This Saturday night at the Chaifetz Arena on the campus of St. Louis University, Cory Spinks was scheduled to defend his IBF junior middleweight title versus Cornelius ?K9? Bundrage. But just last week, a press release came out from Don King Productions explaining that due to a myriad of reasons- chief among them a summer concert that would preclude a local radio station from participating in their promotion- that this fight would be scrapped.
But the undercard portion of this show- which features a main event of Robbie Cannon-Dannie Williams- will move on, as it has been shifted to next Friday night at the Viking Hotel.
And the reason is very simple, explained Rumble Time Promotions head Steve Smith, “I had all the local fighters on the undercard and we had our tickets sold and we didn?t want to let our fans down in St. Louis. They had paid their money and we?ll make the show carry on.”
Was Smith surprised by the announcement from DKP?
“No, I really wasn?t because I knew what they were up against,” said Smith, who lives in St. Louis.”They had a show they were competing against, [and] the same demographic that was going to come out and watch Cory were going to ?Summer Jam? the same night. I knew it would be an uphill battle.”
So DKP had no knowledge of this event when they made Spinks-Bundrage?
“They didn?t, to be honest with you. When they did it, it was a situation where they knew that they had pressure from the IBF to make this fight happen,? Smith replied. ?But it?s been so long since Cory?s fought and they were just really searching for a date and they didn?t really discover it till after they already put tickets on sale.”
Spinks is a bona fide draw in ?The Lou,? but everyone has to pick their battles. The reason why Smith has no problems in shifting over his portion of the show is simple. “Because we have a fan base,” he says, flatly. “Our friends and our local fighters, their fans are going to come out, regardless of what it is and who?s fighting. The people that are dedicated people are going to come out and watch them fight. I?m a promoter that does it the old-school way; I don?t rely on TV money or this guy or that guy. I?m the guy that does it the old school way- gets in the streets and hustles tickets and gets the commons and everybody else in St. Louis behind us and we do it the old-fashioned way with posters and word-of-mouth.”
This speaks to this fact that in today?s contemporary boxing business- the local promoters- are actually much truer ?promoters? than the brand-name firms that, for the most part, have become glorified television packagers, whose shows are basically subsidized by license fees doled out by the major television networks. Companies like Rumble Time must put asses in the seats and hustle sponsorships to make ends meet.
“Well, I think a lot of those guys deserve what they have,” said Smith, diplomatically. “Obviously, they?ve worked hard and they have the contacts to get their fighters to the next level. A lot of my fighters work with DiBella Entertainment. A guy like me gets these kids wins, brings them along the right way and then some point along the way, pairs them with a guy who can do the television deals. But to answer your question, yes, we are a company that I think is the old-school, that does boxing the way it used to be done.”
Smith says his company will be aiding King with the undercard of the August 7th show that takes place at the Scottrade Center, where IBF/WBC junior welterweight champion Devon Alexander is scheduled to face Andreas Kotelnik as the main event on HBO.
In many respects, Smith had to keep his part of the show alive. After all, he makes his home here.
“Like I said, we?re two different promoters; Don King comes once every few years. I?m a guy that has to do shows here at least once every two months,” he explained. “I?ve gotta keep the boxing thing going here in St. Louis.”
?JUANMA? AND RAFA
If Juan Manuel Lopez defeats Bernabe Concepcion as expected on July 10th in Puerto Rico, it looks like it will pave the way for a showdown with Rafael Marquez on September 18th.
“I believe that?s the fight everybody would love to see,” said Gary Shaw, who has Marquez, coming off his third-round stoppage of Israel Vazquez. “Marquez is the big Mexican fighter now, and ?JuanMa? is the big Puerto Rican fighter and I think everybody loves a big Puerto Rican-Mexican fight and to happen on September 18th would be a huge fight.”
Bob Arum confirms this.
“This is 100-percent true. Gary has been working with Fernando Beltran on Marquez and, as far as Lopez is concerned, I?ve met with Lopez?s manager yesterday, as a matter of fact, in New York, and they?re up for the fight,” he said on Friday afternoon. “And I think Fernando told me that they expect Rafael to be in Puerto Rico to watch ?JuanMa? fight Bernabe Concepcion.”
This bout would be televised by Showtime (as part of a split-site doubleheader that could include the ?Super Six? match-up between Carl Froch and Arthur Abraham) and it would be staged somewhere in Las Vegas, most likely the MGM Grand or Mandalay Bay.
“Because September 18th is the weekend of the Mexican Independence and Mexican?s really want to come to Las Vegas to celebrate and the Puerto Ricans, I think, would rather come to Las Vegas, then Los Angeles.”
Shaw has no preference, “Because wherever we go, I think Marquez knocks him out.”
It?s interesting to note that this particular slot, for the better part of six, seven years has been a Golden Boy/HBO PPV date. But I?m told HBO has no plans to stage a fight on this date, as of now.
As for Vic Darchinyan, who was being considered for this slot on Showtime, Shaw told Maxboxing, “It looks like he?ll fight in November; hopefully against Fernando Montiel, but if not, we can stay at 115 and fight the new WBA 115-pound champion (Hugo Cazares) or we could go up to 118; we could move to 122. So we have a lot of places to go with Darchinyan.”
CELLY
Promoter Lou DiBella is still having no luck in landing a significant fight for ?The Human Slinky,? Celestino Caballero.
“We?re begging HBO for help,” he admitted. “I would?ve thought that maybe he would been on the undercard or co-feature with Yuriorkis Gamboa to build up a fight, but they?re doing one of the Peterson brothers. But I mean, hopefully I can get him on a co-feature bout with Andre Berto or Sergio Martinez. We?re ready to fight ?JuanMa,? right after his next fight; we?re ready to fight Gamboa, right now. We?ll fight any of the ?30-pound champions; we?ll fight anybody at ?26, anybody at ?22, right now.”
But the reason why Caballero isn?t on the opening slot of the July 24th edition of ?Boxing After Dark? is that Top Rank really doesn?t want to match Caballero with Gamboa, and potentially disrupt a Lopez-Gamboa showdown.
“That?s why it?s not happening,” agreed DiBella,” but at some point, if a fighter has a pleasing style and he?s, pound-for-pound, a great fighter, you shouldn?t be victimized by your ability and I?m not speaking out against any particular network; I?m speaking out in the general sense. A fighter shouldn?t be penalized for being the best. As long as you?re willing to say, ?Tell us, who we?re fighting,? which we are willing to say right now. We will fight anyone. We want Gamboa; we want ?JuanMa?; we?ll take Jorge Solis at 130. We want anybody you can put in front of us. We?ll take Marquez. I know we?re not going to get it but anybody you want between 122 and 130, Caballero will fight.”
Any takers?
WEEKEND FLURRIES
Rumble Times? most notable client, Deandre Latimore (who?s settled back in Las Vegas) returns on July 24 at ?The Pageant? versus Willie Lee. Smith says they would love to face the likes of Vanes Martirosyan…Hearing that if a rematch between Paul Williams and Sergio Martinez cannot be made, then WBO 154-pound titlist Sergei Dzinziruk might become a guy who gets into the mix against one of these guys. But the only real problem is that there might not be enough money in the pot to make any of those fights happen…On July 2nd at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California, Mike Arnaoutis faces Demetrius Hopkins as the main event on ?Friday Night Fights? on ESPN2. Honestly, I?m more excited by the appearances of TKO Boxing prospects Joseph ?Leggo My? Elegele and Randy Caballero…So USC found out the penalty for being over the NCAA salary cap. But it?s ironic, just like the way Dennis Erickson did at Miami back in the mid-?90s, Pete Carroll bolted to the Seattle Seahawks as probation loomed…Hey, any licensed California state drivers, if you want a Snoopy license plate (with him doing his happy dance), log onto www.Snoopyplate.com and sign up for it. We get enough signatures and we got our favorite beagle on our license plates. It?s for a good cause, too, as they go to support our museums and stuff…I?ll say it right now, Pat Riley once coined the phrase for the ?85 Lakers, ?No rebounds, no rings.? Well, to me, it?s very simple, without the presence of one Andrew Bynum, the Lakers don?t beat the Celtics. Without him, they get pushed around in the paint…This week?s edition of ?The Main Event? features guest Thomas Hauser…I can be reached at [email protected] and you can follow me at www.twitter.com/stevemaxboxing. You can also become a Facebook fan of Maxboxing at www.facebook.com/MaxBoxing.
