle boxing championship in February of 2012. This bout will feature two of the most revered bareknuckle fighters of our time, and will surely pave the road to a long and exciting future for bareknuckle boxing.
For more info visit www.wbkba.com.