Lane makes overdue entry into Boxing Hall of Fame

Lane makes overdue entry into Boxing Hall of Fame
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
May 28, 2013


It's hard to believe that longtime Nevada-based referee Mills Lane is just now getting his induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

As far as boxing officials go, nobody achieved the mainstream appeal that the retired referee earned over the course of his career. Since Lane first said “Let's get it on!” prior to the Larry Holmes-Gerry Cooney heavyweight championship in 1982, nearly every top referee has tried to come up with his own catchphrase prior to the opening bell.

But it was Lane’s phrase that caught on with boxing fans, often igniting an extra helping of excitement to the usual buzz that accompanies a major bout. More often than not, Lane was the referee for the biggest prize fights – and for good reason.

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A Return to the Old School for Vaughn in The Internship

Wednesday night, I had the opportunity to see a screening of a film a few weeks before it hits theaters. The staff at the AMC Theater in Las Vegas’ City Center informed us we were among the first people to see The Internship, starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, in theaters.

Here’s my review.

A Return to the Old School for Vaughn in The Internship

Mark E. Ortega

Freelance

May 23, 2013

It had looked for awhile like Vince Vaughn’s career was going the way of Adam Sandler and Eddie Murphy. While those two are still big names, they haven’t been involved in a hit film in a lead role since the early 2000s.

After revitalizing his career with a run of films that included Old School (2003), Dodgeball (2004), and Wedding Crashers (2005), Vaughn’s career took a bit of a downturn. It seems as, while audiences that were fans of those films grew up, Vaughn didn’t.

The Internship, which hits theaters June 7, stars Vaughn and Wedding Crashers co-star Owen Wilson in a respectable return to what made Vaughn one of the more sought after comedic actors for a short stretch.

Rodriguez eager to earn another title shot

Rodriguez eager to earn another title shot
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
May 23, 2013


Former junior middleweight title challenger Delvin Rodriguez meets Freddy Hernandez in the main event of this week’s Friday Night Fights ESPN2 broadcast from the Mohegun Sun Casino in Uncastville, Conn.

At this point in the 33-year-old veteran’s career, every bout is high stakes, so what better place to fight than at a casino just an hour and a half from his home in Danbury, Conn.?

Over the course of his career, Rodriguez is 4-1 at the popular fight venue, with his only loss being a controversial split-decision verdict against Isaac Hlatshwayo in their 2009 rematch. That bout was Rodriguez’s first title opportunity, having rode a five bout unbeaten streak at 147 pounds into that fight. That stretch included a draw with Hlatshwayo in his native South Africa in 2008, shifting things to Rodriguez’s home field for the rematch.

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Jones overcomes odds, stops Lebedev

Jones overcomes odds, stops Lebedev
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
May 17, 2013


In a Fight of the Year candidate as well as a major upset, 41-year old Panamanian Guillermo Jones reclaimed his WBA cruiserweight title against Denis Lebedev in a hellacious slugfest that came to an end in the 11th round when referee Stanley Christodolou stopped it after Lebedev climbed off the canvas. 

From the opening bell, Jones slugged it out with Lebedev, often getting outlanded at a two-to-one clip. But for every two shots Lebedev landed, it came at a price. Jones battered Lebedev's right eye into mush, producing one of the most grotesque cases of swelling since Hasim Rahman's golfball-like bruise he suffered against Evander Holyfield.

The difference between the two is Rahman's injury came from a headbutt, while Lebedev's nasty swell job was courtesy of a high number of hard right hands. Though Lebedev was winning rounds, Jones was inflicting more punishment as the fight wore on.

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Best I've Faced: Earnie Shavers

Best I've Faced: Earnie Shavers
Mark E. Ortega
RING Magazine
June 2013 issue

If you grab the June 2013 issue of RING Magazine, you'll see I have a feature on heavyweight legend Earnie Shavers. In it, Earnie talks about the best fighters he has faced, ranging from who had the best jab, to who was the heaviest handed, and more.

Guerrero fails at bid to dethrone Mayweather

Guerrero fails at bid to dethrone Mayweather
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
May 7, 2013

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Saturday night, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Robert Guerrero’s long awaited dreams came true.

After many years of climbing the ladder and positioning himself among boxing’s premiere fighters, the Gilroy, Calif., native was awarded a shot at the sport’s premiere box office draw, Floyd Mayweather.

For two rounds, it looked as though Guerrero may have the necessary tools required to hand Mayweather his first loss in 44 professional contests. Guerrero was as effectively aggressive as any Mayweather opponent for six minutes, but things began to unravel for him in the third round as Mayweather began finding a home for his straight right hand.

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Bits & Pieces: Tarver wants Hopkins rematch

Bits & Pieces: Tarver wants Hopkins rematch
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.cm
May 5, 2013


LAS VEGAS – On the eve of the Floyd Mayweather-Robert Guerrero pay-per-view event, a Fox Sports Net-televised ballroom boxing card took place at the Cosmopolitan, which featured Antonio Orozco, Anthony Dirrell, as well as 2012 U.S. Olympians Joseph Diaz Jr., Errol Spence, and Dominic Breazeale.

While RingTV.com editor Doug Fischer handled the deadline report, Mark E. Ortega gathered news and information from notable boxing folks who were in attendance.

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Guerrero falls to Mayweather in 12 rounds

Guerrero falls to Mayweather in 12 rounds

Mark E. Ortega

Special to The Gilroy Dispatch

May 4, 2013

For two rounds, it looked as though Gilroy welterweight boxer Robert Guerrero’s prophecy would come true.

Saturday night, in front of 15,880 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Guerrero saw his long odds dream come true of fighting the sport’s biggest draw, Floyd Mayweather, in a pay-per-view main event.

Unfortunately for Guerrero, after two rounds of mild success, hardly anything went his way. Guerrero was able to survive an attempted assault via a thousand straight right hands but found himself on the losing end of a wide unanimous decision.

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The First Time: Seeing Mayweather live

The First Time: Seeing Mayweather live
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
May 3, 2013


Saturday night will mark the 44thtime that Floyd Mayweather has stepped into a professional boxing ring. For this writer, it will be the first time seeing Mayweather fight live and in person. Last month, RingTV.com began a monthly feature calledThe First Time, which asks different people in the boxing community about various firsts for them in the sport.

Last month’s topic was about the first time traveling abroad for a fight. This month, with Mayweather fighting Robert Guerrero in a Showtime PPV main event at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, it was fitting to find out when a number of people in the sport saw man now known as “Money” fight for the first time.

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Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame kicks off

Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame kicks off
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
May 3, 2013


LAS VEGAS -- Thursday night, the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame kicked off their first official fan event during the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Robert Guerrero fight week, and it was a major success, thanks in large part to the hard work of CEO Rich Marotta and his team.

The event took place at Diego’s Mexican restaurant inside the MGM Grand, which was across the way from the press room for Mayweather-Guerrero. Christened, “A Night with Boxing Legends,” in attendance were many prominent names from the sport’s past and present.

A number of those who were part of the inaugural induction class showed their support, including Oscar De La Hoya, Mike McCallum, Freddie Roach, as well as Michelle Corrales, the wife of the late Diego Corrales, and Hall of Fame trainer Eddie Futch’s wife Eva. Also in attendance was referee Joe Cortez, who was honored alongside them, as well as former Nevada athletic commissioner Marc Ratner and commentator Al Bernstein.

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Showtime beat HBO in April 27 boxing ratings

Showtime beat HBO in April 27 boxing ratings
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
May 2, 2013


Showtime had higher viewing numbers than HBO for last Saturday's boxing broadcasts, which went head to head, a Nielsen ratings source confirmed to RingTV.com.

Showtime's broadcast, which was headlined by 140-pound champ Danny Garcia's tough unanimous decision win over Zab Judah and opened with Peter Quillin's seventh-round stoppage of Fernando Guerrero, drew a 1.4 average rating during the broadcast. The peak point of their show drew a 2.1 rating. The live viewing drew 850,000 viewers and the two following broadcasts drew a combined 100,000 viewers, putting the number at 950,000.

"We knew that Garcia versus Judah and Quillin versus Guerrero were going to be two, compelling fights," said Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president and general manager of Showtime sports. "We're very happy that the audience agreed with us."

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Rosado tells Love “careful what you wish for”

Rosado tells Love “careful what you wish for”
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
May 2, 2013


It isn't often that a fight between an unbeaten but largely untested fighter and an opponent who has six losses is looked at as perhaps the most compelling fight on a pay-per-view undercard.

But Gabriel Rosado's scheduled 10-round middleweight bout with prospect J'Leon Love on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather-Robert Guerrero is a crossroads bout that is anticipated by most hardcore fans. Rosado is coming off a hard-fought TKO loss to WBA titleholder Gennady Golovkin that was televised on HBO in January while Love is looking to cement himself as a bona-fide contender in the middleweight division.

This isn't new territory for Rosado. A tough luck fighter early in his career who was brought in as “the opponent” on more than a handful of occasions, Rosado has blossomed into an extremely mature 27 year old. While nobody likes to lose, Rosado has learned something from each of his six losses and he hopes to teach his undefeated 25-year-old opponent his first lesson.

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Love, Rosado nearly come to blows

Love, Rosado nearly come to blows
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
May 1, 2013


LAS VEGAS – On Tuesday afternoon, fighters from Saturday's big pay-per-view at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas made their “grand arrivals” to the host hotel. For two undercard fighters, the spectacle of the event elevated their competitive spirit to animosity, as J'Leon Love and Gabriel Rosado nearly came to blows when the two met face to face.

Rosado, an experienced former title challenger, was brought on stage first and waited patiently as nearly the entire roster of Floyd Mayweather's promotional company were brought to the stage. Love, an undefeated prospect who fights Rosado on Saturday, made his way last, and as soon as the Michigan native got on stage he began jawing at Rosado.

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