Boxing promoter Frank Maloney hopes Lennox Lewis will stay retired. In recent weeks speculation about Lewis’ return to the ring has reached fever pitch. Reports say Lewis would return to the ring for a staggering $100m.
But Maloney, who managed the heavyweight for over 12 years, told Setanta Sports News he did not think it would happen.
“He would never do that. I’ve known Lennox for a long time. I know we had our differences at the end but that’s water under the bridge.
“The man is very intelligent. He respects the legacy he’s built up over the years in boxing. And he’s never going to waste that.”
Maloney went on to describe Lewis as the “best fighter I’ve ever worked with.”
2008 OLYMPIAN SHAWN ESTRADA PRO DEBUT ON “AT LAST” UNDERCARD
Los Angeles, CA (November 28, 2008) – Goossen Tutor Promotion’s Matchmaker Tom Brown has orchestrated an exciting undercard for the “AT LAST” boxing event scheduled for Saturday, November 29, highlighted by the pro debut of 2008 U.S. Olympian Shawn Estrada of East Los Angeles. The Event will be held at the new Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, CA.
In the scheduled four-round junior middleweight special attraction, Estrada, whose compelling story of courage and heartbreak in Beijing was chronicled via multi-media coverage throughout the World, will take on Lawrence Jones (2-1-1, 1 KO) of Washington, DC.
Undefeated Bakersfield, California prospect and Jackie Kallen-managed Mike Dallas, Jr. (5-0, 1 KO) will be tested by Mexico’s Jose Alfredo Lugo (10-5, 5 KOs) in a scheduled 6-round junior welterweight bout. After winning his first four bouts by decision, Dallas registered his first knockout three months ago by taking out James Helmes in just 1:45 in Lemoore, CA. Lugo is coming in off a solid performance in September against undefeated Art Hovhannesyan in Woodland Hills, CA, where he lost a very close decision.
In a scheduled 10-round confrontation, WBC CABOFE Heavyweight Champion Manny “El Toro” Quezada (24-4, 15 KOs) of Bakersfield, CA will put his belt on the line against once beaten Teke Oruh (14-1-1, 6 KOs) of Las Vegas. Quezada dominated veteran Andrew Greeley his last bout back in August pitching a 10-round shutout in the first defense of his title. Oruh is ready to go and will attempt to rebound from his first loss as a pro to Joey Abell on the Island of St. Lucia last year.
Knockout artist Josesito Lopez (22-3, 13 KOs) of nearby Riverside, CA will duke it out with Alex Perez (23-31-4, 18 KOs) of Miami, FL in a scheduled 8-round junior welterweight matchup. Lopez was involved in a brawl back in April against veteran Edgar Santana where, despite sending his opponent to the canvas twice in the eighth round, lost a close majority decision. Fernandez has drawn a pair of tough opponents fighting in New York in 2008, earning a draw against then 9-0 Joel Torres in May before losing via eighth-round TKO in August to Ali Oubaali, who was 21-3 at the time.
The “AT LAST” main event features 2-time WBO Welterweight Champion and the sport’s “most feared fighter” — Paul “The Punisher” Williams — will move up in weight to take on three-time world champion Verno Phillips in a scheduled interim12-round battle for the WBO Super Welterweight Title. The co-feature is a WBC Continental Americas, NABF and IBF Heavyweight Elimination 12-round bout between undefeated Cristobal “The Nightmare” Arreola and KO artist Travis “Freight Train” Walker.
“It’s great to present a world class undercard to the fans preparing them for a sensational HBO-broadcast featuring Williams and Arreola in the initial professional boxing event at the Inland Empire’s magnificent new sports and entertainment arena – the Citizens Business Bank Arena – in Ontario, California,” said promoter Dan Goossen. “This array of up-and-coming talent on display on November 29 will be an exciting compliment to what promises to be the two action-packed main bouts.”
Tickets for “AT LAST” are priced at: $200, $100, $50 and $25 and may be purchased at Citizens Business Bank Arena box office, Monday-Friday 10:00am-6:00 pm, Saturday 10:00 am-4:00 pm or at www.ticketmaster.com.
Roach: “De La Hoya Will Know How Chavez Felt”
HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. (November 28, 2008) — Two-time BWAA Trainer of the Year, World-Famous Freddie Roach is confident that his charge MANNY PACQUIAO, boxing’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter and five-division world champion, will not only beat “The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya, but will knock him out within nine rounds.
“Oscar is 35 and a part-time fighter. It’s obvious that father time is catching up with him,” said Roach. “Look at his face after his fight against Stevie Forbes who is a light hitter. I’ve never seen Oscar’s face look like that against opponents who were bigger, stronger and better. His stamina has decreased and he’s not the fastest learner when it comes to new things. Manny is Oscar’s polar opposite when it comes to those factors. Manny can flat-out fight three minutes of every round for 12 rounds and he picks up a new lesson the first time it’s shown to him. Oscar works well when he can follow a script, but he showed in his fight against Mayweather that he’s even having problems doing that. Our game plan was working well the first half of the fight and then he stopped. Manny not only has the discipline and the stamina to follow a script in the ring, he has also become a master at improvising. And I think that may be the difference in this fight.
“The career cycle of any athlete is finite. Good habits and good genes can postpone the erosion of an athlete’s talents, but eventually the inevitable catches up with even the best of them. The cruelest examples in professional sports are in boxing. Boxing is a young man’s game and it’s dangerous to overstay your welcome. You don’t have to look any further than these four examples: Rocky Marciano ending Joe Louis’ career, Larry Holmes ending Muhammad Ali’s career, Terry Norris ending Sugar Ray Leonard’s career and Oscar De La Hoya ending Julio Cesar Chavez’s career. Sure they may have fought on after their losses, but their careers as elite fighters were over. Next week, the shoe is gong to be on the other foot and Oscar is going to find out first-hand how Julio Cesar Chavez felt the night he lost to Oscar the first time, June 7, 1996.”
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HBO’s Emmy-Award-winning all-access franchise “24/7” returns with Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao in starring roles. The four-episode series “De La Hoya/Pacquiao 24/7” continues with a new episode This Sunday! November 30, at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on HBO. Episodes one and two are available on HBO ON DEMAND.
“The Dream Match,” the 12-round welterweight collision between two of boxing’s biggest attractions, De La Hoya and Pacquiao, is scheduled to take place on Saturday, December 6 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, the bout will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. It is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank, Inc., presented by Tequila Cazadores and sponsored by Ceverza Tecate, DeWalt Tools, Full Throttle Energy Drink, and Southwest Airlines, the fight sold out in hours, making it the second largest grossing gate in boxing history.
The De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao pay-per-view telecast will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.
Tickets for the closed circuit telecast, priced at $100 (preferred seating) and $60, not including handling fees, are now on sale at the MGM Grand ticket office outlets, at the Concierge desk and the KÀ Theatre box office. Tickets are also available by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 702-474-4000. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, Circus Circus, TI, Monte Carlo, Excalibur Luxor and New York-New York also will host closed circuit viewing and tickets are on sale at each individual property’s box office outlets or by phone with a major credit card at 866-799-7711.