In the main event featured on Bounce TV, Tony "The Tiger" Thompson battle Malik Scott in a ten round heavyweight bout at the Venue at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Thompson was able to put Scott down late in the 9th round of the contest, but it was the early activity of Scott that solidified the bout in his favor. Scott's movement was a little too much for Thompson to establish himself in the fight. Despite a 10-8 score in the 9th round the judges gave a unanimous decision victory to Scott with the scores of 98-91, 96-93 and 95-94.
Thompson falls to 40-6, 27 KO's while Scott improves his record to 38-2-1, 13 KO's.
Gervonta "Tank" Davis put on a good performance against Cristobal Cruz of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico,. The speed and power of Davis was more than the veteran Cruz could handle. Davis landed a perfectly timed left hand to send Cruz to the canvas. The referee stopped the contest at 1:31 of round number three. Davis remains undefeated at 13-0, (12 KO's) while Cruz fall to 40-19-4, (24KOs).
Davis seeks to extend his win streak in a 10-round fight against Mexico’s Cristobal Cruz at The Venue on UCF’s campus in Orlando, Florida.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, U.S.A. – On Friday night, October 30, 2015, undefeated super featherweight professional boxer, Gervonta "Tank" Davis (Baltimore, Maryland/12-0-0, 11 KOs) takes on Mexico’s Cristobal Cruz (Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico/40-18-4, 24 KOs) in a ten-round fight at The Venue on The University of Central Florida’s campus (UCF) in Orlando, Florida. In the main event, Tony Thompson will battle Malik Scott in a ten-round heavyweight fight. The boxing card entitled, “Premier Boxing Champions - The Next Round,” is presented by Warriors Boxing, and will be televised by Bounce TV.
In his most recent fight on September 12, 2015, Davis made quick work of Recky “The Terror” Dulay (Philippines/8-2-0, 5 KOs) on the pay-per-view undercard of what was billed as Floyd Mayweather’s final fight against Andre Berto, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. During the opening round, Davis knocked Dulay down twice with left hands to the head. Immediately following the second knock down, Dulay signaled to referee Russell Mora that he didn’t want to continue, forcing Mora to call a halt to the action at 1:34 of the first round. Davis-Dulay was originally scheduled for eight rounds, but was moved to a six-round fight on the day of the fight to accommodate the Showtime televised broadcast.
Davis’ longtime boxing trainer, Calvin Ford (Upton Boxing Center/Baltimore, MD), said, "Mayweather Promotions is doing a great job keeping Tank active, and that is great for any gifted young fighter. He just fought in September and hasn’t taken much time off from the gym. Our last opponent was somewhat of a disappointment, because he didn’t put up much resistance and the fight ended faster than we expected. Some of that might have been because he wasn’t used to facing a skilled power-puncher like Tank. Cristobal Cruz is a veteran in this sport, and he seems very durable. Cruz can hopefully come in and give Tank some valuable rounds of experience. As long as we stick to our game plan, and stay focused, we will come out victorious once again on October 30.”
The 20-year-old Davis discussed his upcoming fight in Orlando. He said, “I’m feeling very strong right now, and I’ll be trying to break Cruz down over the course of ten rounds. I don’t ever go looking for the knockout. I like to break my opponent down. If the knockout comes, it comes. I just listen to my coach and do what I’ve been doing. My team is going to be ready for whatever our opponent does in there. This fight will hopefully give me some good experience as I move towards a title fight. I’m not going to be paid by the round. My goal for this fight is to continue impressing the boxing fans like I have been doing.”
Davis continued, “Floyd Mayweather has said many times that he believes that I’m up next, and you will see why fans are calling me “The One” on October 30. My team has big plans ahead for me, but I have to take care of business on Friday or those things can’t happen like they are supposed to. Thank you to my team, Floyd Mayweather and Mayweather Promotions, Al Haymon, Yekim, Nike Boxing, Athlete Performance Solutions, Shane Goodell, Rich Brand, and Ethika. I hope to see lots of my fans come down to Orlando for the fight on Friday night. If you are already coming to the fight, you are going to get your moneys worth. Keep supporting me, and I'll fight for you."
Tickets to Gervonta Davis vs. Cristobal Cruz are priced at $100, $50, and $25, plus additional taxes and fees. Parking at The Venue is $10. The Venue is located behind CFE Arena at 4000 Mercury Circle, Orlando, FL, 32816. You can purchase tickets by calling Warriors Boxing at (954) 985-1155 or buy them online at www.WarriorsBoxing.com. You can also purchase tickets through Ticketmaster by phone at (800) 745-3000, or online at www.ticketmaster.com. For the latest updates and information on Davis’ weigh-in info and fight time, follow his social media accounts.
Gary Russell Jr. (26-1, 15 KOs) held a media workout at The Enigma Boxing Club in Capital Heights, MD on Tuesday as he prepares for his championship bout on November 14 on SHOWTIME.
Gary Russell Jr. 26-1,(15KO's) held a media workout at The Enigma Boxing Club in Capital Heights, MD on Tuesday as he prepares for his championship bout on November 14 on SHOWTIME.
With his first defense of his WBC Featherweight World Championship on the line, Gary Russell Jr. will take on Colombia's Oscar Escandón 24-2,(16KOs) in the main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on Saturday, Nov. 14, live on SHOWTIME (10:45 p.m. ET/PT) from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
GARY RUSSELL JR.:
"Training camp is going great, we're right on course. There was a minor hiccup in the camp because I was supposed to fight on Oct. 24. I started sparring, but once the fight got pushed back to November 14 I cut the sparring off. I didn't want to peak too early.
"Today (Tuesday) was my first day back sparring again. I'm working on my timing, ring generalship and lateral movement. We're right on course.
"Oscar Escandon is strong and durable. He comes straight forward. If his corner was smart they would try to take away my hand speed which will be a big factor in the fight. He'll need to close the distance, smother my punches so speed isn't a factor.
"We are working on becoming just as comfortable fighting on the outside as I am fighting on the inside.
"A lot of fighters are one-dimensional. We are trying to make that diamond shine on all sides.
"I know that I will be victorious without a doubt. Anyone that you get in the ring with these small, 8-ounce gloves always has a possibility of creating an upset whether he's a big puncher or not. It only takes one shot. It's the fighters' job to take away that opportunity.
"I'm excited to fight, period. I don't even think about this fight being a title defense. It takes a certain type of mental toughness and psychological strength to get in the ring and perform. Anyone who gets in the ring against me is a champion in my eyes.
"It's been about seven months since I fought. I'm always anxious to get back in the ring.
"If I get past Escandon I would love to fight Leo Santa Cruz, we fought in the amateurs. But we never underestimate any opponent and we are focused on getting this fight out of the way first. Lee Selby is another guy that we're looking at. Of course Abner Mares, even though he lost, would be a great fight. These are the type of guys that we'd like to fight.
"Having my family with me during training camp means everything to me. It's where I get my energy from. A lot of guys feel like they have to get away for training camp, but I don't have to leave home. My family is the driving force behind my training camp and where I find my power and motivation. At the end of the day, I box for my family.
"If my brother ends up fighting on my undercard it would be very cool for me. It will be funny because if he does compete, you will definitely see me work his corner before my title fight."
GARY RUSSELL SR.:
"I know it's a championship fight, but we go into every fight like it's a title fight. We don't know a ton about his opponent, we just train like champions.
"I have six sons, all of them are fighters. They all have different attributes as people that translate differently into who they are as people and in the ring.
"Antonio Russell is 4-0, he's worked really hard all of his life. Outside of the gym, he can fix anything. Antoine, who just qualified for the Olympic trials, is brilliant. I'm very proud of him because he just graduated valedictorian of his class with the highest GPA of anyone in Prince George's county. Then you have Gary, who is so hard working, he's the future patriarch of the family. He has an old spirit.
"I'm proud of all of my kids and I'm proud that we're a strong family unit. We learned a lot from Gary's loss to Vasyl Lomachenko. We have a motto at the gym that hangs from a banner, it says 'Success is the Ultimate Revenge' and we've lived by that ever since the loss. We learned an important lesson from that fight and have moved on.
"Boxing is a fleeting thing, you don't do it forever. We're doing our own thing. I'm not worried about what other people have done.
"As a father, your paternal instinct kicks in because in this sport, anything can happen. You don't want to see your son end up hurt. So we train for any circumstance. Because of that instinct, I've been strict and hard on my sons in order to try to keep them safe."
GARY ANTONIO RUSSELL
(Fighting on the Friday, Oct. 30 non-televised Premier Boxing Champions on Bounce TV undercard and potentially the November 14 undercard.):
"With the way we train and fight, our defense sets up our offense and our offense sets up our defense.
"My job is to go in there and win fights. I know my opponent is a tall guy, but I also know that he is not going to win. He doesn't have the punching power or ring generalship that I have.
"Once I win, I'm on to the next. I'm trained to fight consistently. I hope I get this guy out early, if it comes and presents itself. Then I'd love to fight on my older brother's card two weeks after."
Follow Gary Russell Sr. on Twitter @BigGaryRussell
Gary Russell Jr. @mrgaryrusselljr
also Antonio Russell @GAntonioRussell
I her second trip to the Olympic Trials. Tiara Brown already has won a gold medal at 126 pounds at the World Championships in 2012.
Amelia Moore
This is her first trip to the Olympic Trials.
Franchon Crews
Crews is looking forward to making her second trip back to the Olympic Trials, and competing for a spot on the 2016 Olympic Team.
Iesha Kenney
Won two-time bronze medalist at the Junior and Youth World championships. Iesha will be the youngest competitor in the entire Olympic Trials tournament.
SOME of the Beltway Boxing Area fighters are challenging themselves to see if they really belong in one of the toughest sports called Boxing. They are fighting guys that are on the same level as them or a little above their level. This is the only way they can see if they belong. Promoters and managers are signing these area fighters because 95% of their building days are over. The promoters still give some fighters a soft or medium fight at the beginning of their contract. These kind of fights are in place to keep the fighter active because they may have under ten fights. This move by the promoter will not be considered for every fighter. Being signed doesn't mean you've stepped it up. The true test comes when you're in the ring with an equal opponent. The fighters that have 15 fights or above the promoter looks at that as your building stages are done. That doesn't mean that the promoter will put you in a dog fight from the beginning, but also that doesn't mean the fight will be easy. It's more likely that none the fight will be with a fighter that is on the same level or working his or her way up the ranks at the same pace.
These fighters that are working their way up are not based on wins, losses, or being televised. It is based on just level of competition. There are plenty of fighters that have fought high quality fighters and even top contenders, along with a few current champions. These fighters might have an under five hundred records, but they went the distance with the best. The same under five hundred fighters are still very currently active and fighting on a high level also would be a dangerous opponent for a rising 12-0 fighter just based on the level of competition. This is why the level of competition is a big issue when it comes to how and when a fighter should step it up. The Beltway Boxing area has many fighters that made the decision to turn up their level of competition. Again this is not based on wins, losses and fighting on television. ProAmFightTalk's Opinion of fighters that are fighting at another level. Gary Russell, Tony Thompson, Thomas Williams, Lamont Peterson, Dominic Wade, (Anthony Peterson has been there) Tori Nelson,(DeMarcus Corley moved up many years ago), Antoine Douglas, Jessie Nicklow, Emmanuel Taylor, Immanuwel Aleem, Mike Reed, Gervonta Davis, Nick Kisner, Alantez Fox, Tony Jeter, Lamont Roach Jr., Jerry Odom, Jarrett Hurd, Demond Nicholson, Myke Fox, Gerome Guigley, James Stevenson, Cecil McCalla, Tyrieshia, Douglas, Scott Sigmon, Phil Jackson, Brandon Quarles, Marq Johns, Thomas Snow, Kevin Womack, Kevin Rivers.... It might be some names on this list that you may feel should or shouldn't be on this list. This is just a list of fighters that I have seen take fights that would challenge them each and every fight moving forward.
Former world champion Lamont Peterson (34-3-1, 17 KOs) defeated Felix Diaz (17-1, 8 KOs) in a hard fought 12 round bout at the Eagle Bank Arena in Fairfax, VA.
Peterson and Diaz came out with even exchanges, making it hard for each other to establish command of the early rounds. The southpaw, Diaz came out going blow for blow with the former world champion, Peterson, who was showing his patience as a veteran. Diaz began to move more and was able to land a few combinations while avoiding the counter shots from Peterson. The quick movement of Diaz wasn't enough to avoid the power shots Peterson was landing to the head and body of the shorter Diaz. This was a back and forward battle, but Peterson was able to win more rounds in this twelve round contest. This is how the bout was scored. Judges: Brian Costello 114-114, Mark D'Attilio 116-112, Dorothea Perry 117-111.
