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By Igor Lazorin, tass

According to Egis Klimas, the manager of Sergey Kovalev, the negotiations are finally underway for a rematch with World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Organization (WBO) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) light heavyweight world champion Andre Ward.

The two boxers collided last November at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Ward got off the floor in the second round to win a twelve round unanimous decision. All three judges had it scored for the Olympic gold medal winner with identical tallies of 114-113.

There was a rematch clause in the bout agreement, which Kovalev quickly exercised to secure an immediate return bout.

As of last week, Kovalev’s promoter Kathy Duva of Main Events was having a very difficult time with getting Roc Nation Sports, who promote Ward, to start negotiating the rematch.

“The negotiations have begun, but there is no concrete agreement,” Klimas said.

There were some issues with getting Ward to come back to the table, as he was threatening the possibility of retiring unless the scenario with the rematch made sense.

Duva had previously informed BoxingScene.com that HBO prefers a date of June 17 for the rematch.

Roc Nation has now placed the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on hold for June 17, but they have not revealed if the date is for the Ward-Kovalev rematch or Miguel Cotto’s rescheduled return. Cotto was set to return on HBO Pay-Per-View last Saturday, but his event got canceled after opponent James Kirkland withdrew with a fractured nose. Cotto is looking to rescheduled his return for a date in April or June.

Kovalev has a record of 30 wins (26 by knockout), one loss and one draw. And Ward has a perfect record of 31 victories (15 by knockout) and no defeats.

www.boxingscene.com/ward-vs-kovalev-rematch-talks-finally-underway-june-17–114031?print_friendly=1

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NABO Junior Welterweight Champion Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker (21-0-2, 16 KOs) and Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa “T-Rex” Shields co-hosted a media workout in Las Vegas ahead of their undercard appearances on Kovalev-Ward “Pound For Pound” taking place Saturday, Nov. 19 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photos by Hoganphotos.

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Shields, making her professional debut against American rival Franchon Crews, will be featured on the freeview telecast beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT on the Pay-Per-View events channel prior to the official telecast, and through livestreaming on HBO Boxing’s YouTube channel.

Hooker, who will be defending his NABO title against veteran Darleys Perez (33-2-1, 21 KOs), will be featured during the televised undercard leading up to the main event on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Kovalev vs. Ward “Pound For Pound”, a 12-round mega-fight for the WBO/IBF/WBA Light Heavyweight World Titles, takes place Saturday, Nov. 19, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.

The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. “Pound for Pound” is presented by Main Events, Roc Nation Sports, Krusher Promotions and Andre Ward Promotions and is sponsored by MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Rosneft and Corona Extra.

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www.boxingscene.com/photos-maurice-hooker-claressa-shields-putting-work–110744?print_friendly=1

 

 

Peter Quillin

“Kid Chocolate” Peter Quillin vacated his middleweight world title and kissed a career-high $1.4 million purse goodbye on Thursday.

He was faced with a WBO-imposed deadline of 4 p.m. ET on Thursday to sign a contract for his mandatory defense against Matt Korobov. Quillin, who had already been given two extensions to the signing deadline, would have been stripped of his title had he not vacated.

It still comes as a surprise to many that Quillin, whose wife gave birth to their first child, a boy, about a week ago, would turn down a purse that is more than three times his biggest payday and give up his title without having another fight signed.

Peter Quillin
Peter Quillin vacated his middleweight world title on Thursday, and in turn, lost out on a career-high $1.4 million purse.

“I’d like to thank WBO president Paco Valcarcel and his organization for their support throughout the years,” Quillin said in a statement. “Winning the WBO world championship was a highlight in my career and something I’ll never forget. This is a difficult decision, but in order to make the fights the fans and I want against my fellow middleweights at the top of the division, I needed to relinquish the title.

“This is an exciting new chapter in my life, and I’m looking forward to cementing my spot as the best middleweight in the world.”

Quillin’s statement rings a bit hollow because there is no obvious major middleweight fight on the horizon for him.

Fights with champion Miguel Cotto and titlist Gennady Golovkin were not possible. Only a match with fellow New Yorker Daniel Jacobs, who owns a lightly regarded secondary title and, like Quillin, is advised by the powerful Al Haymon, would be close.

About a half hour before the deadline, Arnold Joseph, the attorney for Golden Boy Promotions, Quillin’s promoter, sent a letter to the WBO informing it of the decision.

“Mr. Quillin has reviewed the middleweight landscape and is of the belief that there are other more compelling opponents for him to fight which will afford the boxing fans with excitement and which will afford him and his family more opportunities,” Joseph wrote. “Please be assured that Mr. Quillin is by no means minimizing Mr. Korobov’s talents or accomplishments. Mr. Quillin simply seeks to pursue bigger fights. Let me conclude by expressing Mr. Quillin and Golden Boy’s appreciation for your organization’s patience while Mr. Quillin worked through this decision and we look forward to our continued relationship with the WBO.”

Quillin’s decision means that the first boxing event to be promoted by Roc Nation Sports, the sports agency founded by music mogul Jay Z, will be delayed. Roc Nation Sports announced its intentions to promote boxing two weeks ago and the next day won a purse bid for the right to promote Quillin-Korobov, even though it doesn’t have promotional contracts with either fighter.

It bid $1,904,840, a dramatic overbid that easily beat Golden Boy ($1,207,000) and Korobov promoter Top Rank ($515,000). Quillin would have earned a career-best $1,428,630 to Korobov’s career-best $476,210. Korobov signed almost immediately while Quillin asked for extensions.

Roc Nation Sports planned to put the fight on Nov. 1 at the Barclays Center in Quillin’s hometown of Brooklyn, but had since notified Golden Boy and Top Rank that it would instead have been at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C., because Korobov is not licensed in New York due to a medical issue no other state has a problem with.

Michael Yormark, president and chief of branding and strategy for parent company Roc Nation, was disappointed Quillin turned down the fight.

“I’ve got $1.4 million sitting next to me,” Yormark told ESPN.com. “Do you want it? It’s puzzling that he turned down $1.4 million and gave up his belt. In order to turn down that money and give up his belt he has to be looking at a bigger opportunity. Who turns $1.4 million and gives up his belt for nothing?

“We wish him the best of luck. We like Peter a lot. We hope he’s made the right decision here, but it’s puzzling. I’m sure (Haymon) sat down and discussed this with him in detail. Peter has a team around him he listens to and we can only assume the direction he received was to pass. We wish him the best of luck and we hope he has an incredible payday in front of him because that’s the only justification for turning down $1.4 million and giving up his belt.”

Said Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti, “I’m sorry that Roc Nation Sports had to be put through this process. It’s disappointing for all of us, especially when a new player such as Jay Z wants to get involved in our sport. I hope this has no bearing on their future plans. As far as Top Rank goes, we look forward to working with them in any future endeavors.”

Yormark said Roc Nation Sports’ interest in boxing isn’t going anywhere.

“We will continue to look at all opportunities,” he said. “We continue to march forward. We’re in this for the long term. We’re disappointed but it’s not the end. We’re just getting started.

“This just motivates us even more. We knew we were getting into an industry we’d have to navigate through carefully. We hoped to have this first fight in November and it didn’t happen. But we’ll continue to be aggressive and move forward. We’re not going away.”

Korobov’s side was also disappointed.

“We’re disappointed that Peter Quillin didn’t respect the rules,” Moretti said. “Matt will still get his opportunity to fight for the title thanks to the WBO. We’re just really disappointed in Peter Quillin as a fighter. If he thinks that fighting Danny Jacobs for a secondary title is better than this opportunity than so be it. Why he couldn’t he have done both? If he’s that good he could have fought Matt and then Danny Jacobs. He must not have the confidence in himself, or his team doesn’t have confidence in him, that he would relinquish the title that he worked hard to earn.”

Quillin (31-0, 22 KOs), 31, defended the title three times, most recently by near-shutout decision against Lukas Konecny in Washington, D.C., on April 19.

Korobov (24-0, 14 KOs), a 31-year-old Russian southpaw and a 2008 Olympian, scored a pair of seventh-round knockdowns against Jose Uzcategui en route to a 10-round decision victory in his last fight on June 28 in Omaha, Nebraska in his HBO debut.

Korobov will get a shot at the vacant title next, possibly against Billy Joe Saunders, a 2008 Olympian from England. The 25-year-old Saunders (20-0, 11 KOs) is the WBO’s next ranked contender.

http://espn.go.com/espn/print?id=11466721&type=story

Jay-Z

The boxing world needs a change and Jay Z is ready to make it happen.  There’s finally going to be a little shakeup as Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions will have to welcome Roc Nation Sports into the business.

Roc Nation Sports founded by Jay Z in April 2013, has already made a big splash as sports agents now they’re taking on a new venture.

“There’s no question the sport of boxing needs a new player, someone who can do something different,” Michael Yormark, the president and chief of branding and strategy for parent company Roc Nation, told ESPN.com on Sunday night. “We’re energized and we’re going to make a difference. This is a huge priority to us. This is a highly serious business to us.”

Roc Nation Sports is also prepared for the challenge and made a big move as they’ve hired David Itskowitch to serve as the chief operating officer of its boxing division.

Itskowitch, who said Roc Nation Sports has already secured a promoters license in New York and Washington, D.C., is a highly respected and experienced executive with 18 years in the boxing business.

“This is a serious business for us moving forward and Dave has one of the great reputations in the boxing industry,” Yormark said, adding that Jay Z and Roc Nation Sports president Juan Perez are big boxing fans. “Hiring him should be a loud and clear statement this is serious for us and that we will do this the right way. We have one of the most respected individuals in the sport leading the charge for us.

“We’re going to promote our first event by the end of the year and we’re currently strategizing on which fighters we will seek to sign,” Itskowitch told ESPN.com.

Itskowitch said Roc Nation Sports is willing to work with any promoter, manager or television network, something uncommon in boxing.

Said Itskowitch, “We will be a promoter, but our job won’t end once a guy fights on a particular Saturday night. We will promote him 365 days a year.”

Jay isn’t the first rapper to enter the biz as 50 Cent stepped away from Mayweather’s TMT and formed SMS Promotions.  I wonder how he feels about this.

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http://thesource.com/2014/08/18/jay-z-roc-nation-sports-obtain-license-to-become-boxing-promoters/

 

 

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Credit:  Photo by Steven Counts.com / Article by Lenn Satterfield –

WBO middleweight titleholder Peter Quillin may have landed his biggest pay day and a fight before fans familiar to him against Matt Korobov on Nov. 8 either in Washington, D.C., or New York City, thanks to a purse bid won by Roc Nation Sports on Monday.

The winning bid for Roc Nation Sports, the company founded by rapper Jay-Z, was made by newly-hired former Golden Boy Promotions COO David Itskowitch.

Itskowitch bid $1,904,840 compared to $1,207,000 by Golden Boy Promotions representative Ramiro Gonzalez and $515,000 by Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti, according to Jose Izquierdo, general secretary of the WBO.

Izquierdo and WBO President Paco Valcarcel said that Quillin (31-0, 22 knockouts) is entitled to 75 percent ($1,428, 630) of the bid to 25 percent ( $476,210) for Korobov (24-0, 14 KOs).

“I’m already making enough money where I’m able to take care of my family and to own a couple of things and to live a good life, but that’s damn near $2 million on the table that they’ve bid on this fight,” said Quillin, who is promoted by Golden Boy and advised by Al Haymon.

“I don’t think or believe that [WBA 160-pound titleholder] Gennady Golovkin has come close to being offered nothing like that. Of course, my other pay days are very good pay days, and I’m looking to put away as much as I can for life after boxing. Some of these other guys around me may be making more money, but I just hope they’re making the right decisions with their money.”

Izquierdo said Itskowitch proposed the date of Nov. 8 either in Washington, D.C. or New York City, where Roc Nation has been licensed.

Michael Yorkmark, president and chief of branding and strategy for Roc Nation, is the twin brother of Brett Yormark, the CEO of Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., where Quillin has competed in two of his past four fights contested under the banner of Golden Boy.

Quillin debuted at Barclays Center in October 2012 when he scored a unanimous decision win over previously unbeaten Hassan N’Dam, whom he dropped six times to earn the WBO’s vacant belt.

In Quillin’s next fight in April 2013 at Barclays Center, he scored two second-round knockdowns 30 seconds apart and dropped his man twice more in the seventh and final round of a technical knockout victory over Fernando Guerrero.

In his last fight in April at The D.C. Armory in Washington, D.C., Quillin dominated Lukas Konecny, winning a unanimous decision by the scores of 119-109, 119-109 and 120-108.

“Both of those areas are places that have the demographics where I have been able to relate to people and to get my story out there. I feel as though I have a big following in Brooklyn, as well as in D.C.,” said Quillin.

“I just want to be able to deliver my story in a positive way to people, regardless of whether it’s in Brooklyn or in D.C. or against Korobov or any of those other guys.”

http://ringtv.craveonline.com/news/352919-peter-quillin-poised-for-lucrative-defense-vs-matt-korobov

Bienvenida a Roc Nation

El presidente de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB) dio la bienvenida a Roc Nation Sports, empresa que ganó hoy la subasta de la OMB para la pelea entre el campeón peso mediano Peter Quillin y el primer clasificado Matt Korobov.

“Definitivamente estoy sorprendido por su participación”, dijo Valcarcel de la primera incursión de Roc Nation Sports en el mundo del boxeo. “En nombre de la OMB le doy la bienvenida a Jay Z y su compañía Roc Nation Sports y les deseo éxito en su empeño por traer eventos de boxeo de calidad y representar bien a los boxeadores que adquieran”.

“Nos sentimos honrados de que ellos (Roc Nation Sports) hayan optado por un combate de campeonato mundial de la OMB para hacer su entrada al deporte como promotor de boxeo y esperamos trabajar con ellos”, dijo Valcárcel sobre la pelea, cuya fecha propuesta es el 8 de noviembre 2014, posiblemente en  Washington DC o Nueva York.

Con una oferta de $1,904,840 Roc Nation Sports, la compañía fundada por el rapero y estrella de la música Jay Z, ganó la subasta, que se llevó a cabo en las oficinas de la OMB en San Juan, Puerto Rico, para promover la pelea de Quillin (31-0, 22 KOs), campeón mediano de la OMB, contra Korobov (24-0, 14 KOs).

Roc Nation, representado por David Itskowitch, superó la oferta del promotor de Quillin, Golden Boy Promotions ($1,207,000) y el promotor de Korobov, Top Rank, ($515.000).

 

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World Boxing Organization (WBO) President, Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel welcomed Roc Nation Sports, company that won today’s WBO purse bid for the fight between the middleweight champion Peter Quillin and the #1 ranked Matt Korobov.

“I’m definitely surprised by their participation,” said WBO President Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel of Roc Nation’s first foray into the world of boxing. “On behalf of the WBO I welcome Jay Z and his company Roc Nation and wish them nothing but success in their quest to put on quality boxing events and represent well the fighters they eventually sign.”

“We are honored that they (Roc Nation Sports) have chosen a WBO World Championship contest to mark their entrance to the sport as boxing promoter and look forward to working with them,” said Valcarcel of the fight proposed for November 8, 2014 at an undetermined venue in either Washington, DC or New York City.

With a bid of $1,904,840 Roc Nation Sports, the company founded by rapper and music superstar Jay Z, won Monday’s purse bid at the WBO Headquarters in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to promote Quillin’s (31-0, 22 KOs) mandatory WBO Middleweight title defense against Korobov (24-0, 14 KOs).

Roc Nation Sports, represented by David Itskowitch, outbid both Quillin’s promoter Golden Boy Promotions ($1,207,000) and Korobov’s promotor Top Rank ($515,000).