Earlier this evening Boxingtalk.com received a call from light heavyweight king Chad Dawson. "Glenn Johnson has been crying about the first fight for two years and he's going to have his chance to perform tomorrow night. I know one thing, I'm coming to handle my business." Dawson feels that Johnson is incapable of bringing anything more than first time because "he's a one dimensional fighter. I'm a more versatile fighter and I'm going to show the world that tomorrow night. I'm going to silence all of my critics and after I get my hand raised, it's on to the bigger and better challenge." 

MW:  You got a fight coming up in Kazakhstan on the 28th what do you know about your opponent? "I think he's 11-1 or 10-1 he's a young prospect. The fights scheduled to go ten but it'll probably go four."

Press Release:  LAS VEGAS  – Jennifer Lopez …Carlos Beltran … Roberto Clemente. . .it takes longer to escape a New York City traffic jam than to drive the length of Puerto Rico, which measures only 100 miles by 35 miles. . . Benicio Del Toro… Reggie Jackson…Chi Chi Rodriguez. . .the population of Puerto Rico is about 3.9-million. That means the entire Commonwealth has fewer residents than at least a dozen metropolitan areas in the USA. . .Marc Antony… Carmelo Anthony … Freddie Prinze Sr. . .yet the number of sports and entertainment stars and superstars produced by this island is overwhelming.

BA: You've got a big fight coming up on November 21 in Germany. The bout will take place against Gennady Golovkin, he's a top rated middleweight. What do you know about this guy and what you can tell us about your first major international experience?

Ishe Smith: "I watched a couple of films on him, I broke my rule of thumb of not watching films.  The Danny Jacobs fight made me do that, because Danny did a lot of things that I didn't think he was going to do.  He thought I was just going to sit back, and I thought he was going to come right at me.  He boxed pretty well, he threw a lot of punches.  I had never seen tape on him, I changed my strategy after that fight.  It's a good opportunity for me to stay at 160. That's probably where I'm going to end up staying, unless I can get a big fight at 154."

Earlier this week Boxingtalk.com broke the news that Seminole Warriors Boxing is no more. Our understanding is that the dismissal of Leon Margules, who was ordered to surrender the keys to his company car, could have been handled differently. Differently meaning better. Margules is a bright guy who understands the business, so being in a position of control, chances are he saw the writing on the wall. Did Margules see the end coming as far back as two years ago when he virtually hooked up Lou DiBella with half of Glen Johnson for next to nothing? That's tough to say.

Next Saturday night Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao meet in the most anticipated fight of the year. The bout promises to bring excitement, featuring two power punchers who could end the fight with any properly placed shot. Will it be Cotto's size and body work or Pacquiao's speed? Whose left hand will do more damage? For those answers we'll have to wait and see, but regardless of how he does with Cotto next weekend, Boxingtalk.com firmly believes that win, lose or draw, Manny Pacquiao's next fight will take place against..

What's up G?? Your boy Money May is just 'laying back in the cut' waiting for the SMOKE to clear!! He done did his thing and he's keeping a low profile so nobody knows what he's thinking or gonna do. I heard that the Williams/ Maritnez fight when made will be fought at the 160lbs limit not 154.

Leon's Response: One thing you might not know is that Floyd is hoping Dmitriy Salita pulls the upset over Amir Khan so the two could meet Spring 2010 at YANKEE STADIUM. Salita wins, there is no other fight for Floyd next. Salita loses, then it's got to be either Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto or Shane Mosley. If there's anybody else he can do a million homes plus with, please let me know.

Boxingtalk: When can we expect to see you in the ring next and against who? "To be honest with you, I have no idea. I was supposed to go to Australia with [my promoter] Roy Jones on December 2nd and [Roy's company] Square Ring recently told me that I won't be going over there. I have a fight-by-fight contract with Square Ring and they don't have anything on the table for me right now and I am just trying to get something going. It's the end of the year and I am in a good situation and I just can't seem to get something going. I've been talking to Square Ring and trying to be on them about what they have coming up for me. Like I said, I was supposed to be going to Australia and then they told me I wasn't and I'm not really sure bro, it's kind of frustrating."

Press Release: On Friday, November 6th, Huntington Park, California’s Hector ‘Teco’ Serrano returns to action at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California, in one of the featured bouts on Thompson Boxing Promotions’ latest edition of “The Path to Glory” series. Looking to spoil his perfect 9-0 record in the lightweight six rounder will be Los Mochis, Mexico native Jaime Orrantia (10-25-5), who replaces Raul Franco on the six-bout card. For tickets to “The Path to Glory”, please call 714-935-0900.

PRESS RELEASE: What do a pair of fearless world champions do - one who is the most feared fighter and the other most avoided - when no other fighter is willing to get into the ring with them?  They fight each other. On Saturday night, December 5th, Paul “The Punisher” Williams (37-1, 27 KO) will step into the ring at the Boardwalk Hall Ballroom in Atlantic City in a scheduled 12-round middleweight Bout against Sergio "Maravilla” Martinez  (44-1-2, 24 KO).

Press Release:  Episode #3

                Debut:  SATURDAY, NOV. 7 (9:00-9:30 p.m. ET/6:00-6:30 p.m. PT)

                Other HBO playdates:  Nov. 7 (11:45 p.m. ET/8:45 p.m. PT), 8 (11:15 a.m., 8:15 p.m.), 9 (7:30 p.m.), 10 (2:00 p.m., 11:30 p.m.), 12 (11:30 a.m., 10:30 p.m.), 13 (9:00 p.m.) and 14 (10:30 a.m.)

Press Release: Los Angeles, CA —On the heels of his first primetime television appearance on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live and his recognition as a 2009 Gusi Peace Prize laureate, boxing phenom Manny Pacquiao now finds himself on the cover of TIME Magazine Asia edition (see below) as part of a five page feature story on the boxing Champion that will be included in all editions (global and US market) of the magazine hitting newsstands this weekend.

Press Release: Jeju, Republic of Korea


            The WBC’s 47th annual convention closed a day earlier than scheduled today in Jeju. WBC President Dr. José Sulaimán said that the change in plans was made to accommodate requests from several members of the Board of Governors who had conflicting travel plans.

PRESS RELEASE: Two of Don King’s fighters have been added to Saturday’s card headlined by World Boxing Association heavyweight champion Nikolai “Russian Giant” Valuev his title opposing David “Hayemaker” Haye in Nuremberg , Germany , at Versicherung Arena. Former WBO heavyweight titlist Sergei “White Wolf” Liakhovich (23-3, 14 KOs) will face Jeremy “The Beast” Bates (22-16-1, 18 KOs), and undefeated cruiserweight Francisco “The Wizard” Palacios (18-0, 11 KOs) will meet DeLeon Tinsley (9-4-1, 5 KOs ).  Both matches are scheduled for eight rounds.

PRESS RELEASE: With his win over Alfredo Angulo in May, Kermit Cintron earned the position as the top ranked contender to WBO Junior Middleweight champion Sergiy Dzinziruk. So, imagine the surprise of Team Cintron when they learned Saturday’s bout between #4 ranked Angulo, and #5 ranked Harry Joe Yorgey would be for the WBO’s interim title at 154 lbs.

GL: We're just days away from your rematchagainst Chad Dawson. Can you tell us what we can expect to see from you on Saturday night? "On Saturday night you're going to see a great fight and a Glen Johnson that's very impressive. I believe the fans will be excited about seeing me fight again after I take care of Chad Dawson. I expect a good fight from him, I expect him to use all of his skills. I just believe that right now I'm at the unstoppable stage of my career and I don't see what Dawson will be able to do in order to survive me."

GL: It's always a pleasure to have you on Boxingtalk.com Joe, what can you tell us about your December 3rd event at the Manhattan center? "It's going to be an exciting night of boxing. The main event is going to be Mike Arnaoutis and he's going to be fighting Tim Coleman for a vacant [regional] junior welterweight title. We're going to be sure to have a heavy contingent of Greek fans... On top of that we've got the return of Kid Chocolate. He's exciting and has that knockout power fans crave. We're thrilled to be back in the Manhattan Center, it's going to be a nice start to hopefully a great December for Star Boxing."

GL: What can we expect to see from El Cepillo on Friday night? "I'm going to get back into rhythm. It's been like a year off so I wantm to get this win under my belt and open up 2010 with a splash. It's the right fight and the right time for me to get back into it."

Resurging heavyweight contender Dominick Guinn contacted Boxingtalk.com to blast Chris Arreola and Dan Goossen for opting to fight Derrick Rossy instead of the best heavyweight in Arkansas. "This motherf**ker and his promoter Dan Goossen are pretty good at ducking people. I guess I'm going to have to win a fight or two and put myself in the mandatory position. But I'm not stressing Arreola, I want Klitschko. I just thought this would have been the fastest way to get back to a title shot or title contention. I guess I'm going to knockout whoever they put in front of me to get it done. Now we got Arreola picking Rossy and I'd beat em both on the same night. I didn't even know who Derrick Rossy was. I thought he was a minor league baseball player."

Edited Press Release: Saturday night’s HBO televised co-feature between  “Lightning” Harry Joe Yorgey and Alfredo “Perro” Angulo has been approved for the WBO interim junior middleweight title. According to its website, the WBO already has a champion at 154 pounds- Sergey Dzinziruk. It also has an interim champion in the same weight class- Paul Williams. Now Yorgey or Angulo will make it a three-headed WBO monster at junior middleweight. The WBA has been known to have three champions at a time, but that has been super champion, regular champion and interim champion. This is believed to be the first time that any sanctioning body will simultaneously recognize two interim champions. "It's been 20 years since Hartford has hosted a world championship fight and now it will be hosting two on the same night," said Gary Shaw, who is co-promoting the Yorgey-Angulo fight along with Banner Promotions. "It's a testament to the quality of this matchup that the WBO is sanctioning Angulo vs. Yorgey for its interim world title. Fans attending and viewers watching on HBO are in for an exciting night of fistic fireworks."  Angulo (16-1, 13 KOs), of Mexicali, Mexico, is rated #4 by the WBO, and Yorgey (22-0-1, 10 KOs, of Bridgeport, Pa.) is #5. No word on whether the interim opportunity was ever offered to #s 1-3. The Angulo-Yorgey co-feature will take place on HBO beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT, from the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. and will precede the Chad Dawson-Glen Johnson rematch for the WBC interim light heavyweight title.  Remaining tickets can be purchased at the XL Center box office, at all Ticketmaster outlets, through Ticketmaster Charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000 and online at  www.xlcenter.com.

Boxingtalk: You have a fight coming up this Thursday against Ronald Weaver (29-18-2 with 22 KOs).  What do you know about your opponent and what kind of results do you expect to produce? Peter Manfredo: I don’t know much about him.  I just know that it’s a stay-busy fight for me.  I’ve been training in the gym and frustrated because I wanted to get a fight.  And I finally signed with TKO Promotions and this is my first fight with them.  And I feel real good.  I’m ready to go.  I don’t care who you put in front of me.  I’m coming back at middleweight.  I’ve been campaigning the past three or four years at super middleweight and I made it to the top level, but I just couldn’t win the title.  In my opinion, I’m just too small for that weight class.  So I’m going back down to middleweight and I think I have a better shot at winning a title at that weight.

PRESS RELEASE: WBA Heavyweight Champion Nikolai Valuev has promised “something special” for David Haye when they clash in the ring on Saturday night. “The Russian Giant” cannot wait to let his fists do the talking after the challenger has wasted no chance to hurl insults at the biggest and tallest champion of all time. “His comments have been very motivating,” Valuev said. “But let´s see what Haye has to offer inside the ring. I don´t think he will be able to follow it up. But I will not under-estimate him.”

Boxingtalk understands that HBO is strongly considering staging a four man tournament in the junior welterweight division. The names currently being mentioned are undefeated WBC junior welterweight champ Devon Alexander, Marcos Maidaina, Amir Khan and Victor Ortiz. Needless to say there will be more to follow.

The Juan Diaz-Paul Malignaggi rematch formally has a venue. The eagerly awaited junior lightweight clash will take place at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Press Release: It’s “Back To Business” for likely future Hall of Fame fighter Winky Wright (51-5-1 with 25 KOs), as he takes on Grady “Bad Boy” Brewer (26-11 with 15KOs) in a middleweight main event on Friday December 11th at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico and live on Pay-Per-View.  The fight was officially announced this week at a press conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Press Release: At the Grand Ballroom of the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California, rising lightweight John Molina, Jr. (18-0 with 14 KOs), of nearby Covina, CA, will battle Mexico’s Martin Honorio (26-4-1 with 14 KOs) in the scheduled 10-round headliner of the ShoBox: The New Generation telecast on Showtime.

Press Release: It did not take David Haye long to make his presence known in Germany. Shortly after arriving at the renowned Hilton Hotel in Nuremberg on Monday, he caused a stir, insisting he could not sleep well in his bed. He wrote in his online diary: “When I reached German soil I was guided towards a disgusting hotel, with a dingy room. After a quick call or two, we managed to depart the rancid lair with our legs and arms still intact. We actually ended up at a lovely five-star hotel, though we had to pay for the five-star privilege. Still, if it saves us from the guaranteed Black Death of the first place, it will be well worth the price.” Chris Meyer, General Manager of Team Sauerland, was royally amused by Haye's antics. “If he calls the Hilton a ‘rancid lair’, it tells you something about his state of mind. Now you know why neither Nikolai nor anybody else at Team Sauerland has taken Haye's insults and provocations seriously. He clearly talks too much and has an interesting way of seeing things. With just five days between now and the fight, he might be getting nervous and is starting to lose sleep.”

Reliable sources have informed Boxingtalk.com that Florida based promoter Warriors Boxing is or soon will be, no more. Not that they were ever confused for an A level promoter, the outfit has produced champions like Juan Urango and has been instrumental in guiding the careers of Glen Johnson, Randall Bailey, and Sultan Ibragimov. Leon Margules, the lawyer, who was running the company was unavailable for immediate comment. Remember where you heard it first!

A new opponent has been named for Zab Judah for his bout on Friday, November 6th, at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Judah of Las Vegas now meets veteran Ubaldo Hernandez (22-19-2) of Fort Myers, Fla., in a ten-round welterweight contest. Boxingtalk: What can we expect to see from you on Friday night? "You can expect Zab Judah to put on a great performance. I've been waiting for this moment, I've been working hard and on Friday night, it's my time. Everybody needs to come out to the Palms in Vegas and show some love, because it's going to be a great night of boxing.

Jerson Ravelo (20-4, 12 KOs) contacted Boxingtalk to announce that he is  promotional/managerial free agent.  Ravelo, who represented the Dominican Republic in the 2000 Olympics, has campaigned at super middleweight in the past, but now contemplating a run in the middleweight division.  He last fought in August of this year, winning a unanimous decision over Willis Lockett in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Ravelo had been managing his career up to this point, but says he recently made a decision to turn the responsibilities over to a manager and/or promotional team.  To contact Ravelo, send an e-mail to doveedlinder@hotmail.com and his contact information will be forwarded directly.

Press Release: At the midway point of training camp preparation for his first shot at a world title and his first bout in the Super Six World Boxing Classic, undefeated American Andre “S.O.G.” Ward and his trainer Virgil Hunter have declared they are on schedule and building momentum toward the November 21st meeting with WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA. The 25-year old Ward (20-0, 13 KO) who, in Athens in 2004, was the lone – and most recent -- American to claim Olympic gold, will attempt to wrest the WBA title away from Denmark native Kessler (42-1, 32 KO) in Ward’s own hometown while also preventing the Europeans from shutting out American fighters in the first round of this unique tournament being televised by Showtime.

Press Release: All the major sports leagues have "feeder systems" and now Southern California fight promoter and sports entrepreneur Roy Englebrecht has decided that mixed martial arts also needs its own legitimate minor league system.  In an effort to help develop the next generation of MMA stars while providing investors a chance to own their own professional sports franchise, Englebrecht announced Wednesday the launch of the Professional Mixed Martial Arts League (PMMAL).

Press Release: "Mighty" Mike Arnaoutis will face a tough challenge when he meets Baltimore's Tim "The Pitbull" Coleman in a twelve-round contest for a vacant regional junior welterweight title. Joe Deguardia's Star Boxing will promote the event in the Grand Ballroom at the Manhattan Center in New York City, NY.

This is the year of the off-and-on fights. I want to see Paul Williams and Shane Mosley get some fights. You would think Joshua Clottey was the victim [when two fights fell through for him] but Williams sounds correct. Clottey might tend to price himself out of big fights. As with Mosley he needs Andre Berto or any breathing boxer right now. Just defend your title. I'm  a Mosley fan and a Williams supporter. I will also become a big Berto fan once Shane retires. Their styles are very similiar. I hate to see them fight each other because they are both favorite fighters of mine. Well, maybe big fights get made in the next few days. Please forward any info.-Aaron "Precise" Blount
Leon's Response: At this point Clottey needs to jump on whatever major opportunities come his way. Shane Mosley could have and should have been back on HBO by now. Cheating got Antonio Margarito suspended for a year. Putting on a masterful performance against Margarito seems to have earned Mosley the same sentence while guys like Juan Diaz and Paul Malignaggi are fighting each other twice in four months. I expect Mosley-Berto to get done as well as Williams-Sergio Martinez.

GL: Can you tell us what you think about David Haye as a fighter? "He is a strong opponent, very fast with a strong punch. I expect a tough fight."

Boxingtalkers should not be surprised if Don King Productions winds up signing WBO junior middleweight champion Sergei Dzinziruk to a promotional contract. It would also be far from shocking if his first fight under the DKP banner took place against IBF champion Cory Spinks.  Remember where you heard it first

Press Release: Six days before his WBA heavyweight title clash with David Haye, WBA Heavyweight Champion Nikolai Valuev arrived in Nuremberg on Sunday evening. “I am in great shape and I will take home my title,” the Russian Giant said. “I really look forward to the fight.” Four American-based boxerss, including three ex-champions, have been added to the undercard. Former WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz (43-8, 29 KOs) will take on Germany's Adnan Serin (19-10, 7 KOs); Ex-WBO heavyweight champion Sergey Lyakhovich (23-3, 14 KOs) comes face-to-face with Jeremy Bates (22-16, 18 KOs). Team Sauerland's cruiserweight Alexander Frenkel (20-0, 16 KOs) will also display his talents against former IBF cruiserweight titlist, Kelvin Davis (24-10, 17 KOs). A fourth American import, Shawn McLean, 4-3, will face heavyweight Edmund Gerber, 8-0. McLean garnered some attention by recently upsetting previously undefeated Faruq Saleem.

GL:  What's the latest and greatest with Devon Alexander, and when can we expect you back in the ring?  "As soon as possible. [My manager] Kevin Cunningham and [promoter] Don King are talking now about what we're going to do.  They're talking about a tune up in December, and hopefully coming back with something bigger after the end of the year."

Press Release: Three-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach issued a medical warning to WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, the pride of Puerto Rico, who will be defending his title against boxing’s mythical pound-for-pound champion Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao. Roach predicts a ninth-round knockout victory for Pacquiao. Pac Man will appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday, November 3, beginning at 12:05 a.m. ET/PT on ABC.

Press Release: Star Boxing has announced a promotional alliance with Larry Flynt's Hustler Club-NYC to produce a new series of boxing events. There will be a press conference held this Wednesday at New York's celebrity favorite, Il Postino Ristorante to officially announce the joint venture and the company's first upcoming event.
The first event, to be held on December 3rd at the Manhattan Center, will feature a regional light welterweight title bout between Star Boxing's "Mighty" Mike Arnaoutis (22-3-2) and Tim "Pit Bull" Coleman (16-1-1). Also on the card are Brooklyn's Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillen (20-0) and Star Boxing's light welterweight "The New" Ray Robinson (11-0).

Press Release: In Hollywood, Florida, light heavyweight contender  Glen Johnson weighed in this past Saturday at 177, just two pounds abover the weight limit, at the seven-day weigh-in mandated by the WBC. His bout occurs on November 7th against Chad Dawson.
The weigh-in was conducted by ringside physician and Florida Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, Dr. Alan Fields.

Press Release: A new-look Team Ruiz has arrived in Germany to make final preparations for Saturday night’s 10-round fight between 2-time WBA heavyweight champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz against Adnan “Aachen Assassin” Serin on the Nicolai Valuev-David Haye pay-per-view card live from Nuremberg, Germany. Ruiz (43-8-1, 29 KOs) agreed with the promoters for Valuev and Haye to “step aside” as the WBA “Official Challenger."  By defeating Serin (19-10-1, 7 KOs), he is guaranteed a title bout against the Valuev-Haye winner by the end of May, 2010. Miguel Diaz is Ruiz's new trainer.

Press Release: Although boxing and betting experts are bestowing their beliefs and bank accounts on a Manny Pacquiao victory over Miguel Cotto on Saturday November 14, Miguel Cotto believes differently and boxing history books tell a different story as there have been many a Puerto Rican fighter—from an island rich in producing infamous boxing champions—who have come in the underdog and walked away with the upset victory.  Cotto looks to keep the tradition of these former Puerto Rican fighters alive by doing the same to Pacquiao when they meet in one of the most exciting boxing battles of the year.

Yonnhy Perez W12 Joseph Agbeko... Undefeated Yonnhy Perez registered an upset unanimous decision over IBF bantamweight champion Joseph "King Kong' Agbeko in Las Vegas to capture a share of the world's 118-pound championship. The non-stop action fight between Perez (20-0, 14 KOs) of Santa Fe Springs, Calif., by way of Colombia, and Agbeko (27-2, 22 KOs) of Bronx, N.Y., via Accra, Ghana, was a spirited slugfest that featured numerous exchanges from start to finish. Perez scored a disputed knockdown in the tenth round en route to winning by the scores of 117-110 twice and 116-111.

Antonio DeMarco TKO 10 Jose Alfaro... In the first half of a Showtime doubleheader, Antonio DeMarco  won the WBC interim lightweight belt with a one-sided 10th-round TKO over Jose Alfaro. source for both results: showtime championship boxing

On Saturday night at Treasure Island Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, legendary former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was reunited with announcer Jim Gray, who won an Emmy for his interview with Tyson following the infamous ear-bite fight with Evander Holyfield on June 28, 1997. “I’ve been working on myself,’’ Tyson told Gray on Showtime. “I’m in the mood of being truly grateful of my life. I realize I have nothing to be mad at. I never dreamed I’d be living at this time (but) I’ve gotten as much as I gave. I’ve been blessed in my life. I just want to contribute to humanity now.” In response to Gray asking about George Foreman winning a title at age 45 and if Tyson, at 43, would contemplate a comeback, Tyson said:  “If this guy (referring to Don King) is going to pay for my training -- my training team costs a lot of money -- anything is possible.  I don’t see it happening but anything is possible.’’ source: showtime

Lou Del Valle D10 Joey Spina... In a result that could cost him his alphabet organizations world ratings, light heavyweight Joey “KO Kid” Spina (25-1-2, 17 KOs) and 41-year old former world champion Lou “Honey Boy” Del Valle (36-6-2 (22 KOs) fought to a ten-round majority draw at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. Del Valle won on one judge’s scorecard, 97-93, but the other judges had it even, 95-95. If Spina had won the final round he would have gotten the decision.

Hank Lundy KO1 Aldo Valtierra..  In the co-feature, lightweight “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy (16-0-1, 10 KOs) kept rolling with a first-round TKO win against Aldo “El Pato” Valtierra (25-12, 13 KOs). Lundy caught Valtierra with a left hook that dropped the game Mexican (25-12, 13 KOs), who was unable to get to his feet before the referee counted to ten near the end of round one. source for all results: ces entertainment