George Destroys Ballogou; Dunne-Cordoba, DeGale-Tchilaia – News

By Boxing News - 02/26/2009 - Comments

george345244664NEW YORK – Light-heavyweight contender Shaun George entered his bout with Jaffa Ballogou intent on sending the division a message it could not ignore. It took him only 86 seconds to accomplish his mission, finishing off “The African Assassin” in spectacular fashion in New York City’s BB King Blues Club & Grill.

“I had a lot of respect for Jaffa going in,” George said, now 18-2 (9 knockouts). “I took him very serious but at the same time I wanted to impress the boxing fans and show them what I can do. I wanted a knockout and I would have been very upset if I didn’t get it.”

George, a native of Brooklyn, began the bout at a measured pace, feeling out the Togo-born Ballogou, now 46-8 (40 knockouts). A right hand to the body doubled-over Ballogou and from there George unleashed a sustained assault to the head and body that forced a halt to the fight at 1:26 of the first round.

This is George’s second dominant knockout win in a row, the first being his ninth-round stoppage of two-time heavyweight champion Chris Byrd in May. Since dropping down to his natural weight class of 175 pounds, George has won all five of his bouts, three inside the distance. George says he is ready to take on anyone in the division.

“I want Chad Dawson, Zsolt Erdei, Adrian Diaconu, all of the champions. I want to challenge the top-ten contenders. I’m only there to fight, I let [promoter] Lou Dibella and [adviser] Donna Duva-Brooks handle the business. I want the very best the sport has to offer.”

“I want to get in the ring as soon as possible. I don’t feel tired or fatigued, I wasn’t even hit in the fight. I could go again next week if necessary.”

George is currently ranked #8 by the WBC, #9 by the IBF and #11 by the WBA.

The show was promoted by Dibella Entertainment. The fight will be broadcast on SportsNet New York with dates and times to be announced shortly.

Dunne leaving no stone unturned for World title bid

Bernard Dunne has established a world class training camp in Belfast ahead of the biggest night of his boxing life. Dunne challenges for Ricardo Cordoba’s WBA Super Bantamweight title on the Hunky Dorys World Title Fight Night at The O2, Dublin on Saturday, March 21st in what promises to be a huge night for Irish sport.

From nutritionists, to specialist strength and conditioning coaches to world class sparring partners Dunne is determined to leave no stone unturned as he goes in pursuit of the ultimate prize.

The Dubliner’s began his sparring with former European featherweight champ Alberto Servidei, an Italian who is undefeated in 28 pro fights before moving on to former World title challenger and KO specialist William Gonzalez of Nicaragua.

With another two full weeks of sparring left to go Dunne’s trainer Harry Hawkins has been more than happy with his charge’s preparations to date. “Bernard’s been red hot in sparring. Servidei is a very good technical fighter and he was able to mimic Cordoba to a tee. Gonzalez is in at the moment and as well as being very similar in style to Cordoba he has that extra insight because he’s actually fought him so he’s been very helpful on that front.”

While long term trainer Hawkins has been overseeing Dunne’s preparations the former European Champion has made a number of other additions to his training team. Having studied anatomy during a sports scholarship at Trinity College prior to turning pro Dunne has always had a keen interest in the science of sports specific training. He’s taken that one step further for this fight by bringing nutritionists Blue Shinners and Jason Kenny on board to oversee his dietary requirements.

“I’ve been working with Blue and Jason on the nutritional side of things and I’ve found them a great help. Because the training sessions I’m doing are so intense it’s vital that I’m getting the right fuel back in my body so they have been invaluable. They will also have a big impact on the time between the weigh in and when I step in to the ring as it’s very important to re-hydrate in the correct way.”

The nutritionist’s expertise has complimented Dunne’s work with strength and conditioning specialist Mike McGurn who has vast experience working with professional athletes including a stint as the Irish rugby team’s strength and conditioning coach.

“Mike has had a bigger influence then ever before for this fight. I’ve been doing a lot of weights sessions with him but it’s not about bulking up and packing on muscle because at the end of the day I still have to make the 8 stone 10 pound super bantamweight limit.

“What Mike is about is giving me the right type of weight training to increase my power and strength but also adding explosiveness and actually increasing my speed. Mike’s been pushing me hard and I can really find a difference in my boxing at the moment.”

Another component of the Dunne backroom team is Alec Doherty, a Belfast man who has trained a number of mixed martial arts fighters. “Alec has brought some fresh, new ideas. His motto is that if you train like everybody else, you’ll be like everybody else so he’s freshened things up and the work is pretty intense. His sessions are really focused on building a strong core so there’s a lot of abdominal work and he certainly has some innovative and punishing ways of doing it!

“Although we’ve added a lot of components to the team ultimately they are there to compliment my boxing training and not to take away from it. This is my fifth week in camp in Belfast and there are another three to go and even before I got up here I’d been working very hard at home in Dublin. The sessions are draining and intense but there hasn’t been a day yet when I haven’t looked forward to going to the gym so I’m really enjoying it. This is the fight my whole career has been building to so there’s definitely an extra edge to me for this one.”

Dunne’s bid for the WBA Super Bantamweight title headlines a historic night for Irish sport at The O2 that combines the professional and amateur codes. Olympic medallists Kenny Egan and Paddy Barnes are also in action alongside World and European champ Katie Taylor and reigning World Junior champ, Ray Moylette.

The professional side of the bill features unbeaten Cavan star, Andy Murray in a clash with Italy’s Massimiliano Chiofalo for the European Union Lightweight Title while Jim “The Pink Panther” Rock also faces Italian opposition as he takes on Alessio Furlan.

Unbeaten Dundalk prospect Michael Kelly also features with one further amateur and professional fight to be confirmed on the 10 bout event.

Tickets for the Hunky Dorys World Title Fight Night are priced from €50 and are available now from Ticketmaster (phone 0818 719 300 or visit ticketmaster.ie). Tickets are also available from Ticketmaster outlets nationwide.

Get the latest news and video on our website: brianpeterspromotions.com

RUNNING ORDER: SATURDAY 28 FEBRUARY

Frank Warren Proudly Presents Championship Boxing
Saturday, 28 February, 2009
The National Indoor Arena, Birmingham

Doors Open: 17.30 HRS

FIGHT # 1 – 19.40 HRS
4 X 3 Minute Rounds Light-Middleweight Contest
THOMAS COSTELLO (Birmingham, England) vs. MATT SCRIVEN (Nottingham, England)

FIGHT # 2
THE MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP OF ENGLAND
10 X 3 Minute Rounds at 11st 6lb (160lb)
STEVE BENDALL (Coventry, England) vs. DARREN McDERMOTT (Dudley, England)

FIGHT # 3
THE COMMONWEALTH SUPER-FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
12 X 3 Minute Rounds 8st 3lb (115lb)
DON BROADHURST (Birmingham, England) vs. ISSAC OWUSU (Accra, Ghana)

FIGHT # 4
4 X 3 Minute Rounds Featherweight Contest
STEVEN SMITH (Liverpool, England) vs. STEVE GETHIN (Walsall, England)

SKY SPORTS BROADCAST COMMENCES AT 22.00 HRS

FIGHT # 5 – 22.05 hrs
4 X 3 Minute Rounds Middleweight Contest
BILLY JOE SAUNDERS (Hatfield, England) vs. ATTILA MOLNAR (Hungary)

FIGHT # 6
4 X 3 Minute Rounds International Welterweight Contest
FRANKIE GAVIN (Birmingham, England) vs. GEORGE KADARIA (Tblisi, Georgia)

FIGHT # 7
4 X 3 Minute Rounds International Middleweight Contest
JAMES DeGALE (Harlesden, London, England) vs. VEPKHIA TCHILAIA (Tblisi, Georgia)

FIGHT # 8
THE COMMONWEALTH HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
12 X 3 Minute Rounds
MATT SKELTON (Bedford, England) vs. MARTIN ROGAN (Belfast, Northern Ireland)



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