According to several media agencies, an agreement has been reached between K2 Promotions and Ulf Steinforth’s SES Boxing to arrange a fight between newly crowned WBO light middleweight champion Zaurbek Baysangurov (26-1, 20 KOs) and dangerous WBO #1 Czech opponent Lukas Konecny (47-3, 22 KOs).

The title affair will take place in February 2012 in Moscow, Grozny or Kiev and will be promoted by the Klitschko Brothers, who guide Zaurbek’s career. The winner should face former WBO king Sergey Dzinziruk (37-1, 23 KOs) in his first title defense. Dzinziruk has been stripped of the title recently for failing to defend it in over a year and a half since his drubbing of Australian Daniel Dawson.

Baysangurov, once a highly regarded boxer-puncher from Achkhoy-Martan in Chechnya, started his professional career in 2004, being just 19 years of age. In his fifteenth fight Baysangurov delivered probably the finest performance of his career so far, schooling Marco Antonio Rubio to almost a shutout decision. He then won European crown and defeated it twice. In December 2008, Baysangurov lost an upset TKO 5 to Cornelius Bundrage in the IBF eliminator. Bundrage went on to become a new holder of the red belt. Zaurbek bounced back with seven wins in a row (six by knockout). In July this year Baysangurov blitzed barely live Mike Miranda with a couple of shots to become the WBO interim champion. He was elevated to the full status later, after Dzinziruk had been stripped off.

Lukas Konecny, 33-year old perennial contender and possibly the greatest Czech boxer of all time, was close to dethroning Dzinziruk in March 2008 but was held to a very controversial split decision loss. He is 11-0, with 4 KOs, after that with two successful defenses of his European regalia.

 

By Dmitry Mikhalchuk and Alexey Sukachev

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=45539

 

by Carlos Kambaekwa

WINDHOEK – The mere uttering of the word Wilberforce “Force” Shihepo is enough to send shivers running riot in the bellies of potential opponents.

At 27, Force is determined to unlock his unlimited potential and nothing will stand in the way of the strongly built Namibian when the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Africa Super Middleweight champion squares up against Johannes Pieterson in a non-title eight rounder.

The bout will be the main under card for the much-anticipated Paulus Ambunda/Bongani Mahlangu WBO Africa Bantamweight title fight at the Windhoek Country Club on November 4.

With time not on his side anymore, the flamboyant Shihepo is taking no prisoners and is itching to make short work of his fight against the equally dangerous South African in what promises to be an all-out affair.

The Namibian boasts an impressive record of 15 wins and six defeats from 21 bouts in the paid ranks but has since come of age, while a good chunk of his losses were self inflicted through his carefree lifestyle and inability to keep super fit prior to big fights.

The “Black Mamba”, as the muscular Shihepo is affectionately known among his ardent fans, is now a changed man and destined for greater things with the much sought-after World title the ultimate destination.

His handler Nestor “Sunshine” Tobias is confident that one of his most prized assets is a work in progress and could have the world at his feet once he hits his peak.
“The boy has a lion’s heart required in the tough and demanding rigours of professional boxing and above all, he is courageous and possesses dynamite in both hands – a rare commodity in modern boxing,” raved Tobias about his unpolished gem.

His opponent has 14 wins, six losses and two draws to his credit – certainly a remarkable record not to be taken lightly, but Force is a man possessed and would stop at nothing in realizing his dream of getting a crack at the World title with a comprehensive win over the South African – come the 4th of November 2011.

 

http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=41401&title=Shihepo,%20boxing%E2%80%99s%20lionhearted%20major%20force

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

WINDHOEK – While Africa is blessed with a significant number of highly talented boxers – the continent is poorly represented in some of the high-profile global titles.

It’s a well-documented secret that a good chunk of African boxers are holed up in the less prestigious World Boxing Federation (WBF) and several other low-profile boxing umbrella bodies, but Namibian boxers have their eyes firmly fixed on the real McCoy.

Namibia’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) undisputed Africa bantamweight champion Paulus “The Rock” Ambunda, is one step away from a crack at the coveted world crown.

However, the quicksilver Namibian must first negotiate his way past the equally dangerous Bongani Mahlangu when Ambunda makes his 4th title defence against the South African in the main bout at the Windhoek Country Club on November 5.

Ambunda is unbeaten in 16 fights with 10 stoppages, while his opponent holds an impressive record of 15 wins and one defeat to his credit in 16 fights in the paid ranks.

Ambunda’s handler, Nestor “Sunshine” Tobias, is upbeat about his boxer’s prospects.
“What makes this fight very interesting is the fact that the current WBO bantamweight world champion, Nonito Deneiro, has given up his crown after he moved up a notch to the super bantamweight category,” says the world-acclaimed boxing guru.
“The title is vacant and is now there for the taking since the number one and second ranked challengers are both from Asia – victory for Ambunda, who is ranked number three in world rankings, could pave the way for a crack at the world title against one of the two Asian challengers,” adds Tobias boastfully.

Tobias also lashed out at the reluctance of corporate businesses to come on board as sponsors for major boxing events. Boxing is a very expensive exercise in terms of organization, purses, travelling, judges, referees and many other aspects attached to the high demands required in professional boxing.

“Apart from our regular sponsor Nampower, we have been gravely struggling to convince and lure potential sponsors to our shores despite the unsurpassed success of our boxers. Namibia has a very good chance of adding to the list of former world champions Harry Simon and Hitman Moses, but this dream can only be realized if all stakeholders put their shoulder to the wheel.”

The boxing bonanza will be preceded by two top-notch bouts involving Namibia’s WBO Africa current champions Wilberforce Shihepo and Bethuel “Tyson” Uushona.

The hard-punching force will defend his WBO Africa super middleweight belt against Johannes Pieterson from South Africa, while Uushona puts his belt at stake against south Ghanaian challenger Francis Gakpetor over eight rounds.

Entrance fee is N$10 000 per table of 10 for the VIP’s (finger meals included) while spectators on the grand stand are required to cough up N$100 per seat.

 

by Carlos Kambaekwa

http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=41340

HBO’s “Boxing After Dark” will air the Nov. 26 WBO junior lightweight world title match between Cincinnati native Adrien “The Problem” Broner and and his new opponent, Argentina’s Vicente Rodriguez at U.S. Bank Arena. The fight had been announced Sept. 6 as  a mandatory match with WBO junior lightweight title-holder Ricky Burns of Scotland. Burns has relinquished the title to step up to the lightweight division.

Broner will promote his quest for the vacant title at a 2 p.m. Tuesday press conference at the arena.

The RingTV sitesays Burns is stepping up to the the lightweight division and facing Australian Michael Katsidis at Wembley Arena, London, on Nov. 5. The site says: “Dismissing talk he relinquished his WBO junior lightweight title last month to avoid facing unbeaten American Adrien Boner (21-0, 17 knockouts) — rather than over the issue of making the 130-pound limit — Burns (32-2, 9 KOs) insists that taking on Katsidis (28-4, 23 KOs), for the WBO interim lightweight belt, is a considerably stiffer proposition.”

Our Sept. 6 story said Broner, 22, was coming off consecutive HBO appearances in which he outpointed former champion Daniel Ponce de Leon in March, and scored a first-round knockout of Jason Litzau in June. The title fight will be Cincinnati’s first since Pryor beat Akio Kameda on a sixth-round technical knockout on July 4, 1982.

 

From the U.S. Bank Arena media release:

“Home for the Holidays: Broner vs. Rodriguez” is a 12-round bout for the vacant WBO Junior Lightweight World Title which will take place Saturday, November 26 at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The evening of boxing is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and R&R Promotions in association with Canelo Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and AT&T.

The “HBO Boxing After Dark” telecast will air live at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Tickets, priced at $128, $78, $53 and $28, go on sale Tuesday, October 25 at 10:00 a.m. ET and may be purchased at the U.S. Bank Arena Box Office, by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or online at Ticketmaster

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/tv/2011/10/24/hbo-to-air-us-bank-arena-boxing-match/

 

By Chris LaBate

WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao is still very interested in facing Floyd Mayweather Jr., who captured the WBC title with a fourth round knockout of Victor Ortiz in September. Pacquiao defends his belt against Juan Manuel Marquez on November 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

After defeating Ortiz, Mayweather told members of the media – “I don’t need Pacquiao. Every time I go out there I’m going to make $70 million. I don’t need Pacquiao. Pacquiao is famous because he is attached to my name. When they say Pacquiao, they say that’s the guy they are trying to get to fight Floyd Mayweather. When they say Floyd Mayweather – they say that’s an all-time great.”

Pacquiao, during a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, said he’d like to fight Mayweather, but he can’t force his rival’s hand to make a deal. Mayweather claims Pacquiao is not willing to agree to a pre-fight random drug testing protocol, which the Filipino boxer says he’s willing to accept. Pacquiao claims it’s Mayweather who doesn’t want to fight.

“Whoever I have to fight the rest of my career, I’m happy and satisfied with what I’ve done. I don’t need somebody else to be satisfied with what I’ve done. I don’t need to be looking for, or chasing, a fight. I want the fight, but I cannot force him to take it. He has to show he wants to fight me,” Pacquiao said.

http://www.boxingscene.com/pacquiao-i-t-force-mayweather-jr-fight-me–45266

 

 

The weights are in for Saturday’s big event in Ludwigsburg. Marco Huck will defend his WBO cruiserweight title against tough Rogelio Rossi. In the co-feature, Dominik Britsch will face Billy Lyell in a middleweight contest, and Kubrat Pulev takes on Travis Walker in a battle of heavyweights. Photos by Photo Wende

FULL WEIGHTS AND PHOTOS

WBO Cruiserweight Title:

Marco Huck: 90 kg [198.4-pounds]

Rogelio Rossi: 89,6 kg [197.5-pounds]

http://www.boxingscene.com/photos-weights-huck-vs-rossi-britsch-vs-lyell-pulev–45180

WBO President Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel today announced the referee and judges who will work bantamweight clash of champions between Nonito Donaire and Omar Narvaez in New York City. The referee is Benjy Esteves and judges are Julie Lederman, Thomas Schreck and Steven Weisfield. Supervisor is Richard de Cuir.

Valcarcel also announced the officials for WBO cruiserweight champion Marco Huck’s defense against Rogelio Rossi in Ludwigsburg, Germany. The referee will be Paul Thomas from the United Kingdom. Judges are Carlos Colon from Puerto Rico, Denny Nelson from Uunited States and Matteo Montella D’Airola from Italy. WBO Supervisor for this fight will be Edoardo Ceccoli.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/donaire-narvaez-officials-99198

New York, N.Y. — WBC/WBO World Bantamweight Champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire and undefeated two-time world champion and current WBO Jr. Bantamweight Champion Omar Narvaez of Argentina pose during the press conference for their upcoming world title fight, Saturday, October 22 in the Theater at Madison Square Garden. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Madison Square Garden, Donaire vs Narvaez will be televised by HBO Boxing After Dark. — Photos by Chris Farina.

http://www.boxingscene.com/photos-donaire-narvaez-face-face-new-york–45148


In an earlier report on BoxingScene.com, IBF middleweight champion Daniel Geale revealed that his management team is currently negotiating a possible unification with WBO king Dmitry Pirog for a date in late December. In the report, Geale (26-1, 15 KOs) said he was “90% certain” that a deal to fight Pirog (19-0, 15 KOs) would get finalized, with a Las Vegas venue being considered.

Pirog has now personally confirmed the serious nature of the ongoing negotiations.

“Immediately after the victory over [Danny] Jacobs when I won the world title in 2010, I asked my promoters to organize a unification fight. But, none of the other boxers wanted to fight. My promoters made proposals to various middleweight champions, but none of them responded. The only boxer willing to talk, is IBF middleweight champion Daniel Geale of Australia. Like myself, Geale is not an American. And to get on American TV, he needs a big fight. That is why our discussions are the most realistic. It is possible that we’ll reach an agreement with him. At the moment, my promoters Kyril Pchelnikov and Artie Pelullo are negotiating with Geale’s side,” Pirog said.

By Ruslan Chikov
http://www.boxingscene.com/pirog-confirms-negotiations-geale-unification-bout–45171

Photos: Chris Farina – Top Rank

“I’m in the big leagues now” exclaimed World Bantamweight Champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire after a visit to the famed ‘Mecca of Boxing’ Madison Square Garden in New York City Monday night. Donaire, who is making his New York debut, spoke about the ‘New York city lights’, ‘the millions of people in the Big Apple’ and ‘the excitement he feels’ about his upcoming battle against undefeated Omar Narvaez of Argentina, Saturday, October 22 in the Theater at Madison Square Garden. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Madison Square Garden, Donaire vs Narvaez will be televised by HBO Boxing After Dark.

Earlier today, Nonito visited the Jersey City Public Library / Greenville Branch Auditorium to speak to a group from the Filipino School of New York and New Jersey. Nonito fielded questions and took photos with the kids before he was off to training in final preparations for Saturday’s World Bantamweight Championship defense.

School Photos: Ed Keenan / Top Rank

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/donaire-im-in-the-big-leagues-now-98974

WBO junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley appeared on the latest edition of The Boxing Lab, BoxingScene’s official audio show. The California native recently signed a promotion contract with Top Rank and will make his debut with company on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez pay-per-view on November 12th in Las Vegas. Bradley will face former champion Joel Casamayor.

Bradley clarified the current situation with facing IBF/WBA champion Amir Khan. He rejected an offer to face Khan in July, but he believes the fight is still going to happen. Even if Khan moves up to 147, as expected in 2012, Bradley is open to facing him at the new weight.

“I’m not ducking Amir Khan. I made a business move. I know exactly what I am doing. I am not ducking Amir Khan at all. Amir can talk all he wants. At 140 or 147 you will see Bradley and Khan get it on. I told my manager Cameron (Dunkin) to put Khan on my list as someone I want to fight. If it makes sense…why not? That is a fight that the general public and boxing fans want to see,” Bradley said.

By Ryan Burton
http://www.boxingscene.com/tim-bradley-im-not-ducking-khan-hes-on-list–45042

Timothy Bradley began boxing at age 10. As an amateur, Bradley had a great record, including over 140 amateur bouts. He won titles at the PAL National Tournament, and became the Under 19 National Tournament Champion and the Jr. Golden Gloves Champion.

Bradley was also a two-time National Champion and before turning professional was ranked 3rd in the nation. Bradley started his professional career in August of 2004 against Francisco Martinez in Corona, California with a TKO in the 2nd round. His won his first title in 2005 when he defeated Francisco Rincon by unanimous decision and claimed the vacant WBC Youth Welterweight Title.

Bradley made four successful title defenses, and in 2008 won his first world title by defeating Junior Witter by split decision to claim the WBC Jr. Welterweight title. After one successful defense, Bradley went on to unify the titles by defeating Kendall Holt by unanimous decision. He was now the WBO/WBC Jr. Welterweight

Champion. In January 2011, Bradley had his most notable win when he defeated then undefeated Jr. Welterweight champ Devon Alexander. When asked why he is known as “Desert Storm”, Bradley explains he offers his opponents and his fans an all-out war each time he steps in the ring and this was a great way to honor all the service men and women that have successfully defended our country.

REGIONAL TITLES:

1. WBC Youth World Jr. Welterweight Champion

WORLD TITLES:

1. WBC Jr. Welterweight Champion (twice)

2. WBO Jr. Welterweight Champion