New York, NY - (9/19/2011) - On Saturday, October 1st, DiBella Entertainment (DBE) will present "Noche de 'Marvilla': Martinez vs. Barker" featuring Middleweight Champion, Sergio Martinez (47-2-2, 26KO's), defending his WBC Diamond belt and Ring Championship against England's undefeated European Champion, "Dazzling" Darren Barker (23-0, 14KO's), at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. Opening up HBO's World Championship Boxing® telecast, will be top-rated middleweight contender, "Irish" Andy Lee (26-1, 19KO's) as he takes on former participant of "The Contender" and the only man to defeat Lee as a pro, Brian Vera (19-5, 12KO's), in a 10-round middleweight match-up. With a large contingent of Irish fans expected to be on hand to see Lee, promoter Lou DiBella has added fellow Irishmen Seanie Monaghan (8-0, 5KO's) and Kevin "Kid" Rooney (2-0, 1KO) to the undercard, giving the two undefeated fighters the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of the pro-Irish crowd.
Tickets for the show are priced at $300, $200, $100, and $50, and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at any Ticketmaster retail outlet, or in person at the Boardwalk Hall box office.
"I've been a huge fan of Andy ever since the first time I saw him fight. He's not only one of my favorite fighters, he's also Irish, which makes me proud," said Monaghan. "It's going to be a great atmosphere on October 1st with all the Irish fans in attendance. I expect Andy to win this fight and to one day very soon become the middleweight champion. I just hope that I will be there fighting on his undercard when it happens."
"Fighting on the undercard of a show that features Andy is a huge opportunity for any Irish fighter," stated Rooney. "In my previous fights, I was the only Irish fighter on the card, but now, not only is Seanie fighting on the card, but you also have Andy, who, in my eyes, is one of the top three or four middleweights in the world, fighting in the co-feature. I expect a huge turnout come October 1st and seeing all those Irish flags will definitely make for a very exciting atmosphere and give me extra motivation to put on another crowd-pleasing performance."
Monaghan has drawn large, boisterous crowds in each of his professional fights to date. His fight on October 1st will be his second in Atlantic City as a pro, and also the second time fighting underneath the aforementioned Lee. Monaghan fought on the undercard of Lee's most recent victory, a 10th-round TKO over Craig McEwan on HBO at Foxwoods this past March, winning a four-round unanimous decision.
For Rooney Jr., the son of famed trainer Kevin Rooney Sr., it will be his first fight under the DBE banner since being hired on as DiBella's Executive Assistant and Director of Public Relations in August.
"Noche De 'Maravilla': Martinez vs. Barker" is being presented by DiBella Entertainment in association with Caesars Atlantic City, and is sponsored by Corona. The fight will be aired live on HBO's World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT.
Tickets are priced at $300, $200, $100, and $50, and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at any Ticketmaster retail outlet, or in person at the Boardwalk Hall box office.
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Monday, September 19, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Mayweather Captures WBC Welterweight Title, Retains Role As Anti-Hero
According to some critics, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. can be a dirty fighter at times during his bouts. After the outcome of Mayweather's fight with Ortiz, those same analysts are going to cite more examples to support that viewpoint.
On Saturday night at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (42-0, 26 KO's) made a successful return to the ring, dethroning "Vicious" Victor Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KO's) via fourth-round knockout to claim the WBC Welterweight title. Instead of silencing pessimists with another victory, Mayweather gave more ammunition to his enemies due to the fashion in which he won.
Mayweather opened the first round by unleashing sharp, lead right hands. Mayweather did what he said he was going to do; He stood his ground, and was the aggressor.
In round two, Mayweather peppered Ortiz with additional lead right hands in the first thirty seconds of the round. Then, he grimaced at Ortiz, mocking the 24-year-old titleholder. After that, Ortiz connected with a straight left-hand, and briefly trapped Mayweather in the corner.
Mayweather easily walked Ortiz down in the third round, landing countless right-hand punches at will.
Mayweather calmly kept control of the fight in round four, teeing off on Ortiz with multiple head shots. In the middle of the round, Ortiz landed a wide right hook with Mayweather leaning back against the ropes. As Mayweather continued to frustrate Ortiz with his stellar shoulder-roll defense, Ortiz intentionally lunged forward and head-butted Mayweather, cutting the boxing savant's lip. Referee Joe Cortez immediately deducted a point from Ortiz. Mayweather approached Ortiz, acting as if he was going to touch gloves in show of sportsmanship. Instead, Mayweather threw and landed a left hook when Ortiz' hands were down. Ortiz turned to Cortez expecting him to do something. However, it was Mayweather who did something; He landed another punch, a powerful, straight right-hand to Ortiz' face, sending the champion on the seat of his trunks. Cortez counted to ten, and Mayweather triumphed again at 2:59 of round four.
Clearly, Mayweather was within the rules. A fighter is told and expected to protect himself at all times during the course of a bout. The perception is going to be that Mayweather is unsportsmanlike, a villain who unfairly struck Ortiz despite being brutally head-butted. Two wrongs may not make a right. Then again, one fighter was not in the wrong at all. If Ortiz does not adhere to the instructions told to him by an official before a bout, it should not lead to Mayweather being criticized as unprofessional when he takes advantage of a situation totally within the guidelines of the sport. Is it really proper to label Mayweather as a deceitful fighter? You can bet Mayweather is going to take a lot of heat for his actions, but the finger-pointing this time is certainly unjust.
Other Results:
140 lbs.: Erik Morales defeated Pablo Cesar Cano via TKO 10
147 lbs.: Jessie Vargas defeated Josesito Lopez via SD 10
147 lbs.: Carson Jones defeated Said Ouali via RTD 7
168 lbs.: Adonis Stevenson defeated Dion Savage via TKO 1
168 lbs.: Marco Antonio Periban defeated Dhafir Smith W 8
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