ANDRE BERTO INJURY FORCES CANCELLATION OF FEBRUARY 11 FIGHT AGAINST VICTOR ORTIZ

POSSIBLE POSTPONEMENT DATE BEING DISCUSSED

 LOS ANGELES – Due to a left biceps injury sustained while training on Monday, January 30, Andre Berto will be unable to compete in his scheduled February 11 SHOWTIME televised bout against Victor Ortiz at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., forcing a cancellation of the event on that date.  All parties involved are actively seeking a possible postponement date for Ortiz vs. Berto II.

Information regarding previously purchased tickets being honored for a possible postponement date will be released as it becomes available or, alternatively, ticketholders can contact their place of purchase for refunds.

More information will be announced as it becomes available.

Los Angeles  -  At the end of the year, when several highly respected publications, including ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and Yahoo! Sports named Andre Ward their Fighter of the Year, it seemed that the people around the 2004 Olympic gold medalist were even more thrilled than he was.  Though grateful for the awards he had earned, the WBA and WBC super middleweight World Champion was waiting for “the big one.”

That wait came to an end yesterday, when the Boxing Writers Association of America announced that the 27-year-old Ward was to receive the 2011 BWAA Fighter of the Year award named after one of the greatest of all-time, Sugar Ray Robinson.  The BWAA stated “Ward was chosen by an overwhelming margin over nominees Nonito Donaire, Wladimir Klitschko, Floyd Mayweather, and Manny Pacquiao.”

Not a bad list of pugilists to be associated with.

In 2011, en route to capturing the inaugural SHOWTIME Super Six World Boxing Classic, Andre showcased a dominant victory over Arthur Abraham in the semi-finals in May, and followed it up with a masterful performance over Carl Froch in the tournament finale on Dec. 17.  An MRI after the fight revealed that he had entered the bout with a double fracture in his left hand, making his victory all the more special.

“I want to thank God for giving me the strength to put in the work year after year to get to this point,” said the humble champion.  “I also want to thank my manager, James Prince, my promoters Antonio Leonard and Dan Goossen, everyone who is a part of Team Ward, including all of my family, friends, and loyal fans who have been behind me all these years.  This award is just as much for them as it is for me.

“Even in the midst of receiving this tremendous award, Team Ward is not going to let up.  In 2012 and beyond we’re going to push forward, and God-willing we can be considered for these awards every year. Its easy to get comfortable at a time like this, but I can assure everybody that I’m going to continue to put in the work to be the best that I can be.  I’m going to stay humble, keep God first, and with that: the best is yet to come.”

“Since the day we signed Andre from his Olympic gold medal performance, to this past December beating Froch, he has been a complete joy to work with, as well as his whole team,” said Goossen.  ”The crazy thing is I don’t believe Andre has scratched the surface of where he’s headed.  Inside the ring he’s vicious;  outside the ring he’s classy and humble.  Simply said, he’s the future.”

The accolades for Team Ward continued when the BWAA also acknowledged the man who has trained Andre since the first day he stepped into a boxing gym, voting Virgil Hunter winner of the Eddie Futch Trainer of the Year award.

“I’m very happy for my trainer and Godfather, Virgil, for winning this prestigious award,” said Ward of the man who has taught him his craft.  ”I’m probably more excited for him than I am for myself.  I’ve always wanted him to win this award because he is one of the hardest working trainers in the game.”

“I’m thrilled for Virgil,” Goossen further stated.  ”He deserves to be mentioned with the top trainers in the sport today, and like Andre, I believe the best is yet to come.”

Andre, who is expecting his fourth child with his wife Tiffiney, was certain not to forget the media, stating: “Last but not least, I want to thank the boxing writers, because without them, this would not be possible.”

LOS ANGELES  – Former World Champions Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto participated in a media conference call yesterday to discuss their upcoming rematch of the 2011 “Fight of the Year” on Saturday, Feb. 11, live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast), from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.

Ten months after their classic slugfest that was named 2011 “Fight of the Year” (USA Today, Ring Magazine), Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KO’s), of Ventura, Calif., and Berto (28-1, 22 KO’s), of Winter Haven, Fla., will square off again. The eagerly awaited 12-round fight is a rematch of a fiercely contested, multiple-knockdown affair on April 16, 2011 that Ortiz won by a unanimous decision (114-112, 114-111 and 115-110) while capturing Berto’s World Boxing Council (WBC) 147-pound title. Both fighters were knocked down twice in the fight, with Berto being dropped in the first, Ortiz going down a round later and each of them hitting the deck in a wild sixth round that many called the “Round of the Year” for 2011.

Here’s what the participants had to say on Wednesday’s call:

VICTOR ORTIZ: “Once again, I’m counted out by Berto’s team. To me it’s perfectly fine. I don’t care. I’m going to show him why I beat him the first time. It’s Berto’s second chance, not mine. What do I lose? Nothing. At the end of the day it’s going to be a great fight. Berto is a good fighter, but I never saw him as great, not even when I was at 140 and I was coming up to challenge him, which is why I challenged him. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a dangerous fighter but I don’t fear him. I have no respect for him, I’m not scared of him, nothing like that. At the end of the day I will win this once again.”

How have things changed since the first fight against Ortiz?

VICTOR ORTIZ: “I’ve been working hard and keeping it positive. There are no worries in the world right about now, and Berto is certainly not one of them. At the same time I know I have to be tremendously tough for this guy, both in and out of the ring. I’m not a guy who has to sit there and run his mouth. The thing is, at the end of the day, the boxing gloves will do the talking. Apparently Berto has a chip on his shoulder. Well I have a few chips on my shoulder due to the first Berto fight. It didn’t end the way I wanted it to end and my last fight wasn’t the greatest, so my roller coaster is re-launching right now. I want to climax. I’m nowhere near ready to pull back. Not now or in the near future. It’s going to be a great fight, I will be victorious once again and I will not take no for an answer.”

When you fought Andre could you sense that he was wearing down physically in the end of the fight?

VICTOR ORTIZ: “No, not at all. It was the same Berto I trained for, actually better. The only difference was there was a beast in there with him.”

What do you need to do to match his improved strength in the ring?

VICTOR ORTIZ: “Once again it comes back that I’m the underdog. That’s the story of my life. I don’t really mind it one bit. At the same time, let’s not forget that I was a 140-pounder in the first fight. Now, I’m a natural 147.”

Victor, you say you’re always an underdog. Is the scrutiny fair?

VICTOR ORTIZ: “It’s the game. I’m just here. I’m just here to live another day and become one of the greatest boxers of all time. Obviously people go through their ups and downs, but I’m having fun and I’m enjoying every moment of going through my ups and downs. At the end of the day, I’m just trying to be one of the greats.”

Do you like being the underdog?

“No way, man. Not one bit. That’s good though. I enjoy being that person that’s always counted out.”

Why do you think people count you out after you won the first fight?

VICTOR ORTIZ: “I don’t know. That’s my only question. At the end of the day I don’t really care what anybody believes but me. I’m ready for this guy once again.”

What is your point of view of having a fight of this caliber that isn’t a title fight?

VICTOR ORTIZ: “I don’t mind it. Given the circumstances that this guy wants to fight me, I am more than willing to give him a shot. Why not? He gave me a shot.”

What do you expect different in the ring from Berto?

VICTOR ORTIZ: “I don’t really know, but I’m preparing for the best Berto there is possible along with my corner. If he’s gotten any better than, hey, that’s awesome. That’s what we’re expecting. We’re expecting the best Berto to be present and I’m ready.”

How’s your mental state of mind coming off a loss to Mayweather?

VICTOR ORTIZ: “I still believe in myself. I still see myself as a world champion.

ANDRE BERTO: “We’ve already had a tremendous camp and right now we’re going through the motions every day. We’re excited about Feb. 11 and getting to Vegas for a fight of this magnitude. It’s going to be go time.”

How important was it for you to get back in the ring and beat Jan Zaveck the way that you did?

ANDRE BERTO: “I think it was tremendously important after you go through the situations that I went through not to dwell on it for too long but to just jump back in action, and that’s what I did. I just wanted to take a little time off and put this fight together for me and I jumped right back into action.”

Did you get a lot of confidence from that?

ANDRE BERTO: “It definitely helped, but at the end of the day I know I can fight. If I had a bad night or if you have a bad day at the gym, at the end of the day you know you’re going to be able to know how to fight.”

What’s the most important thing Tony Morgan has done for your career since you started working with him?

ANDRE BERTO: “Me and Tony are pretty much like family. We started in this game together when I was like 10, 11 years old. It’s just been our dream to win a world title and to be at any type level of this fight game. He taught me a lot about loyalty, he taught me a lot about family. We had a lot of big dreams, but then again we never really thought that we’d get to this point coming from such a small town that we came from.”

How did losing the first fight of your career affect your psyche? Did it have a major effect on you?

ANDRE BERTO: “Of course. It played with my mind a bit. You get to a point where I think any fighter would be affected by that, but you just brush it off, get back on your feet and get back in there and that’s what I did.”

Did it take another fight to build up that confidence?

ANDRE BERTO: “No. In my last fight I went in there like nothing happened. I went in there and went straight to work like nothing happened at all. At the end of the day, you like to be realistic. That loss put a lot of different things in perspective. It made me get back and work hard and made me understand what kind of team and what type of family I have around me. They were very supportive. If I’m in this boxing thing or not, I still have that love from my family and my friends. Like I said, I have that support so I’m good.”

You seemed a little bit tired in that first fight [against Ortiz]. Is that true and is that something you’ve been working on since then?

ANDRE BERTO: “Of course. I believe when we trained for that fight I don’t think we trained like we were supposed to. I believe that’s something that fighters go through. You get in a situation where you have a lot of success and you stay in your own little circle, your own little box instead of trying to look out and find the best situations for you. I think I suffer from that because after that fight I found out I was anemic and I had to really reach out to find some help with that because it got to be pretty serious. I learned I needed to take a lot better care of my body.”

Do you feel that you’re past that and you’ll be in a lot better condition for this fight?

ANDRE BERTO: “Of course. We’re working hard and having our doctors checking on me to make sure my levels are up and making sure I’m getting all my vitamins that I need to continue to push to have the best training sessions. Before, we were so old school in everything. We didn’t take vitamins or protein shakes or none of that, it was just hard work, but anybody knows that if you’re a world-class athlete you have to train and you have to take care of your body like you are a world-class athlete. That’s something that we’re really getting into, and we’re trying to take all the right precautions now.”

You had stated after the [first] fight that maybe Ortiz was on some illegal substance and then you backed off. Is that something you still believe?

ANDRE BERTO: “No. Ortiz was just better that night.”

LOU DIBELLA: “That’s also not going to be an issue in this fight as both fighters agreed to drug testing and there will be drug testing on this fight and it’s not going to be an issue for anybody. Both sides have to go out there and do the right thing and both agreed to testing. I think that’s a big step to take away some of the innuendo and the problems that do exist in our sport. But all you can ask the fighters to do is say ‘okay, I’ll be tested,’ and that’s what these two fighters have done.”

When will the drug testing start?

ANDRE BERTO: “They’ve already tested me twice for this fight — urine tests and blood tests.”

How was that for you?

ANDRE BERTO: “It was different, but I went through that as an amateur so it wasn’t something completely different.”

Andre, you know that Victor had to go in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his actions against Floyd Mayweather. Do you see it as an issue or advantage for you?

ANDRE BERTO: “I’m not sure. I’m a clean guy when I’m in there. We just want to make sure our team watches out for any type of incidental situations.”

Are you bummed out that there is no fight at stake in this bout?

ANDRE BERTO: “Probably a little bit, but like I said, right now I’m just trying to make good fights. I’ve won two titles now and I’m just resorting back to why I fell in love with this sport, (and getting) back to the basics. This fight right here is a fight that I wanted, a fight that the people wanted. It’s going to be an exciting one and that’s the only thing that I’m worried about”

What does it say about you that you’ll take a fight of this magnitude?

ANDRE BERTO: “It says a lot about both of us. You see a kid go through a lot of success, but then again go through a lot of criticism and a lot of hate. On both sides I believe. To lose your first fight and come back and win another world title and give it up to hopefully make another exciting fight. The same thing for Ortiz – he came off a loss against Floyd, he ended up getting knocked out, but he overcame that and came back to fight another exciting fight. It shows where we come from. It’s in my heart, it’s in my passion to just put on exciting fights. When we’re done with our careers I don’t believe we’ll have any regrets.”

Is this a better chance for you or Ortiz?

ANDRE BERTO: “I think it’s a good fight for both of us. I lost the fight and came back and won a world title. I could have gone a different route but I wanted to take this one. Ortiz lost to Mayweather. Either way you look at it, you’re putting together two young guys that love to fight and put on an exciting show.”

How have things changed since the first fight against Ortiz?

ANDRE BERTO: “A lot of things. We’re definitely a lot smarter, we definitely matured a lot more. We had a chance to put a lot of different things in perspective, not just in my boxing career, but in life in general. So I think it definitely helped me for the better.”

“Repeat or Revenge: Ortiz vs. Berto II” is the highly anticipated 12-round welterweight rematch of USA Today and Ring Magazine’s 2011 Fight of the Year between former World Champions “Vicious” Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto which will take place Saturday, Feb. 11 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.  The co-featured fights will see top contenders Erislandy Lara and Ronald Hearns square off and 2011 “Prospect of the Year” Gary Russell Jr. take on Dat Nguyen. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and DiBella Entertainment and will air live on SHOWTIME at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).  A special three-fight undercard telecast will air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

Tickets, priced at $300, $150, $100 and $50, are available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase atwww.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.dbe1.com, www.mgmgrand.com, http://Sports.SHO.com, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @VICIOUSOrtiz, @AndreBerto, @OscarDeLaHoya, @loudibella, @SHOsports, @mgmgrand; or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/lou.dibella or www.facebook.com/ShoBoxing.

 By Reni M. Valenzuela

Money, for all its powerful hold on people, is a poor master but a good servant.

If money is the issue that remains to be solved in order to make The Fight come true, then it’s easy to deal with it for Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. if only they would look at money being the lesser thing which pales in comparison with their legacy, dignity, character, integrity, people’s esteem, sports standing, true greatness and the world’s appreciation or condemnation.

Few hours after my article “50-50 IN PACQUIAO VS. MAYWEATHER: LET REASON PREVAIL” came out yesterday in several boxing websites, boxing scribe Ben Thompson reacted and emailed me to clarify certain sensitive aspects of the Pacquiao-Mayweather circus, and I quote in part what he said:

“Haymon and Arum, aren’t working on the deal, then there are NO NEGOTIATIONS, as is the case right now. Manny Pacquiao is a Top Rank fighter, therefore, the only people authorized to negotiate on his behalf are Bob Arum and Todd DuBoef, so Michael Koncz has absolutely no authority to negotiate anything with Floyd Mayweather. He can negotiate with Bob Arum regarding Manny’s agreement with Top Rank, but he can’t negotiate with the Mayweather side. So at the end of the day, like I said, Floyd’s comments and Manny’s comments are irrelevant. You can’t hold something hostage if it’s not there to hold in the first place.”

My reply was both a suggestion and a challenge since Thompson is close to Mayweather, but he dismissed the idea by way of insinuation, saying:

“Arum still refuses to negotiate with the same people he originally tried to negotiate with back in 2009. He made that CRYSTAL CLEAR when he flat out turned down the offer from retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein to sit down with Leonard Ellerbe and Richard Schaefer to resume negotiations in November. If Bob Arum is not negotiating with anyone, the fight is NOT going to happen. Michael Koncz has no authority to make a fight with Floyd Mayweather. That’s like Leonard Ellerbe trying to negotiate a fight with Manny Pacquiao without talking to Bob Arum. That would NEVER happen …  If Arum is saying the fight can’t happen… then guess what…the fight WILL NOT happen .”  Sounds valid?

Thompson’s argument, though, may not hold water for long just as another sportswriter Scoop Malinowski breaks down the situation in his column today:

“Whenever Manny Pacquiao’s representatives earnestly take actions to produce the biggest fight in boxing history with Floyd Mayweather, they keep running into the same wall. Once again Floyd Mayweather is blocking, stonewalling and ducking the opportunity to negotiate a fight with Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather’s media relations mouthpiece Ben Thompson of Fighthype.com did his best to shoot down the earnest attempts of Pacquiao advisor Michael Koncz to make a deal with Mayweather. Koncz has been meeting with Mayweather for several days in Las Vegas. Writes Thompson at his site: Koncz “gives false hope to the fans who still believe that Pacquiao and Mayweather will finally face each other inside the ring.”Wait a second. It’s only “false hope” if one side wants the fight and the other side (Mayweather) is only pretending to want the fight.”  Sounds valid either.

But please don’t react publicly, Arum, Konz, DuBoef, Ellerbe and Haymon!  This is a call for Todd and Bob representing Top Rank to personally connect at once with Haymon who officially represents the Mayweather camp to make the deal in one week and finally make The Fight happen in May and so relieve the fans all over the globe to breathe freely.

“… give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.  Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, who is the Lord?  Or I may become poor and steal and so disown the name of my God.”   -  Proverbs 30:8-9

All that being said, Pacquiao and Mayweather are virtually out of the picture. The ball now is in hands of Arum and Haymon.   Get it done asap biggies so everyone can get over with it, and make celebratons! Or you get pounding of tables from around the world directed at you, this time.

renimvalenzuela@yahoo.com                                                                                                                                    26 January 2012

Las Vegas, Nevada  – In a battle of undefeated prospects, Boxing360′s Joel Diaz Jr. and Guy Robb went toe to toe on Showtime’s ShoBox “The New Generation” series at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas.

Joel Diaz Jr. (7-0, 6 KOs) extended on his winning streak, winning by TKO against a game Guy Robb (7-1, 3 KO’s) as Judge Vic Drakulich stopped the action at the 2:20 mark of round seven.  Both fighters showed great resilience and heart coming off the canvas in the early rounds.  Diaz was down in round two as Robb was floored twice in round three before being stopped in round seven.

An elated Joel Diaz Jr. stated, “This was the toughest fight of my young career, but I showed I can handle adversity when things get rough.  Guy Robb caught me with a nice right hand in the second round, but I wasn’t going to let it get me down.  The following round I came right at him and dropped him twice.  I started to get my second wind in round six, and in round seven I stopped him.  My goal was to get the knockout and show everyone watching on TV that I’m a force to be reckoned with in the Jr. Lightweight division.  I’m going to get right back in the gym and get ready for my next fight February 17th in Chicago.”

Boxing360 promoter Mario Yagobi went on to say, “I’m very happy for Joel and his team.  I know they worked extremely hard to get ready for this fight which was presented to them on short notice.   Joel has a bright future and I plan to keep him busy in 2012.  The experience he got tonight was invaluable.”

For more information on Joel Diaz Jr. please visit www.boxing360.com.

Joel Diaz Jr. Scores Seventh-Round TKO in “Mini Classic” Slugfest;

Matthew Villanueva Stops Mike Ruiz, Jr. in Seventh

 

LAS VEGAS (Jan. 20, 2012) -  In a night of knockdowns and stoppages on a Goossen Tutor Promoted episode of ShoBox: The New Generation, Guillermo Rigondeaux won a world title in only his ninth professional fight by knocking out the defending World Boxing Association (WBA) super bantamweight champion Rico Ramos at 1:29 of the sixth round. The co-feature resulted in a multiple knockdown thriller live on SHOWTIME^® before Joel Diaz Jr. ended the contest by scoring a TKO over Guy Robb at 2:20 of round seven. In the opening bout of the night, super flyweight Matthew Villanueva TKOed Mike Ruiz Jr. at 1:04 in the seventh round from Pearl Theatre at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nev.

 

 

“Rico Ramos is a very good fighter,” Rigondeaux said after his world championship-capturing fight. “But I train very hard and when I train, no one can beat me.”

 

The quick and slick Rigondeaux scored a knockdown in the first session and threw a slew of rapid-fire power shots to end the affair but Ramos pulled through the early adversity. From there, Rigondeaux methodically controlled the pace, although both fighters seemed a bit tentative and unwilling to engage from the second through the fifth rounds.

 

In the sixth, Rigondeaux (9-0, 7 KOs) bothered Ramos by holding and hitting. Joe Cortez warned Rigondeaux as Ramos (20-1, 11 KOs) recovered but Rigondeaux smelled blood in the water. The Cuban burst from his corner and belted Ramos with power shots to the head and a solid left hook to the midsection that sent Ramos to the canvas for a count of ten.

 

“He hit me in the back of the head and I got dizzy,” said Ramos. “The referee told us to fight and I wanted to take my time.  That’s when he caught me with the body shot and I fell.  I’m going to bounce back harder. I’ll be up in that gym next week.”

 

Rico Ramos suffers first lose but ready to get back on track

 

Joel Diaz jr defeats Guy Robb in the Seventh Round on Showtime

 

Diaz Jr. (7-0, 6 KOs) and Robb (7-1, 3 KOs) produced a shootout with its share of knockdowns and blood in a fight that both young boxers took on short notice. From the opening bell, power punches flew – and landed. As Diaz Jr., of Los Angeles, began to come on strong in the second, Sacramento-based Robb dropped him with a big right hand. Diaz Jr. retaliated with two knockdowns of his own in the third round.

 

Refusing to back down, the fight enjoyed several swings of momentum. The fighters loaded up on the majority of their shots with Diaz Jr. landing 148 power shots to Robb’s 120. In the seventh, Diaz Jr. rocked Robb and began a barrage of punches that caused referee Vic Drakulich to call the fight.

 

 

“It was much harder than I thought,” said Diaz Jr. of the scheduled eight-round super featherweight attraction. “I was expecting it to be more like my previous fights, but not everybody’s the same. I can’t hit everybody with one punch and knock them down.”

 

Impressed by the action and torrid pace, SHOWTIME boxing analyst Steve Farhood called the fight a “mini classic.”

 

 

Matt Villanueva stops Mike Ruiz on Showtime

Villanueva (7-0-1, 7 KOs), of Burbank, Calif., came into this evening with six stoppages in his six wins and tonight’s victory was no different. The five-foot-seven Villanueva overwhelmed his opponent with his superior power. By round two, it looked like Ruiz Jr. (8-2-1, 3 KOs) of Fresno, Calif., might not survive as Villanueva dropped him, however the determined fighter made it back to his corner. Villanueva opened the third round by pummeling his opponent but again Ruiz. Jr. showed heart and resolve to keep the bout alive. Through the middle rounds, Villanueva showed great composure for a young fighter to not force the knockout. His patience paid off in the seventh when Villanueva began to tee off on Ruiz Jr. before referee Russell Morastepped in to end the fight.

 

By the end of the scheduled eight-round super flyweight affair, Villanueva had landed 211 punches; Ruiz 62.

Javier Molina defeats Albert Herrera

United States Olympian, Javier Molina improved to 10-1, 4 KOs, as he put together a great decision victory against Albert Herrera of Riverside in a 6 round welterweight fight. “This guy was tough came forward a lot,” said Molina, who fights out of Norwalk, CA. “He was a little awkward and moved his head very well. I just followed my coaches and that’s what got the victory for me.  It feels good to be back in the win column.  We’ll be back in the gym next week and just train harder.  Definitely happy, I’m ready to go back to work.”

All photos by: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME

NEW YORK  - Undefeated super featherweight prospect Joel Diaz, Jr. is a true throwback fighter, always in top shape and ready to go just in case a call comes seeking a late replacement for a high-profile fight.

That call recently came for the 19-year-old Diaz (6-0, 5 KOs), who will be making his ShoBox: The New Generation debut Friday night against unbeaten Guy Robb (7-0, 3 KOs), opening in an eight-round bout on the televised portion of a card headlined by a World Boxing Association (“WBA”) super bantamweight title fight between Rico Ramos and Guillermo Rigondeaux, live from Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

The opening came when a leg injury forced Brandon Gonzales out of his fight against Caleb Truax. Diaz was supposed to fight Friday night on a card in Woodland Hills (CA) along with his Boxing 360 stable-mate and fellow Palmdale (CA) resident, super middleweight DonYil Livingston (7-0-1, 4 KOs), who faces Michael Walker (19-11-2, 12 KOs) in an six-round bout.

“I was training to fight in Woodland Hills when I got a call offering me the fight on ShoBox instead,” Diaz explained the circumstances. “I couldn’t turn down a one-time opportunity like that, so I’m fighting on ShoBox. It surprised me because not too many fighters get a chance to fight in the co-main event on ShoBox with only six pro fights. It’s a great opportunity to show everybody what I’ve got and, hopefully, I’ll be able to keep fighting on Showtime.”

Diaz’ promoter, Mario Yagobi (Boxing 360 founder/CEO), has expertly moved Joel. Friday night will mark his fifth fight under the Boxing 360 banner in only eight months. “Joel is a special prospect,” Yagobi said. “He started boxing at the age of nine and won 85 of 95 amateur matches. His power is incredible, especially for a 19-year-old who weighs less than 130 pounds. Joel’s a real good kid, too. His potential is limitless and boxing fans all over the country are going to know about him after watching ShoBox this Friday night.”

Diaz is fortunate he doesn’t get paid by the round. His last four fights have ended in the opening frame, including his most recent (Nov. 5) against 59-fight veteran Manuel Sarabia. “Not everybody is the same,” the crowd-pleasing Diaz spoke about his quick work looking ahead to Robb. “If I can’t finish him off in the first couple of rounds, I’m conditioned to go the full eight rounds, if that’s what it takes for me to win. I don’t know a lot about my opponent other than he’s also undefeated (5′ 6″) and a little shorter than me (5′ 8″). Pops (his assistant trainer/father Joel Diaz, Sr.) and (head trainer) Hector Vallardes watch tapes of my opponents. My job is to do what my corner tells me.”

Just like a throwback fighter Joel Diaz, Jr. is, despite his young age.

Other members of Boxing 360′s stable include IBF World Light Junior Lightweight Champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano, Maurice “Sugar Moe” Harris, Leon “Hurry Up” Moore, former IBF super middleweight champion Alejandro “Naco” Berrio, unbeaten welterweight prospect Vitaliy “Demyan” Demyanenko,WBC Caribbean & NY State super middleweight champion Lennox “2 Sharpe” Allen, Dominican lightweight champion Eudy “AK47″ Bernardo, Nick “Hands of Steel” Casal, Mike Mollo, Aleem “The Hammer” Whitfield, Travis “The Notorious” Peterkin, Bryan Acaba, Joey Dawejko and “King” David Estrada.

Go to www.Boxing360.com for more information about Diaz, Livingston, Boxing 360 or any of its other fighters as well as upcoming scheduled events.

GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS AND TEAM KHAN WITHDRAW IBF APPEAL

LOS ANGELES  – Due to the fact that there was only to be partial representation of fight officials who were involved with the December 10, 2011 Amir Khan vs. Lamont Peterson bout at tomorrow’s scheduled appeal hearing of the fight’s outcome before the International Boxing Federation (IBF), Golden Boy Promotions and Team Khan have decided to withdraw their appeal and focus their full attention on Amir’s next fight.

Golden Boy Promotions and Team Khan are pleased to have been vindicated by the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) recent decision to mandate an immediate rematch and still hope that Mr. Peterson will honor earlier statements in which he asserted that he would be happy to agree to a rematch.  In that vein, Golden Boy Promotions and Team Khan would agree to a 50/50 split of worldwide revenues derived from a rematch (including those derived from the United Kingdom) should Mr. Peterson agree to participate and hope that this will be both financially and professionally satisfying to Mr. Peterson and his team.

By Reni M. Valenzuela

Bob Arum is atop his throne.  He has been playing god as though he has the world at his command. He is in his twilight years, yet still looks at money as though he can bring it to heaven or hell.  Leaving a great legacy like the great Muhammad Ali is normally what old people are most concerned about, but not Arum.

The Top Rank honcho is a bigwig in fight sport, a top-notch promoter with a burly Buddha stature and with so much kingly stubborn “power” to direct the destiny of the boxing world today.   Bob is different and he may not think so that he conducts himself like he is the king of kings in boxing when he, Michael Konz or the entire Pacquiao camp blurted out, “That’s crazy,”  only to insist that it’s not possible to make the biggest boxing event in history, the Mayweather-Pacquiao in May of this year because, allegedly, it doesn’t make sense “economically.”

Obviously, money is all what they see by saying that, and it’s lamentable that they treat boxing as  pure business.  So if that’s the case, they don’t have the right to be in the sport.

Arum may be correct in his analysis of the proposed fight in May between Floyd and Pacman from the point of view of “business” or greed.  But is boxing really just about money, money and money? And given the circumstances in light of the real picture, does the Arum analysis make sense at all?   And who knows (but God), if Mayweather or Pacquiao would still be around after May or even before Mayweather finishes his 90-day jail term?  It would do us all well to remember the potentially very exciting fight of Pacquiao that never happened and will never ever happen in this kind of world we have.  “Sayang!” The unbeaten and great “knockout monster” Edwin Valero took his own life at the height of his career and at his most eager mood to challenge Pacquiao.

The world has been kept holding its breath long enough to be happy hearing Mayweather tweet to challenge Pacquiao and I believe the heart of the unbeaten boxer when he did that.  It was such an emphatic initiative from an uneducated great champion that should ring a bell loud and clear for all those concerned to connect at once threshing out the details and negotiations of the mega bout in May.

But it seems like the people around Pacquiao and Mayweather are the ones who are uneducated.  Pride and greed, get out of the way!

renimvalenzuela@yahoo.com

DEAR MAYWEATHER AND PACQUIAO: THIS IS THE WAY

By Reni M. Valenzuela

Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have been knocking around tricky thorny paths that could lead them to undesirable destinations as individuals and top boxers. They need some changing of “gears” soon enough to make a truly
wonderful turnaround in their personal life and boxing career, and perhaps agree to
finally make the most-awaited duel of the century in May. Here’s a piece of truth
to ponder for this generations two most exciting fighters. God bless them both!

Dear Mayweather and Pacquiao:

You are on a pilgrimage, well headed to a place right where your steps exactly
point. And pursuing the Way to a God-ordained destiny is a matter of the heart’s
condition more than anything else: “Above all, guard your heart with vigilance, for
out of it flow the springs of life.” – Proverbs 4:23

Everything seems good to a person who treks on the wrong route unless he sees
the end. Only in darkness you get to enjoy the misleading entrapments of the
momentary “bliss” the world offers by denying the Truth to stray from the Path.
And because only in the Light you get to recognize the Way, you’re safely in
the care of a loving Father who readily brings you back on track as you expose
yourself under the Son.

“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways of
death.” – Proverbs 16:25. “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is
fullness of joy.” – Psalm 16:11

Don’t tell Heaven you’re going south when your travel leads you to the north.
Tragically, this is the case with millions of people around the world today.
They have their feet directed to a destination they never intended to go only to
realize late enough nothing can be more miserable. And that nothing can be more
tormenting and despairing than to think of the gloriousness of life they have missed
when the one single bridge to pass through going back is, alas, gone forever.

Even the Prophet Jonah, being a forthright, honest and rebellious servant of God
that he was, did not delude himself and deny he was on his way to Tarsus when he
took a ship headed for that same wrong place despite he knew so clearly he was

supposed to be moving towards the city of Nineveh as the Almighty instructed him
to warn the people of an impending doom and proclaim the message of repentance.
Yet Jonah did not escape the horrible consequence of his bad choice if only to
correct his heart and make him submit at will to take the right direction instead.

“… When His voice resounds, He holds nothing back. God’s voice thunders in
marvelous ways; He does great things beyond our understanding.” – Job 37:4,5

No one could be so deaf and blind as the one who wouldn’t hear and see. And be
not afraid of echoes and shadows for they merely signify that there is a message
deep in the soul and a light shining out in the open finding its way into your life.

It doesn’t matter how despicable your situation in the past may be or how bleak
tomorrow may seem to you when you know for sure things were beyond your
control, there is no excuse. You have today to move on, but turnaround. Forgive
and be humble. It’s never too late. God is good and powerful. Though your life is
yours to make, and remake.

Everyday you are confronted with varied options to decide “which way to go.”
Your loved ones can only do so much providing guidance and they are certainly
not glued to you all the time and in all places. They have basically nothing major
to do with your past, present and future. You are young but not a child; you may be
old but not without a future.

Possibilities and opportunities are in the palm of your hands.

The door to great joys begins to open as you take the first step to obey. But
don’t blame yourself for failures “behind you” since life’s storehouse offers no
commodity that brings regret and defeat to a person who has the right attitude; one
whose sights are set heavenwards, who learns and keeps on learning out of the
circumstances of life, good or bad. For he who never makes mistake indeed will
never make discovery.

“One step forward in obedience to Sovereign leading is worth many years of study
about it.” – Oswald Chambers

Like it or not, you are what you are because you made your life as such, being
the man or woman you emerged to be by deliberately choosing the path and
traveling the distance yourself towards that direction. It was your own choosing,
not necessarily God`s.

You did not evolve to be a human being. Almighty God created you. But you

evolved to be the person that you are now and it was you who re-created yourself.

You are the best as far as God`s ordained destiny for your very life is concerned.
No other created being can be better than you in that regard. You have been
uniquely fashioned in accordance with God`s infinite grace and wisdom. There is
only one you and God has certain designated purposes for you in this world that
only you can accomplish to bless mankind and bring glory to His name. “For it
is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.” -
Philippians 2:13

You are who you are because of God`s design and you have no recourse but be
thankful to Him: “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your
works are wonderful, I know that full well.”- Psalm 139:14

Stop the blame game. It was not without your conscious mind functioning that you
took those steps from whence you came from, a year or many years back. You are
well aware every step of the way.

No one goes to Heaven or hell on account of other people’s decision and action.

Precisely, the main issue is you and it’s all about God and His mighty purposes for
your life. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper
you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

Life is a matter so personal and intimate between you and your Creator. Anything
less and beyond this is deception. Others have their own lives to live and likewise
they are all exclusively and individually accountable to God. They are themselves
and you are yourself, lest you forget. People are important and no man is an
island, but essentially you are on your own.

Even the government or the Church has basically nothing to do with whatever
plight you may be in at this point in time. Politics, economics, academics and
religion are fundamentally irrelevant to your abject or sound condition.

It is not what comes your way that defines the shape of things in your life; it’s
how you react and respond to what comes your way. “Not by what life brings to
you but by the attitude you bring to life.”

Other than you, nobody else grips and controls your will. Not even God. The Lord
guides and is being merciful but He won’t drive nor manipulate you. Whether
you’re going to spend life in the Kingdom or in the pit while on earth or in the
hereafter, it’s your decision. People may help or hinder you, but they don’t possess

you. You’re in charge.

No one reaches a place who does not take the road and travel the required distance
going there.

God is most powerful and sovereign but He does not force anyone. Otherwise,
there would have been no need for Jesus Christ to die on the cross to save the
world. The Lord did His part and did it all. With Christ’s death, burial, and
resurrection, the Gospel of redemption is complete. There is nothing you can add
to complement His atoning sacrifice on the Cross. Truly, as He lamented, gasping
for His last breath, “It is finished!” Yet He has given man the will to choose and
decide.

Now it’s up to you. Your salvation hangs on Calvary to this day and it hinges on
your own volition whether or not it can be fully yours any moment you decide.
Accept Christ or reject Him!

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you,
saying, THIS IS THE WAY; WALK IN IT.” – Isaiah 30:21

renimvalenzuela@yahoo.com