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Arizona Boxing News & Notes with Don Smith: Roy Jones Jr., ?Destroyer? on Iron Boy XV111 card By Don Smith PhilBoxing.com Sat, 13 Dec 2014  Boxing Fans, Keith Veltre, Roy Jones Jr. Boxing associate, submitted an application for a corporate Promoter?s license on December 6 at the monthly Arizona Boxing and MMA Commission Meeting held in Phoenix. Mr. Jones is planning to stage a boxing show at one of the popular Arizona Casino?s; perhaps, Talking Stick Resort and Casino on March 20. His application was approved pending confirmed venue and date information. The tentative event is expected to be televised and the confident Las Vegas resident feels Arizona is an ideal location to stage a show. Vegas is so overcrowded and expensive that promoters are beginning to see Arizona as an alternative logistical choice to the town affectionately dubbed ?sin City?. Aside from his association with Roy Jones Jr. Boxing, Veltre dabbles in a lot of capitalistic ventures and he is the owner of several athlete and celebrity memorabilia stores. Former Cincinnati Reds player and manager Pete Rose is one of his clients and has told Keith that he expects to reach Baseball?s Hall of Fame after he leaves this world. Rose was banned from baseball after his gambling exploits were revealed and scrutinized by Major League Baseball. I have an autographed framed photo of the all-time hits king. Keith and I talked in the hallway outside the Commission conference room and he said Roy is excited about bringing Jones Boxing prot?g?s: Ghana native Joseph ?King Kong? Agbeko (29-5-22 knockouts), Eric ?Baby Face? Johnson (9-0-4 knockouts) and Milo ?Hammer Hands? Montenegro (11-0-5 knockouts) to the Grand Canyon state for the future card. He also mentioned the possibility of signing popular Phoenix fighter Alexis Santiago for the show; but some rumor droppers think Santiago will appear on Sonny Gutierrez?s show in Avondale; also in March of 2015. I asked Keith about rumors that Roy Jones Jr. Produced shows were struggling at the box-office and the Jones associate said the opposite was the truth and he pointed to Roy?s home state of Florida as a very successful market for the promotion company. We exchanged contact information and he departed to catch a plane, but the affable and diversified businessman promised to stay in touch. Roy Jones Jr., still fighting at age 45, won the vacant World Boxing Union Cruiserweight Title in Russia last year in September. We didn?t discuss the possibility of Jones, 4 time division title holder, fighting on the card, next column! Iron Boy XVIII: Top Rank and Fernando Beltran prot?g? Pedro Durant (8-0) has been added to the December 20 Iron Boy XV111 show at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix. Also, headliner Andy ?The Destroyer? Ruiz Jr. may be fighting for two title belts which should make the young undefeated heavyweight (23-0-17 knockouts) very happy, if it happens. Ruiz faces world champion Sergei Liakhovich (26-6-16 knockouts) in a 10 round match that could translate into a ranking boost for the winner plus one or two belts. Sergei is a resident of Scottsdale, Arizona and he lost his title to Shannon Briggs at the old Bank One Ballpark in 2006. At age 38, Sergei thinks he still has the muscle to tussle with the big boys. The addition of Durant on the card could mean an exit visa for popular Phoenix fighter Jose Marrufo (4-2-2 ) who is mad young man after his controversial draw with New Mexico?s Josh Torres in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Marrufo trainer Jose Lopez was just as steamed and wants a rematch, but won?t be surprised if Torres says no mas. The scheduled Celebrity Theater card is very impressive. In addition to Ruiz, Durant and Liakhovich, here is a confirmed list of fighters set for the Iron Boy XV111 December 20th show at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix: NABF Junior Super Featherweight titleholder and two times Mexican Olympian Oscar Valdez (13-0-12 KO)- Top Rank Prospect and Phoenix resident Trevor McCumby whose record (17-0-14 KO) indicates he knows how to turn the lights out on most light heavyweight opponents - 19 year old fast hitting bantamweight Francisco C. de Vaca turns 20 on January 20 and he wouldn?t mind celebrating his B-day a little early with a victory party at the Celebrity-18 year old David Benavidez (7-0-7 KO) will be making his U.S.A debut as a super Middleweight. All of his victories came in Mexico where he turned Professional at age 16. Middleweight Joey ?The Boxer? Ruelas (8-1-1) is out to prove that his lone loss can be followed by win-Alexis Zazueta (3-0-3 KO) hopes to show fans why super-agent Cameron Dunkin signed him. Alexis is a good kid and a fine prospect. The official weigh-in will be held at Crescent Crown Distribution in Mesa, Arizona and all who come are encouraged to bring a toy for the US Marines? Toys for Tots program. Tickets are on sale at the Celebrity box-office or through the Iron Boy web-site. The Doors open at 5 PM. License Renewal: Iron Boy?s Roberto Vargas was approved for a 2015 promoter?s license at the 12/8 Arizona Boxing/MMA conference meeting and the following 8 2015 show dates at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix were also given the green light: Saturday, 2/28, Saturday 4/28, Saturday, 5/23, Saturday, 7/25, Saturday, 8/22, Saturday, 9/26, Saturday 10/24 and Saturday, 11/21. There is a possibility that Iron Boy may ask for 1-2 more dates in 2015.. Roberto Vargas is CEO of Iron Boy and Mike Sanchez serves as Match Maker, Emily Pandelakis is the company publicist. Brito Time: I received a call from a wondering and admiring female boxing fan concerning whether or not Arizona Bantamweight Edgar Brito (3-0-1) is still a member of the Iron Boy boxing team and the answer is an emphatic yes. She clicked onto the Iron Boy website and when she didn?t see Brito listed on the Iron Boy roster; she fired off an email inquiring about his whereabouts. Chill Elizabeth, Iron Boy, according to a spokesperson, revamped their website recently and the deletion of Mr. Brito from the Iron Boy was due to a technical glitch and yes, Edgar is still a contracted member of the elite Arizona based boxing Team I reported in my last column that the young and popular fighter was expected to fight on the Iron Boy XV111 card at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix on December 20, but matching him with a proper foe has been a bear of a task so far and it looks like his next fight could be on Saturday, February 28, 2015 Show at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix: unless another venue and event becomes available. Iron Boy?s request for 8 shows at the Celebrity in 2015 was approved by the Arizona Boxing/MMA Commission on December 8. Brito is contractually signed with Iron Boy and he understands the difficulty in finding quality opponents for bantamweights; unfortunately, ring rust is always a concern! Silver Gloves: 2016 Olympic hopeful Sulem Urbina Soto, sister of Slain Olympic boxing hopeful Alexis Urbina (September of 2013), was introduced and saluted by USA Boxing Arizona Official Richard Soto, no relation, at the Silver Gloves Championships in Phoenix on 12/6 for her accomplishments as a pugilist. The two day event was held at the Iron Boy Boxing Gym and the facility was packed (SRO) on Saturday and Sunday?s crowd brought in less fans which was attributed to the televised showing of the Arizona Cardinal versus Kansas City Chiefs NFL game. The event was initially programmed for three days, but the number of actual bouts was best suited for two days. Sulem entrance to the center of the ring was met with a standing ovation and cheers. After the ovation subsided, Sulem thanked the community for their support and began quietly announcing the names of the tournament?s ?Automatic? Winners. USA Boxing Arizona official Mike Sanchez was kind enough to email the correctly spelled names of the automatic winners: Ray Maldonado (PEE Wee Division)-Angel Ortiz (Bantamweight Division)- Breenan Macias (Senior Division)- Robert Meriwether (60 Lb. Division)-Jose Miranda (95 lb. weight class)-Jaciel Carbajal (106 lb. weight class)-Zues Pinder (70 lb. weight class)-Intermediate:Rene3 De La Pena (75 lb. weight class)-Alexis Solares (119 lb. weight class)-Donte Langhorne (75 lb. weight class)-Edwin Mendez ((85 lb. weight class)-Ruben Gonzalez (156 lb. weight class)-Joel Marquez (80 lb. weight class)-Jordan Vargas (112 lb. weight class) Silver Bout results: Jacob Gerardo (Azteca Boxing) was selected outstanding fighter of the tournament after defeating Tyler Echeveria (Fuentes Boxing) and Ernesto Longoria (Salvation Army). Gerardo is a young fighter to watch. The outstanding Team Award went to Azteca Boxing with 4 wins in the Tournament. USA Boxing Arizona referee Jerry Grimes won the outstanding official award for his 25 years of loyal and dedicated service to boxing. It is always hard to pick a best of anything and the following young warriors deserve special acknowledgement for their skills displayed in the ring and their personal conduct outside of the battle space: Hyrum Correa (Azteca), Oscar De Leon (Fuentes Boxing), Jesus Ramos (Ramos Boxing), Aaron Garcia (Fuentes Boxing), Tyler Echeveria (Fuentes Boxing), Mario Ruiz (Broadway), Armando Chavez (Guadalupe), Luis Retana (Fuentes Boxing), Xavier Godin (unattached), James Browning (Guadalupe), Royal Bailey (Gene Lewis), Kevin Carbajal), Adrian Servin (KO Boxing), Micky Scala (Broadway), Julian Lopez (Central), Carlos Velasquez (KO Boxing), James Sakishima (Hammer Boxing), Jameel Maldonado (Azteca), Maximus Castro (Knockout Boxing), David Ortiz (Broadway), Iziah Santa Cruz (Scrap yard Boxing), Edward Ceballos (Fuentes Boxing), Andrew Corona (Knockout Boxing), Brandon Lobatos (Iron Boy), Jose Escarcega (Iron Boy), Steven King (Central), Fabian Longoria (Salvation Army), Dorian Khan (Iron Boy), Caleb Cantu (AZ Fight Club and Noah Contreras (Mohave Valley). I listed everyone in the tourney because there are no losers in amateur boxing. Post Script: I had a good timed at the tournament and would like to thank Iron Boy CEO Roberto Vargas and publicist Emily Pandelakis for the invitation. I only saw one person whose behavior was inappropriate and he was reprimanded several times by referee Richard for failure to turn off his camera flash during bouts. The same person whined about ring decisions and his attitude was way off base. There is always at least one jerk at every event. I thought there were several fighters who could have nabbed the outstanding fighter award including Aaron Garcia from Fuentes Boxing, Adrian Servin (KO Boxing), James Browning from Guadalupe, Xavier Gordin from Unattached Boxing, James Nakosnima from Hammer Boxing and Edward Ceballos from Fuentes Boxing. A special shout out to Luis Retana (Fuentes Boxing) who battled tough Xavier Gordin hard despite his lack of ring experience; both young men are stars in my book. Adrian Servin gets some ?grief? for his alleged lack of punching power, but in his battle with tough Kevin Carbajal, Adrian showed some muscle. I thought their match was one of the three best matches of the tournament, hands down! Servin and Carbajal are good Pro prospects in my humble opinion. Adrian?s Mom gets a special mention because she reads my column. Yeah I know, self-indulgence is a selfless act of vanity. She is definitely a caring Mom who stands by her son. Alvarez Update: Candice Alvarez, proud mother of Amateur boxer Albert Alvarez (Red Nation Warrior Boxing), sent an email stating that Albert would be entering USA Boxing National Championships in Spokane Washington, January 17-24, 2015 with a chance to represent Team USA Team USA in the 2015 Pan American Games and a possible chance to qualify for the 2016 U.S.A. Olympic Team. Candice said her son was disappointed with his performance at the Gene Lewis Tournament in November and she attributes his loss to his desire to fight at in a lower weight class and dropped the pounds too quickly. For the record Albert weighed 173 for the tournament which is quite a departure from his 190 lb. plus weight in previous bouts. His goal is to slim down to 160, but he may have a change of heart and decide to fight at 170. After the Nationals, the Native American boxing Warrior might turn professional. I am sure Candice will let me know of his decision. Please remember to support amateur boxing by donating time or money to a good cause that keeps kids busy and builds character. Amateur boxers needs you to make their dreams come true. More News: 19 year old African amateur heavyweight Nelson Modi (4-0 with 4 knockouts) is turning a few heads with his workouts at Central Gym in Phoenix. No timetable on when he will turn Professional, but trainer Tom Garcia sees him as a keeper. According to Garcia, the 6? 5? Modi is a gifted athlete with a hammer for a right hand. It has been a few dog years since Arizona was home to a true heavyweight. Jirov was better suited as a cruiserweight. On the surface, Modi?s weight (a reported 195 lbs.) might scare off prospective promoters, but his youth and reported speed is a definite asset if true as advertised. I hope to take a peek at the young man, soon. Quick Jabs: Phoenix pugilist David Benavidez (7-0-7 knockouts) has scaled down to 168 and will make his U.S. A debut on the Iron Boy XV111 card at the Celebrity Theater on December 20 show in Phoenix. David just turned the legal age of 18; so he is legally eligible to fight in his native country. All of his 7 fights were staged in Mexico. Welcome home David and his shedding a few pounds was the right thing to do?.Super Featherweight Cesar Valenzuela (7-3-1) has a fight date in Sacramento, California with undefeated Andy Vences (9-0) on January 24, 2015, 10 days before the NFL Pro Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. Cesar, according to sources, trains at J & C Boxing in Phoenix, but their phone # isn?t listed; so I couldn?t confirm his relationship with the gym?Sonny Gutierrez and Rigoberto Ledezma (Fight Hard Promotions) have submitted a request for a promoters license which will allow them to put on a March boxing show at the American Sports Center in Avondale, Arizona and the weigh-in will be held at Sonny?s Gym the day before the event. Ironically one of the two dates submitted by Fight Hard Promotions is already booked by another promoter of a different sport. Welcome to te world of promoting. ?..According to inside sources, several people are thinking about applying for an Arizona match makers license. Mike Sanchez. Arizona?s only licensed match maker warns anyone thinking about becoming a match maker to be prepared to work hard. He said he welcomes any new Match Maker willing to embrace the sport and do the work. Court Update: Legally challenged boxing coach Damien Stone and his court appointed attorney (Nathan Carr 111) were granted a new court date for Mr. Stone?s Maricopa County Superior Court appearance to face sexual solicitation charges levied at the 40 year old Arizona resident by an undercover female police officer whom he thought was a mere 16 years of age. After the lure the married father was willing to pay the officer $150.00 for special sexual favors according to the Official Police report which I read twice. Mr. Stone is expected to face Maricopa County Superior court Judge Kiley in January, 2015; no trial date has been set. Sad to report! Mr. Stone has a prior conviction on 1 count of soliciting prostitution. He consented to a plea agreement. Controversial Application: Maritza Saenz, co-founder of the now resolved Ben Miranda Boxing Promotions company (BMBP), visited the Arizona Boxing Commission on Monday 12//8 to seek approval for a 2015 boxing promoter?s license and a venue (The Pressroom in Downtown Phoenix) and fight date (2/21) approval; but her motion was tabled until the next commission meeting on January 12, 2015. Maritza was told by the commission to make some noticeable changes after her first show at the Phoenix Convention Center was panned by members of the Arizona Boxing Commission who thought the card presented was controversial and contained a majority of mismatches. Also there were several vocal complaints, from local politicians and the Hispanic community, about naming the company after deceased Arizona State Legislator Ben Miranda, Maritza? father. And the Commission also admonished Ms. Saenz for selecting an inexperienced match maker and other key personnel with suspect backgrounds. Ms. Saenz filed her paperwork under the corporate name of Bout Maker Boxing Promotions (BMBP) and she has been talking to licensed California matchmaker Edward Rodriquez who has been a matchmaker since 2010. I talked to Jason Charles, son of the late CNN sportscaster Nick Charles and owner of the renovated Pressroom formerly known as the Madison Events Center where raging Babe Promotions staged several boxing events. We didn?t discuss the Bout Maker Boxing Promotions or the past troubles encountered by BMBP. If the commission can give them a second chance; so can I. Jason and I talked several minutes while he was atop a ladder at the club. During our phone conversation Jason asked if I was aware of his father?s work and I replied yes. Nick Charles covered boxing in addition to other newsworthy events and he was well remembered for his interest in social issues. Nick Charles died as a result of Bladder Cancer in 2011, he was 64 years old. To check out the Pressroom, located at 441 W. Madison Street in Phoenix, entertainment menu, go to their website or call 602-396-7136; the venue presents a very diverse evening of entertainment for event goers. I truly hope Ms. Saenz and her new associates succeed in creating an honorable boxing enterprise. Boxing Chatter: A source, close to veteran lightweight Raymundo Beltran (Phoenix resident), reports that the genuine nice guy is considering retirement. Say it isn?t so, but all things come to an end. I told Ray before the loss to Crawford for the WBO lightweight title that he would always be a champion in the Phoenix boxing community, ?win, lose or draw??.48 year old Rollin Williams is o-4 since his return to the ring, but the affable boxing mentor isn?t ready to give up. Williams told me he feels close to victory and thinks the judges might have taken one or two victories from him. After watching the Tyson Gay fight and decision on ESPN last week, he might be right. Boxing is a great sport; however the judging sometimes stinks. Rollin?s last fight was against Mike Jimenez (16-0) in Hammond Indiana where he lost by scores of 76-75 and 78-73 x 2 in an 8 round contest. The loss dropped Rollin?s record to 23-20-2; better luck next time! Side Stuff: The Toronto Sun ran a story (12/4) about a less than flattering story about World Boxing Champion Adonis Stevenson and his criminal past and inferred that he would never achieve overwhelming popularity because of his conviction for being a member of a prostitution ring in Canadian when he was a young man. His current promoter tried to sweep the conviction under the rug knowing it wouldn?t sit well with public. Henri Westcott, formerly of Fan Base promotions, called me a month or so before the Haitian born fighter fought and knocked out Jesus ?El Martillo? in the first round of their 2012 bout. He told me that Stevenson had an ugly past, but he couldn?t find anyone to talk about it. I contacted the promoter via email and phone, but he ignored me. After a week or two of intense investigation, I was about ready to give up when a female police officer in Quebec Province told me Stevenson was convicted of kidnapping young women and holding them as pimp bait. Parents were frantic and some hired private investigators to locate their daughters. I wrote a story, but Stevenson?s people thought Gonzales broke the story because he was wearing a logo on his trunks in support of women who were abused at their weigh-In, Stevenson was furious and his promoter finally broke his silence about his fighter?s ugly past in a soft pedaling sort of way. News of his shameless criminal involvement spread days before the Stevenson/ Gonzales fight and Team Stevenson put the blame on Gonzales and his team. In reality, Arizona Boxing News and notes was the culprit. I informed my Canadian journalism colleagues of my finding and they followed sjuit and printed stories. Now you have the real story. The Toronto Sun meant well! More Boxing Chatter: It?s not official, but Walter Santibanes, Keenan Carbajal and Brandon Riddell are rumored to fight at the Pressroom in Phoenix if the promoter (BMBP) gets her promoter?s license approved and the venue and date (2/21) is approved, Carbajal has some red flags, so let?s see what happens.?. Phoenix Welterweight Jose Benavidez Jr. (21-0-15 knockouts) may need a career best performance to beat Mauricio Herrera (21-4) boxing veteran from Riverside California. Although some prognosticators smell an upset, I see Jose dazzling his 34 year old opponent with too much hand speed and nifty foot work. I predict a late knockout or a unanimous decision in favor of the 22 year old Jose Benavidez Jr. The fight is on HBO (12/13) and if you want to go out, the event is being shown at Twin Peaks Sports bar & Grill in Phoenix and other sports bar locations across the country. Please Help: 14 year old phoenix boxer Lilly Marine (Azteca Boxing) lost her mother to stomach cancer this week (12/10/Wednesday night) and I hope everyone will assist and support her in her time of grief. People able to help can call boxing trainer Jose Lopez at 602-435-2464 for ?Go Fund Me? link and bank account number to make donation. . My condolence to the family? Until Next Time! Click here to view a list of other articles written by Don Smith.  |
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