BRONCO BILLY WRIGHT @ WBC CARES EVENT @ THE RICHARD STEELE BOXING GYM

WBC HEAVYWEIGHT CONTENDER BRONCO BILLY WRIGHT

LAS VEGAS (December 18, 2014) - Last night 50-year old WBC Heavyweight contender, "Bronco" Billy Wright (46-4, 37 KOs) was on hand at the WBC CARES event which took place at the Richard Steele Boxing gym in Las Vegas.  Bronco Billy took photos and helped pass out presents to the kids in the boxing program.  "I love the WBC and everything they do for their fighters and the organizations their united with," said Billy Wright. "Richard Steele is a good friend of mine and he's doing a wonderful job helping these kids get off the street with his boxing program.  The WBC Cares is close to my heart and I'm happy that I was invited to this event.  I'm very grateful for everything they've done to help me get to where I'm at today.  2015 will be a big year for me."  Billy Wright is the current WBC LATIN AMERICAN, FECARBOX, and United States (USNBC) Silver titlist.  His goal is to become the next WBC heavyweight champion of the world.  In January he's looking to crack the top 15 in the WBC rankings.   CLICK HERE to listen to Fight News Unlimited's Combat Sports Show Featuring "Bronco" Billy Wright.

Melson to receive Ambassador of Peace Award!

 

New York, NY (December 14, 2014) – Junior middleweight boxer and charitable figure Captain Boyd “Rainmaker” Melson will receive the Ambassador of Peace Award from the World Boxing Council (WBC) during their annual convention Monday, December 15 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

 

Since turning pro in 2010, Melson’s garnered international attention for donating 100% of his fight purses and raising awareness about bringing trials to the United States to help cure Spinal Cord Injuries. Along with best friend Christan Zaccagnino, Melson founded Team Fight to Walk and recruited many notable boxers to join the fight to cure paralysis. During the last two years, Team Fight to Walk hosted charity galas titled “Fighting for the Cure” to help raise additional funds for the pending trials. Due to their tireless efforts with Team Fight to Walk, Melson and Zaccagnino have been featured by many major media outlets.

 

A 2003 graduate of West Point Academy with a full schedule outside of the squared circle, Melson serves the United States as an Army Reserve Officer and is also a motivational speaker.

 

“This is an honor and a blessing,” Melson said of the award he’ll be receiving. “When I turned pro, my plan was to raise as much money and awareness as possible with the ultimate goal being that Christan walks again. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be inLas Vegas on behalf of Team Fight to Walk receiving the same award many boxing greats did in years past.”

 

“The World Boxing Council has been an incredible supporter of Team Fight to Walk, Christan and I. They attended our gala, donated memorabilia for us to auction and honored me at their WBC Cares event in 2012. On behalf of Team Fight to Walk, I’d like to give an extra special thanks to the WBC’s Jill Diamond. She has gone above and beyond to assist with our efforts in bringing clinical trials to the United States that can help cure Spinal Cord Injuries.”

 

Team Fight to Walk is comprised of Melson, Zaccagnino, former NBA All-Star Anthon Mason, former Rutgers football player/ESPY honoree Eric LeGrand, two division world champion Paul “The Punisher” Williams, former NBA All-Star Anthony Mason, two-time cruiserweight champion Steve “USS” Cunningham, Austin “No Doubt” Trout, title contender DeAndre “The Bull” Latimore, Edgar “El Chamaco” Santana, Sonya Lamonakis, Hector “Machito” Camacho Jr., WBO Junior Middleweight titlist/2008 US Olympian Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade and fellow 08’ Olympian Shawn Estrada along with prospects Sid “The Messenger” El Harrak, Jeff “TNT” Spencer, Denis “Da Momma’s Boy” Douglin, Will “Power” Rosinsky, Floriano “Italiano” Pagliara, Danny “Little Mac” McDermott, Vinny “The Lion” O’Brien, Ahmed “Prince of Egypt” Samir and Delen “Sniper” Parsley.

 

For more information on Team Fight to Walk or to donate, go to Teamfighttowalk.com. All questions about Team Fight to Walk or Spinal Cord Injuries can be emailed to Boydmelson@Teamfighttowalk.com.\

 

Click Here to listen to an interview we did recently with Boyd on the FNU Combat Sports Show. It's about halfway into the broadcast. We also chat with Paul "The Punisher" Williams on the same show, who is now a member of "Team Fight to Walk."

BAGHDAD CROWNED NEW LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION!! MURPHY STOPS FRAZZATO!!

RFA 21 - JUUSOLA vs. BAGHDAD  QUICK RESULTS & PHOTOS LAS VEGAS, Nevada -Late replacement Zach Juusola (10-3) proved a worthy adversary, but Mehdi Baghdad (11-3) claimed the RFA's vacant lightweight belt with a crushing fourth-round knockout via elbow. The contest served as the headlining bout of Friday's RFA 221 event, which took place at The Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, Calif., and aired on AXS TV. RFA 21 Quick Results: (click any photo to be taken to that gallery) Mehdi Baghdad def. Zach Juusola via TKO (elbow and punches) - Round 4, 2:47 to claim vacant lightweight title Joe Murphy def. Bruno Frazatto via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 2:59 Chase Gormley def. Dale Sopi via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, 30-26)  Francisco France def. Mikey Gomez via technical submission (arm-triangle choke) - Round 1, 1:43 Sam Toomer def. Altair Alencar via majority decision (29-28, 28-28, 29-27) Khalil Rountree vs. Blake Troop via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 0:39  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR LOCAL ORANGE COUNTY PARTNERS:     ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ About RFA: RFA is a professional mixed martial arts promotion that gives rising stars and top contenders the opportunity to prove their talent to fans and leaders in the industry. The RFA presents up to 10 fights annually around the United States including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Milwaukee. RFA can be seen live in over 40 million homes nationally through its television deal with AXS TV. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, RFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. (The Octagon, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, UFC®, and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC. All rights reserved).   About AXS TV Fights: AXS TV Fights is renowned for its universally recognized Friday Night Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing events. As Your Home For MMA, AXS TV utilizes an expansive network of promotions from the United States, Canada, and Europe. And Asia to broadcast more LIVE fights than any other television network. "The Voice" Michael Schiavello and five-time MMA world-champion Pat Miletich provide viewers expert play-by-play, in-depth fighter coverage, and extensive analysis to each fight card. AXS TV broadcasts world-class LIVE fight events from RFA, Lion Fight, Legacy FC, and MFC every Friday night at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET.

49 YEAR OLD HEAVYWEIGHT CONTENDER "BRONCO" BILLY WRIGHT DEFENDED HIS WBC TITLES WITH KNOCKOUT WIN

LAS VEGAS (November 24, 2014) - This past Saturday in Bolivia, WBC #18 heavyweight contender,"Bronco" Billy Wright (46-4, 37 KOs), continued his amazing run of consecutive knockouts, while climbing up the WBC rankings.  

Bronco Billy scored with a first round knockout against Juan Carlos Flores-Choque (14-4, 13 KOs), extending his KO streak to 13.  Billy Wright who turns 50-years old on December 10, 2015, extended on another streak, winning his 17th consecutive fight in a row.   

In the process, Bronco Billy defended his LATIN AMERICAN, FECARBOX, and United States (USNBC) Silver titles, all sanctioned by the WBC.  Not wasting any time, Bronco Billy Wright is looking to get back in the ring on Dec, 6, 2015.

"If I'm able to lock down an opponent, I'll be fighting again on December 6th, said Bronco Billy Wright. "I'm looking to close out the year with another knockout.  That will make it five fights in 2014, all wins coming by way of knockout.  I'll turn 50 on December 10th.  Going into 2015, I'm confident my WBC ranking will move up.  I'm willing to fight any of the top contenders to get me closer to my dream of becoming heavyweight champion.  The only problem is none of these guys are willing to fight me.  That can all change in 2015.  I'm looking to make history."

At age 49, Bronco Billy Wright is a legitimate figure in the heavyweight division.  With his winning streak intact, Wright could be in a major fight with a top contender in 2015. 

Beibut Shumenov returns Dec. 13 in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (Nov. 13, 2014) -- Former World Boxing Association (WBA) Light Heavyweight World title holder Beibut Shumenov (14-2, 9 KOs) returns to the ringDecember 13, kick-starting his new quest to become a two-division world champion, against cruiserweight Bobby Thomas Jr. (14-2, 9 KOs) in an eight-round bout on the Khan-Alexander card, presented by Golden Boy Promotions, at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Shumenov, who lives and trains in Las Vegas, last fought this past April 19 in Washington D.C., losing a 12-round split decision to then International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion Bernard Hopkins (54-6-2) in their unification fight. "I look forward to December 13th and pursuing a world cruiserweight title with Al Haymon in my corner," Shumenov said. The 31-year-old Shumenov captured the WBA light heavyweight title January 29, 2010 in only his tenth pro fight, establishing the fewest-fights record for the light heavyweight champion of a major organization, with a 12-round decision over Gabriel Campillo. The driven Kazakh successfully defended his WBA title belt five times, in order, against previously unbeaten mandatory challenger Vyacheslav Uzelkov(DEC12), former world champion William Joppy (KO6), multiple world title challengers Danny Santiago (TKO) and Enrique Ornelas (DEC12), and previously unbeaten Tamas Kovacs (TKO3). Shumenov (R) rocks Kovacs at the end of their 2013 fight (photo by Tom Casino / Showtime)  The muscular Shumenov, a 2004 Kazakhstan Olympian, realized after his last fight that making the 175-pound division limit took too much energy out of him and sapped his strength. Already rated No. 3 by the WBA, Shumenov will make his cruiserweight debut Dec. 13 against a fighter with the exact same record, West Virginia champion Thomas. "I'm happy to be fighting again and moving up to the cruiserweight division," Shumenov noted. "I don't have to struggle now to lose 50-plus pounds to make weight for my fights." After being self-trained for his last three fights, Shumenov is now working with highly- respected Cuban coach Ismael Salas, who has trained a litany of world champions such as Guillermo Rigondeaux, Yuriokis Gamboa, Danny Green, Jesse Vargasand Jorge Linares, among the more notables. "I've had a lot of changes after my last fight," Shumenov added. "I trained myself for the last three fights but now I have added a great trainer, Ismael Salas, to my team.  Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/BeibutShumenov.

24/7 PACQUIAO/ALGIERI PREMIERES SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 ON HBO®

Nov. 7, 2014 - As a prelude to the upcoming HBO Pay-Per-View® showdown on Nov. 22 between world welterweight champ Manny Pacquiao and fast-rising challenger Chris Algieri, HBO Sports will air "24/7 Pacquiao/Algieri," an action-packed one episode, 30-minute special examining the 147-pound title showdown. The "24/7 Pacquiao/Algieri" special will premiere Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1:00 a.m.(ET/PT) on HBO immediately following the live World Championship Boxing event from Atlantic City.  The quintessential underdog versus superstar storyline will be explored with"24/7" cameras visiting Algieri at home on Long Island and in camp in Las Vegas as well as traveling to the Philippines to visit with Manny Pacquiao as he trains for the fight. The 30-minute special will be narrated by Liev Schreiber.  Other HBO playdates for 24/7: November 9 (11:00 a.m.), 10 (2:45 a.m.), 13 (2:30 p.m.), 18 (8:45 a.m.), 19 (6:00 p.m.), 21 (1:00 p.m. & 3:00 a.m.), and 22 (9:45 a.m.). HBO2 playdates for 24/7: November 19 (8:00 p.m.) and 21 (4:15 p.m. & 11:30 p.m.). HBO Signature playdates for 24/7: November 22 (5:30 p.m.) All times are ET/PT.   Promoted by Top Rank® and Sands China Ltd., in association with MP Promotions, Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing, Banner Promotions and Tecate, the Pacquiao-Algieri world welterweight championship event will take place Saturday, November 22, at The Venetian® Macao's Cotai Arena, and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View®, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.  "24/7 Pacquiao/Algieri," premieres This Saturday! November 8 at 1:00 a.m. (ET/PT) on HBO immediately following the live World Championship Boxing event from Atlantic City.  An all-new special "Under the Lights: Pacquiao-Algieri" debuts Next Saturday!November 15 at 11:45 p.m. (ET/PT) on HBO.  For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook atfacebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #PacAlgieri to join the conversation on Twitter.

"Iceman" John Scully's Amateur Boxing Reunion

(Media is welcome to attend)

 

Rival Boxing Store, Sunset Rd., Las Vegas, Nevada

Saturday December 13, 2014

Tentative start time 1 p.m.

 

December 13 in Las Vegas. Many years in the making. Hoping to turn this into a heavily sponsored annual event. This year we are doing it on our own pretty much. Russ Anber of Rival Boxing Products (offices in Montreal and Las Vegas) has graciously allowed us to use his store on Sunset in Las Vegas to meet at.

 

I have found myself over the years enjoying numerous mini-reunions with small groups of former amateur peers of mine, maybe three or four of us at a time at a fight or a similar boxing event), and have always thought how great it would be if somehow a large group of us from my era (late 1980's, Olympic class of 1988) could all meet up somewhere. Former champ William Guthrie told me that he had a similar idea and was even looking into getting sponsorships from airlines and hotels. I then kind of joined forces with William and set out to get such sponsorships but as of yet have been unable to do so.

 

Thinking about it, I realized that I am in touch with a great many former amateur boxers from many different eras (mainly from the 1970's through the early 2000's) and I just decided one day not long ago to let a group of them know I will be in Las Vegas for the WBC Convention in December and that if any of them wanted to come out and get together for a day or so it would be a welcome addition to the trip.

 

What has resulted so far and will continue to build I am sure is a reunion that will see amateur boxers from the Classes of 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 gather in Las Vegas on December 13th for what I hope will be the first of many such gatherings!

 

Note: Vinny Paz was forced to withdraw due to the filming of the movie of his life at the same time. Roy Jones Jr. has indicated that he will appear if he is not away at the time on boxing business. I am still awaiting confirmation from the likes of Lamon Brewster, Chris Byrd, Paul Vaden, Otis Grant and many others.

 

The list of fighters is growing on a daily basis and a partial (and still growing) list of confirmed attendees is as follows:  

Four-time New York City Golden Gloves Champion Alex "The Bronx Bomber" Ramos 

Ron Essett 1983 North American Champion, 1982 USA/ABF National Champion

 

1988 U.S. Olympic and U.S. ARMY head coach Kenny Adams.

 

1985 National Golden Gloves 165 pound champion (and later on, IBF light heavyweight champion) William Guthrie

1988 U.S. National Champion and WBA Super middleweight Champion "Fabulous" Frankie Liles

1997/2000 USA/ABF National Champion LeChaunce Shepherd

 

1986 World Champion, 1987 USA/ABF National Champion, 1987 Pan-American Champ, 1988 U.S. Olympian Kelcie Banks

DaVarryl "Touch Of Sleep" Williamson 1996 201 pound USA Olympic alternate

 

1999 Pan-American Games Champion 119 pound Gerald Tucker

 

Tony "The Tiger" Lopez, IBF/WBA Super featherweight champion, WBA lightweight champion

 

Ricky Jones 1989 USA/ABF National Champion

 

Razz Chapin 1988 Western Olympic Trials 178 pound Champion

1986 National Golden Gloves 165 pound Champion Bomani Parker (aka Parker White)

 

World Champion Danny "Kid Dynamite" Romero

 

1980 and 1984 U.S. Olympian Robert Shannon

 

1987 National Golden Gloves Champion Donald "Tiger" Stokes

Thomas "Ice-T" Tate, 1988 Western Olympic trials 156 pound Champion

 

Steven Stokes, U.S. Marines, 1998 U.S. Armed Forces Runner-Up

1989 National Junior Olympic Champion Clarence "Bones" Adams

1988 Eastern U.S. Olympic trials 125 pounds Champion Kevin Kelley

1992 Olympic Silver Medalist (Ireland) 119 pounds Wayne McCullough

1982 National AAU 106 pound Champion Mario L 'Esperance

 

Darrell Stubblefield, 1984 Olympic Trials 165 pound Participant (lost to Michael Nunn)

1976 National AAU Champion Bret Summers

Andy Nance, California Junior welterweight Champion

1984 U.S. Olympic 132 pound alternate Joey Belinc (lost HIGHLY disputed decision to Sweet Pea Whitaker)

 

1996 National Golden Gloves 147 pound Champion Brandon Mitchem

 

1996 U.S. 119 pound Olympian Zahir Raheem

 

1984 Olympic 156 pound Gold Medalist Frank Tate

Fareed Samad 1994 U.S. National Welterweight Champion

Ron Simms 1995 Pan-American Games USA representative @ 165 pounds

Mark Simmons 2000 Canadian Olympic heavyweight

 

1993 New England Golden Gloves Champion Richie "The Mountain" La Montagne

 

1988 Eastern U.S. Olympic trials 125 pound Runner-Up "Sucra" Ray Oliviera

David Gauvin 1984 New England Golden Gloves 119 pound Champion 

 

1983 U.S. Under-19 National 147 pound Champion Richard Torrez

 

1997 National Junior Olympic 95 pound Champion Sammy Vega

 

2000 U.S. Armed Forces 132 pound Champion Orlando Cordova

 

ICE

Quote: "

The wait in the dressing room before a professional boxing match -that last hour- could be enough to strip a man who never boxed before of whatever pride, desire and heart he THOUGHT he had" -Iceman John Scully, April 2002

"Boxing is a tight-knit fraternity. Everybody knows everybody. But a line in the resin will forever be drawn separating those who step into the square ring and those who DON'T. Many, many people make money on a fight, but when the bell sounds, only two people answer it." - Randy Smith, February 2003, Journal Inquirer (Manchester, Conn.) Newspaper

RFA RETURNS TO MILE HIGH CITY WITH BJJ BLACK BELT vs BJJ BLACK BELT FEATURE MATCH

Alvin "Kid" Robinson uses MMA to motivate youth and his kids Robinson meets fellow BJJ black belt Fabio Serrão at RFA 20 RFA 20 IN COLORADO FRIDAY NOVEMBER 7TH LIVE ON AXS TV by Ryan Bevins  rbevins@rfafighting.com @Bevois   Some people get into MMA to chase titles. Others do it for the fame and fortune. Then there are fighters like Alvin "Kid" Robinson that do it for a greater reason: to impact the world.  Robinson knew he wanted to fight his whole life. He grew up in southern California and moved out to Colorado to wrestle in college at Colorado State University - Pueblo. Coincidentally, his college roommate was Leister Bowling, who is now one of the top MMA trainers in the sport.  Robinson's parents also moved out to Colorado to live closer to him and were fully aware of their son's passion to one day be a professional fighter. That is when his mother saw a gym called 'Mile High Gracie' and told her son he should check it out. The Royce Gracie Jiu-Jitsu gym was run by John Crouch. The same John Crouch who now runs one of the most famous gyms in the world, The MMA LAB in Glendale, Arizona. Robinson's voice perked up when reflecting on those days. "I walked in to John Crouch's school near my parent's house when I was 18-years-old," Robinson explained. "Back then, MMA and jiu-jitsu wasn't as popular and on most nights it was pretty much just me getting private lessons from John. He is such a great guy and I was his first student. Then Benson Henderson came in and started training and things took off." This was 14 years ago and we all know what happened next. Robinson would go on to win the Ring of Fire lightweight title and competed for the UFC four times. Henderson went on to win both the UFC and WEC lightweight titles.  At 32-years-old, Robinson has now been fighting professionally for nearly a decade and has accomplished many things in the sport that some fighters can only dream about. So what is motivating the Royce Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt to continue the grueling task of training daily at a high-level, only to get locked inside a steel cage with some of the best fighters in the world? He wants to leave a legacy for his three baby girls and inspire the kids he works with as a Youth Leader in Colorado. Twelve months ago, Robinson and his wife were blessed with the birth of triplets and that made him analyze his MMA career from a different perspective. This would be a perspective shared by an iconic MMA figthter who he has always looked up to. "B.J. Penn has always been one of my favorite fighters and he always will be," stated Robinson. "After my daughters were born, I started thinking the way he did after his fight with Nick Diaz when he said: 'I've got a daughter and another daughter on the way. I don't want to go home looking like this.' It's not about titles anymore. My daughters are all the motivation I need. I want my daughters to be able to grow up and look back and say: Win, lose, or draw, he laid it all on the line." Robinson will make his RFA debut on the main card of RFA 20 - Sanders vs. Mercado. He will fight Fabio Serrão in a battle of jiu-jitsu black belts that has been scheduled to happen on several occasions, but kept falling through due to injuries. Now that Robinson and Serrão are healthy and ready to finally face each other under the bright lights with the world watching, the Infinite MMA Academy representative says to expect the unexpected. "Fabio and I have been scheduled to fight each other a few times and now it will finally happen," Robinson explained. "It's being billed as a battle of jiu-jitsu black belts, but sometimes that turns into a stand-up battle. Fabio is a good wrestler, he has heavy hands, and likes to brawl, so I'll be ready for anything. If it goes to the ground, I feel my jiu-jitsu can match up with anyone in the world. He probably feels the same way, so this will be a fun fight for the fans. The entire main card of RFA 20 - Mercado vs. Sanders will be televised live on AXS TV starting at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT on Friday, November 7th. RFA 20 will be the promotion's fourth event to take place in the state of Colorado and it will be the second time the RFA has visited the state in 2014. More fights on the stacked RFA 20 fight card will be announced soon.  RFA 20 TV COMMERCIAL (click to watch)    About RFA: RFA is a professional mixed martial arts promotion that gives rising stars and top contenders the opportunity to prove their talent to fans and leaders in the industry. The RFA presents up to 10 fights annually around the United States including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Milwaukee. RFA can be seen live in over 40 million homes nationally through its television deal with AXS TV. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, RFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. (The Octagon, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, UFC®, and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC. All rights reserved). About AXS TV Fights: AXS TV Fights is renowned for its universally recognized Friday Night Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing events. As Your Home For MMA, AXS TV utilizes an expansive network of promotions from the United States, Canada, and Europe. And Asia to broadcast more LIVE fights than any other television network. "The Voice" Michael Schiavello and five-time MMA world-champion Pat Miletich provide viewers expert play-by-play, in-depth fighter coverage, and extensive analysis to each fight card. AXS TV broadcasts world-class LIVE fight events from RFA, Lion Fight, Legacy FC, and MFC every Friday night at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET.