World HeavyweightBKB Champion Bobby Gunn To Be Inducted Into BKB Hall of Fame Thursday, Presented Title Belt

This Thursday in Belfast, NY, World Heavyweight Bare Knuckle Boxing (BKB) Champion Bobby Gunn will be acknowledged for his accomplishments and achievements and be inducted into the BKB Hall of Fame, as well as presented the World Championship Belt, last held by legendary BKB fighter John L., Sullivan in 1889.

Scott Burt, coordinator and founder of the BKB Hall of Fame will be presenting Gunn with the belt.  Gunn solidified his world championship title with a win over Richard Stewart in 2011, the first sanctioned and legit BKB bout since 1889.  

 

A pioneer of what the sport of bare knuckle boxing has become as of recent, Gunn is the face of BKB, staying active and working diligently with his team BKF—the only legitimized and sanctioned BKB body currently out there, to make the sport mainstream.

 

“To say it is an honor to be inducted, and to be presented this illustrious belt is an understatement,” said Gunn.  When any athlete—especially fighters—first begin training, they dream of not only becoming world champion, but to make it to the Hall of Fame.  It is beyond humbling, and I cannot express enough gratitude to Scott Burt for making this a reality.  It is one thing to win belts, which I accomplished within the squared circle, but it is another to be recognized and acknowledged by my peers as being the world champion.  Knowing that I have solidified my legacy within the BKB Hall of Fame is one of the top achievements of my fight history.”

 

In recent months Gunn has receiving his share of affirmations for what he has accomplished as the BKB world champion, having Showtime 60 Minutes Sports feature his accomplishments.  Most recently Ring Magazine—the Boxing Bible-acknowledged Gunn as the true and legitimate champion of the world.  

 

Gunn and his team want to make BKB as mainstream as MMA and gloved boxing, and continue to persist forward with their efforts to bring it all to fruition.  

 

World Heavyweight BKB Champion Bobby Gunn will be honored at 1 p.m. at the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame at 5 West Hughes Street in Belfast, NY.  

 

“I’d like to thank my savior Jesus, all of my fans for the ongoing support, and my team for working so hard to make BKB what it has become.  Thursday’sinduction ceremony will be a true testament to how fast we have come with BKB, and legitimize what I have accomplished and all of the hard work we have put forward.

 

Don’t miss the opportunity to watch the BKB Heavyweight Champion of the World presented the belt and inducted this Thursday, November 6 at 1 p.m. in Belfast NY. 

Frampton defeats Martinez by unanimous decision to win IBF Super Bantamweight title

San Diego, CA -September 6, 2014--Carl Frampton won the IBF Super Bantamweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over defending champion Kiko Martinez in front of over 16,000 fans at an outdoor stadium at the Titanic Quarter in Frampton's hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland.  The championship fight was seen live and exclusively in the United States on AWE- A Wealth of Entertainment  Frampton was very consistent and scored a knockdown in round five with a terrific counter. Frampton's work caused a cut around the left eye of Martinez. Frampton was cut in round nine from a left hook from Martinez. Martinez came out in round ten and began to work the body and for a moment it looked like Frampton was tiring but he came back to land a hard right hand and carried the momentum into the 11th round when he landed some wicked combinations which drew a roar from the overflow crowd in Belfast. Frampton again landed a huge flurry of punches that rocked Martinez into the ropes in the final frame.  Frampton cruised down the stretch to take the title by scores of 119-108 twice and 118-111. This was Frampton's second win over Martinez as he stopped him in nine rounds in February, 2013. The 27 year-old of Belfast is a world champion is a world champion with a record of 19-0. Martinez of Spain is now 31-5. "He was a hard puncher. He is a tough man. I respect him more than any man I ever fought," said Frampton. "This is a dream come true, 20 years in the making." The IBF Mandatory is Chris Avalos, but Frampton has eyes for mega domestic showdown with WBA champion Scott Quigg. "There are so many options out there but the man I want is Scott Quigg. I will fight him anywhere." Frampton also captured the title in honor to his promoter and mentor, former world champion, Barry McGuigan. "I am immensely proud of Carl. He is twice the fighter I was." , said the Hall of Famer, McGuigan. Marco McCollough stopped former Bantamweight world champion Dmitry Kirillov after round eight of their scheduled ten round WBO International Featherweight bout. McCollough dominated the action as he pounded away on Kirillov and the former champion had enough and bowed out of the fight. McCollough, 125 1/4 lbs of Belfast is now 11-7 with 7 knockouts. Kirillov, 125 1/2 lbs of St. Petersburg, Russia is now 31-5-1. Eamonn O'Kane and Virgilijus Stapulionis fought to a no-contest when a bad cut over the left eye of Stapulionis forced the bout to be stopped in the 4th round of their 12 round Middleweight bout. Stapulionis hurt O'Kane badly in the first round as he landed a big right hand that wobbled O'Kane into the ropes and it was ruled a knockdown. O'Kane stumbled back to his corner. Stapulionis was cut around the left eye in the 1st round from a clash of heads. In a weird moment, Stapulionis' was deducted a point in round two for using too much Vaseline. The two continued to fight with a lot of clinching and grabbing and the blood continued to stream down the left side of Stapulionis face until the bout was stopped at 2:47 of round four. O'Kane is ranked number-10 by the IBF and was defending his IBF Intercontinental Middleweight title. Jamie Conlon won the WBO Intercontinental Super Flyweight title with a 10-round unanimous decision over Jose Estrella. Conlon fought with a bad cut over his left eye but went on to win by scores of 99-92 and 97-93 twice. Conlon, 114 1/2 lbs of Belfast is now 13-0. Estrella of Tijuana, Mexico is now 14-6-1. Please check www.awetv.com for boxing updates    About AWE LIVE BOXING AWE Live Boxing features live world title championship and elimination bouts showcasing today's most exciting fighters. Since the inception of AWE's live boxing events in 2011, AWE has earned multiple Boxing Writers Association of America nominations for "Fight of the Year" and has featured over thirty world class boxing events. In 2013, AWE showcased all live bouts featuring heavyweight David Price. AWE aired live the stunning upsets of Tony Thompson over David Price, along with Adonis Stevenson and Tony Bellew cards, who fought each other for the Light Heavyweight championship; 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner James DeGale. AWE brought boxing fans two of the most controversial bouts which saw Ricky Burns keep his Lightweight title against Ray Beltran and the debatable stoppage that saw Carl Froch retain his title against George Groves. AWE fans have witnessed the explosive power of undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury multiple times on the network, including Fury's victory over Kevin Johnson.  About AWE - A Wealth of Entertainment A Wealth of Entertainment ("AWE") features a wide range of lifestyle and entertainment programming from exotic travel and outrageous homes to live world championship boxing. AWE is featured on over a hundred cable providers, including AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD and Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD. For more information, please visit www.awetv.com.

The Unsung Heroes of Belfast Including Former World Boxing Flyweight Champ John Joseph Monaghan

Unsung Heroes of Belfast, by The Belfast Jurys Inn Hotel

CARL FROCH REPRESENTS 888POKER.COM

Online gaming giant backs Froch’s IBF World title clash

Carl Froch is personally representing 888poker.com – and fans can play The Cobra online ahead of his IBF World title fight with Lucian Bute on May 26.

888poker.com are also backing the huge night of boxing at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham as Froch aims to take Bute’s belt and become a three-time World champion, with the fight broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and shown in over 30 countries worldwide.

In the build up to the fight, Froch will play in three online knock-out format poker tournaments at 888poker.com, with the first at 8pm on May 10, followed by two more on May 17 and 22 at the same time.  The person who knocks Froch out in each of the tournaments will win ringside tickets to the IBF World title fight.

888poker have backed some of the biggest nights of boxing live on Sky Sports this season, including Kell Brook’s blockbusting welterweight showdown with Matthew Hatton that smashed TV boxing viewing figure records on Sky Sports, and the 34 year old says it is great that the online gaming giant are teaming up with him as he takes on the unbeaten champ from Montreal.

“I’m delighted to be representing 888poker,” said Froch. “They have supported a lot of great boxing shows this season and I hope to bring the boxing year to a close with a great win over Bute. I’m a keen poker player and I take my game pretty seriously, so I’m looking forward to playing the fans online at 888poker.com and maybe Shane Warne and I can have a little bit of an Ashes game too!”

Chief support on the night comes from Belfast’s unbeaten Commonwealth super bantamweight champion Carl Frampton who faces Raul Hirales for the vacant IBF Inter Continental super bantamweight title. Erick Ochieng defends his English light middleweight title against Nottingham’s AA Lowe, Bute’s fellow Canadian and IBF Inter-Continental light welterweight champion Pier Olivier Cote making his UK debut and exciting unbeaten stars John Ryder, Ryan Aston and Team GB star Scotty Cardle.

Tickets for Froch’s IBF World super middleweight title challenge to Bute are on sale now priced £80 and £150 from the Capital FM Arena Nottingham website www.capitalfmarena.com and on 08444 124624 – £40, £60, £100 and £200 tickets have sold-out, as have the VIP packages priced at £300.

MCCLOSKEY PUT ON RED ALERT FOR MARQUEZ FIGHT

Hearn says Corley win could spark JMM clash in July

Paul McCloskey’s May 5 clash with DeMarcus Corley live on Sky Sports has taken a new twist after he was named as a possible opponent for Juan Manuel Marquez’s July 14 fight in Texas.

The WBO interim light welterweight champion takes over Cowboys Stadium that night and the four-weight king has been linked with a fight with Dudey after his promoter suggested his preference for a southpaw opponent.

McCloskey faces the former WBO champ ‘Chop Chop’ Corley on May 5 at the King’s Hall in Belfast in a huge night for boxing for the city, with the all-Irish middleweight Betfair Prizefighter, Martin Lindsay and Jamie Conlan all in action, and now McCloskey’s promoter Eddie Hearn says the show has taken on even greater significance with the former unbeaten European champion in the running for a shot at the pound-for-pound Mexican great.

“Paul’s name has been mentioned by JMM’s team in the last week and I reached out to Top Rank yesterday to let them know that we’d love the fight,” said Hearn. “I think we are in with a decent chance but a convincing win against Corley in front of a packed King’s Hall crowd would strengthen our case for a July clash with Marquez.”

McCloskey added: “It’s an honour to be linked with a showdown with Juan Manuel and it’s a dream fight for me. May 5 has always been a pivotal night for me as I aim to get back into World title contention, and this news has made a huge occasion even bigger.”

Tickets priced at £30 (unreserved), £40 (reserved balcony or unreserved floor), £60 (outer-ringside) and £100 (ringside) are available from Ticketmaster on 0844 277 4455 – UK/Northern Ireland customers, 0818 719 300 – Republic of Ireland customers and at http://www.ticketmaster.ie/

VIP packages priced £150 are available from Matchroom Sport on 01277 359900 and at http://www.matchroomboxing.com/

Paul McCloskey’s fans can also buy their tickets at the prices above from Eurospar Dungiven and any EuroXchange outlet.

Dudey and the Betfair Prizefighters ready for historic King’s Hall night

Hearn reveals plan for three massive shows in Belfast in 2012

Paul McCloskey, Martin Lindsay and the line-up for the Betfair Prizefighter all-Irish Middleweights are ready for their huge night at the King’s Hall in Belfast on May 5 – and promoter Eddie Hearn said it’s the first of three big nights of boxing in Belfast for Matchroom Sport in 2012.

McCloskey headlines the bumper night of action live on Sky Sports against two-time World champion Julio Diaz and the former unbeaten European light welterweight king is gunning for a second World title shot this year after his promoter Eddie Hearn told Thursday’s press conference that this triple header with Lindsay and the Betfair Prizefighter will be the first of three huge nights in the capital.

“It’s a massive night for Belfast and one I’m proud to be involved in,” said McCloskey. “I want to be fighting for World titles because I belong at World level, but I am not going to sit around and sulk – I need to be fighting and banging on the door of the World champions until they step up and face me, so battling the likes of a former two-time World champion in Julio Diaz keeps me right in the mix.

“The atmosphere on May 5 will be something very special – every fighter will have their own fans and it’s going to be totally unique. I cannot remember the last time there was a buzz like this here for a big fight night.”

McCloskey bounced back from his disappointment against Amir Khan with a gutsy win over Khan-nemesis Breidis Prescott in Belfast in September, and Hearn said the 31 year-old will be out again in the autumn after Commonwealth super bantamweight champion Carl Frampton gets a big summer date in his hometown.

“I am thrilled to be putting on this great night of boxing for the Belfast fans,” said Hearn. “This is a great boxing city and the passion they have for the sport is one of the main reasons we are putting on this unique night with Paul, Martin and the Betfair Prizefighter. It's all about providing value for fight fans and by combining all three in one night we are delivering a huge night for Irish fight fans.”

“In the summer, Carl Frampton will have a big show in Belfast and we are looking at the likes of Scott Quigg, Rendall Munroe and Kiko Martinez for that one. Then in September, Paul will be out again and I am working tooth and nail to get him another World title shot.

“I have to give great credit to Paul – I gave him over 20 possible names to fight on May 5 and he said yes to every one of them. It has been frustrating for the team but as Paul said, all he can keep doing is winning exciting fights and packing out venues and I know his shot will come.”

Hearn also confirmed that former British champion Martin Lindsay will feature on all three cards as he makes his return to the ring from 15 months out in London on March 23 before kicking off the May 5 Belfast blockbuster.

“It’s great to be back in the fold,” said Lindsay. “I have been in training since December and I feel fantastic so I am confident I will hit the ground running. My absence from boxing has been because fights have fallen through, nothing more than that, so there’s no reason why I cannot be in the mix for a British, Commonwealth or European title later in the year.”

Tickets priced at £30 (unreserved), £40 (reserved balcony or unreserved floor), £60 (outer-ringside) and £100 (ringside) are available from Ticketmaster on 0844 277 4455 – UK/Northern Ireland customers, 0818 719 300 – Republic of Ireland customers and at www.ticketmaster.ie

VIP packages priced £150 are available from Matchroom Sport on 01277 359900 and at www.matchroomboxing.com

Paul McCloskey’s fans can also buy their tickets at the prices above from Eurospar Dungiven and any EuroXchange outlet.

Martin Lindsay aiming to feature on McCloskey and Irish Middleweights Betfair Prizefighter bill

Greene and O’Donnell join Prizefighter line-up – tickets on sale at 9am tomorrow

Martin Lindsay is planning to fight on the massive Belfast bill alongside Paul McCloskey and the all-Irish Middleweight Betfair Prizefighter night on May 5 in King’s Hall, live on Sky Sports.

The former British featherweight champion is plotting a return to action after over a year out of the ring, beginning in March in London before taking his place on the top class King’s Hall bill as he looks to get back into title contention.

Lindsay will kick-off the evening before the All-Irish Middleweight Prizefighter takes centre-stage, and two further names have been added to the line-up.

The ‘Slick Fightin Irish’ Simon O’Donnell from Galway and unbeaten Ryan Greene from Lurgan join unbeaten Commonwealth gold winner ‘King Kane’ Eamonn O’Kane,  EBA champ Anthony ‘Fitzer’ Fitzgerald, Mark ‘Kid Dynamite’ Heffron, Joe ‘Sugar’ Rea, and Darren Cruise in the 24^th edition of Matchroom Sport’s eight-man, one night tournament, with one final name to be added.

Paul McCloskey closes the show against former IBF World champion Julio Diaz and tickets for the evening go on sale at 9am on Friday (March 2).

Tickets priced at £30 (unreserved), £40 (reserved balcony or unreserved floor), £60 (outer-ringside) and £100 (ringside) are available from Ticketmaster on 0844 277 4455 – UK/Northern Ireland customers, 0818 719 300 – Republic of Ireland customers and at http://www.ticketmaster.ie/

VIP packages priced £150 are available from Matchroom Sport on 01277 359900 and at http://www.matchroomboxing.com/

Paul McCloskey’s fans can also buy their tickets at the prices above from Eurospar Dungiven and any EuroXchange outlet.   

Frampton targets Quigg, Martinez and Munroe after March 17

The Jackal confirms Ghanaian for War of the Roses defence

Carl Frampton is aiming to impress on his second Commonwealth super bantamweight defence as he targets big showdowns with the hottest super bantamweight stars this year.

Frampton faces Ghanaian bantamweight champion Prosper Ankrah on March 17 at the Motorpoint Arena Sheffield live on Sky Sports 1, HD and in 3D, and his team say that another devastating performance is needed in the first clash of a three-fight plan that includes Scott Quigg, Rendall Munroe and Kiko Martinez.

The Belfast star claimed the vacant title with a fourth round stoppage of Australian Mark Quon in Belfast in September and impressed in his first defence with a brutal seventh round knockout of Kris Hughes at York Hall, Bethnal Green in January, taking his unbeaten record as a pro to 12 fights.

Fights with British king Quigg, former European and Commonwealth champ Munroe and current European belt holder Martinez have been touted in one of the most electric divisions in the sport and Frampton’s manager Barry McGuigan is urging them to meet The Jackal in the ring in 2012.

“The three important guys along the route are Quigg, Munroe and Martinez, and we want to fight them before the end of the year,” said McGuigan.

“We're willing to stand up and be counted and we don't want to wait around for another year so let's do it. If Quigg and Munroe don't want to fight Carl then we’ll move on and tackle Martinez – which I feel is a harder fight – because we want the big fights now. The super bantamweight division is very tough and the boys at the top are very good, and it's not going to get weaker anytime soon, so there's no point hanging around. These would all be massive, crowd-pleasing fights that would capture the public’s imagination and everyone would win.

“Martinez is defending his title in March and hopefully he'll come through that and want to defend against Carl at the beginning or end of the summer. It's far more beneficial for Quigg and Munroe to fight Carl than it is each other, and we want to meet them both to set this division on fire.”

Frampton’s fight with Ankrah promises to be an exciting affair, with the challenger known for his aggressive front-foot approach and coming into the contest with 12 consecutive wins inside the distance. McGuigan is fully aware that the African poses a big threat, and says Frampton has to put on a show to secure a hometown fight in June.

“He knows has to win impressively in Sheffield,” said McGuigan. “It's very important to us that Carl fights in Belfast in June. The game is all about the fans, and you have to give them something to latch onto. Carl has had great support in London and he will in Sheffield, but Carl fighting in Belfast will be massive news and a big seller, the fans are desperate to see him and they will come in massive numbers.”

Hearn added: “This is the final stage of Carl's apprenticeship. We expect a tough challenge from Ankrah but we want Carl to go out there and look devastating. Carl and Barry show no fear when we talk about opponents and after we've got the win here we want a big summer fight in Belfast. We are already in contact with the Hatton's regarding Munroe and would love to face him, Martinez or Quigg next.”

Limited tickets for the ‘War of the Roses’ plus a full championship undercard now remain priced £30 and £100 from the Motorpoint Arena Sheffield Box Office on 0114 256 5656 and at www.motorpointarenasheffield.co.uk. £40, £60 and £150 VIP tickets have now sold-out.