The unbelievable Erik Morales vs Marcos Maidana undercard

They should give awards for the most loaded fight card. Ever since it was announced, San Diegans have been excited about the upcoming bout on April 9th between Erik “El Terrible” Morales (51-6-0, 35 KOs) of San Ysidro (a suburb of San Diego) and Marcos Rene Maidana (29-2-0, 27 KOs), a 12-round light welterweight clash at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. These two athletes are the epitome of everything that is great about boxing. They always bring it.

Morales vs Maidana Live Stream Online

Then, like the famous French chefs, the three promoters,Golden Boy, Universum Box-Promotion and Box Latinodecided to sign additional talent to spice up the evening. It’s been a long time since we’ve been treated to such a star-studded cast which will include:

Light welterweight Danny Garcia (20-0-0, 27 KOs) facingNate Campbell (35-7-1, 25 KOs).

Undefeated light welterweight, 21 year-old Omar “Panteria” Figueroa (10-0-1, 8 KOs) from Weslaco, Texas recently signed to fight on this card. Figueroa stumbled the last time out when he fought to a draw with 27 year-old Arturo Quintero (15-4-1) of Las Vegas, Nevada.

How about if we add James Kirkland to the mix? After scoring two spectacular knockout wins in his return to the ring following a nearly two year absence (incarceration), James “Mandingo Warrior” Kirkland (27-0, 24 KOs) is back and he’s been terrorizing his weight division. The knockout artist will continue his highly anticipated comeback against former WBA interim junior middleweight titleholder Nobuhiro Ishida(22-6-2, 7 KOs) of Osaka, Japan. Ishida is coming off his first loss in almost seven years. Last October, when fighting for the WBA light middleweight title, he lost a 12 round split decision to Rigoberto Alvarez.

Robert “the Ghost” Guerrero (28-1-1) from Gilroy, CA, will be taking on the Aussie, Michael “the Great” Katsidis (27-3-0, 22 KOs) in a 12-round bout for the vacant WBA and WBO interim lightweight belts. Guerrero is undefeated in his last 14 matches. Katsidis, who has his residence in Pattaya, Thailand, is hoping to rebound off his loss to Juan Manuel Marquez, the WBA and WBO lightweight champion.

Still not enthused? How about if we add welterweight Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi (28-4-0, 6 KOs), the wise guy from Brooklyn for a 10 rounder? He signed on to fight Jose Miguel Cotto (32-2-1, 24 KOs), the older brother of Miguel Cotto. Jose Miguel Cotto is from Caguas, Puerto Rico.

This is not an April Fools joke – this fight card is for real.

Marcos Maidana’s true feelings towards Morales, Marquez, Khan and Mayweather

Marcos Maidana is a complex individual. His ferocious and relentless style inside of the ring is a stark contrast to his subdued and low key demeanor outside of the ropes but once you engage yourself in conversation with the Argentinean you get a look into the deep intellect he possesses.

Speaking from the Pound 4 Pound Boxing gym on the West side of Las Vegas last week after another hard day of training, Maidana gave his thoughts on some fellow pugilists near his weight class, some of whom he has faced or will be facing soon and others he is linked to because of talk within boxing circles.

On April 9th Maidana will make his third ring appearance in Las Vegas in his last four fights when he faces off with former three-division champion Erik Morales inside of the nearby MGM Grand. Morales was a terror in his prime years back when he held titles between 122 and 130 pounds but he is looked at as a sacrificial lamb by some as he goes up against the fierce-punching nature of Maidana.

Logic says we could be looking at a one-sided beat down but Maidana has nothing but admiration towards the Tijuana fighter.

“My respect is always genuine because I used to admire him,” Maidana said of Morales. “He was one of my favorites because of his aggressive style. I really admire him and I respect him but once we are in the ring I lose respect for everyone.”

Maidana endeared himself to the boxing world by playing his part in a thrilling twelve round war with WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan last December. Maidana would get dropped in the first round by a wicked body shot but recovered to give us a competitive battle and even staged a ferocious late-round rally before eventually dropping a close decision.

It was a heartbreaking defeat, but one that ‘Chino’ swears he is over.

“It didn’t affect me. Of course I wanted to beat him, to have a win over Khan. But I liked my own performance and even though I was on the losing end I think it was kind of better than any other win,” Maidana continued.

There is a wealth of talent in the junior welterweight class, with Khan rumored to be meeting WBC and WBO champion Timothy Bradley in the summer if successful against challenger Paul McCloskey next month and other challengers and champions such as Devon Alexander, Zab Judah, and Lucas Matthyse, amongst others, all looking to make moves of their own.

Maidana doesn’t want to look past ‘El Terrible’ Morales but can’t help but to think down the road when eyeing his future.

“God provide, if I beat Morales, which I will, I am expecting Bradley and I am expecting [Juan Manuel] Marquez,” he said. “I am expecting Devon Alexander and any of them. Of course a rematch with Khan would be great but I don’t think he will give it to me.”

Marquez’s name rings bells because Maidana had initially ventured to Mexico last month to work with the lightweight champion’s trainer Nacho Beristain. But the Maidana-Beristain union was short-lived, as Marquez seemed to feel threatened by another star and potential foe entering his stable and Marcos was unceremoniously given the exit and has since teamed up with trainer Rudy Perez.

I asked Maidana if he has any ill will towards Marquez because of how everything played out.

“It’s not hard feelings that I have for him but he made me feel bad at the time because of his comments,” Maidana remarked. “Because he is my colleague, he is a fellow boxer, so he shouldn’t put himself into my [business] because I already traveled to Mexico. But that’s water under the bridge because things happen for a reason and I’m more than happy to be working with Rudy now.”

Recently Maidana struck a chord with the public when he released a vicious statement directed towards Floyd Mayweather Jr., lambasting him for his braggadocios personality and his unwillingness to get in the ring and face fellow superstar Manny Pacquiao. Maidana noted that there was no place for Mayweather’s antics in the sport and personally challenged the undefeated fighter to a duel down the road.

Weeks later and Maidana’s feelings towards Mayweather have yet to change.

“Yes that’s something that I said because they asked me. I am a quiet guy and I don’t like the big-mouth guys. But of course I would be willing to face him because he is one of the best out there and I want to be the best and I have to be in the ring with the best.”

Erik Morales Media Workout (Photos)

Mexican three-time world champion Erik “Terrible” Morales conducted a public training session on Wednesday at the Otomi Ceremonial Center in Temoaya, Mexico State. He’s been focusing for more than two months on training for his upcoming bout against Argentinian Marcos “Chino” Maidana on April 9th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Morales hopes to become the first Mexican fighter to win four world titles in different divisions from super bantamweight, featherweight and super featherweight, he now has his sights on the WBA super lightweight interim world title. Erik is in good physical and mental shape which is very obviously important for this big fight. “It’s a great fight and I’m going to give my best because it’s all or nothing. Maida is young and strong, I will use all my experience with intelligence and strategy,” said Morales.

Erik Morales Media Workout (Photos)

Marcos Maidana Media Workout (Photos)

My plans while driving down Spring Mountain road in Las Vegas, Nevada were pretty simple. I was hoping to catch up with lightweight contender Sharif Bogere at the Pound 4 Pound Gym and later hit up Roger Mayweather and Floyd’s gym just down the street to gather a few sound bytes or gym shots from each man. I was a little late in trying to catch Bogere and Mayweather was nowhere to be found but I was pleasantly surprised when Pound 4 Pound co-owner Rich Barrientes advised me that former interim WBA junior welterweight champion Marcos Maidana was in town and training out of his facility.

Maidana is closing in on an April 9th showdown with Erik Morales at the MGM Grand and by now Las Vegas is like a second home to him. He often trains out of this city and this fight with ‘El Terrible’ marks his 3rd fight in the area in his last four contests. I spoke to the Argentinean’s advisor Sebastian Contursi upon the team’s arrival and reassured that everything is running smoothly for this particular contest.

Maidana arrived in the city on March 15th after a four and a half week stint in Mexico City. The 27-year old had initially agreed to work with excellent strategist Nacho Beristain but that was a move that was frowned upon by his chief fighter Juan Manuel Marquez and they had to part ways. Hours later Maidana would link up with veteran Rudy Perez, known best for days with Marco Antonio Barrera, and the Mexican coach could be seen on this day overseeing Maidana’s every move.

Maidana is coming off of a heartbreaking decision loss to Amir Khan last December inside of the Mandalay Bay. In that fight Maidana was floored in the first round from a stinging body shot but rose valiantly and worked his way back into the fight as he staged a hellacious late-round rally that saw him come up just short.

Maidana is the heavy favorite to defeat Morales, who had his best success in the late 90′s and mid-2000′s while campaigning between 122 and 130 pounds. If successful, Maidana said he would love a rematch with Khan but will be eyeing all options at 140 pounds.

Marcos Maidana Media Workout (Photos)

Morales vs Maidana Live Stream, Updates and Videos

In what promises to be an explosive night of fights featuring six all-action boxing heroes, on Saturday, April 9 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, five-time and three-division World Champion Erik “El Terrible” Morales (51-6, 35 KOs) returns to face power-punching Argentinean Marcos “El Chino” Maidana (29-2, 27 KOs).

Former Undisputed Junior Middleweight World Champion and future Hall of Famer Winky Wright (51-5-1, 25 KOs) will returning to the ring to face European Champion Matthew Macklin (28-2, 19 KOs) in a classic crossroads battle. The event will also showcase what promises to be a slugfest between former World Champions Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (28-1-1, 18 KOs) and Michael Katsidis “The Great” (27-3, 22 KOs).

“Action Heroes” featuring Morales vs. Maidana in a 12-round junior welterweight bout, Wright vs. Macklin in a 10-round super middleweight fight and Guerrero vs. Katsidis in a 12-round lightweight battle.

The Morales vs Maidana Live Stream will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

The fighters will host a press conference Tuesday, Feb. 22 in Los Angeles to formally announce the upcoming pay-per-view event.

Yuriorkis Gamboa overwhelms Jorge Solis with 4th-round KO

Former Olympic gold medalist Yuriorkis Gamboa (20-0, 16 KOs) of Guantanamo, Cuba, knocked out Jorge Solis (40-3-2-1, 29 KOs) of Guadalajara, Mexcio, in the fourth round — the main event of HBO’s Boxing After Dark, before 2,913 at the Adrian Phillips Ballroom in Atlantic City.

One of the fastest-rising fighters in the sport, Gamboa, 29, needed just four rounds to finish off Solis, who went eight rounds with Manny Pacquiao four years ago.

The pair felt each other out in the opening round, as Gamboa feinted his right hand, looking to set-up Solis, 125½, for power shots later.

In the next round, he did just that, dropping his foe twice. The first knockdown came from a straight left. The second, from a barrage of power shots. Gamboa, 126, fought patiently though, as he waited for his next opening, crushing Solis with a short left hook to end the round.

Moments after the fourth round began, Gamboa dropped him for the fourth time, a vicious straight right doing the damage. Solis, 31, again made it to his feet, but the end was near, as Gamboa jumped on him and closed the show, dropping Solis for a fifth and final time, as referee David Fields saved the Mexican from further punishment.

Time of the stoppage was 1:31 of round four.

Gamboa landed 68-of-151 (45%) power punches. Solis landed 19-of-43 (44%) in the same category.

“That’s the real Gamboa,” said Gamboa’s manager Tony Gonzalez. “That’s the Gamboa we’ve been waiting to see. It all came together tonight. He wanted to make a statement.”

Immediately after the bout, talk turned to prospects of a featherweight super fight between Gamboa, ranked No. 2 by The Ring, and Puerto Rican Juan Manuel Lopez, both promoted by Top Rank.

“It was a very good fight compared to what happened last year,” said Gamboa, referring to his struggle with Orlando Salido last September. “I’ll probably fight (Indonesian featherweight) Chris John next. If (Juan Manuel) Lopez doesn’t fight me, I’m going up in weight.”

Lopez, ringside to take in the action, seemed eager to make the fight happen as well.

“I’ve never said no, Gamboa’s never said no, we just have to negotiate,” said Lopez, ranked No. 1 by The Ring. “We’re the best in the division, we have to do it.”

In the HBO co-feature, Mikey Garcia (25-0, 21 KOs) of Oxnard, Calif., stopped Matt Remillard (23-1, 13 KOs) of Manchester, Conn., when the latter didn’t answer the bell to begin the 11th round.

It was an uneventful affair until the ninth round, where Garcia dropped a seemingly exhausted Remillard with a grazing left uppercut. He followed that up with a second knockdown moments later on a big left hook, but the round ended as soon as Remillard beat the count.

Garica, 23, followed up his attack in the next round, dropping his foe to the canvas again. Remillard again beat the count, but he didn’t have much left and his corner stopped the fight following the round.

Garcia threw almost 1,000 punches, landing 266-of-943 (28%). Remillard, 24, threw almost half that, landing 162-of-514 (32%).

In a battle of undefeated local favorites, junior featherweight Teon Kennedy (17-0-1, 7 KOs) of Philadelphia defeated Jorge Diaz (15-1, 9 KOs) of New Brunswick, N.J., over 12 action-packed rounds.

Diaz, 122, stalked while Kennedy boxed during the first few rounds of the bout.

Kennedy, 122, dropped Diaz in round three with a counter left hook to the temple, just the second time Diaz has been down in his career.

In the sixth, Kennedy again dropped Diaz, this time with a big over-hand right. Diaz was out on his feet, but weathered the storm and made it out of the round.

The two stood toe-to-toe for the remainder of the action, with Kennedy winning the judges over with his accurate punching and movement.

Scores were 115-111, 118-109 and 117-109.

Also on the untelevised undercard, Baltimore Ravens safety Tommy Zbikowski, continuing his boxing career during the NFL lockout, ran his record to 3-0 with two knockouts, outpointing MMA fighter Caleb Grummet (0-0-2, 0 KOs) over four rounds.

His first right under famed trainer Emanuel Steward, Zbikowski came out strong, but couldn’t put his opponent away in the opening stanza, as he did his first two foes.

Zbikowski, 195, controlled the action over the next two rounds, working the body and trading on the inside with Grummert, 215 ½.

In the final round, Zbikowski was hurt from a barrage of Grummet punches, but he came back and staged a late rally to finish the match.

Scores were 39-36 twice and 38-37 for the former Notre Dame standout.

Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Orlando Salido Highlights (Replay Video)

In his last fight on HBO’s Boxing After Dark, Yuriorkis Gamboa captured a second featherweight championship belt, with a dynamic performance against former champion Orlando Salido.

Do you think he’ll be victorious against Jorge Solis this Saturday?

Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Orlando Salido Highlights

GAMBOA-SOLIS & REMILLARD-GARCIA ON HBO THIS SATURDAY

HBO’s hit late-night boxing franchise presents a compelling doubleheader, headlined by one of the sport’s elite fighters in a world featherweight title defense, when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: YURIORKIS GAMBOA VS. JORGE SOLIS AND MATT REMILLARD VS. MIKEY GARCIA is seen SATURDAY, MARCH 26 at 9:45 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT), from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports broadcast team will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: March 27 (9:45 a.m.) and 28 (midnight)

HBO2 playdates: March 27 (4:45 p.m.) and 29 (midnight)

Making his 2011 debut after an impressive 2010 showing of three solid victories, undefeated featherweight titleholder Yuriorkis Gamboa (19-0, 15 KOs) of Miami, Fla. has put on some spectacular ring performances over the past two years. In this 12-round bout, he will look to show the consistency and all-around skills of an elite champion. Veteran Jorge Solis (40-2-2, 29 KOs) of Guadalajara, Mexico has fought his last eight bouts in his home country, winning seven, and is making his first trip to the U.S. since meeting Manny Pacquiao at San Antonio’s Alamodome in 2007.

The opening bout features two undefeated featherweights looking to excel in the national spotlight, as 24-year-old Matt Remillard (23-0, 13 KOs) of Hartford, Ct. battles 23-year-old Mikey Garcia (24-0, 20 KOs) of Oxnard, Cal. This 126-pound tilt is scheduled for 12 rounds.

The executive producer of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jon Crystal; director, Mike Sheehan.

® HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

Yuriorkis Gamboa headlines at the Boardwalk Hall this Saturday

March has been a busy month not only for collegiate basketball but also for boxing. This year, March was filled with boxing events that showcased talents in all of the sport’s division. It featured up and coming stars, veterans of the sport and current champions defending their titles in matches that were given generous airtime by both HBO and Showtime, two of the most active cable networks involved in the sport. The previous three Saturdays were occupied by boxing matches widely promoted by promoters and the above mentioned networks.

This weekend, it’s the featherweight’s turn to put on a show in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Three unbeaten featherweights put their record and belts on the line in a bout featured in HBO’s Boxing After Dark. Leading the pack is WBA title holder and Cuban Olympic gold medalist Yuriorkis Gamboa in the main event defending his belt against erstwhile Manny Pacquiao opponent in Mexican, Jorge Solis. This bout is considered to be a prelude to a potential big match against fellow featherweight title holder and rival Juan Manuel Lopez of Puerto Rico. Lopez himself, is scheduled to fight Mexican Orlando Salido next month in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. If both boxers are successful in their respective matches, a match featuring the two of them will be very much anticipated by boxing fans. Two unbeaten, highly successful champions at the prime of their career for a unification match of their division will surely make a big event in this sport.

The event this weekend dubbed as “Featherweight Fury” will conclude a month long schedule for boxing. It also features two unbeaten boxers in Matt Remillard and Mikey Garcia, who will put their unblemished resume at stake. The bout is for Remillard’s NABO, NABF featherweight belt. The bout is the co-feature match in the HBO series. Teon Kennedy of Philadelpia and New Jersey native Jorge Diaz also battle it out for the USBA Super bantamweight championship the same night. Other fighters fighting in the Boardwalk Hall also include Jerseyan, Glenn Tapia of Passaic in a six round super welterweight match.Tapia was a main sparring partner of Manny Pacquiao last year in Pacquiao’s preparations for Antonio Margarito. It also marks the third professional fight of Baltimore Ravens safety Tommy Zbikowski, who is fresh from a successful outing in Las Vegas two weeks ago.

Atlantic City has been a haven for professional boxing in the past. The Boardwalk Hall, which is the city’s primary convention center has been host to a lot of boxing’s super fights. It featured superstars like Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar dela Hoya, Roy Jones, Bernard Hopkins and Arturo Gatti to name a few. This Saturday, the young featherweights mentioned above will make the arena their home as they try to reach boxing’s superstardom. It sure promises to be another exciting series of boxing matches in the city known as “America’s Favorite Playground.”

Gamboa vs Solis Preview

The most exciting boxers today reside in the sports’ lighter weight divisions and on March 26 in the Adrian Phillips Ballroom at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, six of them will take center stage and battle for titles in “Featherweight Fury!” Yuriorkis Gamboa will defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight title against interim Super Featherweight Champion Jorge Solis; undefeated NABF & NABO champion Matt ‘Sharp Shooter’ Remillard of Manchester, Conn. will defend his featherweight titles against #1-ranked Mikey Garcia of Oxnard, Calif.; and Teon Kennedy of Philadelphia will defend his USBA Jr Featherweight crown against Jorge “Exit 9″ Diaz of New Brunswick, N.J.

Featherweight Fury! is promoted by Top Rank, in association with Arena Box and Caesars Atlantic City. The Gamboa vs. Solis and Remillard vs. Garcia title fights will be televised on HBO Boxing After Dark.

Tickets, priced at $200, $100, $50, are available at the Boardwalk Hall Box Office or by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at ticketmaster.com.

“This will be a great, entertaining night of boxing. I am really looking forward to this tripleheader which we are calling Featherweight Fury!,” said Bob Arum, CEO, Top Rank.

Yuriorkis Gamboa (19-0, 15 KOs), the reigning WBA featherweight champion now residing in Miami, Florida was a four-time Cuban National Champion and 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist. Gamboa defected from Cuba and turned professional on April 27, 2007, won the WBA interim title on April 17, 2009 (TKO 10) and won the title outright on October 10, 2009 (TKO 4). Gamboa has three successful title defenses. Jorge Solis (40-2-2, 29 KOs) from Guadalajara, Mexico, won the Interim WBA Super Featherweight title on February 6, 2010. Solis was undefeated in his first 35 fights before suffering his first professional loss against Manny Pacquiao on April 17, 2007. He has since lost only one fight over the current four-year span.

Matt “The Sharp Shooter” Remillard (23-0, 13 KOs) the very popular boxer from Manchester, Connecticut, won the NABF featherweight title on September 19, 2009 (TKO 4) and added the NABO title three fights later on May 22, 2010 (TKO 4). The Garcia bout will be only Remillard’s fourth outside of New England, his first under the Top Rank banner and easily his most difficult fight to date. Miguel Angel “Mikey” Garcia (24-0, 20 KOs) from Oxnard, California, is the International Boxing Federation’s (IBF) No. 1 ranked featherweight. Garcia won his first title, the USBA featherweight title, on April 3, 2010 (TKO 1) and won the IBF eliminator on August 14, 2010 (TKO 11) in what turned out to be his first trek past the 8th-round.

Teon “The Technician” Kennedy (16-0, 17 KOs) from Philadelphia, PA won the USBA super bantamweight title and at the same time vaulted to the No. 3 ranking by the IBF in his last bout when Alex Becerra failed to answer the bell for the 11th round (RTD 10) on September 25 at Bally’s. A win over Diaz will be sure to move Kennedy into position for a world title shot. Jorge “Exit 9″ Diaz (15-0, 9 KOs) makes his home in New Brunswick, New Jersey, just off Exit 9. Diaz’ aggressive style has made him a huge fan favorite not only in the North Jersey/New York area but Atlantic City also. In his young career he has fought at Boardwalk Hall three times, Madison Square Garden four times, and Yankee Stadium and Bally’s Atlantic City once each.