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2005: Warrior’s Boxing Promotions Throws a 1-2 Combination For Tsunami Relief

(MAY 3, 2005) HOLLYWOOD, FL – In addition to its commitment to bringing the best in world-class boxing to fight fans, Warriors Boxing Promotions is firmly vested in the community. With this in mind, on April 26, 2005, the Hollywood-based promotional company donated the purses and sanctioning fees for the IBF United States Atlantic Coast Regional Heavyweight Championship bout between Kendrick Releford and Najee Shaheed in an event to raise funds for tsunami relief, hosted by Richard Dobal Productions, Inc. . “The scope of devastation caused by the Asian tsunami last year hit home for all of us. Because boxing is truly a global sport, and Indonesia hosts many great events, several people in our boxing community had family members directly touched by this tragedy,” said Warriors Read more [...]

Boxing Action In Las Vegas!

Info and Photos by Mary Ann Owen of BILV -April 30, 2005 (APR 30) Last night at the Plaza Hotel, in Las Vegas, Nevada, - ESPN Television, and promoted by Lou Duva Promotions. Randell "Tex" Cobb's son Joshua Cobb fought last night. Randell "Tex" Cobb, a Heavyweight who had a total of 52 pro fights and had a record of 43-7-1, 36 KOs, beat the likes of , Ernie Shavers, Leon Spinks and had losses to Larry Holmes, Buster Douglas & Michael Dokes. Tex Cobb beat and lost to the best contenders. Cobb went beyond the ring to the big screen and became a familiar tough guy face in many movies. Joshua Cobb, 19, who came into the fight at 1-0-0, stands at about 6'3" and 253 lb. Cobb, lacking amateur experience, did not have the ring experience to be going into the pros so soon. Mary Read more [...]

Boxing Action In Las Vegas! Info and Photos by Mary Ann Owen of BILV April 30, 2005

(APR 30) Last night at the Plaza Hotel, in Las Vegas, Nevada, - ESPN Television, and promoted by Lou Duva Promotions. Randell "Tex" Cobb's son Joshua Cobb fought last night. Randell "Tex" Cobb, a Heavyweight who had a total of 52 pro fights and had a record of 43-7-1, 36 KOs, beat the likes of , Ernie Shavers, Leon Spinks and had losses to Larry Holmes, Buster Douglas & Michael Dokes. Tex Cobb beat and lost to the best contenders. Cobb went beyond the ring to the big screen and became a familiar tough guy face in many movies. Joshua Cobb, 19, who came into the fight at 1-0-0, stands at about 6'3" and 253 lb. Cobb, lacking amateur experience, did not have the ring experience to be going into the pros so soon. Mary Ann Owen said, "He unfortunately grossly lacked ring Read more [...]

The Talk of a Mixed Match Rears it’s ugly head..again By Sue TL Fox

(APR 28) Yes, folks...you will need to endure again. According to Team Wolfe, Ann "Brown Sugar" Wolfe will be taking on a male in the boxing ring. Just this week Team Wolfe has sent WBAN two press releases about updates on Ann that include details of Ann getting ready to step into the ring with a male boxer. [update: this fight never took place 2013] Team Wolfe said in their first release earlier this week, and sent to WBAN on about April 23, 2005, said the following: "In the meantime, many boxing fans are probably wondering if Wolfe is still planning to fight a man. The answer is "Yes". The fight will be moved to either late Summer or early Fall. According to the promoter PPV has already been locked in, so now it is just a matter of finding the right venue. The Wolfe camp continues Read more [...]

Sold out in Five Minutes! Tickets to NBC’s Finale of “The Contender” April 27, 2005

LOS ANGELES, April 27th – Five minutes. That’s all it took for every ticket to the May 24 live finale of NBC’s realty-tv series "The Contender" to be sold out at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, making a huge statement that declares ‘boxing is back’. "Our fans love the show and are excited to see the final fight of the tournament,” said executive producer Mark Burnett. “The finale promises to be an incredible night of boxing and entertainment. I can't wait to see who wins the million!" This final match will determine which middleweight will walk away with one-million dollars and the chance to change their lives and the lives of the people they love forever, while also earning recognition as one of boxing’s new superstars. “The Contender is bringing boxing back to the people, Read more [...]

NER Promotions signs four S. American fighters

BOSTON (April 27, 2005) – First-year boxing promoter NER Promotions has strengthened its growing stable of fighters by signing four veteran South American boxers – WBO No. 5 rated welterweight Newton Villareal (23-3, 19 KOs), super flyweight Ilido Julio (32-6-1, 29 KOs), Ecuadorian Olympian junior middleweight Luis Hernandez (12-2, 6 KOs) and lightweight Jefferson Rodriguez (19-6, 18 KOs). The aforementioned signings come on the heels of NER announcements regarding promotional deals for a pair of lightweights, two-time Venezuelan Olympian Patriz “El Elegante” Lopez (2-0, 2 KOs) and Juan “Golo” Gomez-Trinidad (23-4, 16 KOs), the cousin of Felix “Tito” Trinidad. “We wanted to start with a stable combining proven pro fighters and promising prospects,” NER president Rick Read more [...]

2005: Sold out in Five Minutes! Tickets to NBC’s Finale of “The Contender”

LOS ANGELES, April 27, 2005 – Five minutes. That’s all it took for every ticket to the May 24 live finale of NBC’s realty-tv series "The Contender" to be sold out at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, making a huge statement that declares ‘boxing is back’. "Our fans love the show and are excited to see the final fight of the tournament,” said executive producer Mark Burnett. “The finale promises to be an incredible night of boxing and entertainment. I can't wait to see who wins the million!" This final match will determine which middleweight will walk away with one-million dollars and the chance to change their lives and the lives of the people they love forever, while also earning recognition as one of boxing’s new superstars. “The Contender is bringing boxing back to the Read more [...]

“A Ring of Their Own” Deserves Better By Bernie McCoy

(APR 26) I finally found "A Ring of Their Own". It took me almost as long as it took the sport of Women's boxing to get it's own TV show. The problem of female boxers getting TV exposure has been well documented, but in my case the problem of finding "A Ring of Their Own" was directly related to the fact that it is being broadcast in near obscurity on the Metro Channel in New York. The Metro Channel is a low tier cable channel, positioned slightly above public access outlets and substantially below the major sports channels such as ESPN and Fox Sports. "A Ring of Their Own" deserves much better. In addition to being the first TV show dedicated, exclusively, to the female boxing, the show manages to pack more boxing action into two hours than any existing show on the air. Additionally, the Read more [...]

CES inks “Lightning” Les Ralston

PROVIDENCE (April 21, 2005) - Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc. has signed Buffalo middleweight "Lightning" Les Ralston (14-1, 7 KOs) to a promotional contract, CES president Jimmy Burchfield officially announced today. "We're building our stable of fighters by signing some of the best prospects in boxing" Burchfield said. "Les Ralston has a lot of potential and he fits right in with the type of hard-working, dedicated guys we want on Team CES. Having a good Buffalo fighter also expands our market of interest. He will be fighting on our next show. "Les is exactly what I'm looking for in a young fighter. He has a great work ethic and is a gentleman in and out of the ring. The public and media are really going to like him. I'm going to give him every opportunity and together we'll Read more [...]

2005: Cosme Rivera vows to upset Zab Judah

LAS VEGAS (April 19, 2005) – IBF mandatory challenger Cosme “Chino” Rivera (28-7-2, 20 KOs) plans on shocking the boxing world May 14 when he fights defending champion Zab “Super” Judah (33-2, 24 KOs) in the 12-round co-feature, headlined by Tito Trinidad-Winky Wright, for the undisputed (IBF, WBC & WBA) welterweight titles on HBO PPV from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. “All of those boxing insiders who think this is going to be a one-sided fight haven’t followed my career,” Rivera said. “I can’t wait. Judah is wearing my belts. He’s never fought anybody with my heart and determination. I’m a Mexican and we’re all about heart. Nobody’s every knocked me down. I’ve been waiting my whole career for this opportunity. I’m going to bring the fight to him.” The Read more [...]

2005: Desert Diamond Casino and Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions are going to celebrate Cinco de Mayo

(APR 19, 2005) TUCSON --- Desert Diamond Casino and Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions are going to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in style as they present another elite boxing card live from the Diamond Center. The Thursday, May 5, 2005 “Boxeo de Oro” show will be shown to a worldwide audience on HBO Latino. Tickets range from $25-$100 and are available now at the Desert Diamond Casino box office, Radio XENY in Nogales, MX or by calling (520) 393-2799 or 866-DDC-WINS. Nogales, Mexico native and former IBA World Middleweight Champion, David “Destroyer” Lopez, 23-13 (14KOs), returns to the Diamond Center ring after suffering a setback there on January 6, 2005 losing to Fulgencio Zuniga on HBO Latino. Lopez, who before the loss had firmly established himself as one of the world’s Read more [...]

2005: 8 Count Productions Launches KO Chicago Boxing Radio Hour

(APR 18, 2005) Dominic Pesoli and 8 Count Productions, home of THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING is proud to announce details of the KO Chicago Boxing Radio Hour, Chicagoland's only radio show dedicated to The Sweet Science and it's loyal fans broadcast every Wednesday night at 6pm on WJJG 1530 AM. Said Pesoli of the new venture, "It's a great opportunity for Chicagoland fights fans to hear not only about 8 Count Productions events, like our Night of Honor this Friday night, but we'll also focus on recent fights that have taken place along with upcoming national shows like the Main Events/ESPN Pay-Per-View this coming Saturday night. Our plan is to have local fighters and all the movers and shakers in the industry along with champions and future champions on with us each week." Continued Read more [...]

2005: NER Promotions signs 2-time Olympian Patriz Lopez

(APR 16, 2005) BOSTON – NER Promotions has signed two-time Venezuelan Olympian Patriz (El Elegante) Lopez to a promotional contract, NER president Rick Brutti announced on April 15. “Patriz Lopez is the first of many prospects we intend to sign this year,” Brutti said. “He was considered the best and most complete amateur boxer in Latin America for the past three years. With his success and international experience, we believe Patriz has all the makings of a future world champion. We plan to have him fight on our next pro card. NER Promotions is very excited about signing our first pro boxer and we look forward to building our stable exciting fighters.” Lopez, 27, turned pro last December. He is 2-0 with two knockouts, fighting as a lightweight, and both bouts were held in Read more [...]

Montiel and Barrios Earn World Titles

LOS ANGELES, April 14 – It was a weekend to remember for Golden Boy Promotions, as not only did boxing superstar Marco Antonio Barrera defend his WBC super featherweight crown with a devastating second round knockout of number one contender Mzonke Fana, but two new world champions were crowned for the Golden Boy team. Last Friday night, at the Miccosukee Gaming Resort in Miami, Florida, Argentina’s Jorge Rodrigo Barrios stopped previously unbeaten Mike Anchondo in four one-sided rounds to win the WBO super featherweight crown. The very next night, at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas, Fernando Montiel was just as devastating, delighting boxing fans with a seventh round knockout of another previously unbeaten foe, Ivan “Choko” Hernandez, to earn the WBO super flyweight title. Read more [...]

2005: O’Neil Bell Battles Dale Brown for the IBF World Championship

HOLLYWOOD, FL, April 14, 2005 – For seven years, O’Neil Bell has waited for one moment in his boxing career - a chance to shine on the world stage and fulfill a dream. For Dale Brown, the wait to put a world championship belt around his waist has been even longer – ten years. On Friday, May 20, from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, both top contenders will get their opportunity to put it all on the line for the IBF World Cruiserweight Championship. Finally. Bell-Brown, a 12 round championship contest, headlines an exciting night of world-class professional boxing presented by Warrior’s Boxing Promotions, Inc. in association with The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Doors open at 6:30pm and the first bell rings at 7:30pm. O’Neil “Give Read more [...]