Karpency Defeats Phelps; Darchinyan-Arce, Estrada, Dickinson – News

By Boxing News - 02/03/2009 - Comments

World Super Flyweight Champion VIC “Raging Bull” DARCHINYAN and World Boxing Association (WBA) interim super flyweight champion JORGE “Travieso” ARCE will host a media workout Tomorrow! Wednesday, February 4, beginning at 2 P.M. PT at TKO Boxing (1601 South Center Street, Santa Ana, Calif. 92704.) The public is invited to attend, free of charge.

Darchinyan and Arce will finally meet, in a long-awaited world title showdown, Saturday, February 7 at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Darchinyan and Top-10 lightweight contender ANTONIO DeMARCO will conduct their workout at 2 P.M., followed by Arce and ALMAZBEK “Kid Diamond” RAIYMKULOV at 3 P.M. All four fighters and their promoters, trainers and managers, will be available for one-on-one interviews.

Promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and Top Rank, the February 7 world championship card at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif, will also feature the North American Boxing Organization lightweight championship battle between top contenders DeMarco and Raiymkulov.

Remaining tickets, priced at $250, $125, $90, $60, $45 and $35, can be purchased through Ticketmaster (all Ticketmaster outlets), by phone, 714-740-2000, online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the Honda Center box office.

Darchinyan (31-1-1, 25 KOs), of Sydney, Australia by way of Armenia, and Arce (51-4-1, 39 KOs), from Los Mochis, Mexico, will settle their bitter hostilities toward each other, once and for all, in a fight to the finish. Their battle will be televised live nationally on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast.) The broadcast will open with DeMarco (19-1-1, 13 KOs), of Tijuana, Mexico, risking his three-year, 13-bout unbeaten streak and Top-10 rating in a career-defining fight against the battle-tested Raiymkulov (27-1-1, 15 KOs), from Las Vegas, Nev., by way of Kyrgyzstan, who is enjoying his own two-year winning streak. These four gladiators boast a combined record of 128-7-4 (92 KOs) – a winning percentage of 92% and a victory by knockout ratio of 72%.

2008 U.S. OLYMPIAN “ESCAPES” SURGERY – SHAWN ESTRADA TARGETED FOR APRIL RETURN

Scared. Nervous. Anxious. Concerned. Relieved. Excited.

Such were the range of emotions experienced by hot East LA prospect and 2008 U.S. Olympian Shawn Estrada prior to and following last Friday’s second-opinion prognosis what was first determined as a left shoulder injury which would require surgery and extensive physical therapy instead is a minor and highly treatable condition called “Left Long Thoracic Neuropathy.”

The second opinion – provided by renowned Marina Del Rey-based sports medicine expert Dr. Fred Nicola from an Electrodiagnostic Report – was founded on the fact that tests showed that a nerve in Estrada’s left shoulder was not “firing” properly – in more layman’s terms “a tired nerve.”

Dr. Nicola prescribed physical therapy three times weekly at the Diagnostic and Interventional Sports Care and Orthopedics (D.I.S.C.) Center in Marina Del Rey. He explained that the treatment would speed up healing and make the nerve function normally again.

“It was right after my last fight,” the 23-year old Estrada (2-0, 2 KOs) explained. “I was training back in the gym and preparing for my January 24 fight. I was sparring and tried to throw a left jab and hook and felt a sharp pain. I didn’t think it was anything major.”

“My father used to tell me to always get a second or even third medical opinion, especially whenever surgery is recommended. And when I went to see Dr. Nicola and found out surgery wasn’t going to be required, I was very relieved and excited.”

“I feel great. I feel like I can fight by the end of this month. But I’m not going to rush it. I’m going to do what the doctors say and stay on their timetable because they know best,” said Estrada.

AL BERNSTEIN ENTERS 5TH YEAR AT SHOWTIME

Al Bernstein enters his 5th year as a sportscaster at Showtime Networks when he appears as ringside analyst on the Saturday, Feb. 7th telecast of the Showtime Championship Boxing series. He will be at ringside with Gus Johnson calling the action when Vic Darchinyan defends his IBF, WBA and WBC super flyweight titles against former champion Jorge Arce. Karyn Bryant and Jim Gray will be reporting on the show, which can be seen on Showtime at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time.

Al began his duties for Showtime in 2004 after 24 years as a sportscaster at ESPN. At Showtime Al has served as the ringside analyst for all the Showtime Championship Boxing series, and has also filled the role of host on the Shobox: The Next Generation series and the SHOXC mixed martial arts series.

“My time at Showtime has been by far the most rewarding period in my broadcasting career. The events we televise are world class and Showtime’s production is as good as it gets,” Al said. He added, “As a sportscaster you are given your best chance to succeed when you are surrounded by talented people who have one goal in mind—make a good television show. That’s what exists at Showtime. This has been a total labor of love for me.”

In addition Al will be providing weigh-in and post fight coverage of the Darchinyan-Arce match for the Al Bernstein Boxing Channel (ABBC) at www.ibnsports.com. The ABBC is the only all-boxing video channel on television or the internet.

IN OTHER NEWS

Al now writes a weekly blog for USsportspages,com, www.ussportspages.com. He reports on the boxing scene and offers other sports insights as well on this entertaining sports website. This great site provides direct links to the sports sections for the major newspapers in the U.S. as well as columnists, team coverage pages, broadcast sites and other sports websites. David Brody, so-owner of USsportspages.com said, “We are so honored to have Al Bernstein, the dean of all boxing announcers, writing for our website. Al provides unique, informed and entertaining insights to sports fans, and his blogs add immeasurably to USsportspages.com.”

Karpency captures WBA Fedecentro Title

Over the weekend, 23 year old Tommy Karpency (16-1-1 11kos) captured the vacant WBA Fedecentro Light Heavyweight Title via a second round stoppage over Corey Phelps (13-5-1). A vicious left hook by Karpency dropped Phelps midway through the second stanza. After Phelps arose to beat the count, a two-fisted barrage by Karpency left his opponent helpless on the ropes forcing referee Mike Napple to put a halt to the bout. Before a packed house at the Waterfront Place Hotel in Morgantown, West Virginia, the five bout card promoted by Simons’ Promotions was also highlighted by hot super middleweight prospect Jimmy Lubash (13-1 6kos). Lubash won an eight round unanimous decision over durable veteran James North in the co feature winning the West Virginia Super Middleweight eliminator. Both Karpency and Lubash are managed by Pat Nelson and promoted by Steve Simons.

Travis Dickinson Turns Pro

GEORDIE amateur star Travis Dickinson has become the latest young gun to turn professional with FTM Sports.

The middleweight will make his professional debut in Leigh on April 17 on the undercard of Matthew Marhs’s British super-bantamweight title defence against Mark Moran.

Travis’s brother Jon-Lewis joined Maloney last year and has impressed in both professional contests so far.

Maloney said: “The north east is becoming a hot bed for boxing and later this year I want to stage a show there and build it around the Dickinsons.

“Travis has been one of the best amateurs in England in recent times and I’m excited about his prospects as a professional.”

Dickinson won two Junior ABA titled defeating supposed hot prospect George Groves in the final on both occasions in 2006 and 2007 – one of the wins by a first round knockout and the other on points

Maloney added: “The middleweight division is stacked with talent and I’m sure he will repeat his wins over Groves when they eventually meet again.”

The former Birtley ABC star was British amateur champion in 2006 when won gold at the Four Nations Tournament in Liverpool.



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