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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Guzman fails to make weight--again

Guzman fails to make weight--again
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
June 27, 2013

There aren't many fighters that have been blessed with as much natural talent as Joan Guzman of the Dominican Republic. Of that crop, few have squandered their talent away as badly as Guzman, a former titleholder at 122 and 130 pounds.

Thursday evening, Guzman added to his list of career woes as he missed the junior welterweight limit of 140 pounds for his WBA interim title bout against Vicente Mosquera (himself attempting to rebound from career demons).

Guzman didn't just miss the 140 pound limit. If this were a welterweight bout, he would have tipped the scales heavy by 1.2 pounds, as he came in at 148.2.

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Foreman returns July 24

Foreman returns July 24
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
June 26, 2013


Comebacking junior middleweight Yuri Foreman will return to action on July 24, taking on journeyman Tony Hirsch in an eight-round bout at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. Marlon Sullivan, Hirsch's manager, confirmed the information to RingTV on Wednesday afternoon.

This will mark Foreman's third fight since returning to the ring following a nearly two-year layoff. He announced his retirement after losing to Pawel Wolak in March of 2011. The loss was Foreman's second in a row, having lost his previous bout to Miguel Cotto in front of a raucous crowd at Yankee Stadium.

Foreman (30-2, 8 KOs) lost to Cotto after injuring his leg during the fight but showed tremendous heart in continuing on one leg until the fight was stopped in round nine. Cotto picked up Foreman's WBA 154-pound title with the win.

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Final chapter, final Page likely written for former champ

Final chapter, final Page likely written for former champ
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
June 18, 2013

A week ago today, former WBA welterweight titlist James Page was arrested in Northern California in connection to six bank robberies that took place around the Bay Area over the past six months. According to the Bay Area News Group, he is being held on $395,000 bail.

It was just over a year ago that Page emerged from prison following an 11-year sentence stemming from a bank robbery in Atlanta in 2001. After serving his time, Page left prison a cut and ripped 159 pounds, intent on returning to the ring in an attempt to find old glory.

Page's comeback received little fanfare, though he took it much more seriously than most fortysomethings coming off more than a decade of inactivity. Page sparred with the late Omar Henry at King's Gym in Oakland, as well as junior middleweight contender Alfredo Angulo under the watchful eye of Angulo's trainer, Virgil Hunter.

In doing a story for the February edition of the UK publication Boxing Monthly, this writer recalls discussing Page with Hunter when it first became apparent that he was out of jail and looking to return to the ring. Hunter instantly brushed off the idea of it. He'd had a change of heart after seeing Page go toe-to-toe with Angulo in sparring.

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Famous Fight Fan: Rosie Perez

Famous Fight Fan: Rosie Perez
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
June 12, 2013


There are famous boxing fans, and then there is Rosie Perez.

Made a household name by movies such as Do the Right Thing and White Men Can't Jump, and nominated for an Oscar for her role in Fearless, the actress has embraced boxing as much as any celebrity and has an impressive following of fight fans on Twitter.

She even served as grand marshal of this past weekend's International Boxing Hall of Fame parade, an honor that caught her off guard.

"I was beyond surprised," Perez told RingTV.com.

"Steve Farhood contacted me and said (Showtime Sports executive VP) Stephen Espinoza gave him my e-mail. He told me they were throwing around names for this and my name came up. I asked, 'Why me?,' and he said he thinks I'm great for boxing."

This year's list of inductees included the late Arturo Gatti, Virgil Hill, Myung-Woo Yuh, referee Mills Lane, ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr., and journalist Colin Hart.

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Sanchez Jr. loses title but outpoints Sosa

Sanchez Jr. loses title but outpoints Sosa
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
June 9, 2013


It was previously reported early Saturday morning on RingTV.com that though IBF 115-pound titleholder Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr. came in two ounces overweight, the IBF allowed him to defend his title against Argentine challenger Roberto Domingo Sosa.

That morning, the IBF decided to change their tune, vacating the title and allowing only Sosa to fight for it. Sanchez Jr.'s promoters, Zanfer and Panchito Promotions, were upset at this development as their fighter would have been granted an additional try to make the weight had it been discussed at the weigh-in.

Though Sanchez Jr. lost his title on the scales, he prevailed unanimously over a game Sosa in a mostly technical fight. Sanchez Jr. did his best work in an action-packed fourth round and then later in the 12th, when he knocked down Sosa to close the show.

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Bits & Pieces: Weight controversy in Vegas

Bits & Pieces: Weight controversy in Vegas
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
June 8, 2013


While HBO and Showtime go head-to-head tonight with shows from Montreal and Carson, Calif., respectively, Top Rank and Zanfer Promotions have a card at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas that will be televised on UniMas’ Solo Boxeo. Here are some notes compiled from Friday's weigh-in.

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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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