Flanagan-Hooker for WBO Jr. Welterweight World Title

Terry Flanagan and Maurice Hooker will clash for the vacant WBO Super-Lightweight World Championship at the Manchester Arena on Saturday 9th June. The exciting match-up lands on the same card that features the return of former Heavyweight World Champion Tyson Fury.

Flanagan is stepping up to 140 pounds after vacating his WBO Lightweight World Title, and is confident of becoming a two-weight World Champion.

He currently holds the longest undefeated record in British boxing (33-0, 13KO’s) and will be aiming to unify the Super-Lightweight division once he triumphs at his ‘home’ Arena on June 9th.

“Winning this fight will prove that I’m a legitimate 140 pound fighter,” said Flanagan. “I’ll be looking to unify all of the belts later in the year. I’m looking for the likes of Mikey Garcia after I win the WBO belt on June 9th. It’s a massive unification fight and I hope those are the fights Frank can make.

“He is a very good unbeaten fighter, he fights on the back foot and looks to catch you from distance. I’m not looking past Hooker but I’m very confident I’ll be able to deal with anything he throws at me to become a two-weight World Champion.”

American challenger Hooker has been training with pound-for-pound star Terrance Crawford in preparation for his showdown with Flangan and has had plenty to say about the Ancoats star since their match-up was first announced earlier this year.

“I’m gonna wake him up,” said Hooker. “He’s weak and he’s soft. He hasn’t fought anybody. He fights little guys. I hit hard with both hands. He’s never fought anyone with skills like me. He runs a lot. He does that real good. Power? He hasn’t got any power. He pitty-pats!”

Hooker, whose record reads 23-0-3 (16 KOs) has claimed that ‘Turbo’ is a dirty fighter and has torn into the Mancunians tactics.

“I’ve been watching his fights. He holds a lot, he uses his forearm to the head. He does a lot of stuff dirty. I’m going to stop him and I’m going to show him who’s the best at 140! It could be the first round, second round or third round… but he’s going down!”

Tickets for Flanagan v Hooker are available purchase NOW via the Manchester Arena on www.manchester-arena.com and tel: 0844 847 8000.

Tickets for this unmissable event start from just £40.

https://www.frankwarren.com/flanagan-v-hooker-lands-on-fury-comeback-card/

Los Angeles, Ca.  — (L-R)  Former Jr. Welterweight champion Mike Alvarado of Denver,Co. and four-division world champion Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico pose during media day in Los Angeles    for their upcoming 12-round welterweight battle.  
 Promoted by Top Rank® in association with Zanfer Promotions, Márquez Boxing and Tecate, Márquez and Alvarado will collide at The Forum in Inglewood,Ca. on Saturday, May 17 and will be televised live on HBO®. 

http://www.boxingscene.com/photo-marquez-alvarado-side-by-side-media-day–77813

Photos: Chris Farina / Top Rank

Former Jr. Welterweight champion Mike Alvarado of Denver,Co works out in Los Angeles for his upcoming 12-round welterweight battle against four-division world champion Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico.

Promoted by Top Rank in association with Zanfer Promotions, Márquez Boxing and Tecate, Márquez and Alvarado will collide at The Forum in Inglewood, Ca. on Saturday, May 17 and will be televised live on HBO®.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/mike-alvarado-workout-244844

Date:  Saturday, October 19, 2013

Title:  WBO Jr. Welterweight Championship

Location:  1st Bank Center, Broomfield, Denver, Colorado, USA

Promoter:  Top Rank

Supervisor:   John Duggan

Referee:   Tony Weeks

Judges:    Dennis Nelson, Robert Hoyle, Levy Martinez

Results:    Mike Alvarado was retired in the 10th. round; the referee Tony Weeks had stopped the bout during the minute rest period between rounds 10 to 11.   Ruslan Provodnikov beat Mike “Mile High” Alvarado down and forced him to retire after 10 rounds, winning the WBO junior welterweight title.

By Ryan Burton –

As reported by BoxingScene.com, junior welterweight contender Ruslan Provodnikov has agreed to terms to face WBO interim champion Mike Alvarado on October 19th in Denver, Colorado. Provodnikov is very confident that he can hand the Denver native his second professional loss.

“I will have to follow the game plan that my trainer Freddie Roach will set for me.  I think when our styles clash it will be a very exciting fight and an all out war,” Provodnikov predicted.

HBO pushed for the fight to take place the week after the October 12th Juan Manuel Marquez vs Timothy Bradley pay-per-view showdown. On the 19th, the Alvarado-Provodnikov fight would air following the replay of the Marquez-Bradley clash which would give the fight even more exposure. Provodnikov said that he’s very fortunate to be in the position that he is in now.

“I’m very lucky to be where I am now, and I’m glad that HBO is following through with the promises they made.  I think that they will never regret having a fighter with my style on their network, and I want to make sure I will only impress them further with each fight,” Provodnikov told BoxingScene.com.

Win or lose, Provodnikov feels that both fighters will be in a great position after the fight. He thinks that a victory will push him to superstar status in the United States and would have no problem giving Alvarado a rematch.

“I think that if I beat Mike Alvarado it will be a great victory for me because he is a great warrior and a big star in boxing today.  I will become a world champion and achieve having an even bigger fan base here in the United States!

“Becoming a WBO world champion will really mean a lot to me and it has been my goal throughout my career.  But again I think nobody loses from this fight, and we can always fight a rematch!” Provodnikov stated.

http://www.boxingscene.com/provodnikov-beating-alvarado-help-make-me-star–67544

LOVEMORE “Black Panther” Ndou says preparations for his fight against Gary St Clair are going just fine.

Ndou from Musina, Limpopo who emigrated to Australia in 1995, will fight the Australian-based Guyanese for the IBF Pan Pacific, WBO Oriental and WBO Africa junior welterweight titles in Southpark Queensland, Australia, on August 10.

Speaking from his home in New South Wales on Monday, the former IBF junior welterweight and IBO welterweight champion said: “Training is going really smoothly. The contracted weight for this fight is 64.5kg but my weight is already under that limit at 62.5kg. That is the sign of good preparation.”

Ndou said he had not felt so good in a long time and he attributed this to his one-year lay-off. “It allowed my body to recharge. Sometimes your body gets tired, especially if you train as hard as I do. I’ve been feeling really great in sparring and I’m running out of sparring partners as most of them don’t come back the next time as promised”.

He described his match against the 37-year-old former IBF and IBO junior lightweight titlist as a “good fight”.

“It will enable me to raise money for the youth. I will win it and then travel to South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria where I intend fighting for the orphans of the HIV-Aids epidemic. I won’t fail because I believe I’m fighting a good fight,” he said.

“Forget all the university degrees I hold (he is a lawyer by profession) and forget the world titles I have already won. I want to be remembered as someone who fought for the children of the world. I’m a fighter and I’m prepared to put my body and health on the line to save the children.”

Ndou has 48 wins (31 KOs), 13 losses and a draw while St Clair has 24 wins (18 KOs), two draws and 11 losses – including defeats to Cassius Baloyi, Malcolm Klassen and Mlungisi Dlamini.

By: Bongani Magasela

http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/sport/2012/08/02/ndou-fights-for-the-youth

Manny Pacquiao’s June 9 defense of his WBO welterweight belt opposite WBO junior welterweight titleholder Timothy Bradleywill be streamed live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on toprank.com as part of a new deal signed between Top Rank Inc. and MLB Advanced Media, baseball’s interactive arm.

The union will allow MLB Advanced Media to not only stream the HBO Pay Per View event, but also help to develop subscription digital content and create mobile applications as Top Rank seeks to improve its ability to monetize its digital content for major fights.

“We’re pushing to get boxing back into the mainstream,” Lucia McKelvey, Top Rank’s executive vice president, told The Sports Business Journal, “and we were looking to partner with somebody that owns their own content and understands exactly what we’re experiencing and trying to do.”

MLBAM and Top Rank Boxing will participate in a revenue-sharing agreement, selling the live stream of Pacquiao-Bradley separately from the traditional pay-per-view telecast for $54.95. The telecast will cost $54.95 for standard definition, and $64.95 for high-definition.

A series of apps for the Apple iOS and Android mobile platforms and several other connected devices is also under development.

яндекс

ALBANY, N.Y. — Karim Mayfield floored Raymond Serrano at the fourth-round bell, and then landed a solid right hand less than a minute into the fifth that stopped the challenger in the NABO junior welterweight title fight Friday night.

Mayfield and Serrano both swung at the bell of the fourth round, but Mayfield’s punch landed, sending Serrano (18-1) to the canvas. Serrano eventually returned to his corner, wobbling and recovering barely enough to go out for the fifth

“I stayed composed,” Mayfield said. “My corner told me that was a shot that was going to be hard to recover from. A minute’s time wasn’t long enough time to recover from a shot like that. In my mind I was thinking, I don’t want to let this opportunity go where I could’ve gotten him out of there, but didn’t.”

Mayfield (16-0-2 10 KOs) came out with a flurry in the fifth, and referee Eddie Claudio stopped it with Serrano staggering 47 seconds in.

“He fought a good fight,” Serrano said. “He caught me with a good shot. I’ll be back.”

Mayfield, listed shorter by an inch and crouching to make himself shorter, effectively ducked under many of Serrano’s punches in the first three rounds. Mayfield sent Serrano down in the third with a right counter and two more punches.

“I’m only 5-7, maybe even giving myself two inches,” Mayfield said. “When you got a guy that’s shorter than you and a guy goes down lower, it’s a little timid, because you don’t want to be reaching down to jab. Coming up with that coiling style is very intimidating, because you have to reach down, and I’m actually reaching up while you’re reaching down. I knew I could make opportunities from that.”

Serrano was game, especially starting out.

“I was surprised how easy it was for me to hit him,” Serrano said. “He’s strong.”

“He’s a pit bull,” Mayfield said.

But Mayfield crouched and kept his distance in the opening two rounds and was able to counter in the third. He nearly ended it with his right hand at the bell to end the fourth.

“Honestly, I was hoping he was a little timid — but he wasn’t,” Mayfield said. “I caught him with a great shot that put him down. That normally should’ve put a lot of guys out. He shouldn’t have gotten up from that, because I caught him flush.”

In the junior middleweight undercard, Kevin Rooney Jr. lost for the second time, beaten by late replacement Anthony Jones in a four-round decision. The southpaw Jones, who also fought and won four rounds nine days ago, came out aggressively and barely let up. Jones knocked Rooney down twice — in the first round and solidly with a straight left in the second. Rooney landed two good rights in the third round, including an overhand right, but it wasn’t enough. Rooney falls to 4-2.

 
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/7948132/karim-mayfield-stops-raymond-serrano-5th-keep-nabo-title

Juan Manuel Marquez (53-6-1, 39KOs) is not looking past his next oppnent, Eastern Euro boxer Sergey Fedchenko (30-1, 13KOs) of Ukraine. The clash happens on April 14th at the new Arena Mexico in Mexico City – for the vacant interim-WBO junior welterweight title.

Over the weekend, Juan Manuel went through another hard day of training, going six hard rounds in sparring with Alejandro Barrera, Luis Acuña and Aaron Herrera, which resulted in a big ovation from the ringside observers at the Romanza Gym.

“Fedchenko looks like a respectable opponent. One thing I do not do [is come into a fight overconfident]. You know, confidence can kill a man. I abused [confidence] in the first fight against Manny Pacquiao. I went out to attack him in the first round, and I was connecting well – but then suddenly he sent me to the canvas. And there wasn’t just a [single knockdown], but three in one round. From the second round on, I decided to box and [he couldn’t hit me anymore]. And I think I won the fight on points, but I was robbed with a draw,” Marquez said.

Marquez’s trainer, Nacho Beristain, is confident that his boxer will figure Fedchenko out.

“We know who Fedchenko is. [We have] references, videos of his fights, and everything indicates that he is a skilled boxer, difficult. But its not the first time that we’ve fought with a [difficult opponent] and found [ways to win]. When we spoke about this fight, the first thing we said is that we must be well prepared for any surprises.

“There is not such thing as a small opponent, just like there is no such thing as an invincible adversary.”

By Ernesto Castellanos, notifight.com

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=51560

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO, MÉXICO. – BoxingScene.com was present as Juan Manuel Márquez (53-6-1, 39 KO’s) was putting in the work for his first fight in Mexico City in 18 years. He takes on Sergey Fedcehnko (30-1, 13 KO’s) for the WBO’s interim-junior welterweight title at the new Arena Mexico. The fight takes place on April 14th as part of a split-site HBO/Top Rank pay-per-view event.

By Salvador Rodriguez, photos by Rafael Soto

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=51383

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO. – Sergey Fedchenko wasted no time. He barely set foot on Mexican soil, and the Ukrainian – 30-years-old – began training for his April 14th battle against the legendary Juan Manuel Marquez. The fight takes place at the new Arena Mexico in Mexico City. Accompanied by his coach Victor Demchenko and sparring partner Arten Ayvazidi, the boxer vowed to win.

“It was always my dream to fight for a world title,” said Fedchenko. “When I was told about the possibility of coming to fight with Juan Manuel I did not hesitate for a minute. It is an honor to fight with a Mexican fighter like him. I know that in Mexico there are many who consider me to be the next victim of Juan Manuel, and even in my country some people do not have faith in me.”

“I don’t like to talk too much, but when I step into the ring and do my work – then we’ll talk. I came to win. I have respect for Juan Manuel because he faced Manny Pacquiao three times and beat him three times, but that does not mean the same thing will happen here. I’m a different fighter, so let’s see who comes out victorious.”

By Salvador Rodriguez, photos by Rafael Soto

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=51347

Juan Manuel Marquez (53-6-1, 39KOs) will evaluate the future of his career with each passing fight. On April 14th at the new arena in Mexico City, Marquez will face Ukrainian Sergey Fedchenko (30-1, 13KOs) for the WBO’s interim-junior welterweight title. If he wins, he plans to return on July 14th in Texas, and then hopes to close 2012 with a fourth meeting against Manny Pacquiao in the month of November.

He is very motivated at the moment for Fedchenko, which gives the Mexican legend the opportunity to capture a fourth world title.

“It motivates me a lot to go for my fourth divisional world championship. I have collected three, and now I am going for the fourth, at junior welterweight under the WBO. I’m no youngster, but I want to continue boxing. Right now, I can’t say if I’ll have two more fights or five more. I’m going to take things [fight by fight] and I’ll see how my body responds,” Marquez said.

Marquez expects a tough battle with Fedchenko in April. He invited Pacquiao to attend the fight, but doubts he will be there.

“He will be one of the toughest opponents of my career. I am very motivated to fight in Mexico City. I have to win because then great things will come,” Marquez said.

By Ernesto Castellanos, notifight.com

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=51155

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO. – Juan Manuel Marquez officially announced his return this April 14 at the Mexico City Arena, achieving his dream to fight again in the land of his birth after 19 years of not appearing in the area. Marquez, who will face Sergey Fedchenko, Marquez appeared with his coach Don Ignacio Beristían, assistant trainer Angel Heredia, the director of Zanfer Promotions, Fernando Beltran, Director of Azteca 7, Rodrigo Fernandez, Head of Public Relations at the Arena Mexico City, Alejandro Arce and COO of Zanfer, Guillermo Brito.

“It’s a great motivation to be home, very satisfying and also a great responsibility,” said Marquez, who faces Fedchenko for the vacant interim-junior welterweight title of the World Boxing Organization.

“I’ve prepared well enough, it’s is a tough fight, but I want to have a great fight on April 14 to show everyone how proud I am of being Mexican and fight again at home.”

“I am proud to still be the coach of this great athlete. We hope that the 14th, we will present the fans in Mexico with a boxing lesson,” said Nacho Beristain, a member of the Hall Fame of New York.

Fernando Beltran let it be known that if Juan Manuel Marquez wins this fight, he will appear on July 14th at Cowboys Stadium.

“We want to continue making history,” said Beltran, who expects over 20,000 fans. “I am proud to have the opportunity to present the best fighter in the world today, Juan Manuel Marquez, at the Arena Mexico City. I expect to exceed the number of attendees.”

He said that among the special guests at the event that evening – Rafael Marquez, Ulises Solis, Omar Chavez, Hernan Marquez, Juan Carlos Sanchez, Jacqueline Nava, Moises Fuentes, Jorge Arce and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., addition of Timothy Bradley and Nonito Donaire.

By Rafael Soto

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=51130

On April 14, Ukrainian boxer Sergey Fedchenko (30-1, 13 KOs) will battle future Hall of Famer Juan Manuel Marquez (53-6-1, 39 KOs) for the interim WBO light welterweight title at the New Mexico City Arena in Mexico City. This news has become a big sensation in Ukraine and Fedchenko has drawn the attention of reporters and millions of boxing fans. Although Marquez is a fearsome opponent, the 30-year-old Fedchenko is also a very experienced boxer, who is technically solid and a very strong puncher.

“For me, it was unexpected news,” said Fedchenko. “To fight against Marquez is a great honor for me. I am happy that Juan give me a chance. The only problem is little time to prepare for battle. But I’ll make sure that on the day of the fight I’ll be in the best shape of my career.”

Sergey started his professional career in 2002. In the early years, he was fighting against unknown fighters, but all that changed when he became promoted by the Klitschko brothers. In 2008 he won his first championship, the IBF Inter-Continental belt, when he knocked out Argentine journeyman Juan Alberto Godoy. But a year later, the Ukrainian lost a close twelve round decision against South African sensation Kaizer Mabuza.

Many think the fight could be a mismatch, but Sergei disagrees. “I know that I can surprise Marquez,” he stated. “He’s an excellent counter puncher, but I’m technical, I’m smart and I’m fast. For this I received the nickname of “The Professor”. I’ve seen Marquez-Pacquiao. It was great. But I’ve also seen Mayweather-Marquez. Floyd beat him with technique and speed. He’s very smart and I am too. Do I think I’ll win on the scorecards in Mexico? Probably not. So I need to be active. I’m willing to take risks and give Marquez a spectacular fight. Now for me it’s important to prepare well for the fight. I should be well prepared physically. It’s very important to me so I can fight at a fast pace for twelve rounds. This is the most important fight of my life. This is my first fight for a world title and my opponent Juan Manuel Marquez. It’s unbelievable.”

Since the Mabuza fight, Sergey’s most notable wins were against former champion DeMarcus Corley fast Frenchman Willy Blain (whose only other loss was to Lamont Peterson). But Fedchenko is now ready for new heights.

“I know that the predictions of experts and the bookmakers are on the side of Marquez. This is my chance, as it was in Rocky Balboa. Remember that? I want to fight it. No one believed him, but he was able to make a sensation. I can do it too. Each of us when he goes into the ring only wants one thing – to win. I want to win. I have faith. If I didn’t believe that I could beat Marquez, I wouldn’t agree to fight him.”

By Alexey “Oscar” Potapov
Photo: K2 Ukraine

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/fedchenko-vows-rocky-balboa-performance-111236

Three division world champion Juan Manuel Marquez (53-6, 39KOs) is taking no chances with his upcoming fight on April 14th in Mexico City. Marquez will face Sergey Fedchenko (30-1, 13KOs) of Ukraine for the vacant interim-WBO 140-pound title.

Marquez was originally scheduled to take on Argentine boxer Cesar Rene Cuenca, who is unbeaten with 42 wins, but only a single knockout on his record. Cuenca fell through and Fedchenko stepped in. Marquez believes Fedchenko is a very dangerous opponent, and certainly more dangerous than Cuenca.

Because Cuenca and Fedchenko present two completely different styles, Marquez and his trainer, Nacho Beristain, have to scramble to secure new sparring partners, study new tapes and change their entire fight strategy.

“I think the public will gain from the change of opponent. Against Rene Cuenca, of Argentina, [I had] a boxer with a tough style. With Fedchenko, who I know is from Ukraine, I have a very strong fighter who is always looking to get a knockout. He has a good punch, and his history reflects that. He has 30 wins, one loss and thirteen of his wins have been by knockout. He has faced the best in the world, he’s a very strong fighter and he has shown resilience. I’m definitely going to have a very dangerous opponent,” Marquez said.

By Miguel Rivera, notifight.com

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50791

As BoxingScene.com reported on Wednesday, a new opponent was being pursued for Juan Manuel Marquez (53-6-1, 39 KOs), after Argentine boxer Cesar Cuenca (42-0, 1KO) fell out. The new opponent for Marquez is Ukrainian Sergey Fedchenko (30-1, 13KOs). Marquez’s trainer, Nacho Beristain, confirmed the information to BoxingScene. The fight takes place for the vacant WBO interim-140-pound title on April 14th at the new arena in Mexico City.

“In the end we are left with Fedchenko, who is more of a come forward fighter, and likes to mix it up a lot more [than Cuenca],” said Beristain after analyzing some Fedchenko videos.

Fedchenko European champion of the World Boxing Organization. He last fought on February 18 in Germany, beating Laszlo Fasekas over eight rounds. His last defeat came in September 2009 and since then he accumulated seven wins, two of them by knockout.

Nacho indicated that Marquez’s camp will have to change, regarding the sparring partners and the fight strategy, but he feels confident there is enough time to make the necessary adjustments. Marquez will get help from ‘Joya’ Herrera, Gilberto González, Juan Montiel, Alejandro Barrera and José Pinzón.

By Salvador Rodriguez

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50668

Argentine boxer Cesar Rene Cuenca has spent years waiting for a world title shot. On April 14th in Mexico City, he will face one of the greatest Mexican fighters of all time, Juan Manuel Marquez, for the interim-WBO junior welterweight title. Cuenca (42-0, 1 KO) knows Marquez is a very experienced fighter, and he knows a lot of other fights are at stake for the Mexican icon – but Cuenca has no doubts about his ability to defeat Marquez.

“I am very happy, because I’m fulfilling my dream of fighting for the world title. I’ve always wanted to at least try, but now I am going to do it, and I’m going to win. We are preparing very well for Marquez. I know that he has a lot of experience, but I have experience as well. I am convinced that I will win,” Cuenca told Diario Abajo del Ring.

By Rafael Soto

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50603

As previously reported, Juan Manuel Marquez (56-6-1, 39KOs) disputed claims that he plans to retire in 2012. Marquez wants to have a big 2012, with at least three fights. For the first time since 1994, Marquez will fight in Mexico City. He faces Argentine Cesar Cuenca (42-0, 1KO) on April 14th for the vacant WBO interim-junior welterweight title.

The WBO honored Marquez on Friday in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He received a special gold ring for his achievements in the ring.

“To me, [the WBO ring] is a source of great pride and motivation to continue my career. At the moment, I will not retire – at least not this year. I would have liked to have become a champion [at welterweight] last November [against Manny Pacquiao], but everyone saw [me as the] champion coming out of that fight with my hand raised,” Marquez said.

After the fight in April, Marquez expects to return in July and then in November, and says the November date “could be against Pacquiao.”

By Miguel Rivera

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50508

Mexican three-division world champion Juan Manuel Marquez has confirmed to Fightnews.com that his next fight on April 14th against undefeated southpaw Argentinian Cesar Rene Cuenca (42-0, 1 KO) will be at the “New Mexico City Arena” in Mexico City for the WBO super lightweight world title. There is a possibility it could be for regular crown with Bradley fighting for the WBO welterweight title against Manny Pacquiao on June 9 in Las Vegas, but for now it’s assured that Marquez-Cuenca is for the WBO interim super lightweight world title.

By Gabriel F. Cordero

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/marquez-cuenca-for-wbo-title-in-april-109715