Ward's arduous journey through the Super Six tournament included dominant victories over former champion Mikkel Kessler (TD11), Allan Green (UD12), Arthur Abraham (UD12) and Carl Froch (UD12).
ANDRE “SOG” WARD RETAINS
WBA TITLE, WINS SUPER SIX CUP, RING MAGAZINE BELTS IN LOPSIDED VICTORY OVER THE “THE COBRA” CARL FROCH
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Said Ramos: “He got me with a few head butts, but the blood didn’t really bother me.”
LAS VEGAS (Jan. 20, 2012) – In a night of knockdowns and stoppages on ShoBox: The New Generation, Guillermo Rigondeaux won a world title in only his ninth professional fight by knocking out the defending World Boxing Association (WBA) super bantamweight champion Rico Ramos at 1:29 of the sixth round. The co-feature resulted in a multiple knockdown thriller live on SHOWTIME® before Joel Diaz Jr. ended the contest by scoring a TKO over Guy Robb at 2:20 of round seven. In the opening bout of the night, super flyweight Matthew Villanueva TKOed Mike Ruiz Jr. at 1:04 in the seventh round from Pearl Theatre at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nev.
In his first title defense, Ramos never found his rhythm.
“Rico Ramos is a very good fighter,” Rigondeaux said after his world championship-capturing fight. “But I train very hard and when I train, no one can beat me.”The quick and slick Rigondeaux scored a knockdown in the first session and threw a slew of rapid-fire power shots to end the affair but Ramos pulled through the early adversity. From there, Rigondeaux methodically controlled the pace, although both fighters seemed a bit tentative and unwilling to engage from the second through the fifth rounds. In the sixth, Rigondeaux (9-0, 7 KOs) bothered Ramos by holding and hitting. Joe Cortez warned Rigondeaux as Ramos (20-1, 11 KOs) recovered but Rigondeaux smelled blood in the water. The Cuban burst from his corner and belted Ramos with power shots to the head and a solid left hook to the midsection that sent Ramos to the canvas for a count of ten.
“He hit me in the back of the head and I got dizzy,” said Ramos. “The referee told us to fight and I wanted to take my time. That’s when he caught me with the body shot and I fell. I’m going to bounce back harder. I’ll be up in that gym next week.”
Diaz Jr. (7-0, 6 KOs) and Robb (7-1, 3 KOs) produced a shootout with its share of knockdowns and blood in a fight that both young boxers took on short notice. From the opening bell, power punches flew – and landed. As Diaz Jr., of Los Angeles, began to come on strong in the second, Sacramento-based Robb dropped him with a big right hand. Diaz Jr. retaliated with two knockdowns of his own in the third round. Refusing to back down, the fight enjoyed several swings of momentum. The fighters loaded up on the majority of their shots with Diaz Jr. landing 148 power shots to Robb’s 120. In the seventh, Diaz Jr. rocked Robb and began a barrage of punches that caused referee Vic Drakulich to call the fight. “It was much harder than I thought,” said Diaz Jr. of the scheduled eight-round super featherweight attraction. “I was expecting it to be more like my previous fights, but not everybody’s the same. I can’t hit everybody with one punch and knock them down.”
Rashad Evans held class on the four-time All-American College Wrestler Phil Davis.
Chael Sonnen won a HARD fought victory over Michael Bisping
Chris Weidman (Baldwin, NY.) takes a major step in the UFC, by outlasting a tough Demian Maia (Sao Paulo, Brazil) now 15-4
"Repeat or Revenge: Ortiz vs. Berto II" is the highly anticipated 12-round welterweight rematch of USA Today and Ring Magazine's 2011 Fight of the Year between former World Champions "Vicious" Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto which will take place Saturday, Feb. 11 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.
The co-featured fights will see top contenders Erislandy Lara and Ronald Hearns square off and 2011 "Prospect of the Year" Gary Russell Jr. take on Dat Nguyen. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and DiBella Entertainment and will air live on SHOWTIME at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast). A special three-fight undercard telecast will air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).
Los Angeles (Jan 31, 2012) - At the end of the year, when several highly respected publications, including ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and Yahoo! Sports named Andre Ward their Fighter of the Year, it seemed that the people around the 2004 Olympic gold medalist were even more thrilled than he was. Though grateful for the awards he had earned, the WBA and WBC super middleweight World Champion was waiting for "the big one."
That wait came to an end yesterday, when the Boxing Writers Association of America announced that the 27-year-old Ward was to receive the 2011 BWAA Fighter of the Year award named after one of the greatest of all-time, Sugar Ray Robinson. The BWAA stated "Ward was chosen by an overwhelming margin over nominees Nonito Donaire, Wladimir Klitschko, Floyd Mayweather, and Manny Pacquiao."
Not a bad list of pugilists to be associated with.
In 2011, en route to capturing the inaugural SHOWTIME Super Six World Boxing Classic, Andre showcased a dominant victory over Arthur Abraham in the semi-finals in May, and followed it up with a masterful performance over Carl Froch in the tournament finale on Dec. 17. An MRI after the fight revealed that he had entered the bout with a double fracture in his left hand, making his victory all the more special.
ESPN by Dan Rafael
2011 ESPN.com fighter of the year: Andre Ward
"Selecting Ward as the 2011 ESPN.com fighter of the year was an easy call. And it could be just the first of multiple such awards for Ward, 27, whose speed, skills, defense, smarts and fierce competitive spirit should make him a force for years to come."
Yahoo! by Kevin Iole
Ward easy choice for Fighter of the Year
"Ward is on the verge of reaching the same level as a boxer that Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Pacquiao have hit and it wouldn't be a shock if in 2012, Ward became recognized as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world."
Sports Illustrated by Chris Mannix
Super middleweight kingpin Ward is SI.com's Fighter of the Year
"It has been a banner year for Ward, one that has seen the Oakland-based boxer emerge as an heir apparent to the aging greats in the sport."
January 31 (Orange, CA) - Southern California's Inland Empire's heated boxing beat just got a little hotter. Undefeated Efrain Esquivias (15-0, 9 KOs) has been added to the power packed Thompson Boxing Promotions February 24 edition of "New Blood".
The blockbuster card features Artemio "King" Reyes (14-1, 11 KOs) vs. Victor Hugo Correa (12-4, 8 KOs) in a 10-round main event welterweight war for the WBC Latino title. The card also co-features East L.A.'s Aron "Asesino" Martinez (15-1-1, 3 KOs) against Escondido's Dashon "Fly Boy" Johnson (13-4-3, 4 KOs) in an eight-round welterweight bout.
Esquivias, the reigning NABF super bantamweight champion, who hails out of Carson, California, faced off against and won a blood-induced battle last November against dangerous Mexican southpaw, Fernando Beltran Jr. (35-7- 1) and became the newly crowned NABF Super Bantamweight champion.
In the same pugilist spirit, Esquivias will once again step into the ring and put his unblemished record on the line when he faces a yet to be determined opponent.
Tickets for "NEW BLOOD" are priced at $75, $45, and $30. They are available now and may be purchased by calling 714-935-0900.
Bouts subject to change. Doors open at 6:30 PM, and the first bell rings at 7:30 PM. The Doubletree Hotel is located at 222 North Vineyard Avenue in Ontario. The hotel phone number is 909-937-0900.
Jermain Taylor and Andre Dirrell made triumphant returns to the ring Friday, both winning by knockout during a special edition of ShoBox: The New Generation on SHOWTIME®.
Headlining the main event was a battle between native Hawaiian and Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season three winner Kendall Grove and Japanese underdog Ikuhisa Minowa, better known as "Minowaman," who was competing in the United States for the first time.
