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Arizona Boxing News & Notes with Don Smith: Arizona Prospect Retires, Iron Boy 39 & Boxing News


PhilBoxing.com



Luis Olivares.

Boxing Fans, Arizona welterweight prospect Luis Olivares (13-0-9 knockouts) has abruptly retired after failing to resolve issues with his ?agent? of record, Florida attorney Antonio Gonzales. We tried on two separate occasions to contact Mr. Gonzalez to no avail. Should he eventually respond to our query, we will print his comments without editing.

The fighter?s beef with his agent and attorney revolves around a lack of ring activity and a failure to deliver promises made to the 24 year old when he signed contracts with Gonzales and SMS Promotions in 2013. SMS, the brainchild of rapper Curtis Jackson (50 cent) has since folded -leaving Luis without a promoter on record.

Before his surprising announcement, Olivares was arguably the second best active native born Arizona boxer. Super middleweight David Benavidez (18-0-17 knockouts), on the brink of fighting for a world championship, deserves that distinction hands down.
ABNN spoke to an Olivares associate who said Luis is expecting a child with his girlfriend and the September birth prompted him to abandon his boxing career for obvious personal and financial reasons. In the meantime, Luis is working as a trainer at (Busted Knuckle Boxing) and hopes to resolve the issue; but, reportedly he doesn?t have access to the financial muscle for a buyout with Gonzales. His supporters tell us he wants out of the contract as a matter of principle; apparently staying with Gonzalez isn?t an option.

The tension between Gonzalez and Olivares has been building for more than a year with no solution in sight. Luis last fought in December of 2016 when he won against Carlos Velaquez. The plight of Arizona boxing is healthier with the inclusion of Olivares.

Boxing News: Boxing Icon Floyd Mayweather may be retired but his mouth is very active. In a recent interview the loud one expressed his opinion that there are three fighters who can beat GGG: Saul Alvarez, Andre Ward and of course, Floyd Mayweather. In our opinion, there are at least three active fighters who can beat ?King? Floyd if he were to make a comeback; GGG, Errol Spence and Keith Thurman. ABNN hasn?t joined other sports journalists in hyping the proposed Macgregor/Mayweather face off. We respect the sport of boxing; enough said?.. 36 year old Orlando Salido (44-13-4-31 knockouts) looked out of shape in his last fight even though he had enough machismo to get off the canvas and knockout Aristides Perez in the 8th stanza. Fans still want him to fight WBO featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (8-1-6 knockouts) again. Boxing whisperers believe it may happen late this summer. Salido resides in the Valley of the Sun, trains in Phoenix at Fuentes Boxing and he is a good guy; but father time may be his worst enemy. Salido handed the Ukrainian fighter his only loss in 2014 with a split decision verdict. ??. Knockout Boxing has relocated to Central Boxing in Phoenix after a lease dispute with former landlord. Undefeated super bantamweight Carlos Castro (18-0) and super flyweight Sulem Urbina Soto Ochoa (5-0) are 2 of many local boxers linked to Knockout Boxing and trainer Andrew Soto?.Phoenix channel 5 TV (CBS) dropped by Central Boxing Gym to talk to local lightweight boxer David Courtney (1-6) before he fought on a private card at the Camelback Inn on Thursday June 1. We held a Q&A session with David last year and our piece centered on David?s experience in a boot camp for incorrigibles and how he has turned his life around through boxing with help from boxing manager and trainer Tom Garcia. His boxing skills are limited and we sadly report that he was knocked out by Manuel Lopez (no official record found) in the private show and taken to a local hospital for treatment of a fractured and broken jaw that required surgery the next day. We wish him the best and hope he pursues a more realistic career with a future...?..the once accessible Andrew ?Hurricane? Hernandez has been quiet in recent weeks. We reached a Hernandez associate who told us the 31 year old middleweight would like to fight at 154 lbs. and challenge WBA-NABA-USA super welterweight champion John Vera. Vera is fighting at Wild Horse Pass Casino in Chandler on July 15 The show is promoted and produced by Roy Jones Jr. Promotions. Don?t be surprised if Andrew attends and has something to say to Mr. Vera, a very nice young man.

Iron Boy 39: The previously printed tentative Iron Boy 39 bout sheet has undergone a face lift and here is the latest info on the card. Carlos Castro and Luis Espinoza are off the card unless mountains are moved. Heavyweight B. J. Flores 33-3-1-21 knockouts is on the card. Arizona welterweight favorite Abel Ramos (17-2-2-12 knockouts) is considered the co-main and Top Rank?s super welterweight prospect Danny Valdivia (14-0) will fight at the Celebrity Theatre in a special bout. Cameron Dunkin?s 143 lb. Prot?g? Brandum Lee (2-0) makes his first Arizona appearance. Dunkin also manages Arizona light heavyweight Trevor McCumby (24-0-19 knockouts and ABNN would like to see him fight more; a question a lot of boxing fans are asking. Top Rank is his official promoter.

On paper, IB 39 looks like an entertaining card. I particularly like the super welter matchup between former Arizona Marine Jaime Bojado (2-0) and Cliff Jordan; neither man backs up or down; young Bojado may have his hands full with the feisty Jordan.

Familiar faces on the card include former Olympic flyweight hopeful Adrian Servin (4-0-2 knockouts), Bantamweight Ryan Riddell (4-0-3 knockouts), super bantamweight Edgar Ortiz (4-1-2 knockouts), local sensations: featherweight Edward Ceballos (5-1-1-2 knockouts) and super welterweight Eben Vargas (5-0-3 knockouts). Iron Boy 39 is center stage at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix on June 24; doors open at 5 pm, 1st bout (Brandum Lee) starts swings at 6 PM. Tickets are available online or at the box-office.

Ward Vs. Kovalev: Boxing insiders are predicting more than 1.5 million PPV buys for the June 17th Las Vegas Mandalay Bay Event Center PPV televised (HBO) encounter between WBA-IBF-WBO Light Heavyweight Champion Andre Ward and Challenger Sergey Kovalev. Billed as the ?The Rematch? the two warriors fought last November with Ward winning by a very controversial Unanimous decision. ABNN had Kovalev winning by a count 7-5 rounds.

According to a couple of well-placed phone calls, we were able to establish the box-office cost of tickets for the show range from $119.15-$1,323.00- that includes fees. There are 6 levels of pricing and fans can check availability by calling 1-877-632-7400 (toll free). ABNN has requested press credentials for the event.

We don?t have a list of Phoenix theatres or sports bars showing the action; but we received call from Bandaids Show Club on 7th Street near downtown Phoenix, informing us that the establishment is showing the fight and no cover for early arrivals. We also know that AMC theatres in Arizona are skipping the showing event. Some of their theatres carried the Canelo/Chavez bout and did very well. The fight was a bomb but money was made. The under-card for the June 17 show features: Rigondeaux vs. Flores, Arias vs. Magomedov, Williams vs. Martin, Pena vs. Alexander, Younan vs. Sera, Gogokhia vs. Steele and Murtazaliev vs. Shemell. Normally, PPV telecasts show four fights to their paid and unpaid subscribers; piracy is still a problem!

Mail Bag: Sarah Guerra wants to know when the Q & A session with former middleweight champion David Lemieux will be printed and the answer is as soon as Mr. Lemieux send his responses back He is on vacation???Iron Boy CEO Roberto Vargas sent word that he had a difference of opinion with my printed remarks about a possible matchup between Diego De La Hoya (18-0) and Iron Boy contracted boxer Carlos Castro (18-0). I merely pointed out that De La Hoya has very little incentive to fight Castro because the California fighter has higher name recognition and is farther up the food chain of rankings than Mr. Castro. Mr. Vargas, in my opinion, thought I was downplaying the skills of Castro and I wasn?t; if De La Hoya agrees to the fight, I?m all for it.

2017 Regional JO Results: a talented contingent of Arizona boxers traveled to Longmont Colorado to compete in the Region 9 4 corners Junior Olympic Tournament held May 26-27. Here is a list of winners advancing to the JO finals in Charleston, West Virginia, June 25-July 1. Arizona?s Andrew Corona was named outstanding boxer in the 11-12 65 lb. division. Unopposed Champions from Arizona: Mariah Martinez 13-14-75 lbs., Mariah Bahe 13-14-85 lbs., Hyrum Correra 13-14-85 lbs., Raina Ruiz 13-14-85 lbs., Bryant Miranda 13-14 95 lbs., Elijah Garcia 13-14 145 lbs., Helenie Vasquez 15-16 125 lbs., Victoria Gaytan 15-16-135 lbs. and Andrew Corona 11-12 65 lbs. Championship Bout Results: Jameel Maldonado 11-12-70 lbs., Elijah Olivas 11-12-85 lbs., Colby Maciel 15-16-114 lbs., Adrian Rodriguez 15-16-101 lbs., Lily Keating 15-16-110 lbs. and Ray Maldonado 11-12 -60 lbs. Good luck in West Virginia.

More Amateur Boxing News: National P.A.L. Tournament in Oxnard California ?June 19-24?..Madison Boxing presents Star Spangled Battle II on Saturday, June 10 at Greenfield Elementary-70095 South 10th Street in Phoenix. 1st bout commences at 2 pm, admission is $10.00. Call Ricky at 602-434-7770 for more details?..J.O. Golden Gloves on 6/23 (7 pm)-24 (2 pm) at Central Boxing Gym on 17th Avenue & Van Buren in Phoenix?? more Boxing at Central Gym on 10/07; ShowTime at 12:30 pm?.. USA Boxing Arizona Chief of Officials Richard Soto, a tireless champion for amateur boxing, is taking a well-deserved hiatus from boxing; he will resume his duties after June 6. We wish him and his family well!

Short Jabs: 145 lb. Jamon Lewis (Hammer Boxing) is ready to turn professional at age 19 in September. He is the son of former Arizona boxer Rollin Williams?.. Iron Boy matchmaker Mike Sanchez and the Mrs. Are celebrating their 39th wedding Anniversary this month, congratulations and people said it wouldn?t last-just kid?. The July 15 boxing show at Wild Horse Casino is headlined by WBA-NABA-USA super welterweight champion John Vera and we hear three Arizona prize fighters: middleweight Daniel Garcia (4-0-1 knockout), Guillermo Adolfo (debut) and lightweight Ivan de la Madrid (3-1) have been added to the Roy Jones Jr. promotions produced show. All three train at Busted Knuckle Boxing in Tempe?. According to sources, Arizona super welterweight Eben Vargas (5-0-3 knockouts) Alberto Alvarez (2-0) and super lightweight Alfredo Escarcega Jr. (2-0) are preparing for the July 29 Casino Del Sol- Golden Boy Show in Tucson according to our sources?. Super featherweight Cesar Alan Valenzuela?s loss to Carlos Morales (16-1-3) in Vegas can be attributed to a virus he contracted days before the bout. Valenzuela ((14-5-1) has no one to blame but himself for his listless performance. The Pacquiao/Horn fight on July 2 in Brisbane is listed as a PPV event; so far, carrier is unknown ??.. The Muay Thai show set for Tuesday, June 6 at the Legends Event Center on Camelback Road in Phoenix will present kick boxing as well as Muay Thai matches. In our last column ABNN included boxing in the program; in reality, it?s kick boxing, sorry?? Until Next Time!


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Don Smith.


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