Archive for the ‘Boxing’ Category

Jake Giuriceo faced  his toughest competition to date Saturday and stepped up to the plate in a big way.  Juan “Chago” Santiago (14-9-1) had plenty of big-fight experience under his belt, including capturing, and losing, the WBC Latino Super Lightweight title.  Giuriceo scored a unanimous eight-round decision over Santiago proving his escalation to a higher level was warranted.  It was by far, Giuriceo’s most complete fight in a long time.

“I felt awesome tonight.  I felt like everything we ever worked on in all of my training camps came out tonight”, said Giuriceo.  “I felt like I threw great punches.  It is awesome that we can move up in competition .  The boxing part was there, I was blocking punches and moving good.  What me and Keith [Burnside] worked on coming into this fight was throwing punches that count and not wasting any.”

In the first round, Giuriceo controlled the pace of the fight.  He showed the superior ring-general capabilities, and although he took a few shots, he landed many more, including a nice five-punch flurry on the ropes about two minutes into the round.

The second round featured Giuriceo mixing up his targets.  He would start out with a glove to each side of Santiago’s body and then hit him with a hook.  Santiago was taking and giving, but through two – Giuriceo, with slight blood showing in his mouth, was doing most of the giving.

The third was an even toe-to-toe slugfest that neither fighter backed away from the other’s punches.  Santiago landed a couple of uppercuts and used a good jab throughout the round.  Giuriceo continued to pound the body and throw the big hooks. It was a round that may have went Santiago’s way.

Giuriceo hurt Santiago in the fourth with a strong left hook knocking the former champion into the ropes.  The Bull definitely scored well throughout the round, maybe his best of the fight.

The pace of the fight slowed slightly in the fifth as both fighters were starting to show signs of fatigue.  Giuriceo finished the round strong enough to claim it.   Giuriceo nailed Santiago with a good combination in the sixth round that stopped Santiago in his tracks.  Santiago’s corner kept screaming for their fighter to attack claiming that Giuriceo was hurt.  Santiago listened and paid a price each time he came forward.

In the seventh round, Giuriceo finished strong.  Give Santiago credit, he was still fighting too.  Giuriceo earned the round though, as ‘The Bull’, was fighting his style of fight, and winning, convincingly.

In the eighth and final round, the two fighters used about all they had left in the tank.  Giuriceo looked fresher than Santiago did, and his punches were still crisp.

“”When I was working with Frankie [Duarte], we were focusing on getting more boxing skills”, admitted Giuriceo.  “The boxing figured in tonight, but it all really came together.  The Bull showed up tonight.”

The judges scored the fight 79-73, 80-72, 79-73, all in favor of Giuriceo (16-0-1), who cleared his biggest hurdle to date in front of Roy Jones Jr., who may extend the olive branch to some potential promoters.

“I was trying to move a little out there tonight hoping that he [Jones] would see me and hoping that maybe he will give me a call”, said Giuriceo.  “The Lord has blessed me with opportunities.”

“Jake fought a great fight, we didn’t waste punches in there tonight”, claimed Keith Burnside, Giuriceo’s trainer.  “This kid [Santiago] was tough.  His losses are to very good fighters.  Jake stepped it up, but there is still work to do.  He is getting better each fight and we are going to come back stronger.”

The Bull is headed to the chapel to get married in a few weeks, that is his next step.  After the honeymoon, he will get back to business and Joe Corvino, his manager, will carefully plan his next step with the whole team.

*All photos, Courtesy of Ron Stevens

Chris Hazimihalis will have to wait on fighting a little closer to home.  Jim Hazimihalis, the manager for his brother, said the 27th annual Erie Boxing Classic was a no-go for Friday.

Hazimihalis has been training in Detroit at the Kronk Gym, the brainchild of Emanuel Steward.  His last several fights have been far enough from home to keep his fan base hoping for something closer, which was to be Friday in Erie.

“A couple of guys pulled themselves out”, remarked Jim Hazimihalis.  “Chris is going to have to start training for eight-rounders.  It is tough to get anyone in that weight class to commit to a six-round fight.”

Hazimihalis can still be fighting this weekend, but in Michigan.

“We were looking forward to heading to Mountaineer Saturday to catch Jake [Giuriceo] in his fight, but now we are probably headed to Michigan.”

More details as I get them.

8-Time World Champion Roy Jones Jr. in association with TNT Promotions Presents “Live Championship Boxing from The Harv at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort” on Saturday April 28th.  A Double Feature is planned for the evening’s headliners when Youngstown, OH’s Jake “The Bull” Giuriceo (15W-0L-1D, 3KO) battles former WBC Latino Super Lightweight Champion Juan “Chago” Santiago (14W-8L-1D, 8KO) and power punching sensation Joel Diaz Jr. (8W-0L, 7KO) takes on Russian native Georgi Kevlishvili (10W-3L, 3KO).

Giuriceo is looking to fight his way into the world rankings when stepping in with the rugged Santiago, a proven contender with multiple national television appearances.  Diaz Jr. gained national recognition earlier this year after rising from the canvas to score a stunning TKO victory over previously undefeated Guy Robb televised on Showtime.

Kevlishvili is coming off of a Showtime appearance himself dropping a hard fought split decision to unbeaten Casey Ramos. Kevlishvili’s three losses were to opponents who had a combined record of 34W-0L at the time he fought them.

This blockbuster event will include a full night of exciting action and entertainment.  In store are matchups involving fighters such as IBC Continental Heavyweight Champion Jason “Iron Man” Bergman, Super Middleweight “Big Chief” Morgan Fitch, Light Heavyweight Jaque “Lights Out” Lutz, Welterweight Billy “The Boilermaker” Hutchinson, and the special introduction of Cruiserweight Josh “The Handsome Hitman” Himes, Beaver County, PA’s New Face of Boxing, and more.

Base ticket prices are VIP $100, Section A $50, Section B $35, and Bleachers $25. Tickets can be purchased at Mountaineer Casino’s Players Club in person or by calling the Players Club at 1-800-804-0468 Ext: 8297.

First bell is at 7:30 PM.  More details to follow in the upcoming days leading to the fight.

Campbell’s Chris Hazimihalis (8-0, 7 KO) is getting back into the ring.  This time the trip is doable for the local fans as Erie, PA will be the setting for his next fight.

Hazimihalis will headline the 27th annual Erie Boxing Classic.  The card is slated for Friday, April 27th at The Avalon Hotel in Erie.  First bell is set for 8 p.m.

Only one of Hazimihalis’ opponents, Damon Antoine, has survived the offensive onslaught.  Even Antoine landed on the canvas, only to get up and finish the fight on the wrong side of a unanimous decision.

Hazimihalis has been under the watchful eye of Emanuel Steward for the past year while training at the world-famous Kronk Gym in Detroit.  This particular fight is scheduled as a six-round lightweight bout.  No word on who the opponent will be as of this writing.

Michael Acri Promotions announced that tickets are on sale.  They can be purchased at Dee’s Cigar Store (1705 State St.), The Avalon Hotel (16 West 10^th St.) and the Ringside Restaurant (3202 Sterrettania Rd).

The undercard will feature the WBA No.10 ranked Yenifel Vicente , a junior featherweight fighter who is drawing some national attention.  Sgt. Sammy Vazquez, who served two tours in Iraq, will be making his professional debut as a junior middleweight in a contest slated for four rounds.

Details on match-ups and opponents will be announced very soon.  Check back for details.

Kelly Pavlik answered a lot of questions about ring rust and time away, as well as how he would feel fighting back at 170 pounds.  Pavlik (38-2, 33 KO’s) knocked Aaron Jaco down in the first round and kept him down with another sharp left hook just 45 seconds into the second round.  Pavlik connected with a shot that landed flush and sent Jaco into la-la land (above).  The Youngstown native will now hope to have a bigger exposure fight, possibly on ESPN2 in early June.

“I felt terrific tonight”, said Pavlik.  “After I hit him a couple of times, he felt my power and started just trying to throw wildly, and that left him open and a little off balance, and I caught him with a good left hook in the first.”

Pavlik looked very sharp in his first in-ring action in over a year.  The former champion felt fresh and showed little ring rust during the fight.  The impressive performance almost guarantees Pavlik a June date on ESPN.  The Ghost also hinted bigger things to come by the end of September in his quest to regain championship gold.

“I will sign to fight someone in June on ESPN, probably June 8th.  The big one is going to be in September though.  I don’t know who I will be fighting in either fight, but hopefully the one in September will be for a belt.”

The knock on Pavlik the last time he fought was that he looked slow and rusty despite winning.  When asked about ring rust, Pavlik set the record straight.

“There was no rust tonight.  I did everything I set out to do.  My punches felt crisp, back to where they should be.”

Pavlik will return to Youngstown for a couple of weeks and then head back to Oxnard, California around the 17th or 18th of this April to start working for the June fight, which should be announced in a couple of weeks.  Top Rank is itching to get one of their most recognizable stars back in the spotlight, and Pavlik seems ready to accept the chance.  The dominant performance he put on in Texas should do plenty toward both the June and September proposed fights.

“I hit him [Jaco] with two very clean shots, two left hooks that sent him down twice.  It was the best I have felt in the ring in a very long time and I look forward to getting back to it and preparing for what comes next.”

Granted, Aaron Jaco is not a household boxing name, but he was 15-2 entering the fight, so he had to do something right although his opposition had never been the likes of a Kelly Pavlik.  The fight accomplished exactly what Pavlik and trainer Robert Garcia wanted it to, showed the world that he still has ‘it’ and wants more of ‘it’.

Kelly Pavlik is fighting more than Aaron Jaco (15-2, 5KO’s) on Saturday night.  Pavlik is fighting his critics, again, and looks forward to both challenges.  I got a chance to interview The Ghost via telephone Saturday night and he seems very focused on getting back to the sacred heights he controlled just three short years ago.

“I feel fantastic”, said Pavlik.  “I weighed in at 169.2 today and that was great because we were shooting for 170.  Everything is really smooth and I am very anxious to get back in there.”

Pavlik (37-2, 32 KO’s), in all probability, will win the fight.  What he wants to accomplish is to deliver a polished performance to leave an impression on the powers that be to get him back on television in June.  He realizes that this is just step one and knows anything can happen.

“I would like to get the rounds of work, but I will not take any chances.  If the opportunity to score a knockout is there, I will not drag it out, I want to win convincingly.  He has two hands and has boxed before, anything can happen.”

When asked if anything was different in training under Robert Garcia‘s watchful eye, Pavlik responded by saying, “There is a little bit of a different approach.  We are doing more rounds with the pads on and more punches.  There is no change in style.  We are only fine-tuning my style and getting back to countering and moving the head.”

The fight is  a scheduled 10-round, 170 pound match that will not be televised.

Details and pictures of the fight will be posted here tomorrow night, check back!

After all of the trash talking, a couple of good fighters met in Connecticut for the NABF Championship.  Hank Lundy (22-1-1) got the best of Dannie Williams (21-2) in an entertaining slugfest of a main event on national television.

Williams got out of the gate fast with a knockdown, putting Lundy on the canvas in the first round.  However, Lundy, who is used to getting off of the canvas and finishing strong, dominated the middle rounds with a good jab and got the decision.

Williams was bleeding around the nose after the first, but scored a 10-8 round with the knockdown.  The second round, on my card, was even.  Lundy probably took the lead on the judges cards in about the fifth round and never really looked back.

The judges scored the fight 98-91, 97-92, and 97-92 for Lundy who came away with the unanimous decision.

The upsetting part of the whole night was the rotten commentary of the ESPN2 announce team.  Between rounds seven and eight coming back from a commercial, the announcers said, “This is why Lundy will win this fight”, as they showed him throw four jabs, landing one of them.  Very critical and obviously had some cash on Lundy.  In fact, Teddy Atlas and Joe Tessitore should try to be a little less presumptuous.

“He is the boss”, said Tessitore.  “Lundy is the boss and he has Williams working for him right now.”

Maybe they should quit crying about the controversy in boxing and focus on being a little more unbiased.

Give Williams an A for effort, he hung with a champion and even knocked him down.  He will be back in action soon.

Last August, Dannie Williams was fighting outside in the parking lot of the Covelli Centre.  In that bout against a journeyman named Oscar Cuero, Williams struggled. He fought a good fight, but his hair kept getting into his face, blinding him from oncoming punches.  By the sixth round, his trainer, Jack Loew, grabbed a roll of white athletic tape and turned his fighter into Gene Simmons.  Williams went on to win the fight.

As you can see by the picture, the hair is gone.  One must wonder if that was by Williams’ choice or if Loew slid the barber an extra twenty to lower the blade a bit. Either way, Williams (21-1, 17 KO’s) faces his toughest challenge to date in Hank Lundy (21-1-1, 11 KO’s) on Friday night in Connecticut at the Foxwoods MGM.  The fight will be nationally televised on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights.

Williams, since the Cuero fight, has had a couple of tune-ups and stayed very active to set up this payday.  Now fighting out of the DiBella camp, a win could spell even bigger things like HBO in June.

“He brings some skills to the table, but he also brings the NABF title to the table”, said Williams.  “This is also a WBA eliminator, so something big can happen for the winner.”

“From here on out, every fight is the biggest fight of my career.  To beat Lundy, I want to score a knockout.  I will test his heart, if he can stand there and take the pressure, then this main event fight might go longer than I want it to, but I see a knockout, and it comes free with the basic cable.”

Williams is starting to get some national recognition.  Call it stronger promoting, better exposure, and defeating quality opponents the last few times out.  He has earned this chance and is anxious to be impressive and look like the more dominant fighter.

“I am real humble”, said Williams.  “However, after March 30, the fan base is gonna get real big.  Everything is going great and I am focused.  I got a nutritionist now, I am eating three times a day, just not eating the same stuff anymore, and I feel a difference, I feel much stronger.”

“It’s on…  I promise you wont want to miss it!”

Jake Giuriceo won a unanimous six-round decision in California on Saturday night.  The Bull (15-0-1) got by Jaime Orrantia(26-25-5) by winning all six rounds of the contest.  The fight in Orange County is the first step to national recognition for Giuriceo who is poised to make a jump in class.

“He was pretty unorthodox”, said Giuruceo via telephone.  “Really hard style to fight, but I did win every round of the fight and I feel great.  It was a good win for me and I was satisfied with my performance.”

Giuriceo will be waiting to hear from a couple of promoters who were in attendance Saturday.  Joe Corvino stated a couple of weeks ago that this was a fight to allow Giuriceo to showcase his growing library of skills.  Gary Shaw and Kenny Thompson were a couple of the promoters checking out “The Bull”.

“I hope they like what they saw”, remarked Giuriceo.  “We will be waiting to her something soon from them.”

Jake Giuriceo isn’t far along in his professional boxing career yet, but he is ready to adapt.  In a phone conversation with Giuriceo, he was emphatic about returning to his old ways, reinventing “The Bull” style of fighting.  Giuriceo will face Jaime Orrantia (26-24-5) on Saturday in a bout that says a lot about where the Campbell, Ohio natives career goes next.

The fight, which will take place at the Doubletree Hotel in Orange County, is a rare event outside of this area for The Bull.  Joe Corvino, Giuriceo’s manager, said that this fight will have potential promoters in the audience and hopes that Giuriceo can look sharp and land a good deal.  Corvino also noted that it is time for Giuriceo to fight on the road to help broaden his fan base.

“This guy has had 50 fights”, remarked Giuriceo.  “He is not going to be a pushover by any means.  Anyone with that many fights and has more wins than losses can present problems, so we are really working hard in the gym to get ready.”

Giuriceo (14-0-1, 3 KO’s) talked about what he needs to accomplish fighting a weight class higher than his last fight.

“I need to get back to being ‘The Bull’.  That means I will be be moving forward and throwing more punches, just really being more aggressive.  I think Frankie [Duarte] is excited about training me to be more aggressive, he loves it.”

Giuriceo will hope that promoters Gary Shaw and Kenny Thompson will like what they see so he can land the del that could springboard his career to the next step.

Either way, Giuriceo will be getting married after this fight and said his fiance, Jackie Mazias, will be flying out to California for this fight and to support her future husband.

Results will be posted here once I get them from Giuriceo or his camp.