Boxing Insider Notebook: Jackie Kallen, Vergil Ortiz, Jimmy Thunder, and more…
Compiled By: William Holmes
The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of February 11th to February 18th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.
Banner
Promotions Releases Statement on Passing of Jimmy Thunder
Banner Promotions has issued the following statement on the
passing of it's former fighter, heavyweight Jimmy Thunder, who passed away on
Wednesday due to complications of a brian tumor at age 54 in New Zealand.
"My heartfelt condolences go out to Jimmy's family. I was saddened to hear that Jimmy passed
away," said Artie Pelullo, President of Banner Promotions. "He was a real good guy and true
professional. It was my pleasure to be
associated with Jimmy. He was a good fighter who gave the fans a lot of
exciting fights when we promoted him, especially on the Tuesday Night Fights
series on USA Network, where he had one of the fastest knockouts in boxing
history when he knocked out Crawford Grimsley in 13 seconds. It's always sad to see someone pass away at a
young age."
Included in Thunder's record that read 35-14 with 28
knockouts were wins over three former heavyweight champions, Tony Tubbs, Trevor
Berbick and Tim Witherspoon.
Vergil Ortiz to
Headline Stacked Card Against Samuel Vargas
The most dominant
rising force in the welterweight division returns to the ring as Vergil Ortiz
Jr. (15-0, 15 KOs) defends his WBA Gold Welterweight Title against Samuel
Vargas (31-5-2, 14 KOs) in a 12-round main event. Ortiz Jr. will headline a
stacked card in his adoptive home of Southern California that will also feature
Pablo Cesar “El Demoledor” Cano, Azat “Crazy A” Hovhannisyan, Rashidi “Speedy”
Ellis, Seniesa “Superbad” Estrada and more! The event will take place Saturday,
March 28 at the “Fabulous” Forum in Inglewood, Calif. and will be streamed live
exclusively on DAZN.
Ticket
information for the event will be announced shortly.
“When people
think of the future of the welterweight division, one name stands out, and
that’s Vergil Ortiz Jr.,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO at Golden
Boy. “Simply put, this kid is special. His talent, speed and power set him
apart from any other fighter who is moving up the 147-pound rankings. Don’t
miss another spectacular knockout performance at the Forum or live on DAZN!”
Since debuting as
a professional in 2016, Ortiz Jr. has knocked out every opponent in sight. The
native of Grand Prairie, Texas, who has roots in Michoacan, Mexico, will
participate in his first fight of the year after stopping Mauricio “El Maestro”
Herrera, Antonio “Relentless” Orozco and Brad “King” Solomon in a spectacular
2019. The 21-year-old knockout artist plans to do the same in 2020, but Vargas
stands in his way.
“I’m excited to
be returning against Samuel Vargas,” said Vergil Ortiz Jr. “He’s a tough
fighter with a lot of experience, so I know that my talent and skills are going
to be put to a tough test. I’m also happy to be fighting in Los Angeles at such
a historic venue where many legends in the sport have fought. I love this city,
and I love the people here, so I’m going to work very hard to perform to the
best of my abilities on March 28.”
Vargas is
recognized as one of the toughest challenges in any division. The 30-year-old
native of Bogota, Colombia has faced a who’s who of welterweight boxers,
including Amir “King” Khan, Luis Collazo, Danny “Swift” Garcia and Errol “The
Truth” Spence Jr. Vargas plans to engage Ortiz Jr. in a war, something he has
yet to encounter.
"Throughout
my career, I have always taken the challenges that other fighters in the
division don't want, and that's exactly what I'm doing again,” said Samuel
Vargas. “Vergil Ortiz Jr. is one of the brightest young stars in boxing, but he
hasn't had to go through a war yet. I've shown that I'm willing to go through
hell in that ring, so if Ortiz is everything he's hyped up to be, he better be
on point March 28 because I know I will.”
In the co-main
event, Pablo Cesar “El Demoledor” Cano (33-7-1, 23 KOs) will put his WBC
International Silver Super Lightweight Title on the line against Michael “The
Artist” Perez (25-3-2, 11 KOs) of Newark, N.J. in a 12-round fight.
Azat “Crazy A”
Hovhannisyan (18-3, 15 KOs) will fight for the vacant WBA Interim Super
Bantamweight Championship against Jose Sanmartin (30-5-1, 20 KOs) of
Barranquilla, Colombia in 12-round clash.
Welterweight
contender Rashidi “Speedy” Ellis (22-0, 14 KOs) of Lynn, Mass. will defend his
WBA Continental Americas Welterweight Title against Sergio Ortega (21-2, 15
KOs) of Mexicali, Mexico in a 10-rounder.
Seniesa
“Superbad” Estrada (18-0, 7 KOs) of East Los Angeles, Calif. will make the
first defense of her WBA Interim Flyweight Title in a 10-round battle.
Christopher
Pearson (17-2, 12 KOs) of Tortwood, Ohio will participate in a 10-round middleweight
bout.
Raul “Cougar”
Curiel (8-0, 6 KOs) of Tampico, Mexico will face Steve “Manos de Oro”
Villalobos (8-0, 6 KOs) of Mount Vernon, Wash. in a 10-round welterweight clash
between two young prospects.
Irish prospect
Aaron “Silencer” McKenna (10-0, 6 KOs) will return in an eight-round super
welterweight clash.
Chris “Milly”
Ousley (12-0, 9 KOs) of Chicago will open the night in an eight-round
middleweight battle against Jarvis Williams (8-2-1, 5 KOs) of St. Louis.
Star Boxing’s Catskills Clash III Set for
April 17th at Resorts World Catskills
Star Boxing is
pleased to announce its return of "Catskills Clash III" to the
majestic Resorts World Catskills Casino Resort in Monticello, New York on April
17.
The Catskills
have an undeniable claim to boxing greatness. Decades of fighters have called
the Catskills their temporary home, to train for upcoming championship fights.
The hollowed boxing grounds of Sullivan County have been sacred territory since
the golden age of boxing, established by the likes of Marciano, Tyson and
Ali. As of late, that reputation has
carried over to the new, fully integrated casino as Star Boxing delivered two
hugely success events there in 2019.
Star Boxing's
"Catskills Clash" series returns to the Resorts WorldRW Epicenter,
continuing theits own legacy of boxing in the region. Fully prepared to pick up
where it left off last September, "Catskills Clash" III is set to be
an evening of thrilling, action packed fights. In Catskills Clash I & II,
Star Boxing featured rising talent including five title fights, big time
knockouts and immense boxing skill. On April 17, fans can expect another
outstanding experience.
Star Boxing CEO
JOE DEGUARDIA is excited to be back at Resorts World Catskills, "The
Catskills and boxing go hand in hand, and we are proud to be a part of that
continued legacy. The fights at Resorts
World Catskills have been great and fans love that they can see the fights and
afterwards walk out to NYC's closest fully integrated casino. April 17 will yet again feature fan-pleasing
fights on a thrilling show with top talent, rising stars, and title
bouts."
Kim Clavel vs. Esmeralda Moreno on March
21st in Montreal
Dooly's Boxing
Series, presented by Mise-O-Jeu, in association with Videotron, is back at the
Cabaret du Casino de Montréal in 2020 with five entertaining events on March
21, May 2, June 6, October 24 and December 12.
North American
Boxing Federation (NABF) light flyweight champion Kim Clavel (11-0, 2 KOs) will
be the main star of this series, and on March 21 she will make her Groupe Yvon
Michel (GYM) debut. Clavel will defend her title in the 10-round main event
against her Mexican challenger, former world champion Esmeralda Moreno
(35-12-2, 11 KOs).
Moreno is a
two-time World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight World champion, reigning from
2012-2013 and again in 2017. She is 3-4-1 in world championship fights and
currently ranked at No. 2 according to the independent website BoxRec.com. The
charismatic Clavel will face the toughest test of her pro career in her GYM
debut.
"Kim Clavel
and her team are tremendously ambitious and confident by accepting this
challenge," GYM president Yvon Michel said. "Moreno is part of the
elite fighters in her division, holding WBC champion Yesenia Gomez to a draw
and losing to a majority decision in a pair of 2018 clashes. After March 21, we
will know where Kim rates among the brightest prospects in her division. "
A very well-known
and popular figure at the Casino de Montréal, undefeated light heavyeight Terry
Osias (9-0, 4 KOs) of Longueuil, will be in his 10th pro fight, all held at the
Casino de Montréal, which is a unique phenomenon in Quebec. His opponent will
be former Bolivia National Champion Javier Saucedo (7-3-1, 6 KOs) in an 8-round
bout.
Welterweight
Marie-Pier Houle (2-0-1, 1 KO) of Terrebonne, will be in her first career
6-round fight, against Mexican Claudia Rangel (2-2, 0 KOs). Marie-Pier fought a
furious fight against Linda Dostalkova at the Videotron Centre in her last
outing, which ended in a draw.
This Casino event
will mark the start of an association with Ontario promoter Lee Baxter. For the
entire 2020 series at the Casino de Montréal, GYM and Lee Baxter Promotions
will be co-promoters of popular Montreal prospect Mazlum Akdeniz (11-0, 6 KOs).
The light welterweight Quebecer will not be in unknown territory since he has
already fought six fights on GYM cards. His opponent in the 8-round match is
left-hander Lavisas Williams (9-1-1, 3 KOs) of from Rochester NY.
In other bouts,
Ontario light heavyweight Kane Heron (16-0-1, 7 KOs) will face Alejandre
Meneses (12-4, 6 KOs) in an 8-rounder. Light heavyweight Simon Pierre Adde
(7-1, 3KO), a Frenchman who lives in Los Angeles, will meet undefeated Italian
Stivven Dredhaj (5-0, 2 KOs) in a 6-round fight. In a pair of 4-round
confrontation the Stéphane Larouche protégé, super lightweight Abed El-Safadi
(3-0, 0 KOs) will tangle with Jakub Laskowski (1-0-1, 1 KO) of Poland, and a
show opener for Diizon Belfon (2-0, 2 KOs) of LaSalle, an associate of the
famed Grant brothers, who will try for another knockout against his Greek foe,
Alexandros Kirsanidis (1-0, 1 KO).
All this action
will take place in the warm and unique atmosphere of the prestigious Cabaret of
the Casino de Montréal, where the proximity of the ring and the fighters
provides a perspective and sensations that are found nowhere else. The fights
will start at noon, so it's a good opportunity to come have lunch with us,
while watching spectacular and emotional fights on the first day of spring.
Jackie Kallen Predicts Unbeaten Mykquan
Williams Will Be Her Sixth World Champion
Women's pioneer
Jackie Kallen, the first and arguably most successful female manager in the
boxing history, strongly believes unbeaten 21-year-old "Marvelous"
Mykquan Williams (15-0-1, 7 KOs) will develop into her sixth world champion.
Williams,
fighting out of East Hartford, CT, is the reigning the World Boxing Council
(WBC) United States super lightweight champion.
"Mykey has a
lot of the qualities as some of the greats in boxing," Kallen said.
"He has some of the flash and speed of fighters like Ray Leonard, and the
training habits and dedication of Thomas Hearns and Mike Tyson. He also has a
killer smile and good looks like Hector Camacho, Sr.
"Mykey can
go all the way to a world title. He has the speed, attitude, and heart, along
with exceptional boxing ability. He has been groomed perfectly by his trainer,
Paul Cichon, who has kept Mykey true to his style, working hard to perfect his
skill. Mykey trains hard, eats right, and takes the game seriously."
"Jackie's
very experienced and knowledgeable in boxing," Williams remarked.
"She's worked with some great, world-class fighters, so she knows the
route to take for me to get there."
Cichon added,
"I sought out Jackie as our manager because of her love for the sports, as
well as the knowledge of that she brings to the table. She's very well
respected, as she certainly deserves to be."
Boxing has
dramatically changed since Kallen covered her first fight for a Detroit daily
newspaper in 1978. The card showcased Hearns and Mickey Goodwin. She became an
instant fan and wrote about boxing on a regular basis. A legendary
trainer/manager based in Detroit, Emanuel Steward, hired her as a publicist for
his famed Kronk Gym. Some of her best friends to this day are fighters who she
worked with back then. She and Hearns still get together.
After serving as
Kronk's publicist for a decade, Kallen decided to branch out and she started
managing fighters. Her first client was heavyweight Bobby Hitz, who today is a
successful promoter and restaurateur in Chicago. She went on to manage a group
of Who's Who fighters, including world champions James Toney, Bronco McKart,Tom
"Boom Boom" Johnson, Pinklon Thomas and Nonito Donaire.
Kallen, who
overcame sexism in the boxing industry, is best known, perhaps, for her working
relationship with Toney, largely because her life during that period was the
inspiration for the popular 2004 movie, Against the Ropes, starring Meg Ryan as
Kallen.
"Boxing
today is a totally different animal," she explained. "That's not to
say it's better or worse, just different. There used to be more gyms in every
city, heavy amateur programs, lots of shows on television networks, and enough
local club shows to keep a young fighter active. I had guys back then who
fought 8 to 10 times a year, which, of course, is almost impossible in 2020.
"There
wasn't as much information available on opponents either. If you were lucky,
you could buy a tape. If the fighter hadn't been on television, though, you
were out of luck. There was no Internet, so there was nothing like BoxRec to
check opponents' records. You just had to believe the matchmaker. I had
fighters expecting to fight a 14-4 guy who found out at the weigh in that he
was actually 16-0."
Boxing, likely
the second-oldest profession, has continued to survive, albeit often on a
roller-coaster ride.
"Today's
fighters are not as quick to fight each other as they were in the days of
Hearns/Hagler/Leonard/Duran," Kallen noted. "Back then, fighters
wanted to really fight to be the best they could be. I see fighters today being
more analytical and taking less chances.
"There are
also more sanctioning organizations today. Back then it was most the WBA, WBC
and IBF. Not to mention there was never one person who managed dozens and
dozens of boxers at the same time. The game has definitely changed!"
Kallen,
though is still heavily invested in the sport she loves. Confident Williams
will be her next world champion, her dream is to be inducted into the Hall of
Fame with Toney
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