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Arizona Boxing News & Notes with Don Smith: Trevor McCumby Passes Test, RJJ Inks Palicte & More By Don Smith PhilBoxing.com Thu, 01 Dec 2016  McCumby. Boxing Fans, HBO replayed the Ward vs. Kovalev fight as a lead in to the November 26 Lomachenko vs. Walters?s title tiff at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas and the decision to do so motivated some viewers to call and complain. In Arizona, a large contingent of fans were primed to watch Arizona Light Heavyweight Trevor McCumby (24-0-19 knockouts) battle Donovan George (25-7-2-22 knockouts) in a pivotal match for both fighters; instead viewers had to settle for a live stream broadcast of the bout over the internet or wait until result surfaced through other means of messaging; what a bummer! George needed a win to prove that he wasn?t a shadow of his former self. He had managed to win only once in his last 5 bouts and at age 32, the Chicago born pugilist was starting to hear jeers instead of cheers. The 24 year old McCumby, born and raised just outside of Chicago, entered the contest undefeated but critics questioned his chin, heart, hand speed and the quality of competition he faced in building his perfect record. I agree that Top Rank has brought him along slowly and doing so, may have done him more harm than good. The kid is ready, in my opinion, to start banging on bigger doors to speed up the process in his attempt to become a champion. McCumby, fighting out of Busted Knuckle Boxing in Glendale, Arizona has tremendous power in either hand as witnessed by George who went down twice in the first round from crushing left hooks and bone jarring overhand rights. Referee Robert Byrd stopped the contest at the 1:48 mark of the first stanza. George isn?t the same contending fighter he was 3-4 years ago; but, the fight provided positive exposure for a young boxer who wants to contend and not pretend. I talked to Wayne Viers, Busted Knuckle Trainer, via telephone two days after the victory and he was still in celebratory mode. I asked him if he thought McCumby was ready for at least a minor title shot and he replied ?most definitely.? He went on to further add that the writer who described McCumby as having slow hands wasn?t watching the same fighter, he trained. Viers said HBO?s failure to show the undercard was a surprise; but Wayne and his brother Alan (co-trainer) believe it is just a matter of time until Trevor earns a title shot. In the meantime the mantra is simple: stay ready, stay focused. Short Jabs: He is only 14 14 years old; but, Arizona amateur boxer Moises Rosales is drawing rave reviews from onlookers who watch his workouts at Fuentes Boxing Gym in Phoenix, Arizona. When I last visited, the humble high school student was fighting a 21 year old amateur and winning the sparring session. How dedicated is he to the sport? His mom told me his former girlfriend gave him an ultimatum to spend more time with her and less time in the gym. You guessed it, she cut loose. Moises recently won the prestigious Gene Lewis Tournament in the 138 lb. category and a Gold medal at the Silver Gloves event in Goodyear. The kid is an all-around winner, no wonder his mom radiates when she talks about him?.Arizona welterweight Abel Ramos shared Thanksgiving with his family in Arizona City and then packed a bag and returned to California to continue his work with junior welterweight Sergey ?Samurai? Lipinets as the Kazakhstan born 27 year old contender prepares for his 12 round 12 round title eliminator bout with Australian Lenny Zappavigna (35-2-25 knockouts) to be shown on Showtime December 10. More Jabs: The Andy Ruiz Jr (29-0-19 knockouts) vs. Joseph Parker (21-0-18 knockouts) 12 round contest to fill the vacated WBO World Heavyweight Title slot will be aired live on Box Nation from Auckland, New Zealand and as a lead in (tape delay) to the Terrence Crawford (29-0-20 knockouts) vs. John Molina Jr (29-6-23 knockouts) seen on HBO, later in the day. Crawford is expected to retain his WBC & WBO super lightweight titles on the Champ?s home turf of Omaha, Nebraska. In the FYI category, New Zealand clocks are 19 hours in advance of the time registered in Omaha. We don?t know what this added attraction will do to the pre-existing under-card; but we do hope it doesn?t preempt the scheduled Ray Beltran (31-7-1-19 knockouts) vs. Mason Menard (32-1-24 knockouts) lightweight tussle. Ray lives in Phoenix and his fans might bristle a bit if his bout is live streamed instead of broadcasted on HBO??As for the Parker vs. Ruiz battle, this corner likes Parker even though Ruiz is much improved in recent years. When I saw him battle in Phoenix, he was ?mucho? overweight and considered a one dimensional ring presence. Boxing is a serious business and I guess someone whispered that sentiment in his ear and he heard it loud and clear. Fans tell us Andy is a super guy; but, our pick is Parker, sorry Andy. Prayers Extended: 26 year old former British Middleweight Champion Nick Blackwell (19-4-1) was rushed to St. Mary?s Hospital in Paddington (West area of London, England) on November 22 after suffering head trauma from a sparring session that is under investigation. Blackwell was forced to retire from the sport after taking a brutal beating from current British middleweight champion Chris Eubanks Jr. in March of this year. At the time of his collapse, he didn?t have a license to box and his family and friends are outraged that he was permitted to spar, given his health concerns. Arizona Boxing News & Notes joins the world boxing community in praying for his recovery and we hope all state boxing commissions are acutely aware of the need for more safety precautions in protecting boxers from similar incidents. Blackwell won his title at age 20 in 2010. Boxing Notes: Native American amateur boxer Emilio Alvarez will fight on December 10 at the Madison Boxing hosted smoker, held on the campus of the Greenfield Elementary School at 7009 South 10th street in Phoenix. Older brother Albert (1-0) hopes to notch his second professional victory in a bout tentatively scheduled for December 16 in Nogales, Mexico. For more info on the 2 PM starting smoker, call Coach Ricky Ricardo at 602-434-7770 for complete details. Arizona Boxing News & Notes will attend and we encourage all boxing fans to support amateur boxing??Intriguing card happening in Miami Oklahoma at the Buffalo Run Casino on December 10. Junior welterweight Phenom Ivan ?The Beast? Baranchyk and heavyweight knockout sensation Trey-Lippe Morrison headline a show that is expected to sell-out. Trey is the son of the late Tommy Morrison and Ivan was rumored to be in line to fight Arizona?s Abel Ramos; but Team Baranchyk denied those reports?.Golden Boy Promotions is ecstatic over the recent signing of amateur standout Ryan Garcia who will make his professional debut on the Hopkins vs. Smith Card at the Forum in Los Angeles on December 17. Garcia has a closet full f boxing medals including the honor of being a 15 time National Gold Medal Champion. Good seats are still available for the show. As we went to press, Arizona welterweight Luis Olivares is hoping to fight in Dallas on December 1; but, nothing was set in stone. In our last column, we mentioned that Olivares was done fighting in Arizona and a spokesperson for the Glendale Pugilist wanted Olivares fans to know he is angry over perceived politics inside Arizona boxing. He has nothing but respect for Arizona boxing fans and considers them knowledgeable and loyal. Luis aspires to win a championship for his fans and the state of Arizona?.Ryan Riddell (2-0) hopes to fight on a Roy Jones Jr. promoted Card in January and show his stuff on Iron Boy?s February show at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix. Two of Ryan?s three brothers (Brandon & Tim) have decided to resume their boxing careers after stepping away from the ring for a while. It appears that older brother Danny Riddell (boxed as an amateur) has decided to abandon the sport??.USA Boxing Arizona requested and was sent a copy of the mandated conditions of former Arizona boxing mentor Damien Stones supervised probation imposed by the Superior Court of Arizona. Stone was found guilty of ?Solicitation to commit Child/Vulnerable Adult Abuse and is currently on probation for a period 30 months that commenced on 8/12/2016. Arizona Boxing News & Notes decided to alert the boxing community of his plight as a safety precaution?..We hear Local boxer Joey Ruelas has mended and will be ready for action in January on a Roy Jones Jr promotions card in Vegas?..Arizona Boxing News & Notes has been invited to cover a boxing show south of the border into Mexico-Ole! Irish Canadian boxer Janks Trotter won?t be fighting in Calgary, Alberta in December as planned due to a scheduling snafu. More Inside Stuff: Andrew Hernandez?s recent knockout loss in Las Vegas put him on the suspended list through the middle of December; but, he hopes to return to ring action in Mexico sometime in January, 2017. The charismatic ?Fighting Pride of Arizona? celebrates his 31st birthday in December and we wish him many more future b-day cakes to slice. ? Andrew plans to fight at 160, a weight most critics feel suits him best instead of the occasional 168 lbs. he bulks up to with less than resounding success?..popular local boxing trainer Abel Cortes has stepped away from boxing out of necessity to pay bills and support his family. We hope he finds his way back to boxing; but, we understand and respect his decision to put his family first?.for the record, Arizona Boxing News & Notes talked to 50 fans who watched the Ward/Kovalev PPV fight and only 2 of the surveyed thought Ward won?..Iron Boy Promotions will present an evening of MMA on December 18 at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix?..Phoenix boxer Cesar Alan Valenzuela makes and sells ?Empanada? cookies to friends to supplement his boxing income. I was given one to eat and review while he was sparring at Fuentes Gym and my independent opinion of the sweet snack earns a tasteful thumb up?.Phoenix lightweight David Courtney (1-4) has been added to the Mayweather Promotions December 2 show at Sam?s Town in Vegas. The hard punching Courtney takes on Roland Romero (0-0) in a 4 round contest and his record doesn?t represent him fairly; the kid has some skills. Other fighters gracing the card include: Maurice Lee, Juan Hernandez, Ashley Theophane, Kevin Newman and Sharif Bogeri. Boxing on the Tube: As a service to our readers, here is a limited list of upcoming televised fights?..12/10 Joshua vs. Molina-Sky PPV?12/10 ?.12/10 Ruiz vs. Parker-UniMas?.Mares vs. Cuellar-Showtime?.12/10 Molina vs. Crawford-HBO? 12/16 Barrera vs. Shabranskyy-HBO Latino?.12/171/ Hopkins vs. Smith-HBO?1 12/17 Roy Jones Jr. presents boxing a/14 Degale vs. Jack-Showtime?.1/28 Frampton vs. Santa Cruz-Showtime?2/11 Broner vs. Granados-Showtime?.3/4 Garcia vs. Thurman-Showtime?.*Fans tuning into the Frampton/Santa Cruz 1/28 Showtime bout will get an extra bonus : Lightweight World Champion Dejan Zlaticanin vs. undefeated boxing superstar Mikey Garcia at the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It is an intriguing double header. RJJ State of Union: Roy Jones Promotions was co-founded in 2013 by 10-time world champion Roy Jones, Jr and Keith Veltre. There were a few harsh critics, in the beginning, who questioned whether or not the promotion would survive. And there were steps taken by the organization that raised a few eyebrows in boxing circles. Keep in mind; boxing is a tough business that takes a lot of money and luck to remain relevant. I personally know more than a handful of aspiring promoters who However, 3 years later, the state of RJJ Promotions appears to be very vibrant and the organization deserves praise for presenting and producing a series of entertaining cards at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center. Keith & Roy continue to sign new and exciting boxing talent and the fate of their boxers isn?t a forgone conclusion. Their innovative approach to the sport has pleased me on the two occasions I traveled to Vegas to catch RJJ shows. RJJ Promotions seems to have a grasp on what fans want and expect and they provide it. For example, RJJ scours the state of Nevada to find home grown and quality boxers. And they mix local kids with veterans young pugilists who have experienced championship challenges or are on the brink of stardom. I am referencing the recent promotional singings of former world junior lightweight Champion Bryan Vasquez (35-2-19 knockouts) and rising Filipino Flyweight boxing star Aston Francis Palicte (21-2-19 knockouts). The Filipino population in Nevada is exploding and the decision to add Palicte to the RJJ team will immediately pay dividends when the 23 year old meets defending NABF Super Flyweight Oscar Cantu at the DLEC on December 17. We don?t have a listing of other fights on the card; however RJJ Vice President of Operations Lisa Veltre is forwarding a complete bout sheet ASAP. I like the venue because it is medium size, accessible and the concessionaires are friendly & expedient. Also, rest rooms are multiple and accessible. If you drive to Las Vegas, make sure to walk over to the near by strip and be prepared for sights to remember if you enjoy people watching. Tickets for the December 17th show are available and can be purchased through Ticket Master and at the DLEC Box-Office.....Until Next Time! Click here to view a list of other articles written by Don Smith.  |
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