RSSEdgar Sosa
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
EEC - April 24, 2007
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Philippine broadcasting network ABS-CBN is reporting that one of Manny Pacquiao’s bodyguards shot and wounded a 10 year old boy yesterday. The boy was rushed to St. Elizabeth Hospital in General Santos City and is currently in stable condition. Doctors stated that the boy was shot in both of his hands.
There is a nationwide gun ban in the Philippines. So why did Pacquiao’s bodyguard have a gun? He was given approval to carry firearms after alleged kidnapping threats to Pacquiao and other members of his family.
- The WBC has ordered two mandatory title bouts: Edgar Sosa will defend his WBC Light Flyweight Title against Luis Lazarte and Jean-Marc Mormeck will make his first defense of his WBC Cruiserweight Championship against David Haye. The winner of the Mormeck-Haye bout will be forced to fight former WBC Cruiserweight title holder O’Neil Bell later this year.
- Corrie Sanders will face Kevin Monity on May 12…
- Amir Khan will take on Willie Limond at London’s O2 Arena on July 14. Steven Luevano and Nicky Cook will decide who gets the vacant WBO Featherweight Title that same night in the main event…
- Here are some quotes from the Litzau - Valtierra press conference that was held yesterday…
Bob Van Syckle (Litzau’s trainer): “This is a very important fight for Jason. A win in this fight will get him back in the top ten rankings and back on HBO in a revenge match with Jose Hernandez. Jason had his best training camp ever. At first I was a little apprehensive about training in his hometown of St. Paul with all the temptations nearby, but, Jason showed his professionalism by maintaining a strict training discipline. He trained 3 times a day, starting with a run around Phalen Lake at 6:00 am, sparring at Rice Street Gym in the afternoon and finishing up with strength and conditioning at Lifetime Fitness in the evening. You will see a new and improved Jason Litzau with an emphasis on Defense and smart, aggressive offense.”
Jason Litzau: “Since I was a little kid, I dreamed of fighting in the main event at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in my hometown of St. Paul. Now, on April 25, my dream will become a reality. I hope we can sell out the arena because nothing motivates me more than 6,000 screaming fans. I know that this will be my toughest fight. My opponent has never been stopped, and he is coming here to stop me. I guarantee that I will give everyone in the stands and everyone watching on ESPN2 their money’s worth. My ultimate goal is to win a World Championship for Minnesota and to do it in the big arena, the EXCEL Energy Center.”
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Tuesday, February 06, 2007
EEC - February 6, 2007
After a little hiatus that extended into the beginning of the week, we are back once again with the Early Eight Count…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- The April fight between Manny Pacquiao and Jin Chi has been postponed until at least October according to Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum yesterday.
Arum informed ESPN that Pacquiao would still be fighting in April, but now he would be lacing up the gloves on April 21st against an opponent that has yet to be named. The fight will take place in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
“Manny will fight in San Antonio and we’ll have an announcement on the opponent in a couple of days,” Arum said.
Arum also announed that Jorge Arce and Jose Navarro will face off in the co-main event. Other fighters who could also possibly be added to the card in the near future are Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Brian Viloria, and Edgar Sosa.
So what was the reason for the change? It’s hotel problems…
“We found out that because of certain delays there are only about 4,000 decent hotel rooms in Macau, and that is not enough to handle demand for this event,” Arum said. “They have a whole group of properties that are coming on line that we were expecting to be open by the end of April, but they aren’t going to make it. By the fall there will be 10,000 rooms. There will be plenty to handle the people in the fall.”
- Yet another boxer arrested…
Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion O’Neil Bell was arrested in Big Bear, California after assaulting his training partner, Larry Slayton.
37-year-old Larry Slayton, was helping Bell train for his March 17 rematch with Jean-Marc Mormeck in Paris, France. Slayton claims that Bell became angry with him during a workout session in the woods, and threw a hatchet at him. Bell was carrying the hatchet for protection against bears. At that point Slayton ran as Bell allegedly began to pelt him with large rocks. Arden Wiltshire, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, said that Deputies found Slayton with cuts from running through the brush and “fearful for his life.”
He is currently out on bail…
- Miguel Cotto has been named fighter of the year by the Puerto Rico Boxing Commission…
Some Good Reads:
ESPN: From gridiron to ring, Rossy’s rising fast
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Friday, February 02, 2007
EEC - February 2, 2007
Happy Groundhog Day everybody! We have a busy weekend ahead of us…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- The WBC announced yesterday that it has stripped the WBC Flyweight Title from Omar Nino because Nino has tested positive for methamphetamine according to post-fight testing results done after his November 18th bout against Brian Viloria.
Ironically Viloria and Edgar Sosa will fight for the title in the coming months. The winner of that bout will then have to face Nino who has been giving number one contender status since he was unaware that the drug had been put into his system.
“In light of the fact that the WBC believes that Nino did not voluntarily commit this infraction and considering that his clean record has won him the trust of this organization ... we are declaring that Nino will be the challenger for whoever is the new champion,” a WBC statement said.
- The Saint Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting that Felix Trinidad will be at ringside to watch Cory Spinks fight Rodney Jones this weekend. He’s just going to see a decent bout, right? Not exactly…
Spink’s trainer, Kevin Cunningham, has confirmed that Trinidad will be at ringside with Don King to scout Spinks as a possible opponent in the near future…
“Don’s bringing Felix Trinidad in for this fight,” Cunningham said. “He might come out of retirement. Fernando Vargas is another possibility. But my thing is this: We want to keep chugging away, keep grinding. And eventually that big marquee fight will be there for us. And hopefully we can bring another big fight back to St. Louis.’’
- Paulie Malignaggi will be the in-studio guest for ESPN’s Friday Night Fights this evening…
Weekend Fights
Friday -
Zuri Lawrence vs Dominick Guinn - Rochester, New York - Heavyweight (ESPN 2)
James Kirkland vs Billy Lyell - Santa Ynez, California - Junior Middleweight (Showtime)
Timothy Bradley vs Manuel Garnica - Santa Ynez, California - Junior Welterweight (Showtime)
Saturday -
Tomasz Adamek vs Chad Dawson - Kissimmee, Florida - WBC Light Heavyweight Title (Showtime)
Jesus Chavez vs Julio Diaz - Kissimmee, Florida - IBF Lightweight Title (Showtime)
Cory Spinks vs Rodney Jones - Kissimmee, Florida - IBF Junior Middleweight Title (Showtime)
Laila Ali vs Gwendolyn O’Neil - Kempton Park, South Africa - Women’s Super Middleweight Title
Sunday -
Naoufel Ben Rabah vs Lovemore Ndou - Sydney, Australia - IBF Junior Welterweight Title Eliminator
Paul Briggs vs Andre Thysse - Sydney, Australia - Light Heavyweight
Sakio Bika vs Rupert Van Aswegen - Sydney, Australia - Super Middleweight
Some Good Reads
Boxing Scene: Chasing Marciano’s Ghost: What’s in a Record?
MaxBoxing: Friday Night Fights Shuffle
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