Former Middleweight World Champion Kelly Pavlik on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights
Reports from Pacquiao-Bradley Weigh-in and International Boxing Hall of Fame
Former Middleweight world champion Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik (38-2, 33 KOs) and Scott “Cujo” Sigmon (22-3, 12 KOs) will meet in the 10-round Super Middleweight main event June 8 on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra. Friday’s show will air at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2 HD, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN3 from Las Vegas. The card is presented by Top Rank Promotions.
ESPN2 HD studio host Bernardo Osuna will be on site in Las Vegas on the eve of the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley Welterweight title bout and will present a report and interviews from Friday’s weigh-in.
Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas will be ringside for ESPN2 HD and ESPN3 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino describing the action, while Osuna will present all the latest boxing news and highlights. Alex Pombo and Delvin Rodriguez will call the fights for ESPN Deportes’ Viernes de Combates (Friday Night Fights), with Leopoldo Gonzalez and Pablo Viruega in the studio.
ESPN2’s show plans to run a special feature on Pavlik profiling the Youngstown, Ohio fighter (See video clip above) and will include a report from the International Boxing Hall of Fame induction weekend in Canastota New York.
Main Event:
Pavlik enters Friday’s fight having fought current and former titlists Sergio Martinez and Bernard Hopkins and is coming off a March second-round TKO win over Aaron Jaco. After the fight ESPN.com boxing expert Dan Rafael wrote, “The comeback is under way for Pavlik, and so far, so good for the former middleweight world champion, who looked sharp. He looked in tremendous shape and was powerful with his left hand while not even needing to employ the destructive right hand that has been his calling card. Jaco never stood a chance. Pavlik rocked him early in the first round with a left hook and it seemed to be only a matter of time before he got rid of Jaco.”
Virginia’s Sigmon, has won his last six fights, including a 10-round unanimous decision win over Carlton Holland. Sigmon said of Friday’s fight, “The two guys that have been successful against Pavlik moved laterally a lot, counterpunching and timing. But I’m not that guy, so I’m going to have to do it a different way than it’s ever been done… If this fight plays out the way I think it will, this will be an early candidate for ‘Fight of the Year.’”
Co-Feature:
Friday’s co-feature will pit Featherweights Jesse Magdaleno (9-0, 6 KOs) against Carlos Valcarcel (12-4-4, 5 KOs). Las Vegas’ Magdaleno is coming off a first-round knockout win over Timothy Fast, while Valcarcel, a 2000 Olympian for Puerto Rico will look to rebound after a 10-round unanimous decision loss to Roberto Marroquin in his last fight.
Also on Friday’s card undefeated Light Heavyweight Mike Lee of Chicago will meet Denver’s Isaiah Barela (3-2, 2 KOs) in a Light Heavyweight matchup.
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Bryant Jennings Reacts to Freddie Roach Comment
During the June 1st NBC Sports Network Fight Night broadcast, Freddie Roach commented, “I think Bryant Jennings is the best prospect America has right now in the heavyweight division.”
Jennings keeps Chambers and Adamek apart at press conf for 6/16 NBC Sports Network “Fight Night” show
Jennings shared his thoughts on this, “I totally went crazy after I heard that! He had told me personally, but when he announced it on national television I was blown away. Freddie knows boxing.” When asked if he agreed with Roach, Jennings said, “I work pretty hard and I do see myself as one of the best , if not the best.”
Jennings
Bryant Jennings –
Fred Jenkins, Manager/Trainer for Jennings said, “Bryant has the potential to be the greatest heavyweight of all time. He is still learning and that makes all things possible.”
Jennings’ promoter, Russell Peltz, of Peltz Boxing, commented, “All you hear about is Tyson Fury, Seth Mitchell, David Price, and yet Bryant Jennings is the one they should be talking about.”
Bryant “By By”Jennings will face Steve “Freight Train” Collins on NBC Sports Network “Fight Night” June 16. The NBCSN broadcast will begin at 9PM ET.
FIGHT INFO: The June 16th NBC Sports Network Fight Night card at Newark’s Prudential Center features Tomasz Adamek vs. Eddie Chambers. Co-featured on the card will be Bryant Jennings vs. Steve Collins, Garrett, Indiana, 25-1,18 KO’s. The NBCSN broadcast will begin at 9PM ET. The card is presented by Main Events in association with Peltz Boxing, Ziggy Promotions and Goossen Tutor Promotions.
Tickets priced at $254 ringside, $104, $79, and $54 available through Ticketmaster: online at www.ticketmaster.com; Charge-by-phone: 1-800-745-3000; Ticketmaster Express 866-448-7849; and Ticketmaster ticket centers. Tickets are also available at Prudential Center’s Box Office and www.prucenter.com.
NBC SPORTS NETWORK FIGHT NIGHT SCHEDULE (All Times ET)
Saturday, June 16, 9-11 pm – Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
Friday, September 21, 9-11pm – Site TBA
Saturday, December 8, 9-11 pm – Site TBA
To find the location of the NBC Sports Network on your local cable, satellite or IPTV provider, click here:http://www.nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/30092015/ns/sports/
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WSB boxers visit iconic West Ham Boxing Club
London, Great Britain, 7 June 2012 – Taking time out of their busy schedules in the build-up to this Saturday’s Individual Championships, five of the ten finalists went to visit the legendary West Ham Boxing Club in the heart of East London to share experiences and tips with over 40 local boxers. WSB boxers at West Ham Boxing Club.
Hidden in a small street, the club can be found behind the ‘Black Lion’, a British pub, in a typical London setting. On arrival, the WSB boxers were dumbstruck by the aura of the club which has produced over 150 National Champions over the past 20 years.
Enjoying the sense of history seeping out of the walls of this iconic place, Gairbek Germakhanov, Adlan Abdurashidov, Heybulla Mursalov, Azamat Murtuzaliyev and Ramazan Magomedau went about training with the locals aged from as young as six to well into their thirties.
Although very congested in the club, the WSB boxers, along with their coaches and team representatives, were delighted to be training in such an environment, passing on their knowledge to the kids and so many budding boxers in attendance.
After gentle skipping and a bit of bag work with the various age groups, the WSB boxers stepped up the intensity levels to demonstrate elite level training. The onlookers were amazed at the skills and power on show.
After a good two hour work-out, the boxers gave away t-shirts, gloves and equipments and posed for pictures. The five WSB finalists had ensured a whole new legion of fans with all promising to be there ringside this Saturday to cheer them onto victory.
Mick, one of the club coaches, stated, “It is amazing for our kids to welcome in their club boxers of that stature, especially in such a depraved area. These kids need to dream and to have idols to look up helps them to keep on working hard and improving their boxing skills. Azerbaijani and Russian boxers are probably, at the moment, the best in the World and it was a privilege to have them with us. It was a fantastic idea to have these elite guys come to our club; I wish they could come more often”.
Mursalov, added, “I really enjoyed this training session, it was very special. The place, the people, everything was fantastic. I was really impressed by some of the young kids. In Azerbaijan, you do not find many parents who want to have their kids to take up boxing this early. It is a shame because it is important to start as soon as possible if you want to have a successful career in your chosen sport. Here you really feel that boxing is part of the culture and seeing these kids was an unforgettable experience”.
Friday sees the weigh-in take place in one of London’s most famous landmarks: the historic Covent Garden at 14.00 local time.
Want to be at the Individual Championships this Saturday too? Tickets are still available.
The fights will all be broadcast LIVE on worldseriesboxingtv.com.