logo batistaWORLD BOXING ORGANIZATION

Luis Batista Salas, Esq.

Chairman

WBO Championship Committee

 TO: ALL BONA FIDE PROMOTERS

FROM: LUIS BATISTA SALAS, ESQ.

DATE: January 26, 2017

RE: DATE CHANGE HEAVYWEIGHT

-PURSE BID – Joseph Parker vs. Hughie Fury

Please be advised that the Purse Bid Scheduled for 11:00 am AST on Wednesday, February 1st 2017 has been postponed until Friday, February 3rd, same time and place:

        Verdanza Hotel

8020 Tartak Street

Isla Verde, PR 00979

Ph.: +1 (787) 625-9025

E-mail: reservations@verdanzahotel.com

www.verdanzahotel.com

The minimum acceptable bid for the Heavyweight Title is $1,000,000.00 (One Million Dollars). The Purse division for Champion Parker will be 60% and for the Challenger 40%, as accorded during the 2016 WBO Convention in San Juan, PR.

President Francisco Valcarcel will be presiding

logo batista    WORLD   BOXING ORGANIZATION

Luis Batista Salas, Esq.

Chairman

WBO Championship Committee 

January 24, 2017

             

 Sin título

Re:     WBO HEAVYWEIGHT PURSE BID

Joseph Parker vs. Hughie Fury

 

Gentlemen:

As per Section 11 through 14 of the WBO Regulations for World Championship Contest (www.wboboxing.com), please be advised that a purse bid will be held at 11:00 am AST on Wednesday, February 1, 2017 at the:

 

WBO Headquarters

1056 Muñoz Rivera Avenue

Suite 711-714

San Juan, PR 00927

+1 (787) 765-4444

 

The minimum acceptable bid for the Heavyweight Title is $1,000,000.00 (One Million Dollars). The Purse division for Champion Parker will be 60% and for the Challenger 40%, as accorded during the 2016 WBO Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

President Francisco Valcarcel will be presiding.

Cc:      All Bona Fide Promoters

Two bottles of champagne were whisked into Shane Cameron’s dressing room after he stunned Monte Barrett with a thundering fourth-round knockout to rejuvenate his heavyweight career in Auckland.

With a huge overhand right hook just 18 seconds into the fourth round, Cameron reclaimed the WBO Asia Pacific and Oriental belts in devastating fashion to shock most predictions.

Cameron’s power has long been questioned, but with Barrett needing to be helped to his feet more than a minute after being floored, those jibes are sure to cease.

The 41-year-old Barrett didn’t see Cameron’s shot coming and, after trash-talking his way through the build-up, the American was, for once, short of words.

“It was an amazing victory. I’d like to thank everyone who turned up here tonight to support me. It was an amazing feeling coming out and the ending was spectacular,” Cameron said.

“I said I was going to get these belts back and I did.”

Barrett, who strode to the ring looking like Santa Claus, meanwhile, is now seemingly set for retirement.

“Shane was prepared for the fight. He fought a good fight and my hat goes off to him and his team,” Barrett said after recovering from the brutal punch.

“It was one of those shots that you don’t see coming.”

Cameron’s two-and-a-half week training camp with former British champion David Haye in London clearly paid dividends.

Barrett is considered the gateway to bigger heavyweight clashes and Cameron will now look to capitalise on this remarkable underdog triumph.

The 34-year-old Kiwi had spoken of gaining redemption after his dramatic second-round defeat to David Tua nearly three years ago. This was the defining fight of his career and he more than delivered.

In the tentative opening round, Barrett was content to let the challenger come to him. The American took that first round with two strong overhead right hooks, as Cameron attempted to work the jab and move.

Barrett twice made head-butt claims in the second round, but Cameron found his feet and shook off the initial nerves to hit the mark with strong right-hand hooks.

Both fighters landed heavy shots in the third. Cameron’s home-crowd rose to their feet thinking, on initial glance, he had secured a knockdown but it turned out Cameron had pushed the title holder down.

Few expected Cameron to stop this fight early. But with one punch the Commonwealth Cruiserweight champion defied the odds, declared he will not freeze on the big stage, can step up in class and ignited Kiwi boxing once more.

 

LIAM NAPIER

http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-sport/national-sport/7230550/Shane-Cameron-defies-odds-with-Barrett-KO

WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO has opened the door to a world title shot for David Price.

Klitschko holds four versions of the world heavyweight title but fancies a defence against the Liverpool bruiser.

Price, 28, who defeated Sam Sexton to win the vacant British and Commonwealth titles on Saturday, wants a world title shot within 18 months.

Klitschko is a great admirer of the 6ft 8in Olympic bronze medallist and reckons he reminds him of himself.

The 36-year-old said: “Maybe David Price and I are going to end up ­fighting. I will not exclude David from my list of possible opponents. We will see how he develops himself.

“I think David Price is doing an ­incredible job. I see myself in him in a certain way.

“He is a couple of inches taller than I am, but his technique is pretty much the same as mine, so there are certain similarities between us and my ­trainer Emanuel Steward always points them out.

“When we have watched his fights, Emmanuel says, ‘Oh, look, he moves like you and even his trunks and his boxing shoes look like yours’.

“Manny always thinks he is copying me and likes the way I fight. I agree with Manny because I used to have my idols. Maybe he looks up to me.

“It depends not just on the will of the promoters but on the will of the fighters because there are a lot of fighters who have ducked the chance of meeting me.”

Klitschko holds the WB), IBF, and WBAworld titles and Price – the best British world heavyweight title prospect since Lennox Lewis – is ­moving rapidly towards a challenge for one of them.

Price has now won all 13 of his ­professional fights and his promoter Frank Maloney, who guided Lewis to the world title, has high hopes for him.

He said: “People may have ­dismissed David’s comment when he said he could become world champion by his 20th fight.

“That doesn’t look a bad prediction now. He could probably earn his chance quickly, but it is about ­becoming world champion and ­having a long reign.”

Klitschko, meanwhile, is preparing to defend his belts against Tony Thompson, 40, in Berne on July 7.

He said: “I understand that I will not be boxing forever and that is why I am enjoying every moment of it.

“I think about retirement. I know it will be over some day. Health and ­motivation are two big factors. If one of those disappears, I am out.”

Klitschko was speaking in London to promote a new film about himself and his elder brother Vitali, the WBC world champion.

He added: “Always, in the history of this sport, the generations change. I am ready and I am there and if a ­challenge comes, I will take it.

“I know the game well and you have to take challenges that come your way.

“That is why I am in the game ­because it is fun to find the right ­strategy, to train and get ready and dominate the way I want.”

He is once again aiming to dominate in his fight with American Thompson, whom he defeated four years ago.

Klitschko has to face him because he has been declared the mandatory IBF challenger and the Ukrainian said: “I didn’t want to lose my belt.

“I am still motivated to defend all of my titles, but it is something of a sore spot because I have no other choice but to fight him.

“He is awfully uncomfortable to fight. His defence is great and my jab doesn’t work with him, which doesn’t ­really make sense to me.”

‘Klitschko’ is out in selected Empire cinemas and will be available to buy on Blu-ray and DVD from May 28, courtesy of Universal Pictures UK.

By Kevin Francis, courtesy of The Daily Starhttp://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=53166

WBO/IBF/WBA world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (R) faces opponent Tony Thompson of the United States in front of a Swiss flag during a press conference on in Bern ahead of their boxing fight on July 7 at the Stade de Suisse stadium. Klitschko (57-3, 50KOs) previously knocked out Thompson (36-2, 24KOs) out in the eleventh round in 2008. Thompson later became the IBF’s mandatory challenger, which allowed him to force the rematch. The two fighters decided to make the fight on neutral ground, with Germany and the United States being ruled out.

 

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=52657

The war of words between New Zealand heavyweight Shane Cameron and outspoken American Monte Barrett began today after the pair went face to face in their first press conference ahead of their July bout.

Auckland’s Skycity is set to host the fight on July 5, with Barrett set to put the WBO Asia Pacific and WBO Oriental Heavyweight belts, formerly held by Cameron, on the line.

Barrett, who is well known to New Zealand boxing fans after he beat David Tua last August, was quick to taunt the Kiwi today by reciting a poem he had written on his flight to Auckland from his native New York City.

In it Barrett claimed “my fist and Shane’s face will be best friends all night”, but 34-year-old Cameron was confident he would expose the age difference against the soon-to-be 41-year-old.

“I’ll turn you into a 40-year-old man,” Cameron told his opponent in response to the poem. “I’ve seen your last fight, you were slow.”

However the brash American was quick in his response.

“I was slow? I’ve seen your fight with David Tua and you were through the ropes,” Barrett said, referring to Cameron’s infamous second round knockout defeat to Tua in 2009.

“So you need to cut it out buddy,” Barrett continued.

“You got more grey hair than me and I’m older than you, I think you’ve got a lot of problems.”

Taunts aside, fight promoter Dean Lonergan confirmed that the winner of the fight would become No. 1 contender to the New Zealand heavyweight title claimed by All Black Sonny Bill Williams in February.

The rules state that after the No. 1 contender is confirmed Williams will have to defend his belt within 12 months, but Lonergan doubted the rugby star would be up to the challenge.

“I think Sonny would love to have the opportunity to test himself, but I think his manager Khoder Nasser will run like a little girl when presented with the opportunity and I expect inside of 12 months Sonny Bill will throw the belt in, if he still has it,” Lonergan said.

Barrett had previously claimed he would fight Cameron and Williams in the same night and didn’t show much respect for the dual-international as a boxer today exclaiming: “I want to date him, the guy’s really pretty.”

“With Sonny Bill Williams, I just want to punch him in the stomach because he’s a pretty boy and once I hit him I don’t think he’s ever going to worry about putting on another pair of boxing gloves, he’s going to stick to kicking footballs for the rest of his life.”

Cameron was more focussed on the job at hand, aware that the fight is likely to be the toughest challenge he has faced in his 30-fight career, with Barrett having challenged for the World Heavyweight title on two occasions.

A farcry from the New Zealander’s last heavyweight opponent, former league player John Hopoate in 2010, but Cameron said this was about confirming his status as one of this country’s top boxers.

“I want to stamp my authority and legacy on this country, there’s not a lot of great fighters that come out of New Zealand, but I’d like to be up there with the ones that were great in New Zealand.”

http://tvnz.co.nz/othersports-news/trash-talk-starts-ahead-cameron-barrett-clash-4849322

WBO/IBF/WBA Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko will make his 12th title defense in a rematch against mandatory challenger Tony Thompson on July 7 after the sides made a deal Monday, Klitschko adviser Shelly Finkel told ESPN.com.

An IBF purse bid was scheduled for Tuesday, but it was canceled when they came to an agreement. IBF championship committee chairman Lindsey Tucker said the organization received a letter from the fighters’ handlers letting him know a deal had been made.

“There is no purse bid because we made a deal,” Finkel said.

Had it gone to a purse bid, Klitschko would have been entitled to 85 percent of the winning bid with Thompson due 15 percent. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The fight is slated to take place at a soccer stadium in Berne, Switzerland. Klitschko, who is from Ukraine, usually fights in Germany — where he has fought his last seven fights — although his older brother, fellow heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, made a 2009 title defense against Kevin Johnson at a hockey arena in Berne.

Klitschko (57-3, 50 KOs), who turned 36 on Sunday, will be meeting Thompson (36-2, 24 KOs), 40, of Washington, D.C., in a rematch. He first faced Thompson on July 12, 2008 in Hamburg, Germany and dominated. Klitschko led 99-91, 98-92 and 98-92 on the judges’ scorecards before scoring a crushing 11th-round knockout.

Since then, Thompson has won five consecutive bouts, each by knockout, to again become Klitschko’s mandatory challenger.

Dan Goossen, Thompson’s promoter, had hoped to make a deal to the bring the fight to Washington, but Klitschko was not interested because the money would be greater in Europe.

The likely American broadcaster for Klitschko-Thompson II is premium network Epix, which also televised Klitschko’s fourth-round destruction of Jean-Marc Mormeck on March 3, as well as Vitali Klitschko’s title defense on Feb. 18, a unanimous decision against Dereck Chisora.

If Wladimir Klitschko defeats Thompson, he does plan to return to the United States for a tentative Nov. 10 title defense against American Cristobal Arreola at Madison Square Garden in New York in a fight that HBO is interested in broadcasting.

Klitschko’s last fight in the U.S. was also at the Garden, where he won a lopsided decision against Sultan Ibragimov in a title unification fight on Feb. 23, 2008.

 

By Dan Rafael | ESPN.com

http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/7741883/wladimir-klitschko-make-12th-title-defense-rematch-vs-tony-thompson

Hard-hitting German heavyweight contender Konstantin Airich returned back home to Hamburg after stopping WBO#6 Ondrej Pala in the ninth round of an exciting brawl in Tekirdag (Turkey) on Friday night. With this win the “Sandman“ added the WBO European championship to the IBF intercontinental championship which he had won by annihilating Varol Vekiloglu in one round in Regensburg (Germany) last October. At the airport Airich was welcomed by his nine-year-old twins Alexia and Max.

“This is the moment I have been fighting and working for”, said proud dad Airich after his arrival. “Once you look into these eyes you know that it’s been worth all the sweat, blood, tears and pain. I had to promise to my son that I will come home with two belts so I have one for each of my kids. I cannot say how proud and happy I am that I managed to keep my word. Now I will take off some time to spend with my family, I think we all earned this.”

When 33-year-old Airich is not fighting he works as a bricklayer or travels around the world as sparring partner. Most recently he has spent four weeks in Austria with both Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko.

His win over Pala should lift Airich into a top 10 position in both WBO and IBF which may open him a door to fight Wladimir Klitschko in a voluntary title defense making his way from a sparring partner to a world title challenger.

“I don’t even want to fantasize about this at the moment”, says Airich. “For the moment I am happy to be back home. I will take my rest and then discuss the next steps with my management. I am sure that we will find the right fight. I can only promise that whoever I face in the ring – I will give it my all and try to win for Alexia and Max!”

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50536

 

With the Klitschko brothers and WBA champion Alexander Povetkin having defended their respective titles over the past several weeks, the question now turns to “Whose next?”

This is a question that becomes increasing more difficult to answer considering that the United States – the historical standard bearer of heavyweight champions – is suffering a heavyweight drought and that heavyweight contenders across the world are getting less and less exposure.

How many American’s had ever heard of top ten heavyweight contender Eric Molina before he fought Chris Arreola? How many boxing fans outside of England were familiar with Dereck Chisora before his fight with Vitali Klitschko?

Maybe, just maybe, the next Rocky

Balboa will emerge from the great unknown to excite boxing fans again and show the world why heavyweights matter.

With that in mind, FightNews is proud to introduce “Rocky Lives!”

Each month, FightNews will profile a relatively unknown, unheralded heavyweight contender with title fight aspirations who might just be the Jeremy Lin of boxing.

This month’s contender is Chauncy Welliver.

FIGHTER PROFILE:

Name: Chauncy “The Hillyard Hammer” Welliver

From: Spokane, Washington

Record: 52-5-5, 20 KOs

Rankings: #6 WBC, #9 WBO

Notable Fights: Moyoyo Mensah (TKO 9), Rob Calloway (W 12), Lawrence Tauasa (TKO 4), Odlanier Solis (LTKBY 9), Billy Zumbrun (W 8), King Ipitan (W 8)

Strengths: Solid defensive fighter with good chin and above average speed. Possess’ very good endurance for a heavyweight of his size. He is the most active heavyweight contender on the planet, with seventeen fights since September of 2009.

Weaknesses: Below average punching power and limited experience against world ranked heavyweights. Welliver has, in the past, come into fights in extremely poor conditioning.

 

You have to forgive boxing fans in Washington State if they fail to notice that there is a world ranked heavyweight contender living among them.  After all, Chauncy Welliver hardly looks the part.

With a constant smile, a disarming demeanor, and a wardrobe that makes him look more like a college hockey fan than a heavyweight contender, Welliver seems like he would be out of place in the boxing ring.  The only giveaway probably would be the WBC logo tattooed on his left arm.

But across the Pacific, Welliver is quickly emerging as something completely different: quite possibly the most recognizable heavyweight contender in the world.    His October 2011 fight against Rob Calloway in Tianjin, China was viewed by as many as fifteen million viewers on Chinese television and was at near capacity on fight night, with a live attendance of over 5,000 and thousands of fans surrounding the arena to watch the contest on a big screen outside the stadium.

“The sport of boxing in China historically was focused on creating amateur boxers for the Olympics,” commented Welliver’s manager Roland Jankelson.  “Essentially the idea for professional boxing in China was introduced with the first WBC fight in China and then the WBO fight that followed.  I think that it’s not just the event itself and what happened as a contest but the fact that Chauncy really created sports history on a world stage.  No doubt China will become the biggest sports stage in coming years.”

No heavyweight fight of note had been staged in China since 1993 when a badly faded 42-year old Mike Weaver scored a lackluster decision over the notorious Bert Cooper.

But Welliver revamped the image of a heavyweight when he fought in China.

Welliver knows how to engage the public, which added to his appeal in the world’s most populous country.  Welliver had no problem embracing the nickname “The Fighting Panda Bear,” even wearing a fury panda hat to press conferences.

“One  thing about me, before I was a fighter I was a fan of the sport, and a fan of wrestling,” admitted Welliver about his colorful ring persona.  “You almost got to have something to look at, laugh at, something they are going to remember at the end of the day.  They don’t remember you without an angle.”

China isn’t the only exotic land where the affable Welliver has won multitudes of fans.

After turning pro in 2001, Welliver remained active, but by in large he appeared to be a regional fighter with a small following in his home state of Washington and almost zero appeal outside of it.  Upon building a record of 20-3-3, Welliver had left the Northwest only twice, once for a fight in Louisiana and once to fight in Hawaii.  He never fought in any of the major boxing markets like Las Vegas or New York City.

Despite no representation, or perhaps because of it, Welliver decided to relocate and continue his boxing career in a new location in 2004: Auckland, New Zealand.

In the seven years that he fought out of New Zealand, Welliver won over this small, however intensely dedicated boxing community by making it his second home.

“I was looking for a change of scene,” commented Welliver. “and it (New Zealand) was suggested by Shane Cameron and David Tua.”

Welliver was working with David Tua in 2003 as a sparring partner prior to Tua’s second fight with Hasim Rahman and it was through Tua that Welliver met the then undefeated Kiwi prospect Cameron.

“We started sparring and became friends,” explained Welliver.  “One day me and Shane just started chatting about where he was from.  New Zealand sounded so peaceful and great. It was actually Shane who first brought me down as a sparring partner for one of his fights, at the time I wanted to start seeing the world before my boxing career was over. It was great being able to do that, and as soon as I got there I fell in love with the place.”

Some people were scratching their heads at what seemed to be a perplexing move for the then-21 year old boxer except it proved to be a shot of adrenaline for his career.

“For me I wanted to see the world and New Zealand was a place where I knew a lot of people,” said Welliver.  “Plus I knew it was a lot better to be a big fish in a small pond.”

Welliver scored a six round decision over Richard Tutaki in his first fight in New Zealand on December of 2004, and a week later defeated another fighter in Bob Gasio.  Within three months Welliver had built up a 4-1 record in the Southern hemisphere and became something of a local celebrity with boxing fans.  For the next seven years of his career, Welliver would split his time between Washington and his adoptive home of New Zealand.

“Living in New Zealand is great,” Welliver added “it’s a very clean country and the people are great.  I’ve been there for the better part of seven years.  Boxing there is kind of an uphill/downhill slide, because when your name is not David Tua or Shane Cameron it’s kind of hard, but right now is probably the hottest time in boxing history in New Zealand.  It’s always one extreme to the other.”

Still, the world rankings eluded him, as did major recognition with boxing insiders.  Shortly thereafter a relationship developed with the World Boxing Council that would change his career and add a new factor to the equation: Welliver’s almost unrelenting drive to win regional titles.

It started on August of 2005 at the Clearwater River Casino in Lewiston, Idaho when Welliver was matched with the hard-hitting Chris Lewallen (9-0, 9 KOs) for the vacant WBC FECARBOX and WBC Youth title.

Welliver scored a surprisingly one-sided decision victory and suddenly found himself on the radar of one of the major sanctioning bodies.  After picking up some relatively meaningless titles like the Canadian American Mexican belt, the Washington State title, and the New Zealand National Boxing Federation title over the next three years, the fighter was poised to take on his first world ranked contender for the WBC International heavyweight title in Berlin, Germany on October 11, 2008 against Odlanier Solis.  Welliver, whose battle with his conditioning and weight had plagued him early in his career, was ill prepared to take on the undefeated Cuban.

“I took the fight on ten days notice,” admitted Welliver.  “The thing with Solis is, and I can’t lie, I was in New Zealand and I had no money, no fights, nothing.  I didn’t do anything after that.  I literally gained thirty pounds.  I didn’t have the best diet and I wasn’t training.  I lived next to a pastry shop and I would go there for breakfast and have a quiche, go home and play video games, and then go eat a pie for lunch.  Then I got the call to take the fight.

Welliver weighed in at a near career high of 282 ¼ pounds.  It was a troubling sign that a fighter on the day of his most important fight would be in the worst shape of his career.  Needless to say, his performance reflected his condition.  Solis scored a dominant win over Welliver, winning almost every round before the fight was stopped in the 9th round.

“It was really unfortunate because I remember in that fight, thinking I can really win this thing and then realizing I wasn’t in shape to win it,” he admitted about the last lost of his career. “I’d love to fight Solis again, at the end of the day, I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to fight me again.  But I’m (ranked) #6 in the world.  For him to get back where he was, he is going to have to fight a guy like me.  I’m more than willing to fight him.  If he wants a fast track to Klitschko I’ll put my name of the paper and they can fill in the rest.”

“Here’s a guy with no training and no trainer and he flies into Germany and weighs nearly 285 plus pounds,” added Jankelson, who was not working with Welliver at the time, “and he starts winning the fight early and then runs out of gas and complains when the fight is stopped.  People don’t have the context.  He flew in as the opponent with no training whatsoever, and at 285 he was sixty pounds overweight.  What they see on YouTube is not the whole story when you look at the big picture.  Right now, it’s a matter of building credibility and I think we are still in that process.”

Welliver then did something that, up to that point, was unheard of in his career.  He took a break for a year from fighting to become a sparring partner.

“I was sparring a lot, spending a lot of time over in Germany, it almost made more sense sparring rather than fighting with regards to money.  What really got me motivated was when Solis knocked out Monte Barrett in two rounds.  I was sparing with Robert Helenius, Marco Huck, and learning a lot, sparring hundreds of rounds.  And when I saw that I went nine rounds with this guy on ten days notice and he was looking like a beast against everyone else, it really motivated me.  But I was fighting a lot and when you fight a lot you get mentally exhausted.”

It was at this time that Welliver finally decided to dedicate himself to the sport and take his career seriously.

“There had to be an understanding on Chauncy’s part that there had to be a change,” added Jankelson.   “He could not compete at the elite level without losing weight.  And how do people lose weight?  They change their lifestyle and how they eat.”

The next time boxing fans saw Welliver was September 2009 when he stepped in the ring in Auckland against the woefully overmatched David Gemmell weighing in at a more tolerable 266 ¾ pounds.  Making up for lost time, Welliver fought three times in October and by November of 2009 he had won the WBO Asia Pacific Interim title with an impressive twelve round decision over Seiaute Mailata.  A trip back to the United States followed where Welliver captured the vacant WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title in Oklahoma (March 2010).

Welliver then decided to make another move that was long overdue:  He built up a team around him.  Signing with manager Roland Jankelson and hiring former heavyweight contender Joe Hipp as his trainer, Welliver finally put together a major league team to help him as he moved into the top ten of the WBC and WBO.

“I met Roland when I was 12-years old and he was a manager of Joe Hipp, and always the big shot manager in the Pacific Northwest.” Welliver said about his relationship with Jankelson, “I knew who Roland was, and I would always chat with him because I wanted to be a boxing businessman.  It was great to have that experience.  It was cool that he would do that.  Years later I gave him a call, still stewing about the Solis fight, and talked to him about possibly getting back on track, and I told him I wouldn’t be bugging him if I wasn’t serious.  Before that I sort of went with the Butterbean angle.  But I wanted a change, I wanted to be real.  We went over to Seattle to meet with him and a few months later we were fighting for the Continental Americas belt.”

With Jankelson now guiding Welliver’s career, his relationship with the WBC and WBO flourished.  Over the course of 15 months, Welliver would defend his WBO title twice and his WBC title five times.  Although criticism existed over the level of competition, his activity was winning converts with many boxing insiders who recognized that Welliver was a “fighting champion.”

“Me and Roland, the one thing we agreed on is that we need to keep real busy,” commented Welliver.

By June of 2011, Welliver was ready to invade China, taking on Samoan Lawrence Tauasa for the vacant WBC Asian heavyweight title.  Welliver dominated the normally durable Tauasa, stopping him in the fourth round.  Tauasa had lost a close majority decision to Polish heavyweight contender Albert Sosnowski in a WBF title fight in 2006, and many assumed that he would be a difficult fight however Welliver, weighing in at a career low of 236 pounds, conquered his opponent with ease.

“The interesting thing about him is he was a last minute replacement,” Jankelson said of Tauasa.  “The scheduled opponent was not able to complete his visa arraignments and we were already in China.  Tuasa was living in Hong Kong, and he didn’t have a visa issue.  We were fortunate to get him.  I was reluctant to take on that level of opponent without preparing for that level of opponent.  But we thought Chauncy was up to the task, and he was.”

Recognizing a winning formula, Jankelson brought Welliver back to China four months later in a fight with former cruiserweight contender and 85-fight veteran Rob Calloway for the interim WBO Asia Pacific heavyweight title and vacant WBO China Zone heavyweight title.  Again Welliver came in at a svelte weight (233 ¾) and again he dominated.

“The strategy is visibility,” commented Jankelson. “The more you are out there the more people pay attention to you.”

With a eye opening 52 wins under his belt, coupled with his world ranking, there is little question that Welliver looks poised to make a move in 2012.  Although Jankelson wants his fighter to take a short break this month, there are already plans for another WBC Continental America’s title fight in the near future and a possible spot on the undercard of the Monte Barrett versus Shane Cameron fight in New Zealand on May 30th.

Jankelson insists that a major fight against a world ranked contender is in the works in the near future.  Regardless if Welliver fights a contender  –  or a Klitschko  –  before the end of the year; the question remains:  “Can he pull it off?”

“There is one way to beat Klitschko and that is aggression,” commented Welliver on his chances against Wladimir Klitschko.  “I’d like to think I’m a better fighter than Corrie Sanders (who stopped Wladimir in two rounds), and the thing is I have a great chin.  He can keep on punching but my goal is to make him tired and I would keep on coming all night like a train.”

Welliver and his team realizes that no critic would pick him to defeat a Klitschko brother, considering the Solis fight and his relative lack of knockouts over limited opposition however Jankelson knows that there is something special with his young protégé.

“My strategy is to have a fighter who gets better and better and better,” outlined Jankelson.  “What I do know is you got to keep winning and eventually the circumstances will be there and he will get his world title fight opportunity.  But it is not just getting the title fight, I want him to win.  When he gets there I expect him to win, and he expects to win.”

Welliver is even more optimistic about when he’ll be in line for a title fight.

“It looks like (Wladimir) Klitschko wants Chris Arreola in June.  And after that he’s got an open spot.  And I can see me being in a November or December fight with Klitschko.  I lost the Solis fight, but I went 17-0 since then, I think I earned my way back.  I don’t want to jinx myself, but I feel I’m going to get a title fight in 2012.”

Perhaps Welliver and Jankelson are on to something.

Welliver is clearly a new school fighter with an old school mentality.  He is one part Walmart style globalization, one part Jack Dempsey era ring activity, one part business savvy entrepreneur, one part gambler, one part All-American kid next door, and one part Chinese rock star all wrapped into one.

The question still remains though: Is there one part world champion in that mix that we don’t know about yet?

 

Story by David Finger
Photos courtesy of Hannah McConnell with Tot Shot

http://www.fightnewsextra.com/cc/2012/03_rockylives01.htm

WBO Jr. Heavyweight champion Marco Huck (34-2, 25 KOs) believes that he is ready to challenge the kings of the heavyweight division, Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko. After nearly defeating WBA “regular” champion Alexander Povetkin last month in Germany, Huck made a decision to return to cruiserweight for a mandatory defense against Ola Afolabi.

“I am ready to fight the Klitschko brothers, but right now I’m the holder of the WBO cruiserweight title and I need to make a mandatory defense. Certainly in future I will return to the heavyweight division, and there I’ll capture a world title,” Huck said.

Huck’s trainer, Uli Wegner, feels a move a cruiserweight is the best move, at the moment, for his fighter.

“It seems to me that the fight with Ola Afolabi is the best direction for Marco at the moment,” Wegner said.

 

By Luke Furman

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50501

“I am very proud that I can bring another belt home to my son”, said the always exciting IBF #15 rated heavyweight Konstantin “Sandman” Airich after his come-from-behind ninth round TKO over WBO #6 rated Ondrej Pala on Friday night in Tekirdag, Turkey. “I thank everybody who kept on believing in me especially in the hard times I went through – foremost, of course, my family and my coach Hans-Jürgen Witte.” With the win, the German heavyweight added the WBO European championship to his IBF Intercontinental title and will surely move up in the world ratings.

“I am very happy for Konstantin,” says promoter Ahmet Oner. “He is a hard worker who really earned himself this win. After a spectacular performance like this he has bigger paydays coming up. It’s sad for Ondrej Pala that he couldn’t bring home the victory when he was leading on the scorecards but he’s only 27 years old. He will learn from this loss and come back stronger than ever.”

 

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/airich-speaks-after-big-win-109929

In an upset, 33-year-old German veteran Konstantin Airich sensationally stopped fight favorite Ondrej Pala (30-3, 21 KOs) of the Czech Republic to add Pala’s WBO European heavyweight title to his already owned IBF I/C belt. IBF #15 Airich was losing the fight but he found some inner resources not only to defeat the uncharacteristically slow Pala, but also to resurrect his stagnating career.

WBO #6 Czech, who hasn’t lost for well over five years since his injury-insisted TKO loss to Denis Boytsov, was in firm control of the fight in the opening rounds. Pala was slow and mostly inactive but so was Airich, while Pala’s punches were much sharper and landed flashier on the Kazakh expatriate’s chin. Airich was taking the punch well but he was steadily given an unnecessary diet of leather, which didn’t look good for him. However, he stayed solidly on his feet, and at the end of the third the Czech’s bell was rung, when he was shaken by Airich’s big right hand. The next couple of rounds were once again for Pala, 27, whose strong jab and big right hands were the difference.

It has all changed in the sixth, when Airich landed a huge combination in the center of the ring to wobble Pala badly. The Czech was on the verge of going down but wisely dropped his mouthpiece. Referee Yuri Koptsev did a terrible job of bringing the fighters together and gave the Czech every chance to survive, which he surely did.

Ondrej looked rather good in the seventh but Airich’s confidence was still intact and he began beating Pala to the punch in the eighth. Round nine turned out to be a personal holocaust for the Czech. First, he was pinned to the ropes and ate a number of clean punches, which were enough to stop the contest. However, referee Koptsev gave Pala every chance to survive and took him back to his corner to insert his mouthpiece once again. The Czech was deducted a point, but it wasn’t necessary. Airich immediately went in for the kill and punched an almost senseless Pala until Koptsev stepped in at 1:10 to stop the carnage.

A huge win for Konstantin Airich, who has slowly put his career back on track. Pala is young enough to come back as a serious European contender but he definitely needs to improve his defense. Airich also avenged his majority decision loss to Pala, which took place three years ago.

By Alexey Sukachev

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50444

 

WBO #6 Ondrej Pala (30-2, 21 KOs) and IBF #15 Konstantin Airich (22-5-2, 16 KOs) showed up in great shape and very self-confident at the weigh-in for their combined IBF intercontinental / WBO European championship bout tomorrow (Friday, March 9th) in Tekirdag, Turkey. The clash between the technically skilled Czech and the hard-hitting German will be broadcasted live on Eurosport (starting at 21:00h / 9pm Central European Time). It is a re-match of a 10-rounder in March 2009 which saw Pala getting away with a close Majority Decision win in Cuxhaven, Germany.

aid Pala who weighed in at 246 lbs. (111.5 kg), “I have beaten Airich before and I will beat him again. But this time it will be no hard work for the judges. I never promise to knock somebody out but I will make it very clear that I am better than him.”

Naturally Airich who weighed in at 229 lbs. (104.0 kg) has a different point of view: “I am perfectly prepared for this fight. I have been in training camp with Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko in Austria. And I know that I can and will beat Ondrej Pala. I can see in his eyes that he knows that I can beat him. He already felt my power in the first fight and he will feel it even harder this time. I will show the world why I call myself “the Sandman” – I will put Pala to sleep!”

Promoter Ahmet Oner is proud to present this heavyweight showdown in his hometown Tekirdag. “I expect a very close and exciting fight”, says Oner. “One thing is for sure: Both of these guys are a lot better than Wladimir’s last so called opponent Jean Marc Mormeck. I am not saying that these guys could beat Wladimir but if he ever faces seither one they would surely come to fight. Everybody who likes honest and good heavyweight boxing better than lasershows and gigantic walk-ins should watch this fight!”

http://www.boxingnews24.com/2012/03/pala-and-airich-ready-to-go/

This Friday (March 9th) two promising European heavyweight contenders clash when WBO#6 rated Ondrej Pala (Czech Republic) squares offagainst IBF #15 Konstantin Airich (Germany) at Atatürk Spor Salonu in Tekirdag,Turkey in a clash for Airich’s IBF intercontinental championship and Pala’s WBOEuropean champion title. Airich vs. Pala will be the main event for a big showbroadcasted live on Eurosport (starting at 21.00h / 9pm Central European time).

„Whoever wins this bout will make a huge step towards aworld title fight“, says promoter Ahmet Oner. „We all know who the unified WBOand IBF world champion is. And I am one hundred percent sure that both, Airichand Pala, would show a lot more effort and a way better performance againstWladimir Klitschko than Jean Marc Mormeck did last week. I am not saying thatthese two guys could beat Klitschko right away – but at least they would tryand bring the fight to him.“

Airich and Pala have met before. In March 2009, the Czechwarrior managed to get away with a close mid-decision win over Airich inCuxhaven, Germany. Now the hard-hitting German „Sandman“ wants to make up for thatloss and get in position for a possible title shot.

“Of course, every fighter dreams of challenging the worldchampion“, says Airich. „I know Wladimir quite well and he knows me, too. I havespent lots of training camps with both Klitschkos, most recently I was withthem in Austria when Vitali got in shape for the Chisora fight and Wladimirprepared for Mormeck. Right now my only focus is on beating Pala. I know that Iam stronger than him. And I want to show the world that I can beat him. I amnot thinking past this fight. All that counts for me is winning this Fridaynight.”

 

Author: ARENA BOX PROMOTIONS

http://www.boxeomundial.net/boxeo.php?category=english&id=27910

WBO/WBA/IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (57-3, 50KOs) has confirmed that his next opponent is going to be mandatory challenger Tony Thompson (36-2, 24KOs). Klitschko previously knocked Thompson out in eleven rounds in 2008. Since then, Thompson has won five straight, all by knockout.

After a Thompson fight in the summer, he would like to face Chris Arreola or WBA “regular” champion Alexander Povetkin at the end of the year.

“In New York, the new Barclays Arena will be opening up, and they have a great desire to [stage] a fight with one of the Klitschko brothers. We have already been approached with an appropriate proposal. The question regarding my opponent [for Barclays] is completely open. I know that in the summer I will have a mandatory defense against Tony Thompson. At the end of the year my opponent may be Arreola or Povetkin, or someone else,” Klitschko said.

 

By Ruslan Chikov

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50272

 

WBO/IBF/WBA Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko dominated Jean Marc Mormeck this past Saturday at the ESPRIT Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany en route to a fourth round knockout. In round two, Klitschko landed a hard right hand, which dropped Mormeck to his knees. Finally, in the fourth round, Klitschko landed a hard right hand, followed by a left which sent Mormeck down to the floor again. Mormeck struggled to stand up, and referee Luis Pabon stopped the fight at 1:12 of round four.

 

 

The weights are in for Saturday’s big heavyweight contest, as Wladimir Klitschko (56-3, 49KOs) will defend his WBO/WBA/IBF titles against former cruiserweight king Jean Marc Mormeck (36-4, 22KOs) at the ESPRIT arena in Düsseldorf, Germany. Both fighters got on the scale. Klitschko weighed 111 kilograms [244.7-pounds]. The much smaller Mormeck was 98 kilograms [216-pounds]. Photos by Michael Sterlingeaton.

 

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50190

 

Wladimir Klitschko and Jean-Marc Mormeck held their open work out at the Mercedes-Benz dealership in Düsseldorf (Germany). Over 900 fans showed up to watch both fighters showing off their boxing skills in preparation for their heavyweight championship fight this Saturday, March 3.

WBO/WBA Superchampion, IBO/IBF World Heavyweight and “The Ring” Champion Klitschko and his contender Jean-Marc Mormeck will face off at the ESPRIT arena in Düsseldorf, Germany.

A video and pictures of the Klitschko and Mormeck open work out is available on the official Klitschko facebook page (www.facebook.com/VitaliWladimirKlitschko).

The fight will be broadcast live and exclusively on RTL in Germany, in the US it will be shown on EPIX.

Remaining tickets for Klitschko vs. Mormeck are available on www.eventim.de.

Picture credit: Michael Sterling Eaton /KMG

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50125

 

“Marco Huck’s representatives have informed me that he has yet to decide if he will stay a Jr. Heavyweight or choose the Heavyweight division, but that his decision is imminent during the upcoming week. As I will be in Germany for the Klitschko and Afolabi bouts, I will be meeting with Marco Huck’s representative, Chris Meyer from Sauerland Events regarding this matter.

 Ola Afolabi is fighting for the Jr. Heavyweight Interim Title on March 3rd.  If Marco Huck decides to stay in the Jr. Heavyweight division, he will face the winner of the Afolabi –Brudov bout within 120 days of said bout.  If he decides to stay in the Heavyweight Division, the winner of the Afolabi-Brudov bout will automatically become the WBO Jr. Heavyweight Champion.”

 

Berlin – Heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko is targetting his 50th career knockout when he takes on outsider Jean-Marc Mormeck in Duesseldorf on Saturday.

Ukrainian Klitschko, whose older brother Vitali beat Briton Dereck Chisora on points earlier this month to retain his WBC crown, holds the WBO, IBF, and WBA versions of the title.

“I am ready for this challenge,” Wladimir told a news conference in Duesseldorf on Monday. “I still have the hunger and I do not take this fight lightly.

“When you see how he talks, looks and moves then that shows he has the will and determination to become the first world heavyweight champion from France.”

The 35-year-old warned the Frenchman, nicknamed “Mini Tyson” because of his build, would be no pushover even though he was 17 centimetres shorter at 1.81 metres than the Ukrainian.

“It is extremely difficult to box against a man who is a lot shorter,” said Wladimir. “It does not make my job easier.”

Vladimir, standing 1.98 metres tall, has notched 49 knockouts in his 59 professional fights, and has lost three.

The fight had to be rescheduled from its original Dec 10 2011 date after Vladimir pulled out to undergo surgery to remove a kidney stone.

Mormeck, the 38-year-old former cruiserweight world champion, said he did not fear the Ukrainian, who will have a much wider reach due to his height.

“I have an iron will and am tough. I fear no one and that is my mental strength,” he said. “Does he have that as well?”

Compared to brother Vitali’s controversial bout against Chisora, which featured Chisora slapping the WBC champion during the weigh-in and exchanging punches with British boxer David Haye in a post-fight press conference, preparations for this bout have so far been peaceful.

“But it is still Monday and a Vitali’s press conference also was peaceful. Let’s see what happens at the weigh-in,” Wladimir said.

 

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50050

 

WBO/IBF/WBA heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (L) goes face to face with former cruiserweight king Jean-Marc Mormeck at a press conference at the InterContinental hotel in Duesseldorf, western Germany. Klitschko of Ukraine will defend his titles against Mormeck of France on March 3rd in Duesseldorf. EPIX will televise in the United States.

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50046

 

Featherweight Orlando”El Fenomeno” Cruz (18-2-1, 9 KOs) scored a spectacular eleventh round KO over Alejandro “Pique” Delgado (15-6, 7 KOs) on Friday night at the Palm Bay Community Center in Palm Bay, Florida. Cruz, coming off a spectacular knockout win over previously unbeaten Michael Franco last October, dropped Delgado twice in the eleventh to end it. The bout was for the WBO Latin featherweight title.

Also, unbeaten heavyweight Luis “El Mercedes” Ortiz (15-0, 12 KOs) won by disqualification over Epifanio “El Diamante” Mendoza (32-14-1, 28 KOs).

 

Photos: mpsporimages

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/cruz-kos-delgado-in-eleventh-107899

Orlando “El Fenomeno” Cruz 126 vs. Alejandro “Pique” Delgado 126
(WBO Latino featherweight title)
    

Luis “Big Thing” Ortiz 236 vs. Epifanio Mendoza 215
(WBO Latino, WBA FEDELATIN and NABA heavyweight titles)

OTHER WEIGH-IN RESULTS

William Pagan 133 vs. John Wampash 132

Danny Pastrana 163 vs. Fadoul Louis 161

Jonathan Robles 162 vs. Isaac Holder 160

Amir Iman 139 vs. Devarise Crayton 139

Trevor Bryan vs. Chris Barnett 319

Venue: Palm Bay Community Center, Palm Bay, Florida
Promoter: All Star Boxing/Felix “Tuto” Zabala, Jr.
TV: Telemundo
Tickets: 321-951-9998

 

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/weights-from-palm-bay-florida-107800

The Klitschko brothers continue working hard in their joint training camp in Austria. The two brothers have scheduled defenses only two weeks apart in Germany. WBO/WBA/IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko defends his titles on March 3rd against Jean Marc Mormeck (36-4, 22KOs) at ESPIRIT Arena in Dusseldorf. Two weeks earlier, on February 18th, Vitali Klitschko (43-2, 40KOs) defends the WBC title against Dereck Chisora (15-2, 9KOs) at Olympiahalle in Munich.

 

By Ruslan Chikov

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=49205