CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS (Feb. 16, 2012) – A packed crowd attended the final press conference on Thursday at American Bank Center Arena to witness the jarring between promoters Don King and Dan Goossen and the fighters participating in Saturday’s SHOWTIME Championship Boxing event, live on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
In the main event, former world champion Paul Williams (40-2, 27 KOs), of Aiken, S.C., will face Nobuhiro Ishida (24-6-2, 9 KOs) of Osaka, Japan. Ishida has won his last two bouts via first-round stoppage, including an upset over then-undefeated James Kirkland in April of 2011, while Williams owns victories over Sergio Martinez and Antonio Margarito.
DAN GOOSSEN:
“From top to bottom, it’s going to be all action. Paul Williams is nothing but action. Saturday we’re going to have a special treat in the Triple Threat. And we’re happy to showcase some other guys on SHOWTIME EXTREME, which is available in more than 99 percent of homes that subscribe to SHOWTIME.
“One thing I don’t have to worry about with Chris is that he’s a fighter – he was born to fight. He’s exciting. He likes to go for the knockout by breaking you down. And that’s what Chris is going to do on Saturday night. Break Molina down and knock him out.
“Paul has consistently gone out there and took on any challenger. No one wants to fight this guy. Paul is all excitement – he throws punches and he doesn’t stop.
DON KING:
“It’s going to be super sensational on Saturday night. In the glory of the Alamo, Eric Molina has come here to persevere and knockout out Chris Arreola. In the spirit of Texas, this young man will rise to the occasion. The underdog will come and knock out Arreola. Eric has the heart, he has the desire, he has the will to win. And he has that Texas spirit.
“Everybody avoids Cloud. He is the embodiment of the sport of boxing. This cloud is coming in with devastation. He’s coming out to seek and destroy.
PAUL WILLIAMS:
“I’m going to go out there and do what I do best, get the job done and put on a hell of a show. To Ishida, a win over me would mean everything. It’s all or nothing for him. If you want it, you got to go through hell to get it. Whatever he throws I’m going to throw five times more. I’m going to show him how American boys do it.”
NOBUHIRO ISHIDA:
“I know Paul is one of the best fighters in the world but I’m going to put on a great show on Saturday night. This is a great opportunity and I’m here in Corpus Christi to win. I didn’t come here to for second place.”
ERIC GOMEZ, Vice President and Matchmaker – Golden Boy Promotions
“This is going to be a great event – it’s going to be very exciting. We want to thank Dan and Paul Williams for giving us an opportunity. After he knocked out James Kirkland people were asking, ‘What’s next?’ We’re happy to take on a fighter like Paul Williams.”
TAVORIS CLOUD:
“I’ve been in camp for a long time. I didn’t take my opponent lightly and come Saturday night there’s going to be a lot of excitement in the ring. Gabriel is a good fighter, but I just don’t think he can take my title. But we’ll see on Saturday night.”
GABRIEL CAMPILLO:
“I’m very happy to represent my country of Spain and win a title on Saturday night. This is a great opportunity and I plan on giving Tavoris Cloud his first loss. I was a champion before and I’ll be a champion again.”
SAMPSON LEWKOWICZ, Campillo’s Promoter
“Campillo is the underdog. But the underdog will thrive and be the new champion. He will surprise everyone with an upset and a victory.”
CHRIS ARREOLA:
“I never disrespect anyone but my job is to take those dreams away from Molina, those dreams of beating me and moving on to a world title.
“Don King has been talking trash and it’s going to be a great honor to shut his (Don King’s) mouth on Saturday.”
ERIC MOLINA:
“I feel so close to home. This is the best camp we’ve put together and I feel more confident that I ever have. I love being the underdog. I’ve had 18 wins in a row since losing my first fight in the first round. After that loss I dreamt of getting a chance like this. It took a lot of work to get here after that loss and all that work is going to pay off against Arreola on Saturday.”
The event is presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions. The Williams-Ishida bout will be promoted in association with Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo Promotions. The Cloud vs. Campillo bout will be promoted by Don King Productions in association with Sampson Boxing, LLC.
Tickets for the event are priced at $25, $35, $50, $75, $100 and are available at the American Bank Center box office and on Ticketmaster.com. VIP packages are also available by calling (817) 296-4546.
For information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please visit the website at http://sports.SHO.com.
Marshall Kauffman Continues 17-Year Tradition With Allentown Boxing Show on Feb. 25
Reading, PA (February 17, 2012) – Since 1995, Marshall Kauffman of King’s Promotions has been the sole benefactor for club level boxing in the Reading/Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania, building prospects out of raw amateurs and top contenders out of prospects in small venues and arenas alike. Only International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Russell Peltz has promoted boxing longer in Pennsylvania than Kauffman has.
Kauffman knows firsthand the difficulties that come along with promoting professional boxing events today, but despite the significant financial risks that are inherent of each promotion, he continues to persevere and promote on a consistent basis. He’ll be the first to tell you that turning a profit isn’t his primary motivation.
“I guess just the thrill of seeing a life change, seeing a young man pursue his dream is what keeps me going,” said Kauffman.
Kauffman’s next show, scheduled for February 25 at the Rodeway Inn in Allentown, Penn., will feature a number of local fighters from the Eastern Pennsylvania area pursuing their dreams of boxing glory. The show entitled “Heavyweight Explosion” will be headlined by popular heavyweight attraction William Miranda (4-4) of Allentown against Riley Brooks of Baltimore, MD in a six-round bout, with the chief supporting bout featuring junior middleweight Keenan Collins (13-7-2, 9 KO) of Reading, Penn., against Julio Cesar Lanzas (7-17-6, 1 KO) of Colorado Spring, Col. in a six-round bout.
Kauffman has seen the redeeming value of boxing up close. He had seen his son Travis Kauffman become a national amateur champion as a teenager. Now as a professional, Travis Kauffman is considered one of the most promising young hopes of heavyweight boxing at 22-1 (17 kos). He had also guided Kermit Cintron from his job installing carpet for $7 an hour to a welterweight title shot against Antonio Margarito where he earned $300,000. Years later Cintron would win a version of the welterweight world championship.
He had trained former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman, who had defied the odds with a knockout of Lennox Lewis years earlier, as well as former super middleweight champion Steve Little during their final title quests. He also guided Rob Calloway, taking him on a 12 fight win streak that earned him a top ten ranking in the world at cruiserweight.
Not everyone reaches that level in their careers, but Kauffman doesn’t see their dreams as any less valuable.
Take Cesar Gonzalez of Reading, who faces Osahon Omo-Osagie in a four-round rematch of their draw last May on the undercard. With the help of boxing, Gonzalez was able to turn his life around after a stint in prison. His dream was to turn professional, but at the age of 35, no promoters were willing to take that chance on him. Kauffman turned him pro at the Sovereign Center, a venue the size of which few ever get to perform in.
Gonzalez has had four fights and is hoping to earn his first victory in his fifth bout.
“[Cesar] might never become a world champion, but he wanted to fulfill his dream by turning professional,” said Kauffman. “It’s almost like threading a blanket, another color of yarn in that individual’s life. Regardless if they make it big, it’s a lifetime memory, something they can take with them forever.”
In the main event, Miranda will bring his loud contingent of 150+ screaming fans to the arena in what promises to be an exciting matchup.
“Great thing about him is he’s an Arturo Gatti, ‘I hit you, you hit me’ type of fighter, but he’s such a nice guy never once does he come across as a heavyweight boxer,” said Kauffman. “The guy could be in your kitchen baking a cake for your birthday party.
“It’s a great card, some young guys on the card that I’m high on like Frank De Alba, Grayson Blake, Anthony Young. These are the types of matchups they need to mature to the next level and have a chance to get to the championship fights. It’s an honor to be a part of their journey to the top.
“Will I ever be like a Russell Peltz or Top Rank with TV or multiple world champions? Maybe not, but that’s not my goal. My goal is to touch lives through the sport of boxing and do it with integrity.”
Tickets are priced at $65 (VIP), $50 (Ringside) and $35 (General Admission), and can be purchased at the Rodeway Inn (610-398-1629), King’s Boxing (610-587-5950) at Lehigh Valley Isshin Ryu Karate (484-554-8804) or online at eventbrite.com. Doors open at 6PM and first fight is at 7PM. For more information, visit www.kingsboxing.com
The Rodeway Inn is located at 1151 Bulldog Drive, Allentown, PA.