_______________________________________________________________________
UpComing Bout Against Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez
March 17th St Patrick's Day
George's first stop was a press conference hosted by Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment, at the popular Irish pub Jack Demsey's in midtown Manhattan. In addition to George, Irish-American undercard fighters such as Seanie Monaghan (12-0, 8KO's), Thomas Hardwick (4-0, 2KO's), Kevin Rooney Jr. (3-1, 1KO) and Danny McDermott (9-3-2, 4KO's) were also in attendance.
After the initial presser, the Chicago-native George, who is half Greek and half Irish, headed to the heavily Greek-populated area of Astoria, Queens, where he participated in another press conference/meet-and-greet at the Grand Café where a large number of Greek media outlets and high profile politicians, including the Republic of Cyprus Consulate General Koula Sophianou, were in attendance encouraging the Greek community to come out and support George on March17.
Below are quotes and photos from the presser.
LOU DIBELLA (DiBella Entertainment)
I want to thank everyone for coming out and for everyone who is involved in what is going to be a terrific event from top to bottom on March 17, St. Patrick's Day at Madison Square Garden. This is going to be a tremendous undercard highlighted by the co-feature bout of the evening, televised live on HBO, matching two very exciting super middleweight contenders Edwin Rodriguez and Donovan George.
As a promoter, my main objective is to avoid "stinkability" match-ups and put on exciting and compelling fights for the fans and that is exactly what you have in both the co-feature and main event on March 17. You have never seen Sergio Martinez, Matthew Macklin, Edwin Rodriguez or Donovan George in a bad fight, and as a true boxing fan, these are the types of cards you want to see. The atmosphere at the Garden, on St. Patrick's Day, is going to be electric, and we are just very excited to be able to bring this great event here to New York City.
Some fighters' styles just mesh, and that is exactly what you have with Edwin vs. Donovan. Knowing both of these guys, I am predicting that someone is going to get knocked out in this fight. I am expecting these guys to walk across the ring and start throwing bombs from the opening bell. This is going to be a good old-fashioned barnburner.
There is a lot of talent and lot of good fights to be made right now at 168. The winner of this fight moves right into the mix and is legitimate challenger for any of the world champions out there right now.
In addition to the great co-feature and main event on HBO, the untelevised undercard is featuring a number of exciting fighters including Seanie Monaghan, Tommy Hardwick, the "O' Danny Boy" match-up with Danny O'Connor taking on Danny McDermott and, of course, my assistant Kevin Rooney Jr., who will have his famous father Kevin Sr. working his corner.
Seanie is one of the most exciting fighters to watch in New York right now. He has an army of fans that keeps growing, and while he might not ever pop up on anyone's pound-for-pound list, neither did the late great Arturo Gatti. Seanie and all of these guys give it their all each time out, and we couldn't be happier to have them on this card.
DONOVAN GEORGE
I'm happy to be here in New York. I hear that the fight fans here are awesome so I am really looking forward to the fight. I was supposed to fight here three years ago but, unfortunately, it fell through. I am so excited, this is a huge opportunity. Blood and guts, I am going to lay it all on the line. I am here to fight. People are saying that I am a long shot in this fight and that I am not as polished. I am not going to be disrespectful or talk negatively about Edwin since he is not here. He is a great fighter, I am going to come in tiptop shape for this fight. This is my opportunity, this is my shot I have been waiting for. I am either going to come out victorious or you are going to have to carry me out on my shield. I am fighting for a reason, I have a lot to prove. I am going to be a machine on March 17 and put on a great show for everyone.
LEON MARGULES (Warriors Boxing - George's Promoter)
I have been working with Don for almost three years now, and he has been so much fun to work with. He is a hellacious puncher who gets better every fight. He is still young and coming into his own and we expect a great performance out of him on March 17.
Edwin and Don will fight anyone, they are fighters. They know each other, they respect and like each other, but neither guy likes to go to the scorecard so we are expecting a great fight. It is great to be here in New York working with Lou and great to be back on HBO.
MIKE MICHAEL (Cestus Management - George's Manager)
Donovan is a great fighter and also a great guy. I fell in love with him the first day I saw him. It has been a long road, but we have finally got to the point where we are going to do what we are supposed to do. We are going to win this fight and move on with our career. It is a dream come true for us to have this fight and join the long list of great fighters who have fought at the Garden.
The card entitled, "THE REAL Middleweight Championship - Get Your Irish Up", ispromoted by DiBella Entertainment, and will be aired live on HBO's "World Championship Boxing beginning at 10PM ET/7PM PT.
Tickets are priced at $505, $355, $205, $125 and $65, and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased through the Madison Square Garden Box Office or through Ticketmaster, at Ticketmaster.com, or by calling (866) 858-0008. Call DiBella Entertainment at (212) 947-2577, or visit www.dbe1.com and @loudibella on Twitter for more information.
Contact: Leon R. Margules President of Warriors Boxing, (954) 985-1155, Leon@warriorsboxing.com
Andre Courtemanche, Big Media Buzz, (519) 253-4290, bigmediabuzz@msn.com
__________________________________________________________________
DiBella Sounds Off on Chavez
Says Fight Sergio Next or Vacate Title!
"As long as Sergio takes care business on March 17, Chavez must fight him next. Either fight him or he has to vacate his title. It's plain and simple," said DiBella. "We are tired of waiting for Chavez to step up to the plate. He needs to stop hiding behind his people and be a real champion. He says that he wants the fight, so then prove it. The WBC ruled in our favor at their convention in December, and the two were both permitted to have voluntary defenses. We don't want to look past Sergio's fight on March 17 because he is going to have his hands full with Macklin. If Sergio wins though, I expect negotiations to begin immediately for Sergio against Julio. Immediately!"
The only reason that Chavez has the title now is because Martinez vacated the belt when his mandatory challenger was allegedly not up to television programming standards. If Chavez does not want to meet his mandatory, then the son of the legend should do the honorable thing and vacate his WBC title rather than continuing to face lesser opposition. After the Rubio fight this past Saturday, HBO boxing analyst Jim Lampley candidly stated that Chavez "still has not fought a fighter of legitimate championship quality."
Martinez (48-2-2, 27KO's) defends his Middleweight crown against top-rated Irish middleweight contender Matthew "Mack the Knife" Macklin (28-3, 19KOs) on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. The card, promoted by DiBella Entertainment, entitled "THE REAL Middleweight Championship - Get Your Irish Up", will be aired live on HBO's "World Championship Boxing" at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
Tickets are priced at $505, $355, $205, $125 and $65 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased through the Madison Square Garden Box Office or through Ticketmaster, at ticketmaster.com, or by calling (800) 745-3000. Call DiBella Entertainment at (212) 947-2577, or visit www.dbe1.com and @loudibella on Twitter for more information.
DIBELLA ENTERTAINMENT
DiBella Entertainment builds upon the unique insights Lou DiBella developed as a television executive and matchmaker to combat the contractual exploitation of professional boxers. DiBella Entertainment creates a business model that shifts the balance of power from promoters to boxers; and establishes a legacy of matchmaking excellence, both in an effort to improve the health of the boxing industry. DiBella Entertainment represents its athletes with honesty and integrity all while making the best and fairest financial deals for its clients.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
"Bombs Away" Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez
vs
Donovan "Da Bomb" George
March 17th, at Madison Square Garden, HBO Co-Feature
The 10-round, non-title fight between International Boxing Federation ("IBF") No. 4-rated Donovan (22-1-1, 19 KOs) and No. 5-ranked Rodriguez has world title shot implications for the winner. The much-anticipated, action-packed fight between two of the top 168-pounders in the world will serve as chief support for the Sergio Martinez-Mathew Macklin main event on the DiBella Entertainment-promoted St. Patrick's Day show, THE REAL Middleweight Championship - Get Your Irish Up.
Dominican Republic-native Rodriguez (20-0, 14 KOs), a 26-year-old fighting out of Worcester (MA), is genuinely excited about making his HBO and MSG debuts. "This is a dream come true for me," Rodriguez said from his Houston training camp. "Fighting on HBO is the biggest stage in boxing, outside of a pay-per-view event, especially at Madison Square Garden. I'm extremely excited to be fighting for the first time on HBO. I will work as hard as I a can to win impressively on March 17th. Irish fans are going to love this fight because both fighters have the same entertaining style of fighting."
Rodriguez is coming off of a 10-round unanimous decision victory (100-90 X 3) last October at MGM Grand at Foxwoods against previously unbeaten Will Rosinsky. Edwin's other notable wins have been against Aaron Pryor, Jr., James McGirt and Marcus Upshaw.
"It doesn't get any bigger in boxing than fighting on HBO in Madison Square Garden," Rodriguez' manager Larry Army remarked. "Edwin and Donovan will stand apart from the other world super middleweight contenders. We're talking about two offensive powerhouses who will keep fans on the edge of their seats. The winner will be in a great position for a world title fight later this year. I don't think that there will be a real 'loser' in this fight. Both guys are the type that fans love to watch and TV networks enjoy showcasing. Rodriguez-George has all the makings of a Gatti-Ward fight; they're going to stand and exchange blows."
Also rated No. 5 by the World Boxing Council ("WBC") and No. 9 by the World Boxing Association ("WBA"), Rodriguez was a two-time U.S. national amateur champion in two weight classes, and is now the reigning United States National Boxing Council ("USNBC") champion.
The 27-year-old George was born and raised in Chicago. The popular knockout specialist captured the vacant United States Boxing Association ("USBA") title in his last fight, stopping Maxell Taylor in the eighth round last April in Chicago. George also holds impressive wins over Cornelius White and world title challenger Osumanu Adama.
"I don't know a lot about him but I saw him fight the first time I fought on Showtime (April 30, 2010 - Rodriguez WKO6 Kevin Engel, George WDEC8 Adama)," Edwin noted. "He's a good fighter.....but I'm better. He comes to fight and I do as well. I'm really looking forward to this fight. Not a lot of people get a second chance to fight on HBO, so I'm going to take full advantage of this huge opportunity."
Team Rodriguez is also offering a junket package on a first come, first serve basis, of $110.00, which includes round-trip bus transportation and a ticket to the fight. Busses are scheduled to leave at 9 AM/ET from Worcester City Hall and will return right after the conclusion of the Martinez-Macklin fight. To book contact Rodriguez' manager Larry Army at larmy@armyandarmy.com.
Go online to www.EdwinRodriguezBoxing.com for more information about Edwin or hos Mar. 17 fight vs. George.
Contact: Bob Trieger, Full Court Press, 978.664.4482, bobtfcp@hotmail.com, Twitter @fightpublicist
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez and Donovan George
Conference Call Highlights
Bomb's Away Saturday March 17th
Live on HBO from Madison Square Garden
The fight between Rodriguez (20-0, 14KO's) (IBF #5, WBC #5, WBA #9) and George (22-1-1, 19KO's) (IBF #4) has insiders salivating. Rodriguez and George are both heavy-handed, action-packed fighters, who only know one direction and that is to come straight forward. With this being both fighters' first appearance on HBO they will undoubtedly be putting everything on the line in what promises to be an absolute barnburner.
The call began with the usual "thank you's" and both fight camps stating how excited they were for the opportunity, before tensions rose when Larry Army, manager/advisor of Rodriguez took offense to statements made by the manager of George, Mike Michael. Below is a complete transcript from the call:
KEVIN ROONEY JR.: Thanks for joining us today. Unfortunately, Lou DiBella is a little bit under the weather. He's not going to be on the call today, but we will have Ron Rizzo from our office participating in the call. Leon Margules, the co-promoter of Donovan George, with 8-Count Productions, unfortunately also cannot be on the call, but we will have Mike Michaels, of Cestus Management, the longtime manager and advisor of Donovan, say a few words before introducing Donovan's trainer and father, Pete George. Then we'll turn it over to Donovan. After Donovan's portion of the call, we'll get into Edwin's, Edwin's manager and advisor, Larry Army will say a few words before introducing Edwin's trainer, Ronnie Shields. Then we'll turn it over to Edwin. Following Edwin's portion of the call, we will open the call up for questions.
The card is entitled, "The Real Middleweight Championship: Get Your Irish Up," and will feature the real middleweight champion, and consensus top-three pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez taking on Matthew "Mack the Knife" Macklin. The card will take place on St. Patrick's Day at the Theater at Madison Square Garden and is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, and will be shown live on HBO, beginning at 10PM ET/7PM PT, along with this fight we are announcing today. Tickets are priced at $505, $355, $205, $125, and $65. Tickets can be purchased through the Madison Square Garden box office, or through Ticketmaster, or by calling (800) 745-3000. Without further ado, I would like to turn the call over to Ron Rizzo, Vice President of Operations for DiBella Entertainment.
RON RIZZO: Hi everybody, thank you for joining us. We have a very exciting event happening March 17, St. Patrick's Day, featuring Sergio Martinez and Matthew Macklin. The co-feature for the televised portion of the show has been named and it's going to be Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez and Donovan "Da Bomb" George. I'm excited about this as these two fighters have been talking about this fight since they both were on a show back on April 30, 2010, where they fought in separate but both televised bouts, with George facing Osumanu Adama and Rodriguez fighting Kevin Engel. They have been talking about fighting each other since then, they both have "bomb" as part of their nickname, which means they can both punch, and that's not actually a lie. I'm looking forward to it. We'll go back to Kevin to introduce the other participants, but thank you everybody for tuning in today.
KEVIN ROONEY JR.: Talking with the media and looking over the social websites, the general consensus is that everyone is excited about this fight. It's going to be bombs away. Both of these guys don't know how to be in a boring fight. It's great for television and it's great for boxing. I want to introduce Mike Michaels, of Cestus Management, longtime manager and advisor of Donovan George.
MIKE MICHAELS: We've been with Donovan for quite a while now and we consider Donovan George and the whole family as part of our family, and we're doing this as a family situation. Donovan has come very far in a very power packed career and we feel that this is his time. It's a great scenario to be fighting at Madison Square Garden, with the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, as far as I consider, in the main event. Fighting at the Mecca of boxing where legends have been built is just another dream for all of us. We know that Donovan is going to win the fight. There is no doubt, no question. There will be no reasonable doubt of any kind. Donovan is going to show up in tiptop shape. He's going to fight the fight of his life, he's going to take care of business and move on to win a world title after that. This in no way means that we are underestimating Edwin Rodriguez because we consider him a very good fighter. We are going to train as hard as we possibly can to prepare for a very good fighter. We're also a very good fighter and we believe we're a better fighter so we will win this fight no matter what. We're going to take Edwin to places he's never been before and the fighter that will be victorious will be Donovan "Da Bomb" George. There's only one bomb, and that's Don "Da Bomb" George. "La Bomba" I understand you have that name, but by the end of this fight, there will only be one bomb.
KEVIN ROONEY JR.: Thank you Mike, the always very colorful Mike Michaels. I'm sure we'll have a nice rebuttal from the Rodriguez camp once we get to their turn. I would like to have Pete George, the trainer and father of Donovan, say a few words.
PETE GEORGE: Mike pretty much said it all and I couldn't agree more with him. I have the utmost respect for Edwin Rodriguez. I think he's a great fighter and he's got a great trainer, but like Mike said we're going to bring it. We've been waiting for this day forever. I've learned not to underestimate my son and I believe he's going to be ready. This is what he's been dreaming about to be on this big stage. We're ready to go and we hope it's an exciting fight and I'm sure it will be. Both of these guys come to fight and they're both big punchers. I can't see any way that this is not going to be a great fight. I'd also like to thank Lou DiBella, promoting the fight, and our other promoters Leon Margules and Dominic Pesoli, and of course I want to thank Mike Michael because he's the best. He's been with us through thick and thin, he's like family to us.
KEVIN ROONEY JR.: Now for the fighter himself, with a 22-1-1 (19 KOs) record, the current USBA super middleweight champion and #4 ranked super middleweight in the IBF world ratings, Donovan "Da Bomb" George.
DONOVAN GEORGE: I am very grateful for this opportunity to be on such a big stage and it's going to be such a great atmosphere. To be at the Mecca of boxing is a dream come true. I was supposed to fight there five or six years ago, and my opponent failed his EKG or one of the heart tests, so it's kind of like I had a rain check to be back there. As far as Rodriguez, I've seen a lot of tape on him. I've seen him coming up. He's a great fighter, he comes to fight. He's a big super middleweight. I know he's going to be in tiptop shape and I think it's going to be an excellent war. Obviously, I think I am going to come out on top. I don't care if I win by split decision, majority decision, knockout, whatever, I just want to win. I am going to lay it all out on the line for this fight. This is my big opportunity. I think you only get one in life and this is it for me. I'm sure we both want the same thing. We're both trying to be world champions, to become an HBO fighter and make millions of dollars and take care of our families. At the end of the day, may the best man win. I just hope we have a great fight, nobody gets seriously hurt and we can continue with our careers.
KEVIN ROONEY JR.: I would now like to introduce Larry Army, the manager and advisor of Edwin Rodriguez.
LARRY ARMY: I want to thank Lou DiBella and DiBella Entertainment for providing this opportunity for Edwin Rodriguez and the rest of us at Team Rodriguez. I'd also like to thank Madison Square Garden and the leadership at HBO, including Ken Hershman. This is one of the first fights he's put on this year and I think that he's done a tremendous job matching two very credible opponents that are both equally dangerous. It's not just satisfying fighting on the biggest stage in boxing, on the biggest network in boxing, that's the appetizer. The entre is the victory that we hope to get that night. I'm not going to sit here and disrespect Donovan George as you guys have disrespected Edwin, and say that we're going to beat him because he is a credible opponent and when you step into the ring, anything can happen and typically does. But I will tell you this, we will be ready, we will be prepared, and we will give 100 percent effort that night. Edwin hasn't lost, Donovan has. Edwin hasn't tasted defeat yet, and I don't think March 17 is the day that he's going to start feeling what it's like to be a loser. Edwin knows how to win. He's always won and he will continue to win. We do think this is a great fight for us stylistically, very similar to the Will Rosinsky fight that we just had. In a lot of ways, they both have power, they are both limited. Edwin's had a very good four years, he hasn't had any big layoffs. I noticed on Donovan's record that he's had some big layoffs in terms of the way he's been brought up. I think that, in terms of opponents, we've fought better opponents over the last year and half, guys like Aaron Pryor Jr. and James McGirt Jr., Will Rosinsky, who won a national amateur championship. Edwin's pedigree, I think, is going to be too strong for Donovan on that night. Quite frankly, when it comes to the trainer, we have the advantage in that camp as well with Ronnie Shields, who's trained guys like Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Pernell Whitaker. I feel like we've assembled the perfect team for this fight and I feel that this is the perfect opponent. We wouldn't have taken the fight if we didn't think we could win it. We did take the fight. We've actually been asking for this fight since Chicago, Illinois, when we fought on the same card as Donovan and we watched him get dropped by Osumanu Adama. We watched Edwin win his fight against Kevin Engel with a single punch to the body. We're excited about this fight. We hope that this is the launching pad for the rest of his career. We feel that this is the perfect stage and the perfect opponent to do just that, to turn Edwin Rodriguez into a household name and the next star of boxing.
MIKE MICHAEL: Kevin, let me just interject there. We didn't disrespect Edwin. We believe our fighter is going to win. What did you want us to say, that he's going to lose?
LARRY ARMY: I want you to think that he's going to win, but if you're that confident why don't we put up our purse against your purse and we'll do a winner-take-all.
MIKE MICHAEL: We believe in our fighter, okay, and great fighters lose.
LARRY ARMY: Yeah, they do, and these are two guys that are very evenly matched in a lot of different ways. I respect the fact that you think that your guy is going to win, but to come on the line and say that Donovan's going to get a victory and he's going to beat Edwin and that there's only going to be one bomb at the end of the night, to me, is disrespectful.
MIKE MICHAEL: No, it's not disrespectful...
LARRY ARMY: That's the beauty of America, we can disagree.
RON RIZZO: Alright guys, let's move on this portion of the call with Ronnie Shields coming up next and then we can have group commentary when the press gets to ask their questions.
RONNIE SHIELDS: Donovan George is a very skilled fighter. We take no one lightly so we're here training, but I think after the fight, we ought to put the managers in and let them go at it and make them put up their purse against each other. We're looking forward to this fight. This is what we do. I think that both guys will be competitive. The best man is going to win on March 17 and I think that's all that matters. The other team is very confident, we're very confident. This is the game. This is the way it's supposed to be. They're supposed to feel like their guy is better just like we feel Edwin is better. I'm here in Houston to get Edwin into the best condition possible and to put together the best possible game plan. If you live in New York, please come out and see this because this is going to be better than the main event.
KEVIN ROONEY JR.: A fighter we're very excited to work with at DiBella Entertainment, we feel he is one of the bright young stars in all of boxing, he's 20-0 (14 KOs), he was the 2005 US National Champion and the 2006 National Golden Gloves Champion, and he's currently ranked #5 by the WBC and IBF, and #8 by the WBA, and he is the current USNBC super middleweight champion, Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez.
EDWIN RODRIGUEZ: I want to thank my whole team, DBE, and Lou DiBella, for giving me such a big opportunity on HBO at Madison Square Garden. This is a dream come true for any boxer and I'm training extremely hard for Donovan George. He's a very good fighter. He's one of those fighters that doesn't know how to take a step back so I am not taking lightly at all. So I'm bringing 100 percent, my best game, in. With regard to the bet between the managers, giving all to the winner, I'm sure it's going to be me, but I like that bet. After this fight, I look forward to bigger things. I just want to thank everybody for this big opportunity.
KEVIN ROONEY JR.: At this time, we would like to open it up to questions.
DAX CONN (TALKIN' BOXING): Don, you're only two fights removed from your loss to Francisco Sierra. Since then, both your bouts have a combined amount of time of nine rounds. You've never been beyond eight rounds in your entire professional career. Edwin is a pressure fighter. He has a solid chin and has gone 10 rounds several times. Considering all that I just mentioned, has your camp done anything different for this fight than you normally have in the past in your preparations considering the time off and the amount of time that you've had in between your bouts so you can prepare yourself for what will more than likely be a distance of 10 rounds in your bout against Edwin.
DONOVAN GEORGE: I'm not sure that I'm doing anything differently. I'm going to train harder than I've ever trained before because of the high possibility that this fight is going to go more than eight rounds. The reason I haven't been in the ring in a long time is entirely might fault. I was a numbskull and I just didn't work out. But I've been in the gym, I've been training, I've been sparring. I've cut weight, I've been on weight, I just didn't get the opportunity to go out there and fight. As far as this fight coming up, I couldn't be more excited. I'm so motivated to train hard and my father is going to get me ready. We're going to bring in the strength coach to give me the extra edge as much as possible. I know it's going to be a grueling fight and I know it's going to come down to conditioning and basically who can take the better punch. I have that one loss on my record and it wasn't just a loss. I got beat up bad, it was a horrific beating and everyone saw it. It was on national television and it was embarrassing, but I bounced back and beat a pretty good fighter. I just want to go out there and prove myself and fight fights like this on the biggest stage in the world. It's just a great opportunity to show the world what I'm made of and I know it's going to be a great fight.
DAX CONN (TALKIN' BOXIN with Billy C): Edwin, this question is for you. Donovan has some serious power, as we all know. Nineteen of his 21 wins come by stoppage. You, yourself though, have a fairly impressive KO ratio, 14 of your 20 wins come by stoppage, but you've also shown some pure boxing ability when you need to and you have a higher level of competition on your resume. Donovan, I believe, does possess more power. Are you ready for a toe-to-toe war that Donovan brings or do you think that if Donovan does bring his pressure that you'll be able to outbox him? Or do you really believe that this will come down to, as Donovan mentioned, who has the better chin?
EDWIN RODRIGUEZ: We know who has the better chin. I've never been down before, but I let my trainer Ronnie Shields come up with a game plan and I just follow his game plan. He better come up with a game plan on how to beat Donovan George and I'm just going to execute it on March 17.
JEFFREY FREEDMAN (KO DIGEST): Edwin, after the Rosinsky fight, you said you wanted to fight somebody in the top 10 and somebody who could get you to that championship level. I was wondering is Don George somebody like that or is this more of a Rosinsky-type fight as you move toward your ultimate goal?
EDWIN RODRIGUEZ: Donovan George is ranked #4 by the IBF, so he is one of those guys ranked in the top 10. It's definitely a step up and I'm just preparing for it and getting ready.
JEFFREY FREEDMAN (KO DIGEST): Edwin, talk a little bit about what it means to be fighting at Madison Square Garden on HBO for the first time. Is that as big a dream as winning a world title, or perhaps even bigger?
EDWIN RODRIGUEZ: Being on HBO is a huge opportunity. Being at Madison Square Garden, which is about four hours from where I live, so I'm going to have a lot of fans there. It's a great opportunity, so it's almost just as good as winning a world title.
JEFFREY FREEDMAN (KO DIGEST): For boxing fans who don't really know that much about you, can you tell us about your style in the ring, and who you are as a person outside of the ring?
DONOVAN GEORGE: In the ring, I like to come forward and fight. If you've ever seen any of my fights, I've never been in a bad fight. I take shots and I give shots. I'm always willing to take one to give one. This is going to be an action-packed fight. I am going to try to tighten up my boxing ability, but as the fight gets going and it gets into the later rounds, everybody goes back to the fighter that they were when they first started fighting and the original fundamentals they were taught. My father taught me to use the jab, so that's what I thought I'd do.
Outside of the ring, I'm a humongous sports fan. I watch sports all day and, to be honest, I probably play poker four or five times a week for 12 hours at a time.
JEFFREY FREEDMAN (KO DIGEST): What did you learn from the loss to Francisco Sierra? You described it as a horrific loss earlier. It had that somewhat controversial ending. What do you take from an experience like that?
DONOVAN GEORGE: I was losing the fight. I was getting beat up bad. Yeah, he hit me after the bell, but I'm not going to complain about that. I went into that fight overconfident and I wasn't mentally ready for that fight. I was hurt, I should never have gone in there. I thought, in my mind, 'oh I'm just going to go in there and blow this bum out,' but it didn't turn out like that, and I took a terrific, humbling beating. I'll never take anyone lightly like that again. Everything happens for a reason. Because of that fight, I got that Cornelius White fight. They brought me in there to get killed against Cornelius White and, obviously, that didn't happen. On the big scheme of things, everything happens for a reason.
JEFFREY FREEDMAN (KO DIGEST): In your amateur career, or at any point in the past, have you ever sparred with Edwin Rodriguez? Have you two even met?
DONOVAN GEORGE: No, I had a very limited amateur career. I've probably only been to a few national tournaments, and I'm not even sure if I've ever seen him there. The only time that I saw him was in Chicago when he fought Kevin Engel. To Mr. Army, I don't think I got dropped in that Adama fight like you said I did, but maybe I got hit too hard. But as far as the amateurs, Edwin has more accomplishments that I have, and god bless. But this is the pros and I'm going to come to fight and I'm willing to lay it all out on the line for this fight.
JEFFREY FREEDMAN (KO DIGEST): How did this fight between Rodriguez and George come about and why did Andy Lee pull out?
KEVIN ROONEY JR.: We had been looking for an opponent for Andy and, unfortunately, we weren't able to lock in a suitable opponent for Andy that fit for HBO and fit for Lee's camp. We obviously didn't want to lose the slot, as we still had the show. So then we came up with this fight between Edwin and Donovan, and everyone loved it. It's unfortunate that we don't have Andy on the card, but we think that we have a great fight with this Edwin-Donovan fight.
BOB MUTTER (CHICAGO TRIBUNE): You are half Greek, half Irish?
DONOVAN GEORGE: Yes sir.
BOB MUTTER (CHICAGO TRIBUNE): Your mom is Irish?
DONOVAN GEORGE: My mom is 100 percent Irish, and my dad is 100 percent Greek. Both were born in the US.
BOB MUTTER (CHICAGO TRIBUNE): Where are you training Donovan?
DONOVAN GEORGE: I train between gyms. I train at Chicago Fight Club with Sam Colona. My father and I go down there and we go to Windy City Fight Club, which is closer to my house. I'll be going out to New York the week of the fight.
BILL HILLMAN (FIGHTNEWS.COM): Since Edwin is ranked #5 and Donovan #4 by the IBF, will this fight be an IBF title eliminator?
LARRY ARMY: We wanted it to be, but it just didn't work out. I think part of the problem was Adonis Stevenson and Jesus Gonzalez. There was a non-mandatory, voluntary before we made this fight. We would have loved it. Donovan George's team would have loved it, I'm sure. They had a title eliminator with Librado Andrade, but it just wasn't in the cards unfortunately.
MIKE MICHAEL: As you're aware, we were supposed to be doing the title eliminator with Librado Andrade, but that didn't work out. As you just heard, we would have loved for this to be for the #1 spot and #2 spot, but that didn't work out. But maybe we can work out doing a defense of George's USBA title. We'll talk with Lou DiBella and Leon Margules and we'll see what we can work out.
LARRY ARMY: And there's Edwin's WBC USNBC title as well.
MIKE MICHAEL: Let's throw all of our belts into the pot and let's talk to our promoters.
LARRY ARMY: I agree.
BILL HILLMAN (FIGHTNEWS.COM): Edwin and Ronnie, what did you guys pick up from that win over Will Rosinsky and what are you guys planning on changing for this bout?
RONNIE SHIELDS: These are two different fighters. Will Rosinsky was a good boxer as well as a pressure fighter and Donovan is a 'come for the head' kind of guy, so that right there puts you in a different kind of light. I'm studying tape of Donovan right now and putting together our plan. The thing about Rosinsky was that he was a naturally bigger guy and we had to go up in weight to fight him. He was a strong fighter. Donovan is more Edwin's weight. These guys are 168 pounders.
EDWIN RODRIGUEZ: Like Ronnie said, they're both different fighters. Rosinsky a shorter fighter so he was harder to hit, but this is a whole different fight. We're going to stick to this game plan and it has nothing to do with Will Rosinsky.
BILL HILLMAN (FIGHTNEWS.COM): For Donovan and Pete, Edwin hits pretty hard to the body. What are you guys doing to prepare for Edwin's body attack?
PETE GEORGE: Hundreds of rounds on the medicine ball will help us get ready for that one, preparing him so he can take those shots. Edwin is a good body puncher, and Donovan will be ready to take those shots. There's things that we see that we're going to try to exploit that Edwin might be doing wrong. I know Edwin is going to be prepared and we're going to be prepared. But there's things that we see that we're working on.
KEVIN ROONEY JR.: Thank you everyone for participating in today's call.
The Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez (20-0, 14KO's) vs. Don "Da Bomb" George (22-1-1, 19KO's) 10-round super middleweight showdown, being billed as "Bombs Away" will be the co-feature bout of the evening to Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez (48-2-2, 27KO's) defending his Middleweight crown against top-rated Irish middleweight contender, Matthew "Mack The Knife" Macklin (28-3, 19KO's). The card which will be aired live on HBO's "World Championship Boxing is entitled, "THE REAL Middleweight Championship - Get Your Irish Up", is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and will be shown live on HBO beginning 10PM ET/7PM PT.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez vs Don "Da Bomb" George
Replacing Andy Lee Bout on Undercard of St Paddy's Day
Sergio Martinez / Matthew Macklin Card at MSG in New York!
(January 25th) As reported last week, DiBella Entertainment's top-rated middleweight contender Andy Lee has been taken off the upcoming St. Patrick's Day card at Madison Square Garden on March 17th. While it is unfortunate the Irish-native Lee has been taken off the card, DiBella assures fans to not be too disappointed, as he has replaced the Lee slot with an absolute barn burner of a fight, pitting top-five super middleweight contenders, Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez (20-0, 14KO's) (IBF #5, WBA #8, WBA #9) and Don "Da Bomb" George (22-1-1, 19KO's) (IBF #4) in what promises to be 10-round super middleweight war.
"I am in the entertainment business. Edwin 'La Bomba' Rodriguez against Don 'Da Bomb' George will be an explosive fight. It has zero 'stinkability' quotient. Bombs will be thrown, someone will be knocked out, the crowd will be thrilled and "Maravilla" Martinez and "Mack The Knife" Macklin will walk out to an electrified audience on St. Patty's Day," said Lou DiBella, of DiBella Entertainment.
For Rodriguez, who was last seen decisioning fellow undefeated prospect Will Rosinsky on Showtime in October last year, this will be his first fight on HBO. Rodriguez has gradually climbed the rankings of the super middleweight division since turning pro in January of 2008 after a successful amateur career which saw him win the 2005 U.S. Amateur Middleweight Championship, as well as the 2006 National Golden Gloves Title. A title shot is looming for Rodriguez in 2012, but he must first get by the iron-fisted George.
George, who is half Irish and half Greek, will be bringing a strong contingent of Irish fans from the Chicago, and Queens areas. Like Rodriguez, George has been featured a number of times on Showtime, and also the ESPN network, but this will be his first bout televised on HBO. George is co-promoted by Warriors Boxing and 8 Count Productions.
The Rodriguez-George fight is an absolute can't miss. Both fighters are come forward brawlers, with devastating power as witnessed by their combined 80% knockout ratio. It will surely set the stage for what promises to be another exciting showdown in the main event when The Real Middleweight Champion Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez (48-2-2, 27KO's) defends his crown against Matthew "Mack The Knife" Macklin (28-3, 19KO's).
The card which will be aired live on HBO's "World Championship Boxing is entitled, "THE REAL Middleweight Championship - Get Your Irish Up", is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and will be shown live on HBO beginning 10PM ET/7PM PT.
CONTACTS: Kevin Rooney Jr./Meredith Greenberg, DBE: (212) 947-2577, kevin@dbe1.com
Larry Torres, MSG: (212) 631-5178, larry.torres@msg.com
Kevin Flaherty, HBO: (212) 512-5052, Kevin.Flaherty@hbo.com
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sergio “Marravilla” Martinez Team
Hires Crudele as Camp Coordinatorfor Matthew Macklin
Bout St Paddy’s Day at Madison Square Garden! 
(January 25th) Fitness guru and reality television star Marcelo Crudele has been named new camp coordinator for WBC Diamond Middleweight Champion Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez.
Caracas, Venezuela-born Crudele, 40, is a cast member of the Univision reality show "Dale con Ganas", a licensed USA Boxing coach and Founder and Executive Trainer of Train Me Right Boxing & Fitness in Venice, California.
Martinez is currently in training for a March 17 title defense against England's Matthew Macklin at Madison Square Garden in New York.
"I welcome a professional like Marcelo, who will bring his expertise both as a camp coordinator and a top-notch fitness expert," said Martinez's advisor, Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing. "Not only is he one of the top people in his field, but he is also a former boxer, so he knows exactly what is needed."
Contact: Andre Courtemanche, Big Media Buzz, 519.253.4290, 954.302.2462, 519.991.5213, bigmediabuzz@msn.com
___________________________________________________________________________________________
With Title Shot Looming Andy Lee Pulls Out of St. Paddy’s Day Card
(January 18th) - At the press conference last week in New York City to announce DiBella Entertainment's HBO Championship Boxing St. Patrick's Day card at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Andy Lee, who was slated to fight in the televised co-feature bout of the evening, stated, "I want to thank Lou (DiBella - Lee's promoter) for letting me showcase myself on this show. There is nothing more I can wish for then to have this opportunity to fight at MSG on St Patrick's Day."
After seeking an opponent for the past two months and not being able to come up with anything suitable, Team Lee has announced that they will be coming off the card, and now it is rumored he could be the next opponent for WBA Middleweight Champion Felix Sturm.
"It is with great regret that I have to withdraw from the March 17, St Patrick's Day Promotion at MSG Theater," stated Lee. "Unfortunately due to the unavailability of a suitable world ranked opponent Team Lee have collectively decided it is in my best career interest to pass on a fight on this occasion. I would like to thank my promoter, Lou DiBella and HBO for planning to have me on the card and for their efforts to secure a suitable opponent for me from the limited boxers available."
While it would have been a special treat for the and Irish community to see Lee showcase his skills on the 17th, Lee feels that his time for a world title opportunity is now, and while he wanted to be part of what is expected to be a spectacular event at The Garden when Sergio Martinez defends his Middleweight Championship Crown against Ireland's top-rated middleweight contender Matthew Macklin, he now has his sights set on pursuing the fight with Sturm. Sturm has a tentative date schedule in Germany for April 13th.
CONTACTS:
Kevin Rooney Jr., DiBella Entertainment: (212) 947-2577, kevin@dbe1.com
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Sergio Martinez Wraps Up NYC Trip Heads to Oxnard
to Begin Preparation for Macklin on St Paddy’s Day!
(January 13th) - Middleweight Champion Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez wrapped up his NYC trip on Thursday and headed back to his training camp in Oxnard, California, to begin the preparations for his middleweight title defense against Ireland's Matthew Macklin at Madison Square Garden, on St. Patrick's Day (March 17), live on HBO's "World Championship Boxing".
It was a busy few days for Martinez, the number three pound-for-pound fighter in the world. In addition to taking part in the initial press conference to announce his championship fight against Macklin, Martinez spent time at the offices of HBO, participating in a lengthy interview and photo shoot to help promote the upcoming event. Martinez also made time to meet with New York City Council Member Julissa Ferreras, Chair of the Committee on Women's Issues, as well as representatives from anti-domestic violence organizations, such Forestdale, CONNECT, Violence Intervention Program, Seamen's Society for Children and Families and inMotion.
It wasn't all business for Martinez though, as he found time to attend a New York Knicks game with promoter Lou DiBella where Martinez met with a number of celebrities in attendance, including Spike Lee. Below are pictures from Martinez' trip.
Photo's by DiBella Entertainment/Ed Diller
CONTACTS:
Kevin Rooney Jr., DiBella Entertainment: (212) 947-2577, kevin@dbe1.com
Kevin Flaherty, HBO: (212) 512-5052, Kevin.Flaherty@hbo.com
Larry Torres, MSG: (212) 631-5178, larry.torres@msg.com
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Sergio Martinez / Matthew Macklin Presser Quotes and Photo’s
(January 11th ) - Earlier today, before a standing-room only crowd of media at Ainsworth Prime inside Madison Square Garden, Lou DiBella officially announced his St. Patrick's Day card (Saturday, March 17th) that will take place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Headlining the show will be THE REAL Middleweight Champion Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez (48-2-2, 27KO's) defending his crown against top-rated Irish middleweight contender, Matthew "Mack The Knife" Macklin (28-3, 19KO's).
The card which will be aired live on HBO's "World Championship Boxing," will also feature Ireland's fellow world-rated contender, Andy Lee (27-1, 19KO's) as well as a stacked undercard of some of the New York City and tri-state area's most promising and exciting Irish fighters. The card entitled, "THE REAL Middleweight Championship - Get Your Irish Up", is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and will be shown live on HBO beginning 10PM ET/7PM PT.
"I want to thank everyone involved who made this fight possible; HBO, Madison Square Garden, our sponsor Corona, and, of course who I believe to be two of the best middleweights in the world, Sergio Martinez and Matthew Macklin," said DiBella. "On March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, at Madison Square Garden, the best middleweight in the world, and The Real Middleweight Champion, Sergio Martinez will be defending his crown against a very tough, dangerous and exciting fighter in Matthew Macklin. I can truthfully say that I am proud to be the promoter of this main event and proud to be putting on what promises to be such an exciting night at The Garden. This (MSG) is the Mecca of boxing and it will continue to be the Mecca of boxing in 2012 and beyond, and will always remain the home of DiBella Entertainment."
DiBella continued, "The great thing about this fight is that both of these guys are such exciting fighters with so much heart and pride, stylistically it is a can't-miss."
Kery Davis, Senior Vice President of Programming at HBO Sports, echoed DiBella's statements.
"It's always great to televise an event from MSG," said Davis. They have been terrific partners with us and they have been a real champion for the sport of boxing. New York City brings a certain amount of excitement and electricity to a fight and we are excited about doing the fight here. Combine the fact that we are doing it on such a special day as St. Patricks's and you have all the ingredients for a great night of boxing."
Davis continued, "Sergio Martinez has become must-see television and he is recognized as The Middleweight Champion of the World. Inside the ring Sergio realizes that not only is it important to win, but to win entertainingly which is great for boxing but outside of the ring is really where the magic begins with Sergio. Not only is he handsome and intelligent but he is a great humanitarian and we couldn't be happier to have him as one of the faces of HBO Boxing."
DiBella promised to load the undercard with a number of top Irish fighters, including the world-rated contender Andy Lee, and New York's very popular undefeated prospect, Seanie Monaghan (10-0, 7KO's).
Below are the quotes from the presser:
SERGIO MARTINEZ: I want to thank HBO and my team DiBella Entertainment and Sampson Lewkowicz. I also want to thank Macklin for taking this fight. I am dedicating this fight to my family and to everyone who dedicate there time to fight against domestic violence. Thank you for coming and thank you for your time. I look forward to seeing you at my fight on March 17.
MATTHEW MACKLIN: I want to thank everyone involved making this fight, especially Sergio for giving me this opportunity.
As I have done throughout my entire career I will go up a notch for this fight. Sergio is going to bring the best out of me and I am very confident in my mind that I will be the new middleweight champion come March 17th. Fighting at The Garden on St. Patty's Day it's going to be like I'm fighting in Dublin. The Irish are coming from all over the world to see this. The atmosphere is going to be electric!
It is an honor to have the opportunity to fight here at MSG where so many great fights have taken place. I am proud and privileged to be a part of this great tradition.
Sergio is going to have to be ready. I am coming forward all night and I am coming for war. I am very very confident that I will be leaving the ring on March 17th at the new champion.
ANDY LEE: I want to thank Lou for letting me showcase myself on this show. There is nothing more I can wish for then to have this opportunity to fight at MSG on St Patrick's Day.
I consider myself as a serious contender and I hope to get my title shot in 2012. (Note: DiBella would later promise Lee that he would receive his title shot this year). I'm not sure who my opponent is going to be yet, but I promise you a good St. Patty's Day beating.
SAMPSON LEWKOWICZ: This will be the real middleweight champion of the world. I have said for a long-time that the Irish are the European Mexicans. They have so much heart and no fear and that will be on display on what is going to be an extremely good and exciting fight on March 17th.
Photo's by DiBella Entertainment/Ed Diller
