Ricky Burns Ready For Tough Camp, Moses and Mitchell

Ricky Burns is enjoying his last week of regular living before he gets down to preparing seriously for his interim WBO lightweight battle against Paulus Moses at the Braehead Arena on March 10.

The 28-year-old champion from Coatbridge is already in training for the visit of the Namibian, who has lost only once in 29 fights.

However, he will move into overdrive next week when he starts looking at the scales with the nine stone nine pounds limit in mind, although he admits it will not be quite as difficult as it used to be when he was a super-featherweight.

“The hard dieting will start next week,” said Burns.

“At the moment I have a wee bit of leeway and if I want something I can have it.

“But I start pushing it seven weeks before the fight.

“I started training just after the New Year so we are in full training, two and three times a day.

“But the countdown is on to the weigh-in and then it’s time to get on with the job.

“No matter what weight you have to make it is always hard. But again, making nine stone nine is a lot easier than having to boil down to nine stone four.

“I am much happier now that I have moved up a weight.”

While not taking victory for granted, Burns wants to take on Essex fighter Kevin Mitchell in the summer.

Mitchell’s only defeat in 33 fights to date was to Michael Katsidis at Upton Park, London, in May 2010, whom the Scotsman beat at Wembley in November last year to take the title from the Australian.

“Obviously I have to get past Paulus Moses first or that (Mitchell) fight is not going to happen,” said Burns.

“I know Kevin is fighting in February and as long as the two of us come through then we can sit down and talk about it.

“Both of us are promoted by Frank Warren so it is an easy fight for us to make.

“I would say the two of us are the best lightweights in Britain just now so it is a fight that I would really want.

“When I beat Michael Katsidis he (Mitchell) was saying he would love the chance to fight me.

“I would prefer it to be up here.

“Hopefully we can show them that we can get Braehead sold out and get the fans behind me.

“But for now, I just need to concentrate on my next fight.”

Ricky Burns has targeted Kevin Mitchell for a summertime all-British battle – and wants it to be in Scotland.

The interim WBO lightweight champion will face Namibia’s Paulus Moses at the Braehead Arena on March 10.

Burns, from Coatbridge, is hoping fight fans pack out the venue on the outskirts of Glasgow to encourage promoter Frank Warren to bring Essex boy Mitchell north of the border for what would be a classic Scotland versus England encounter.

Mitchell’s only defeat in 33 fights to date was to Michael Katsidis at Upton Park, London, in May 2010, whom Burns beat at Wembley in November last year to take the title from the Australian.

Burns, 28, speaking at the Braehead Arena, said: “Obviously I have to get past Paulus Moses first or that (Mitchell) fight is not going to happen.

“I know Kevin is fighting in February and as long as the two of us come through then we can sit down and talk about it.

“Both of us are promoted by Frank Warren so it is an easy fight for us to make.

“I would say the two of us are the best lightweights in Britain just now so it is a fight that I would really want.

“When I beat Michael Katsidis he (Mitchell) was saying he would love the chance to fight me.

“They are talking about the venue being down in London or up here.

“I was on the same bill when Michael Katsidis beat him down at West Ham’s football ground.

“I know that was the venue that was mentioned if I was to fight him in the summer.

“I would prefer it to be up here.

“Hopefully we can show them that we can get Braehead sold out and get the fans behind me.

“But for now, I just need to concentrate on my next fight.”

Burns will enjoy one last week of regular living before the hard work starts – albeit it will not be quite as difficult to make the weight now that he has moved up to the nine stone nine pounds division.

“The hard dieting will start next week,” he said.

“At the moment I have a wee bit of leeway and if I want something I can have it.

“But I start pushing it seven weeks before the fight.

“I started training just after the New Year so we are in full training, two and three times a day.

“But the countdown is on to the weigh-in and then it’s time to get on with the job.

“No matter what weight you have to make it is always hard.

“But again, making nine stone nine is a lot easier than having to boil down to nine stone four.

“I am much happier now that I have moved up a weight.”

Burns will not watch any DVDs of Moses, preferring to let the challenger worry about him.

“I can only go with his record which makes him dangerous,” he said.

“One loss in 29 fights and 19 knockouts, that shows he is a big puncher.

“But I have always said whatever happens on the night is going to happen.

“I can adapt to people’s styles so I’m sure when I get in the ring, I will know what to do to win.

“If I get the chance to knock him out I will do it.”

Burns, though, will be informed by trainer Billy Nelson as to what to expect on the night.

“I have been studying DVDs every night and Moses is a very good fighter,” said Nelson.

“He has a different style to Katsidis but world class fighters have the ability to adapt to different styles.

“I expect Ricky to stop this guy.

“Once that fight is done, there is the blockbuster with Kevin Mitchell and then he will get it as well.”

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=48709

Ricky Burns will make his first defence of the interim WBO lightweight title against Paulus Moses on 10 March.

The 33-year-old Namibian won the WBA title two years ago in Japan but lost it after one successful defence.

Moses, known as ‘The Hitman’, has only been stopped once in 29 fights and has won 19 bouts by knockout.

The fight has been moved back to the Braehead Arena due to television commitments after promoters had announced a switch to the Kelvin Hall.

Burns’s manager Alex Morrison believes Moses will provide a “stiff test” for his Burns.

“He’s a bit of a knockout specialist,” Morrison told BBC Scotland.

“And you don’t go to Japan and a win a world title without having something about you.”

Moses (right) has only been stopped once in 29 fights

Burns became WBO super-featherweight champion after a thrilling win over Rocky Martinez in 2010.

After three defences of the title, ‘The Rickster’ moved up to lightweight and beat Michael Katsidis at Wembley last November to become interim lightweight champion.

If, as expected, Juan Manuel Marquez vacates his WBO title at the same weight, Burns could enter the ring against Moses as the full champion.

By Phil Goodlad
BBC Scotland

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/16534019.stm

Kevin Mitchell will be forced to wait for his highly-anticipated comeback fight, but vowed to win a world title in 2012 after pulling through a nightmare year.

Mitchell was set to take on Stephen Ormond in a WBO Intercontinental Lightweight title bout in February, but the unbeaten Irishman pulled out of the fight, leaving Mitchell to look for a new challenge. Despite the setback, Mitchell says he is ready for whichever boxer decides to take him on after overcoming personal issues in the past 12 months.

“I think they know I’m in good shape and I’ve been back in the gym,” Mitchell told iFilm London. “Word’s probably got out that I’ve not had a drink over Christmas and that I mean the business. That’s probably put the fear factor into [Ormond].

“I’m ready. I’m prepared for anyone and I’ll be prepared for whoever they put out in front of me. It doesn’t matter who it is.

“I’ve been in very good shape so, whoever it is, I’ll deal with it in a great fashion. I knock anybody early, I can knock them out late – I’ve proven that in fights.

“I’ve given up drinking. I’ve given up messing around. I’m serious and I want to do a big job this year and turn into a superstar. It’s what I’ve always dreamed about. This year I’m going to smash it. Watch.”

Promoter Frank Warren has been in discussions with Mitchell about a July fight at Upton Park against Scotland’s WBO interim lightweight champion Ricky Burns as the 28-year-old plans the next step of his comeback.

http://www.espn.co.uk/boxing/sport/story/129395.html

Kevin Mitchell has promised to win a world title this year after a nightmare 2011.

The Dagenham Destroyer returns to action on Friday 10th February to defend his WBO Intercontinental Lightweight title at London’s York Hall.

Unbeaten Irishman Stephen Ormond pulled out of the fight and promoter Frank Warren is looking at a new challenger for Mitchell.

The 28-year-old had well documented problems outside of the ring last year despite his sensational eighth round stoppage win over rival John Murray in July.

Mitchell said, “I was on a downward spiral and could have ended up in prison because of my drinking, but I’ve had a good kick up the backside and I realise that I want to become a world champion,”

“I lost it last year even though I had a great win over Murray, but I’m looking forward to returning to the York Hall with my home crowd behind me,”

“I’m not a playboy anymore and from now on I’m serious about winning the world title and making plenty of money to secure my future,”

Warren is aiming to get Kevin a world title shot that could see him in a Battle of Britain with Scottish WBO World Champion, possibly a return to West Ham United’s ground where he lost to Michael Katsidis in 2010.

Also, Warren has spoken to American promoter Bob Arum about a possible fight with WBA title-holder Brandon Rios who beat Murray in December.

“The obvious fight would be Ricky Burns in the summer with West Ham’s ground being an option,” said Warren.

“My relationship with Kevin went off the rails towards the end of last year, but I’m delighted to say that we are back on track and we’re both working towards the world title,”

“This is about Kevin going back to basics, his problems are behind him now and it’s all about moving forward and achieving what I believe he can achieve.”

“I’m really disappointed that Ormond pulled out of the fight for whatever reason, he was training for a fight in December that fell through and we lined him up with Kevin so he would have been ready.”

Mitchell added, “I’d love Ricky Burns at West Ham which would be an absolute dream to return to the stadium again,”

“Although if Rios was offered to me I’d fancy doing a number on him, in fact I reckon I’d knock him out,”

“To me he’s sluggish and one dimensional and if I got him in the ring it would be like a cat playing with a mouse.”

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=48161

WBO interim lightweight champion Ricky Burns was attacked by thugs while he was training at home in Scotland.

Burns, who returns to the ring at Glasgow’s Braehead Arena in March, was out jogging in his hometown of Coatbridge in Lanarkshire when a group of youths began chasing him, hurling abuse and throwing cans and bottles at him.

Burns said he was not prepared to risk losing his boxing license by challenging the thugs, but called the police, who arrived too late to catch the attackers.

“Out jogging tonight and a group decide to shout abuse at you, chuck stuff and chase after you,” Burns wrote on his facebook page. “You phone the police and report it and they just drive by 10 minutes later. It’s a joke. What’s Coatbridge coming to?”

“I am absolutely disgusted, not just at the crowd of hard men that were throwing bottles at my son but at Strathclyde’s ‘finest’ who don’t seem to care,” Burns’ mother Tracey said. “Time to move out to the countryside, methinks.”

A Strathclyde Police spokeswoman said, “We received a complaint about youths harassing a man on Coatbridge Main Street at around 10.30pm on Monday night. Officers attended but no further action was taken.”

http://www.espn.co.uk/boxing/sport/story/129267.html

WBO/WBA lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (53-6-1, 39KOs) has once again discussed his interest in facing WBO 140-pound champion Timothy Bradley (28-0, 12KOs). Marquez, who turns 39-years-old in August, is looking to retire by the end of 2012 and wants the best fights possible. The top priority is a fourth fight with WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, who won a twelve round majority decision over Marquez on November 16th.

If Pacquiao is unavailable, Marquez wants Bradley. He considers Bradley’s style as being more diffcult to overcome in comparison to Pacquiao, who the Mexican champion faced for 36 rounds.

“If it won’t be Pacquiao, then I want it to be Bradley. Erik Morales is a good fighter [at 140] but we want the best possible options there are.Bradley is the better option. He holds the best ranking [at 140] and he has a style that is more difficult than Pacquiao,” Marquez said.

By Miguel Rivera

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=48084

Juan Manuel Marquez (53-6-1, 39KOs), the lightweight world champion of the WBA and the WBO, is going to explore his options for 2012. The Mexican star is looking to have a fourth fight with Manny Pacquiao, the WBO’s welterweight champion. If no deal is made for Pacquiao, Marquez is willing to chase a world championship at 140-pounds, but he’s not interested in an all-Mexican showdown with Erik Morales. He would rather fight undefeated WBO king Timothy Bradley (28-0, 12KOs).

“My plans are not to retire, and I am focused on the fourth fight against Manny Pacquiao. So far I do not know if it will happen in May or all the way in November. If [the fight] is not made ​​soon, then I look for another great opportunity, like Timothy Bradley, the WBO’s junior welterweight champion,” Marquez said. “[Morales] is a great fighter, very good, but there are other opponents who are bigger, like Bradley. I want to face the best, and that’s what I remember Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns doing.”

As previously reported, Marquez refuses to fight Pacquiao in Las Vegas. He would fight the Filipino champion in Mexico or a neutral location like Texas.

“With Pacquiao I said I would fight him, but outside of Las Vegas, where I was robbed [in more than one fight] against him. I doubt he would agreed to come to Mexico, or Azteca Stadium in Mexico. We could fight in Texas. I am able to fill the Azteca, but with prices according to the economy. I still hope to fight for one or two more years. At my age I can not think about continuing to fight for too many years. Boxing is dangerous, and no matter how much money you can win, you won’t be able to buy another brain. ”

By Ernesto Castellanos, notifight.com

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=47921

The 5th of November saw Scotland’s Ricky Burns beat the hard hitting Australian Michael Katsidis via a unanimous decision to become the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Interim Lightweight champion in what was a good performance.

Ricky used his jab well and covered up during Katsidis’s attack which was pretty relentless for twelve rounds. A lot of fans and experts were expecting Burns to lose.

The question a lot of people have asked me is. Who does Ricky fight next? There are a few options out there for Ricky he could face either IBF Champion Miguel Vazquez or WBC Champion Antonio Demarco and go for a second world title.
My choice would be for him to face Kevin Mitchell in a fight which would be a great domestic fight. It is a fight that is easily able to put together as both fighters are promoted by Frank Warren. The venue is a tricky choice in my opinion it would most likely be held in London at the o2 Arena or Wembley Arena.

This has the potential to be a great fight would do nice to top a bill with a strong undercard. Who do I think would win? Personally I think it depends on Mitchell’s mental state if his head is in it then for me he wins the fight. I like Ricky Burns a lot I’m proud for the contribution he has made to British boxing and it was a shame he didn’t win the British boxer of year award.

For me the Mitchell fight should be made it is the best option in my opinion. Maybe the winner of this fight could end up facing the winner of the Murray Vs Rios fight.

By Dan Henderson

http://www.boxingnews24.com/2011/11/ricky-burns-where-next/

New interim WBO world lightweight champion Ricky Burns is eyeing big fights both domestically and internationally in the 135lb division following his win over Michael Katsidis to become Scotland’s first two-weight world champion in nearly twenty years.

“The lightweight division is a really hot here and abroad at the moment,” said Burns. “Kevin Mitchell beat John Murray in a great fight back in July, while Murray has got a tough fight against WBA world champion Brandon Rios coming up. If Murray wins – and I’m hoping he does the job – then that opens up a unification fight between us. If he doesn’t then I’d love a shot at Rios. On the world scene Juan Manuel Marquez is there and so is Robert Guerrero plus Miguel Vazquez so I’m looking at some big fights ahead.”

Pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao is obviously disappointed with his majority decision win over WBO/WBA lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand Garden Arena this past Saturday and wants Marquez one more time.

Strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza told BoxingScene.com/Manila Standard Today that he had a talk with the WBO welterweight champion on Monday and told us “Manny was not happy with his performance either.” He said “it was obviously  a really bad night” and that he ” wants another one.” Ariza said he too would “want another Marquez fight.”

Ariza said he told Pacquiao “ Let’s do it my way and see what happens.”

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who was roundly booed by the Mexican fans who accused him of stealing the fight from Marquez said “not only was this fight not definitive, very few rounds were definitive. If the fighters are willing we’ll do it again.”

However, Arum may have trouble convincing Marquez to fight Pacquiao for a fourth time and even money may not entice the Mexican legend to take on the challenge. In fact Marquez said he is contemplating retirement and was certain that even if he beats Pacquiao, the judges won’t give him the decision.

Ariza said he told Pacquiao “we need to go back to the basics again. We have to get back to what we did in the days we were successful and we didn’t have any leg problems (cramps) and things like that.”

Ariza was apparently pleased that Pacquiao “had agreed to go back to the old ways” and indicated Pacquiao told him “next time we are going to do everything your way.”

The strength and conditioning coach who recalled their rousing success in the fights against David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto revealed “he was not doing it my way at all” for Marquez III. He pointed the wide difference in “boxing training and conditioning training where sometimes a fighter thinks that because he trains hard inside the gym the conditioning is going to piggyback on the things that he does.”

Ariza said Pacquiao “looked good but his body didn’t cooperate with him again last night. His balance was off, he looked very ordinary, nothing special. He was exposed.”

When asked about the cramps suffered by Pacquiao in the fight Ariza said he “showed him a list  and told him let’s look at the Manny Pacquiao way and the Alex Ariza way” and pointed out that in the fights against Marquez III and Shane Mosley Pacquiao had leg cramps but when they trained the Ariza way he had no leg cramps in the fights against Diaz, De La Hoya, Hatton, Cotto and Clottey.

Ariza conceded “I know my way is very hard, its very taxing, its very uncomfortable but there is a reason for it. Nobody likes to do the conditioning but that’s what’s    pushing us through, that’s what is making Manny  look good.”

Ariza said “I don’t want to make excuses about leg cramps but our fights are getting worse and worse” citing the battles with Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley adding “we are starting to go in reverse. Unless we get back to what we did in the beginning I don’t see how we are going to progress.”

With the possibility of a Floyd Mayweather megabuck fight taking place on May 5 Ariza said “if I was Mayweather and I saw that last fight (Marquez) I would sign for a Pacquiao fight this morning.”

by Ronnie Nathanielsz

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=46012

Juan Manuel Marquez’s defeat to Manny Pacquiao on Saturday keeps alive the possibility of a fight with WBO interim lightweight champion Ricky Burns.

Marquez is the holder of the full WBO title at Burns’s weight but had moved up to welterweight to take on the legendary Filipino in Las Vegas.

His controversial loss makes it less likely he will vacate his lightweight belt but could mean a date with Burns.

The Scot beat Michael Katsidis on November 5 in his first lightweight bout.

He had relinquished his WBO super-featherweight title to move up a weight class to the 9st 9lb mark.

On Sunday Burns’s trainer Billy Nelson told BBC Scotland: “We would love to fight Marquez but it all depends on what he wants to do.

“He might go for a re-match with Pacquiao, he might retire or he might decide to drop back down to lightweight and defend his title.

“If he does defend his belt, then he has to fight Ricky because he has the interim title and is the mandatory challenger.”

Nelson is still buoyed by Burns’s impressive win over the Australian Katsidis at Wembley eight days ago, satisfied that “the game plan worked to a T” and particularly pleased by the way his boxer controlled the centre of the ring when he opted to.

And Burns’s maturity and quiet confidence at the elite level of the sport means he and trainer Nelson would face Marquez with a belief they could take the full title, with any bout likely to be staged in the United States.

Nelson, who runs The Fighting Scots gym, added: “We wouldn’t be thinking we’d made it just by getting a bout with Marquez; we’d be there to win it.

“We are very positive about the whole thing.”

Nelson will have four boxers on the undercard when Glasgow’s Willie Limond takes on Anthony Crolla for the Manchester fighter’s British lightweight title in Motherwell on 25 November.

However, he did not think it likely that Burns and Limond would go toe to toe in the ring.

“That would be more of a domestic bout. We want Ricky to be fighting for world titles,” said the coach.

“Willie would need to get himself up there in the WBO rankings to fight Ricky. He would need to beat Anthony Crolla and that will be no easy task.”

At the MGM Grand arena, challenger Marquez, now 38, lost out to Pacquiao on a controversial majority decision, with two judges voting in favour of the reigning champion and the third scoring a tie.

Pacquiao, 32, has now won his last 15 bouts, but for Mexico’s Marquez the decision was painfully reminiscent of his defeat to the same fighter in 2008. The pair also drew a contest in May 2004.

Marquez said after the bout: “This was the second robbery and this one was the worst. We won with clearer punches.

“It’s hard when you’re fighting your rival and the three judges too.”

Marquez has won world titles at three weight divisions.

Last year he complained that progression to welterweight was accompanied by a loss of speed.

The coming weeks will reveal whether the ageing star opts to drop from his 142lb for the Pacquiao fight to extend his legacy in the 135lb lightweight category where a hungry Scot awaits.

By Keir Murray
BBC Scotland

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/15712008.stm

Chelo Gonzalez (18-0, 13 KOs) retained his Latino lightweight championship of the World Boxing Organization (WBO), with a ten round unanimous decision over Fernando Trejo (33-16-6 and 19 KOs). All three judges scores the fight 99-91.

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=45687

By Ryan Maquiñana

Birthday No. 25 came and passed yesterday for unbeaten NABO junior lightweight beltholder Eloy “Prince” Perez, and aside from the usual gift-wrapped boxes and candle-laden cake, there was plenty to celebrate on the boxing front.

After only five of his first 23 pro bouts ended via stoppage, Perez (22-0-2, 6 KOs) scored a surprising second-round demolition of Daniel Jimenez eight weeks ago on TeleFutura in front of his hometown fans of Salinas, Calif.

The win garnered Perez some newfound attention by none other than his promoter Golden Boy, who then commenced arrangements to pit him against their other 130-pound prospect-turned-contender, Adrien Broner, for the newly vacated WBO crown.

Amid negotiations eventually falling through with some bad blood between the two beginning to boil, Perez has finally begun to turn a few heads in the boxing world, having been awarded NABO Fighter of the Year among other honors.

BoxingScene caught up with the rising contender, who along with assistant trainer Sam Garcia commented on negotiations with Broner, his recent power surge, and his upcoming TeleFutura “Solo Boxeo Tecate” headliner this Friday against Ira Terry (24-6, 14 KOs) in Salinas.

PEREZ ON HIS 25TH BIRTHDAY AND HIS RECENT ACCOLADES:

“It’s like I’m all over the place now.  I just won NABO Fighter of the Year.  I just saw myself in the Ring rankings.  It’s crazy.  To be honest, I just woke up, and I didn’t even know it was my birthday.  I’ve been so focused on camp.”

PEREZ ON HIS MINDSET DURING THE JIMENEZ KNOCKOUT:

“I was just happy to get through it.  Training camp was hard.  It wasn’t really about the fight as much as what I had to do to get there.  My trainers ran me hard.  It showed in the fight.  I couldn’t even sleep after the fight.  I pulled an all-nighter because I still had all this energy.  It didn’t even sink in until I got home.”

PEREZ ON WHETHER HE CAN SUSTAIN THIS POWER SURGE INTO FRIDAY:

“I think this time, I finally got a fighter who came to fight, and I showed what I could do when I’m given an opportunity to take advantage of it. I’m 25 years old and I’m still figuring everything out.  I’m getting stronger every day and becoming more confident in my power working with the Garcias and Dean Familton.”

SAM GARCIA ON PEREZ’S PERCEIVED LACK OF POWER:

“If you look at the previous fights, not too many people saw the Dannie Williams fight, and Dannie Williams was face-first on the canvas in the first round.  If you go back further, he stopped Juan Santiago.

“If you give Eloy a guy who comes to fight, Eloy will be able to show off his work better against somebody’s who’s willing to fight, willing to engage, and willing to put it on the line.  Daniel Jimenez came in to win, and not to pull a [Omar] Narvaez against [Nonito] Donaire or an Alejandro Rodriguez, who came to survive.  And when you have a situation like that, Eloy can use his speed and his power to hurt somebody, not just counterpunch.”

PEREZ ON MATCHING UP WITH TERRY:

“I’ve seen a couple of his fights on YouTube.  That’s my trainer’s job to come up with the gameplan, and mine is to be prepared.  I’ve seen some of fights of his, and I’m seeing how I can break him down.  I’m going to do what I usually do, and that’s counterpunch and be accurate.  I know he starts a little quick, and that’s it.  I’m just focused on what my team has planned.”

PEREZ ON TERRY HAVING BEEN KNOCKED OUT FOUR CONSECUTIVE TIMES LEADING UP TO THIS FIGHT:

“I really don’t care what he’s done in the past.  We’ll find out what he has in the ring and how hard he’s been able to prepare over the past few weeks.  If I see an opening, I’ll take it, and if not, I’ll keep looking to get my timing down.”

PEREZ ON STAGING HIS SECOND STRAIGHT FIGHT IN SALINAS:

“I think it’s awesome.  It’s always a positive thing for the city being able to have everyone be a part of it, and see what Garcia Boxing is all about.  I just want to represent Salinas as best I can.  We’ve had fighters like Chuy Rodriguez and Jose Celaya work with the Garcias, and now I just want to finish what they started.”

PEREZ ON FIGHTING ADRIEN BRONER:

“As far as Adrien Broner, I’m going to beat his ass when the time comes.  Today, tomorrow, next month, next year, whenever it’s time for us to meet in the ring.  When it comes to negotiations, Kathy Garcia my manager, my team, and Golden Boy Promotions—Oscar De La Hoya said they have bigger things for me—so that’s their job.  My job as a fighter is just to be ready.  I trust my promotional company and my team and my manager.

“And besides, why fight him now when it can be a bigger fight in the future when we both have titles?  It can be bigger than what it could have been.  We both have bigger fights ahead.  So to answer your question, I would love to fight Adrien Broner, but he also has to come fight me somewhere fair.  I’m not going to Cincinnati, and I know he doesn’t want to go to Salinas.”

GARCIA ON PEREZ’S ROAD AHEAD:

“I think we’re going to after the IBF.  It depends on what they say.  We love the WBO, and we’ve chased that prestigious title for a long time, but the way it’s working now, it’s going to be hard to work that out with Golden Boy having Adrien Broner in their stable and handing him the title.  It makes sense for us to go after the IBF title and Juan Carlos Salgado who makes great action fights.  I think that’s a fight that both of them could look good in, and I think Eloy would come in on top.

“Salgado’s got confidence in his power against boxer-types like Eloy.  I mean, he stopped Jorge Linares, so that looks like the most aesthetically pleasing fight.  The thing is, before we can get there, we need to get ranked higher than the top 25 in there.

“So we’re trying to get someone in the top 15 like Jason Litzau, Monty Meza-Clay, or Martin Honorio.  There’s been talk about Vicente Escobedo, but we’re talking with the promoters to see if he even wants that fight.  If we beat any of those guys, we’ll get a shot at Salgado down the line, then a unification megafight hopefully between Eloy and Broner in the summer or even the fall.”

PEREZ ON HIS TWO DEDICATIONS FOR FRIDAY’S FIGHT, ONE FOR BREAST CANCER AWARENESS AND ANOTHER FOR LIVER CANCER PATIENT SY SHERMAN:

“We have two dedications.  First, we’re fighting for all the people who have dealt with breast cancer.  Olaya Hernandez, who’s the sister of my trainer Max Garcia, and Malena Garcia, a family friend of ours, fought breast cancer and survived, so we will be fighting for them and all women who have dealt with it one way or another.

“About Sy, I read his story at lunch, and he’s a really tough kid who’s been through a lot.  He’s nine years old, and he’s already going through chemo[therapy] every few weeks.  For me, he’s a fighter, battling liver cancer, and having the courage to fight it. See this site for a good example.  He’s fighting for his life every day.  You don’t want anyone to go through what he’s doing, much less in childhood.  I’ll definitely be fighting for them.”

Ryan Maquiñana is the boxing correspondent at Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Advisory Panel.  E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his blog at www.maqdown.com or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=45421

WBO #8 lightweight Jose “Chelo” Gonzalez will face Eddie Soto in the 6th edition of the series “A Puño Limpio”, to be held September 2 at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, in a PR Best Boxing Promtions (PRBBP) in association with Top Rank Inc., to be televised live on WAPA America. González (16-0, 12 KOs) will defend his WBO Latino Lightweight title in a 10 round fight against Soto, a fighter from Rhode Island with a record of 12-2, 4 KOs, headlining the new edition of the successful series “A Puño Limpio”. This will be the fourth bout this year for the 28-year-old Gonzalez.

Also former olympian McJoe Arroyo (7-0, 4 KOs) will be back in the ring in a six round 115lb bout. Arroyo hasn’t fought since January when he was cut in the mouth during his win over Eduardo Melendez. Another Former olympian, unbeaten heavyweight Carlos Negrón (13-0, 9 KOs) will fight for the fourth time this year in a six round bout.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/gonzalez-soto-on-sept-2-92091

In a battle of undefeated lightweights, popular Sharif “The Lion” Bogere (21-0, 13 KOs) scored a spectacular third round knockout to successfully defend his NABO lightweight title against previously unbeaten Francisco Contreras (16-1, 13 KOs) on Friday night at Texas Station Gambling Hall & Hotel in Las Vegas. A right hand to the jaw followed by a glancing blow off the shoulder laid out Contreras face down for the count at 2:01. Contreras was down for an extended time and was taken from the ring on a stretcher. He appeared conscious.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/early-results-from-las-vegas-39-97972

Juan Manuel Marquez is a four-time weight division champion in the featherweight, jr. lightweight,lightweight, and recently jr. welterweight in the division. He began his professional career at the age of 19, and actually lost his first fight by disqualification. Six years later (in 1999), Marquez got his first world title shot against Freddie Norwood for the WBA World Featherweight title. Marquez came up short; losing to Norwood by unanimous decision. Four years later, Marquez would have another shot at a world title, this time against Manuel Medina for the vacant IBF Featherweight title.

Marquez went on to knock out Medina in the seventh round and captured his first world title. In November 2003 Marquez unified the titles by also capturing the vacant WBA World Featherweight title, defeating Derrick Gainer. Marquez made three successful title defenses (one defense was a draw against Manny Pacquiao), but in March 2003 he was defeated by undefeated Indonesian featherweight Chris John. In his next fight, Marquez captured the interim WBO Featherweight title, defeating Terdsak Kokietgym by technical knockout in the seventh round. In March 2007 came one of his most recognizable victories, a unanimous decision victory over fellow Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera Marquez only made one successful defense against Rocky Juarez, and later lost the WBC belt by split decision against Manny Pacquiao in their rematch.

In 2009, Marquez had the opportunity to dethrone Floyd Mayweather, but the move up to welterweight was too much for him; losing by unanimous decision. “Dinamita” Marquez currently is the WBO “Super” Lightweight Champion and WBA Super World Lightweight Champion. On November 12, 2011 he took on Manny Pacquiao for the third time in his career. The highly anticipated bout started oof where the previous two ended; a back and forth battle between both fighters. Unfortunately Marquez came up short, losing a majority decison once again.

After a 5 month lay-off, Marquez returned to his native Mexico City to take on Sergey Fedchenko for the interim WBO Jr. Welterweight title. Marquez won by unanimous decision and captured his forth different title in a different weight divison.

REGIONAL TITLES:

1. WBO NABO Featherweight Champion (twice)

2. NABF Featherweight Champion

3. USBA Featherweight Champion

WORLD TITLES:

1. IBF Featherweight Champion

2. WBA Super World Featherweight Champion

3. WBO Featherweight Champion

4. WBC Jr. Lightweight Champion

5. WBA Super World Lightweight Champion

6. WBO Lightweight Champion

7. Interim WBO Jr. Welterweight Champion