Lightweight ‘Boxcino’ tournament begins Friday on ESPN2

Lightweight ‘Boxcino’ tournament begins Friday on ESPN2
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
February 18, 2014

This Friday, Banner Promotions and ESPN2 kick off the first of two eight-man single elimination tournaments, which will take place over the course of the Friday Night Fights season.

RingTV.com spoke with Banner Promotions founder Artie Pelullo about the tournament and how it came together. Boxing tournaments often have a hard time running smoothly, so Pelullo also shared what sort of measures are in place should a hiccup occur here and there.

“I came up with this idea 17 years ago when the first Boxcino tournament took place,” Pelullo told RingTV.com. “Born out of that was Brazilian star Acelino Freitas who won the tournament, but also a number of the competitors who participated became quality names, like JC Candelo.”

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Quick thoughts on ESPN2 FNF season opener last night

Quick thoughts on ESPN2 FNF season opener last night
Mark E. Ortega
January 5, 2014

Fights like Ward-Sanchez prove you can't write a fighter off before a fight is over.

 Last night was the much anticipated 2014 season opener of ESPN2's Friday Night Fights. Just as there was controversy in the 2013 opening telecast, history repeated itself. Ironically, junior lightweight Rances Barthelemy was once again the beneficiary.

In the main event, Argenis Mendez (21-3-1, 11 knockouts) was defending his IBF 130-pound title against Barthelemy. Last year, Barthelemy won an unpopular decision over Arash Usmanee in ESPN2's opening broadcast (Usmanee fights in next week's main event against Juan Antonio Rodriguez).

Barthelemy got off to a great start as he fought from the proper range with Mendez unable to answer. In the second round, Mendez was floored in the final 30 seconds. Mendez was in big trouble but with very little time left, seemed a good bet to make it to his corner.

Usmanee catches good karma with title shot on FNF

Usmanee catches good karma with title shot on FNF
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
August 23, 2013


Tonight, Arash Usmanee challenges for a title for the first time in his career when he meets Argenis Mendez on Friday Night Fights for the IBF 130-pound title.

Usmanee (20-1, 10 KOs) and Mendez will close this season of ESPN2's flagship boxing program. It is only fitting that Usmanee be part of the final show, given that he opened the program in January against Rances Barthelemy. Usmanee lost a highly controversial decision in that fight and hopes he closes the year with a better taste in his mouth.

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Fonfara hits three-run homer to outlast Campillo

Fonfara hits three-run homer to outlast Campillo
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV
August 16, 2013


Don’t call it a comeback, but if this week’s ESPN2 Friday Night Fights is any indication as to the health of boxing in the city of Chicago, it should play host to big fights more often.

With a card taking place at U.S. Cellular Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Chicago White Sox, prognosticators were unsure at what the turnout would be. An estimated number of around 10,000 people showed up, and nobody went home disappointed.

Hometown favorite Andrzej Fonfara headlined in an intriguing light heavyweight crossroads fight against former titlist Gabriel Campillo. After being outclassed for much of the fight, Fonfara earned a satisfying victory when he delivered the proverbial three-run home run while down to his final few outs, stopping Campillo with a right hand body shot in the ninth round.

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Fonfara meets Campillo at the light heavyweight crossroads

Fonfara meets Campillo at the light heavyweight crossroads
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
August 15, 2013


Andrzej Fonfara first arrived in the United States as a lanky 6-foot-2 welterweight. Over the past seven years, Fonfara has grown into his body and is currently climbing the ranks of the light heavyweight division.

On Friday night, Fonfara fights in his adopted hometown of Chicago against former titleholder Gabriel Campillo in what will be the Polish-born fighter’s toughest test to date. The bout headlines one of ESPN2’s final Friday Night Fights of the season.

The fight is the definition of a crossroads bout. Two fights ago, Campillo was brutally knocked out by Sergey Kovalev, who will challenge for his first title on Saturday against Nathan Cleverly.

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Fortuna and Franco fight to split draw on FNF

Fortuna and Franco fight to split draw on FNF
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
August 3, 2013

Burgos battles Amidu to draw on FNF

Burgos battles Amidu to draw on FNF
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
July 26, 2013


Juan Carlos Burgos felt unfairly treated in his last fight by ringside officials, who scored his title-seeking effort against Roman Martinez a draw in January.

When meeting late substitute Yakubu Amidu in Friday's main event of ESPN2 Friday Night Fights in Lincoln, Calif., a split-draw verdict was once again rendered.

This time, Burgos didn't wear the look of a guy unhappy to be getting a draw, and with good reason.

Burgos didn't fight much like a guy with a long term memory of the recent betrayal by judges. He dominated early portions of rounds but allowed his hard-nosed opponent to come on late in rounds, obviously affecting the scores.

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Atlas gives Povetkin 'a good shot' to beat Klitschko

Atlas gives Povetkin 'a good shot' to beat Klitschko
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
July 15, 2013


From 2009 to 2011, ESPN2 Friday Night Fights analyst and former trainer Teddy Atlas took on heavyweight Alexander Povetkin as somewhat of a personal project.

The two enjoyed a bit of success together before splitting in 2011, leaving both sides a bit embittered. Two years later, Povetkin faces an uphill battle in challenging Wladimir Klitschko in Moscow on Oct. 5 as a long-odds underdog.

Atlas was in Las Vegas on Friday to call that night's action for FNF, the job which kept him from working with Povetkin for his bout last February against cruiserweight titlist Marco Huck.

Though Atlas has previously been critical of Povetkin's performances since the two moved on from each other, he likes his former charge's chances against the younger half of the two-headed Klitschko monster.

"I gave him a good fight plan for Klitschko [when we worked together]," Atlas told RingTV prior to ESPN2 going on the air on Friday.

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Bits & Pieces: Friday Night Fights notes

Bits & Pieces: Friday Night Fights notes
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
July 12, 2013


Tonight, a well-matched ESPN2 Friday Night Fights card takes place in Las Vegas at Texas Station Casino as Chris Avalos meets Drian Francisco in the 10-round junior featherweight main event while unbeaten prospects Abie Han and Glen Tapia put their “0s” on the line against each other in a 154-pound bout.

Top Rank matchmaker Brad Goodman shared the story on how Han-Tapia came together.

“Louie Burke (Han's trainer) informed us they were ready for a step up, so we offered Mat Korobov (who is coming off a career-best stoppage of Ossie Duran),” Goodman told RingTV.com shortly after Thursday’s weigh-in finished up.

“They told us, ‘No, we want Glen Tapia,’ and I said, ‘but Louie, Tapia is a 154-pounder.’ Louie told me Abie can make 154 pounds easy and that they wanted the fight.”

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Mora outpoints Proksa in return on FNF

Mora outpoints Proksa in return on FNF
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
June 28, 2013


Sergio Mora said he knew he had to deliver a more crowd pleasing style in order to get back in the mix after returning to the ring for the first time in nearly ten months.

Friday night, Mora was a bit more exciting than in previous bouts, but more importantly, he was more effective, as he outpointed Grzegorz Proksa over 10 rounds in ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights main event in Jacksonville, Fla.

Mora was coming off a second loss to Brian Vera last August, his lone fight in 2012, and was a slight underdog heading in. Sporting a newly grizzled look, a bearded Mora showed he wasn't just a different fighter in appearance, as he outclassed Proksa for much of the duration of their middleweight bout.

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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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Nugaev upsets Maicelo, stops Peruvian star on FNF

Nugaev upsets Maicelo, stops Peruvian star on FNF
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
April 6, 2013


SANTA YNEZ, Calif. – In his native Peru, Jonathan Maicelo's celebrity is on par with Justin Bieber's in the United States. Out there, he has a national Coca-Cola commercial, as well as one with Frito-Lay. According to his manager Nelson Fernandez, his fights are viewed by 49 percent of the country and men allow their wives to kiss him.

On Friday night, in front of a small crowd at Santa Ynez, Calif.'s Chumash Casino, Maicelo fought in his first televised bout in the United States, meeting tough Russian Rustam Nugaev in the ten-round main event of ESPN2's Friday Night Fights.

Maicelo fought a toe-to-toe battle with Nugaev, eventually getting caught by a massive right hand in the eighth round, and will now be famous stateside due to the highlight reel knockout he was on the losing end of.

When the initial main event between Marvin Quintero and Ammeth Diaz fell out just a few weeks ago, Maicelo jumped at the opportunity to make American television for the first time.

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April 12 FNF card gets an overhaul

April 12 FNF card gets an overhaul
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
March 21, 2013


News broke early Thursday that Andre Dirrell would no longer be in action in the April 12 edition of ESPN2's Friday Night Fights, which takes place in Shelton, Wash. Dirrell was slated to face tough gatekeeper Ossie Duran but was pulled from the card according to ESPN.com.

That isn't the only change that has been made. The middleweight bout between Brandon Gonzales and Will Rosinsky is now off the card as well. Goossen-Tutor Promotions matchmaker Tom Brown indicated to RingTV that Gonzales pulled a hamstring and had to be removed from the card.

Taking the main event slot is a featherweight ten-round bout between former 122-pound titleholder Rico Ramos, of East Los Angeles, and Oscar Gonzalez, of Mexico.

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Bits and pieces: Fortuna-Zamudio lands in Atlantic City

Bits and pieces: Fortuna-Zamudio lands in Atlantic City

Mark E. Ortega

RingTV.com

March 19, 2013

The following “bits and pieces” of boxing news and items were compiled by RingTV.com contributor Mark E. Ortega during the Tim Bradley-Ruslan Provodnikov card last Saturday. 

Fortuna-Zamudio lands in AC 

 The April 19 ESPN2 Friday Night Fights card promoted by Sampson Lewkowicz has found a home. Undefeated featherweight contender Javier Fortuna will face unheralded Miguel Zamudio in Atlantic City at the Tropicana Casino & Resort, according to Nathan Lewkowicz, an executive at the promotional company as well as Sampson's son.

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Raymundo Beltran tops Ji-Hoon Kim, overcoming a knockdown

Raymundo Beltran tops Ji-Hoon Kim, overcoming a knockdown
Mark E. Ortega
Queensberry-Rules.com
December 7, 2012

LAS VEGAS -- In a topsy-turvy lightweight bout, Raymundo Beltran and Ji-Hoon Kim engaged in an entertaining battle in the 10-round main event at the Mirage Hotel & Casino on a special Thursday edition of ESPN2 Friday Night Fights. It was the first fight at the Mirage in more than 15 years, and Beltran won the unanimous decision.

The opening round was as crowd-pleasing as they come as Beltran was dropped hard in the opening minute but was able to battle back and put Kim on the canvas in the final seconds of the round.

Beltran carried that momentum into the 2nd. He battered Kim for much of the salvo and would have finished the job of he had five more seconds as Kim was out on his feet but was saved by the bell.

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Mauricio Herrera injured, out of Karim Mayfield Aug. 17 fight

Mauricio Herrera injured, out of Karim Mayfield Aug. 17 fight
Mark E. Ortega
Queensberry-Rules.com
July 21, 2012


Junior welterweight Mauricio Herrera confirmed to TQBR Saturday that he has pulled out of the proposed Aug. 17 main event of ESPN2 Friday Night Fights against San Francisco's Karim Mayfield, citing a back injury. Herrera's move was originally reported by Boxingscene.com's Ernest Gabion earlier Saturday.

TQBR spoke with Herrera about the pull out and he had a few interesting things to say about it.

“Well the back injury was part of it,” Herrera told TQBR on the phone Saturday afternoon. “We hadn't really signed a contract yet, we weren't sure we were gonna take it yet. At the time they called me for Mayfield, it was kind of sketchy. The fight is in San Francisco, where he is from, and then I threw my back out too.”

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Javier Fortuna Aces Cristobal Cruz Test

Javier Fortuna Aces Cristobal Cruz Test
Mark E. Ortega
Queensberry-Rules.com
July 6, 2012


In an intriguing doubleheader on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights from Las Vegas, we learned a couple of new things about a few young fighters that share the oversight of Sampson Lewkowicz, who manages both A-side fighters in each bout and is largely responsible for their rise.

In the main event, 22-year-old Javier Fortuna of the Dominican Republic gave himself a nine-day early birthday present, starching well-traveled Tijuana-based journeyman Cristobal Cruz inside of two rounds in their scheduled 10-round clash.

Fortuna (20-0, 15 KOs) bothered Cruz with his power early, dropping him with some wide-swining stuff inside of Cruz's slower unorthodox punches early in the round. Cruz used all the veteran tricks he could in order to remain on his feet, pulling Fortuna to the canvas a number of times and falling to the ground at least once on his own.

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[Mike] Dallas Does Soboba

[Mike] Dallas Does Soboba
Mark E. Ortega
Queensberry-Rules.com
June 23, 2012


SAN JACINTO, Calif. -- Friday night at the Soboba Casino, junior welterweight contender Mike Dallas, Jr. of Bakersfield, Calif. took another step up the rankings as he vanquished Javier Castro of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico in the 6th round in perhaps his most impressive performance to date.

Dallas (19-2-1, 8 KOs) edged the opening round of the ESPN2-televised main event as he landed his jab consistently, though Castro got in some solid shots of his own. Castro (27-5, 22 KOs) suffered a cut near his right eye, but things would even out in the round 3 when Dallas' right eye was cut as well. Both cuts were the result of accidental clashes of heads.

The difference in handspeed was eye-opening, as Dallas was able to get in with his punches before Castro had a chance to respond. Castro did his best work when he had Dallas trapped on the ropes, which didn't occur often enough to sway the opinion of the judges prior to the stoppage.

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Dyah Times Breed Big 2012 For Davis

Dyah Times Breed Big 2012 For Davis
Mark E. Ortega
Queensberry-Rules.com
December 7, 2011

 The tail end of 2010 saw the end to a wrenching, multi-generational grudge match spanning decades. Having suffered a defeat at the hands of Aaron Pryor Jr., the future of super middleweight Dyah Davis -- whose father had crossed paths with Pryor's -- remained unclear.

 The Coconut Creek, Fla. native quietly rebounded with an impressive 2011, going 2-0-1 with a signature victory over then unbeaten and highly regarded Marcus “Too Much” Johnson in a ShoBox 10-round headliner in April.

Slated to fight former Kelly Pavlik adversary Alfonso Lopez in the co-featured bout on ESPN Friday Night Fights’ season opener on Jan. 6, Davis is looking to carry his momentum into the new year. His November 2010 meeting with Aaron Pryor Jr. stalled said momentum, if only for a brief moment.

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Lane out, Martinez in for Elegele on Friday

Lane out, Aaron Martinez in for Joseph Elegele this Friday?

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

July 18, 2011

Sometimes in boxing a door closes but a window opens.

That is the case for unbeaten young Joseph Elegele, who was slated to meet once-beaten Lanard Lane this Friday in the co-feature as televised by ESPN Friday Night Fights. Elegele-Lane promised to be an intriguing battle between two young prospects.

Lane's lone loss came against capable junior middleweight Mike Dallas, Jr. on ShoBox but had not fought since, making it over a year of inactivity. He looked to serve as a solid but passable test for Elegele who was being showcased on the Gary Shaw promoted card headlined by Anthony Dirrell against Kevin Engel.