NEW HAVEN — You can take Daymond John out of the “Shark Tank,” but he still has plenty of bite.
John, the fashion branding guru and panelist on TV’s “Shark Tank,” told an audience at Yale University Thursday that entrepreneurship is color blind.
“The only color that everybody likes is green,” John said, at an appearance sponsored by the Yale University African American Affinity Group. “Sell. Sell. Sell. That solves all your issues.”
HANK LUNDY (RIGHT), seen here in his win over Dannie Williams in March of 2012, will face unbeaten Russian Viktor Postol today in Kiev, Ukraine for the WBC International light welterweight title.
Lundy faces tall task Thursday in Kiev as he aims for WBC title against unbeaten Postol
KIEV, Ukraine (March 21st, 2013) - Knocking out would-be adversaries on foreign soil is nothing new for "Hammerin'" Hank Lundy, but Thursday's challenge could prove to be the toughest, and perhaps most unique, of his young career.
On Thursday, March 21st, 2013 (11:30 a.m. ET) Lundy (22-2-1, 11 KOs) will challenge unbeaten Russian light welterweight Viktor Postol(21-0, 10 KOs) in a 12-round bout for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) International title at Club Sportlife in Kiev, yet another road trip for boxing's most prolific road warrior.
The 5-foot-11 Postol, ranked No. 3 by the WBC, has only fought once on U.S. soil with the majority of his bouts being held in his native Ukraine, whereas Lundy - a former North American Boxing Federation (NABF) and North American Boxing Organization (NABO) title-holder in the lightweight division who is now ranked No. 9 by the WBC - has made a career out of stealing the show in various venues across the globe. Since 2009, the Philadelphia native has fought 10 fights at nine different venues, including stops in Quebec, where he dominated hometown favorite Omri Lowther on ESPN2, and Chicago, Ill., where he knocked out former world champion David Diaz on national television.
While Postol is still unbeaten, Lundy boasts a superior edge in the strength of his competition; his losses have come against former world-title challenger John Molina and current NABF lightweight championRaymundo Beltran. The two had a combined record of 45-7 when they fought Lundy.
Lundy's victories have been even more impressive; starting with his knockout win over Aldo Valtierra in 2009, Lundy has dusted off a variety of elite opponents, including Tyrese Hendrix (21-3-1), who was unbeaten at the time, former Venezuelan Olympian Patrick Lopez(21-5), current World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight championRichard Abril (18-3-1) and power-puncher Dannie Williams (22-3), who entered his fight with Lundy ranked No. 2 in the NABF.
"Everyone knows 'Hammerin'' Hank will fight anyone, anywhere at anytime," Lundy said. "I've proven myself time and time again on the road."
Not only is he facing another tough road test, Lundy is also moving up in weight from 135 pounds to 140. Though he's fought most of his bouts in the lightweight division, Lundy has stepped up to 140 in the past with tremendous success, most recently against Lowther in Lowther's backyard on short notice. Thursday will be Postol's toughest test to date and perhaps his most challenging fight since he dominated former world champion DeMarcus Corley in October.
Thursday's winner will continue to climb the WBC rankings and perhaps earn a world-title shot in the light welterweight division against the winner of the Danny Garcia-Zab Judah bout in April in which Garcia will aim to defend his title for the third time against the resurgent Judah, who is back in the picture despite getting knocked out by Amir Khan two years ago in his most recent shot at a world title.
Thursday's show is promoted by Roman Valesiuk's Elite Boxing Promotion of Ukraine and will also feature a WBC International cruiserweight title bout between Dmytro Kucher (20-0, 15 KOs) andJulio Cesar Dos Santos (22-1, 20 KOs). Lundy is promoted by Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc., of Providence, R.I. For more information, visit www.cesboxing.com.
Start off by introducing yourself, tell us about yourself, your background and what it was like growing up and how it influenced you. Albie: Come on man, me and you, don’t even ask me questions like that, come on man, Kick it with me man; we gone chop it up for real. Keep it real, talk to me cuz. You know me; I’m straight out of Roxberry. I went to college in Virginia, Norfolk State, graduated from there with a BS in Management; minor in entrepreneurship. The grind is there. The grind was there before college, I was grinding in elementary, I was hustling Now-an-Later at the playground. Getting money and chasing money is just in my blood.
Street Connfinement: How did you come up with the idea of the Cheddar DVD? Albie: Originally it was suppose to be a magazine but I seen that a lot of young folks was interested in the DVD, so I switched it up and went to the DVD and after doing my business plan I seen that a DVD was about the same price as a magazine to press but it sold for a little bit more so I could make more money with the concept of a DVD vs. a magazine. It was always in my heart to do a magazine but now DVD’s are in so I’m gone rock with that. I got Cheddarlive.com, that is a new site I am putting up, I see the DVD actually being gone. Like records, CD’s don’t even sell like they use to, later, DVD’s wont sell like they use to so I am just trying to get a head start on that and come with this Cheddar live.
Street Connfinement: What do you have planned for that? Albie: Right now what I find is I might have some footage of Fat Joe talking about Papoose, or Shorty Lo talking about T.I. whatever it is, say I get that footage today and a new DVD drops today. That means that footage is not gone come out for another four months so therefore, by the time it comes out to me it is old. Even though to people that are not online it may be fresh, it don’t matter because I want to be the number one hip-hop media person so I got to give you that content ASAP so it is going to be online in the morning maybe even the same day. So Cheddar Live is designed to give you the most current hip-hop news right when it drops in the visual format, not written, visual.
Street Connfinement: That is going to make you step up your game and push a lot harder, what is the difference between putting the DVD together? Albie: Actually I have been blessed because through my journey I have met people in many states so with people all over the country now I am able to get footage and make sure I can get something that is hot. So somebody might call me up and be like, “Yo Cheddar, I got the new Rick Ross footage, yo Cheddar, I got this footage”. So I say, “quick time it to me”, we zap it up and I stick it right online. But now they may send me the package and we still have to wait until the DVD comes out. With Cheddar Live you don’t have to wait till the DVD comes out.
Street Connfinement: What other DVD’s inspired you to do this DVD? Albie: What I seen with the DVD game is that there was no information. Cheddar DVD, I am trying to give you information on how to make some money. I am hip-hop all day, so it is hard to do something without incorporating hip-hop. Like we did something with Licshot about money, but we incorporated hip-hop, because people want to see something about money but they also want to incorporate hip-hop. To me hip-hop is my second love, my first love is money, in a business aspect, I mean obviously my first love is my family. I say that because I am more focused on the money then hip-hop cause I don’t rap.
Street Connfinement: What is your style on doing interviews? Albie: Oh, I go in. I’m not like you, I go in. I ask questions that most interviewers are afraid to ask cause if I don’t do it who else is gone do it? People probably don’t like me because of it, but I feel like my job is to give the people what they want to hear. So if that is my job, I am not going into the interview to make a friend, I am going into the interview to get the information. That is why it is called interview, informative, get the interview, I’m really going in. Whenever I get the people in front of me I’m gone ask them that tough question, whatever it is that is hot in hip-hop at the moment I ask that, I ask what people want to know, and I get straight to it, I aint gone beat around the bush.
Street Connfinement: Have you ever been in an awkward situation when you go into an interview like that? Albie: Of course, when I did Suge Knight it was kind of awkward. He was ice grilling me and trying to be a tough guy. At the end of the day I am not a tough guy. I am a reporter and I am gonna be true to it, so however tough you want to be I am still here to do my job so I’m not gonna be intimidated. Now if you pull out guns, well, ok, you win. But if he just talking then that comes with the job and if you’re not ready to fight for what you believe in then why do it.
Street Connfinement: What do you have coming up for your next DVD? Albie: On the next DVD we got the Shorty Lo and T.I. situation. T.I. court trial and what happened at his court case with the ATF and his attorney, the district attorney. Got the story with Rick Ross, Mass Pike Miles just linked up with Rick Ross. We got Lil Wayne on there, Birdman, Akon on there talking about being an executive, doing what my hommie Licshot is doing, instead of just getting the artist, now he is being an executive doing it and really trying to get people up under his movement. He is on there talking about BG and Lil Wayne, how they getting back together. It is a good DVD, I got the Porn Awards, all the fellas who want to see some of that clap, the awards was out in Vegas. Also a chic named Juicy out of New Orleans, she pretty nice.
Street Connfinement: When you have so much footage, how do you decide who makes the cut? Albie: Experience, the more you do it you know what works and what don’t work. The only way you gone find that out is to continue to do what you do. Then you just gone get better at it, there is really no secret, so you just have to continue to do it and listen to what people say.
Street Connfinement: With the RIA going in on CD sales does that affect you as far as DVD sales and what you put on there? Albie: Anything with the police gets me concerned, but it doesn’t really concern me, I don’t do mix CD’s I do DVD’s. People sign off and give us rights to record, we use original music, so I am running a legitimate business. It more concerns me for the stake of hip-hop cause at the end of the day this is the industry that I am in so from that point, I’m like, “man this is jacked up”, and how can we fix this situation because mix tapes is a part of hip-hop and we really don’t want to lose it. That is the streets, the DVD kinda substitutes it but not 100% because at the end of the day you still need music. You need TV which is the visual, but you also need the audio. Also a lot of people make money off of that, it will affect how a lot of people eat. Now folks got to do different things that they normally wouldn’t do, which may be more negative then selling music that they can get online free anyway, so what is the big bother? Especially when, labels is sending that stuff to them, I check my email, I get like easily 60 new songs a day from Snoop to Akon to Lil Wayne and I am not even a DJ, so imagine what a DJ gets, and he not suppose to put it out? They don’t know what they want to do, they just want to arrest folks.
Street Connfinement: In this industry the labels are turning their backs on DJ’s and you got artist like Lil Wayne saying f$ck the DJ, do you feel like, you’re in this industry but how much longer till they turn they back on me? Albie: I think the biggest problem with the industry and why record sales are bad, I don’t think it has anything to do with bootleggin, I don’t think it had anything to do with mixtapes or downloading, I think it was just bad music. Personally tell me the last classic album before Kanye West. It was a Jay-Z album, so we just getting bad music, one hit wonders, or a ring tone album. They not giving us a full fledge album. So after buying a couple of those, after the consumer spends the money what is going to make them inclined to continue spending their money when every CD that I hear there is one hot song, so I’m not gone buy that. The industry forgot about the art and now they just say, “ok, this music makes money” if the song is hot they just want to make a million dollars off of that song. Sooner or later the consumer said they not buying those CD’s no more. So now you see itself correcting, this year alone, we go Kanye West, Jay-Z, Rick Ross, we got Lil Wayne. We got like 4 or 5 great albums, I can’t remember the last time we had 4 or 5 great albums. So now the labels are saying, lets just put out good music now, so it is just self correcting.
Street Connfinement: How do you feel about an artist like Lil Wayne selling millions and Nas is selling a couple hundred thousand? Albie: Well who buys music?
Street Connfinement: Kids Albie: Then why do you think Lil Wayne sold 2 million, cause more kids buy music. A 30 plus person running out buying albums, Lil Wayne age bracket will buy his music. Kids 18 plus don’t even really know who Nas is. It is not Nas fault, that is just how the industry works. If you young you have more potential.
Street Connfinement: How does the industry view you and what you do to get the information? Albie: It is funny cause they love me but they hate me cause the Cheddar. I just had somebody from Bad Boy call me saying they want to do an interview. Alright I’m coming but it was an industry person, I know how the industry work, I give them a discounted price and they still don’t want to cut a check. So I’m like it an artist out here is grinding with no major label will cut a check for this promotion, you definitely need to cut a check. And you know sometimes it is about relationships so you gone give a reduced price cause it is about that relationship, cause a Bad Boy person might be able to get you in touch with Puff which is a cover story. There has to be some type of bargain involved. I am promoting your artist, what about travel, what about tapes, what about time, what about editing? So some of them just want free promotion, soon they gone try to mixtape me, they just trying to get as much as they can get for free to some degree, this is a business so if you aint gone respect it then keep it moving.
Street Connfinement: What are the differences you picked up traveling from east coast, west coast and down south? Albie: The south is united, I love that about the south. But they united where they may not all hang together but they all support each other. I think that is what the northeast is missing, they don’t support each other. Their support system is all messed up. Just because there are different music, like Dip Set, Roca Fella, and G-Unit…they don’t have to hang together but they should still support each other instead of dissing them. Dissing is like the worst thing in the world because it makes everyone else look at you like “he’s fake, cause he said he’s fake, and vice versa”, instead know that they are good artist and support them. Everyone from New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, all these places, the more they support each other the better it will be for the music in this region of the country. That is the biggest problem, it is like crabs in a barrel, but in the south they support one another. I wouldn’t say the music is better in either place, but with a support system, you can’t lose right.
Street Connfinement: Are there any restrictions or guidelines on your DVD? Albie: Naw, it aint no guidelines. I don’t know about that one, I mean if something is rated R, I am gone put parental advisory. That is the guideline, my product is not designed for kids, it is for 18 plus so that’s my guidelines anything else I am unaware. I didn’t know a gun was against the law. I guess whatever you do, you have to expect some type of consequence for the person actually in the DVD.
Street Connfinement: Tell us about your grind and how you distribute the DVD? Albie: I do send them out in the mail and I do drive around to get them out. I got an office down south and they ship there. It is kind of hard to get on the road as much as I use to but I love getting on the road. That is the most enjoyable part of my job. The mingle and chatting with folks to see what is going on in other parts of the country. Going into new shops, meeting the owners, make a couple dollars and keep moving, I love that part. That is also probably what helps us grow so fast cause from day one I always got on the road. This was never a local product, this is always been a national product. From production to sales it has always been we gone get an interview from this side of the country, we gone sell a DVD on the other side of the country. It has always been national. Now we got a new situation out in the UK so it is global. I can’t drive there, but I will get over there sooner or later.
Street Connfinement: Out of all the artists you met, who are some of the up-in-coming artist to watch out for? Albie: I really like Mass Pike Miles. His music is good and he works hard. I hear good music all the time, I hear industry artist with good music, I hear industry artist with bad music, I hear independent artist with good music and with bad music. But good music and hard work, that dude work hard man. And I got to see him at work, so that right there makes me think, if you work this hard, you deserve it. So that is what really gets me. So watch out for Mass Pike Miles, watch out for Jay Young the million dollar kid he has done a lot of work with me, he is out of Atlanta, he works hard, he performs 2 or 3 times a week, working hard. Mass Pike just signed a deal with Rick Ross. But up until 3 months ago neither of them were signed but they been working extremely hard. All their money still comes from the industry yet they just getting signed. They still doing shows, they doing music for commercials, whatever they do, they still working the industry and I love it.
Street Connfinement: Anything else you want to address the fans with? Albie: CheddarLive.com log on man.
Street Connfinement: How do people get in touch with you? Albie: CheddarDVD.com, CheddarLive.com everything is right there.
street connfinement ;- But I want to thank yall for your timing and coming out here to New Haven to chop it up.
I see how Street Connfinement do, thank you for your time and keep doing what yall do. Just like what I do is important, what yall do is important.
Fast Facts: Street Connfinement: What’s the livest interview you did? Albie: Suge Knight Street Connfinement: What is your favorite Cheddar DVD that you put out? Albie: I haven’t seen it yet. It is the next one to come, my favorite is always my next. Street Connfinement: What is the farthest you traveled for an interview? Albie: Cali Street Connfinement: What is the best part of the grind? Albie: When you see the finished product. Street Connfinement: What is the hardest part of the grind? Albie: Dividing your time. Street Connfinement: What is the first camera you started with? Albie: A Cannon XL1, Right now I am using a Panasonic DVX 200 HD Street Connfinement: Who is an artist you look forward to interviewing? Albie: I would love to interview Jay-Z, and even though it aint gone happen, BIG and Tupac Street Connfinement: Favorite quote, or personal saying? Albie: “More money, more problems”
Everyone knows that Dancing With the Stars champ and pro dancer, Tony Dovolani has had a major impact in the world of ballroom dance, but Dovolani has another life as a boxing manager. Dovolani, a major fan of boxing his entire life, is very serious about getting more involved in the sport of the Sweet Science.
Dovolani partnered with his uncle Reggie Dovolani, cousin Ajet Dovolani and longtime business associate Louis LaRose to form Dovolani Boxing. The latest edition to the Dovolani Boxing stable is Kosovo's Sevdail Sherifi, 9-1-2, 8 KO's. Sherifi will be fighting at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon, April 20th Tyson Fury - Steve Cunningham undercard in a 6 round cruiserweight match.
Dovolani learned that 6'9" Tyson Fury has incorporated dance into his training and was delighted with the revelation. He immediately issued a challenge to Fury to participate in a Dance Off.
When Fury learned of this challenge at a press conference to announce the April 20th fight, he did not hesitate to accept and asked Dovolani to name the time and place.
Tony Dovolani's "Dancing With The Stars" partner for season 16 is country music legend Wynonna Judd.
Tony and his partner, Melissa Rycroft, were season 15 "Dancing With The Stars: All-Stars'" Mirror Ball champions.
APRIL 20th FIGHT INFO:
April 20th at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York features a 12-round heavyweight battle between Tyson Fury and Steve Cunningham in the main event. Curtis Stevens will take on Derrick Findley in the 8-round middleweight co-feature. Six additional bouts are planned for the undercard. The main event and co-feature will be broadcast 4PM ET on NBC as a special 2 hour afternoon presentation of NBC Sports Fight Night. The card is presented by Hennessy Sports and Main Events.
The main event is an official IBF Heavyweight Voluntary Eliminator fight for the #2 position. The winner must meet #1 or the leading available contender to establish the mandatory challenger for Heavyweight King Wladimir Klitschko.
Tickets are priced at $25, $50, $100, $250 and $500. Tickets are available at the Madison Square Garden box office, through Ticketmaster 866-858-0008 and atticketmaster.com. Ticket prices include a $5 Facility Surcharge. Ticketmaster purchases are subject to a Ticketmaster Surcharge. Wheelchairs, companion seats, aisle seats and Assistive Listening Devices are available 212-465-6035.
(Instagram)Rihanna talks a lot of talk about how unapologetic she is, but there's at least one person who can make her feel shame: Her mom. In her upcoming interview with Elle UK, the singer confesses that her mother does take issue with some of her raunchy antics — specifically, nude photos.
"I'm not afraid of any person in this world, but my mother, I'm terrified of her!" Rihanna toldElle (via ContactMusic). "She called me two days ago and reeled me in about two naked pictures Melissa [Forde, Rihanna's best friend] put up on Instagram, a sneak peek from a photo book she's making about me. She went crazy on me, I was like embarrassed. I felt like I got my ass whipped in front of my class at school! She humbled the f**k out of me."
Manfredo wins battle of Contender stars with convincing win Friday night over Wright
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (March 15th, 2013) – The original Contender turned out to be the last one standing Friday night at Twin River Casino.
In a battle of former reality-television stars, Providence, R.I., super middleweight Peter Manfredo Jr. (39-7) inched closer to his 40th career victory and won for the second time since returning to professional boxing with a dominant performance against fellow Contender participant Walter Wright (14-4).
Manfredo effectively worked his jab and simply out-boxed Wright over the course of 10 roudns to earn a 98-93, 100-90, 97-93 unanimous decision win against Wright, who took the fight – his first in two years – on just two week’s notice. Toward the middle rounds, Wright could barely see out of his right eye, which had swelled shut due to excessive shots from Manfredo.
“The Pride Of Providence,” a Season 1 finalist on The Contender reality television series, returned in November with a convincing win over Rayco Saunders and is now one win shy of 40 victories following Friday’s dominant performance. Wright, a Seattle, Wash., native, was a quarterfinalist on Season 2 of The Contender.
Facing his former sparring partner and protégé of former world heavyweight champion John Ruiz, Pawtucket, R.I., middleweight Thomas Falowo (9-1, 7 KOs) delivered an impressive over the tough Julio Garcia (6-4) of Boston (Rincon, Puerto Rico), stopping Garcia after five brutal rounds. With his face bloodied, Garcia did not answer the bell for the sixth and final round.
Two intra-city rivals squared off in the co-feature as Joe Gardner (11-5-1) and Reynaldo Rodriguez (6-6-1) battled until the final bell of their six-round super middleweight bout. The crafty Garnder kept his distance despite Rodriguez’s attempts to turn the fight into a brawl. Rodriguez picked up the pace in the later rounds, but Gardner ultimately out-worked and out-boxed his opponent to score a 58-56 unanimous-decision win on all three scorecards.
Looking to bounce back from the first loss of his career, Burlington, Vt., light heavyweight Kevin Cobbs (7-1) came through swimmingly in a 39-36, 37-38, 39-36 split-decision win over hard-hitting Harwich, Mass., native Paul Gonsalves (4-3). Once he found his rhythm, Cobbs maintained a steady pace and scored a knockdown in the third round to help seal the victory.
The night began with a dynamic, back-and-forth bout in the female bantamweight division as Noemi Bosques (1-0-1) of St. Petersburg, Fla., and Brooklyn’s Vanessa Greco (1-2-2) fought to a majority draw over four rounds. Bosques, who now lives and trains in Providence, R.I., won 39-37 on one of the judge’s scorecards, but the other two judges scored it 38-38. In the welterweight division, 19-year-old Patryk Szymanski (6-0) of North Bergen, N.J. (Wroclaw, Poland), kept his perfect record intact with a hard-fought 60-54, 59-57, 58-56 win over Brockton, Mass., veteran Antonio Chaves Fernandes (2-9-2). Warwick, R.I., veteran Benny Costantino (7-3) was forced to quit with 13 seconds remaining in the second round of his scheduled four-round super middleweight bout against Emmanuel Medina (3-3-1) after suffering a knee injury. Medina was credited with a second-round technical knockout, the third knockout victory of his career.
(AllHipHop News) Three of Hip-Hop’s legendary performers are set to travel to Atlanta later this month to participate at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s 46th National Keystone Conference.
Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run-D.M.C, Doug E. Fresh, and DJ Spinderella of Salt-n-Pepa have been tapped to provide motivational sessions at the youth leadership conference that will host more than 1,800 teens from 157 cities across the country.
This year’s National Keystone Conference (March 21-24) will feature the theme “ATL–All Teens Lead.” The young leaders will take part in various workshops covering topics like bullying prevention, financial literacy, and college preparedness as well as robotics, sports, and film making. Conference goers will also volunteer at service projects throughout the Atlanta area.
“Boys & Girls Clubs of America believes a critical step to ensuring success for teens is to actively engage them and empower them to lead through initiatives like the Keystone Conference,” said Jim Clark, President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America in a press release.
The Keystone Conference will not just be all work and no play for the teens. Several social activities are planned as well as musical performances by American Idol winner Jordin Sparks and Atlanta native B.O.B.
The Boys & Girls Clubs partnered with the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens to create Keystone Clubs – leadership groups for young people ages 14-18 that focus on academic success, career preparation, and community service.
Keystone Club members are just part of the 100,000 teens served by the Taco Bell Foundation every year. The Foundation also awards over 350 educational and career grants and scholarships annually.
For more information about the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the National Keystone Conference visit www.bgca.org.
Fury and Cunningham Confrontation at Press Conference
Photo Credits: Wojtek Kubik Photography
During a press conference to officially announce the NBC broadcast of the Tyson Fury vs. Steve Cunningham fight, which is scheduled to take place the afternoon of April 20th at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, a heated exchange ensued between Fury and Cunningham. The photo above clearly captures the continued antagonism that took place during the customary post press conference face off photo session. There is no love lost between the two heavyweight contenders. The unplanned press conference exchange set the stage perfectly for the battle to come. They say a picture says a thousand words...
On April 20 card L to R: Adam Kownacki, Sevdail Sherifi, Tyson Fury, Curtis Stevens, Dynamite Dargan, and Steve Cunningham
Photo Credits Wojtek Kubik Photography
FIGHT INFO:
April 20th at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York features a 12-round heavyweight battle between Tyson Fury and Steve Cunningham in the main event. Curtis Stevens will take on Derrick Findley in the 8-round middleweight co-feature. Six additional bouts are planned for the undercard. The main event and co-feature will be broadcast 4PM ET on NBC as a special 2 hour afternoon presentation of NBC Sports Fight Night. The card is presented by Hennessy Sports and Main Events.
The main event is an official IBF Heavyweight Voluntary Eliminator fight for the #2 position. The winner must meet #1 or the leading available contender to establish the mandatory challenger for Heavyweight King Wladimir Klitschko.
Tickets are priced at $25, $50, $100, $250 and $500. Tickets are available at the Madison Square Garden box office, through Ticketmaster 866-858-0008 and atticketmaster.com. Ticket prices include a $5 Facility Surcharge. Ticketmaster purchases are subject to a Ticketmaster Surcharge. Wheelchairs, companion seats, aisle seats and Assistive Listening Devices are available 212-465-6035.
As part of its arrangement to acquire a minority interest in NBCUniversal, Comcast Corporation committed to carry several minority-owned channels.[1] The arrangement followed pressure led by Maxine Waters in congressional hearings.[2] In April 2011, Comcast solicited proposals for minority owned networks.[3] In February 2012, Comcast announced distribution arrangements for four networks, including Revolt.[4] The four announced networks and six forthcoming stations are being chosen from among in excess of 100 proposals to begin airing by 2020.[5]
Consequence SMACKED Joe Budden at the Love & Hip Hop Reunion Taping! Rashidah Ali & Yandy Smith Engaged
During yesterday’s taping of the “Love & Hip Hop” Season 3 reunion show, Consequence and Joe Budden got into a fight when Consequence SMACKED Joe Budden, apparently after some drama between the two po ... More at Reality Wives ›
Thursday is the final weigh-in and press conference for "Unfinished Business," live professional boxing scheduled for Friday, March 15th, 2013 at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, R.I. This event is open to the public.
"Unfinished Business" features the return of Peter Manfredo Jr. (38-7, 20 KOs) of Providence, R.I., who will face Seattle, Wash., veteran Walter Wright (14-3, 7 KOs) in the 10-round main event.
The undercard of "Unfinished Business" features an array of intriguing regional showdowns, starting with an intra-city battle between Joey Gardner (10-5-1, 1 KO) and Reynaldo Rodriguez (6-5-1, 3 KOs) of Woonsocket, R.I. The former training partners will go toe-to-toe in a six-round super middleweight special attraction.
Also on the undercard, Boston middleweight Julio Garcia (6-3, 3 KOs) - trained by former heavyweight world champion John Ruiz - will faceThomas Falowo (8-1, 6 KOs) of Pawtucket, R.I., in a six-round bout while light heavyweight Kevin Cobbs (6-1, 2 KOs) of Burlington, Vt., who is looking to bounce back from his first career loss in November, will face hard-htting Paul Gonsalves (4-2, 3 KOs) of Harwich, Mass., in a four-round bout.
Warwick, R.I., super middleweight Benny Costantino (7-2, 4 KOs) is also back in action and looking to bounce back from his loss in July as he faces Quincy, Mass., veteran Emmanuel Medina (2-3-1, 2 KOs), who appeared in a nationally-televised bout on ESPN2 in January. Unbeaten, 19-year-old Polish welterweight Patryk Szymanski (5-0, 2 KOs), fighting out of North Bergen, N.J., will make a special appearance in a six-round bout againstAntonio Chaves Fernandes (2-8-1) of Brockton, Mass. Jesse Barboza(5-1-1, 3 KOs), a Barnstable, Mass., heavyweight, will return to Twin River for the first time since 2010 when he faces Jeramiah Witherspoon (2-2-1, 1 KO) of Altoona, Pa., in a four-round bout, while female bantamweightNoemi Bosques (1-0), a St. Petersburg, Fla., native who now trains in Providence, will face Queens native Vanessa Greco (1-2-1) in a four-round bout. All bouts are subject to change.
Tickets for "Unfinished Business" are $40.00, $60.00, $100.00 and $150.00 (VIP) and can be purchased by calling CES at 401.724.2253/2254, online atwww.cesboxing.com or www.twinriver.com, at the Players Club booth at Twin River, or through any TicketMaster location. Doors open 6 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 7.
JOEY GARDNER OF Woonsocket, R.I., will face hometown rival Reynaldo Rodriguez in a special six-round super middleweight special attraction Friday, March 15th, 2013 at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I.
Cerebral Gardner takes on hometown rival Rodriguez Friday in Ocean State showdown
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (March 12th, 2013) -- They keep challenging him, and all he continues to do is win.
Since returning to professional boxing in 2010 following a seven-year layoff, super middleweight Joe Gardner (10-5-1, 1 KO) has made quite a living outsmarting and outboxing some of the region's top fighters, yet the Woonsocket, R.I., native continues to be one of the most sought-after targets by would-be opponents hoping to score a knockout against the seasoned veteran.
"They all try to knock me out, and it doesn't work," Gardner said, "but I'll take it if they want to keep coming at me."
Enter fellow Woonsocket native Reynaldo Rodriguez (6-5-1, 3 KOs), who has answered the challenge and will look to play the spoiler role against his former training partner Friday, March 15th, 2013 when he and Gardner square off in a special six-round super middleweight bout on the undercard of "Unfinished Business," presented by Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment & Sports at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, R.I.
Gardner and Rodriguez have shared more than gym space; they've also faced some of the same opponents, most notably Warwick, R.I., nativeKeith Kozlin, who has a draw and a win against Rodriguez and a loss against Gardner. Likewise, Gardner has also faced New England foesVladine Biosse, Elvin Ayala and Brian Barbosa and recently handed Providence's Alex Amparo his first career loss in a unanimous-decision win in November.
Despite his relative familiarity with Rodriguez, Gardner is expecting the unexpected Friday night, especially now that Rodriguez no longer trains at the Woonsocket Boxing Club.
"The last few times I've seen him, he's always looked different," Gardner said of Rodriguez. "The first time he fought Keith [in the draw] he looked great, but then during the camp before the second fight he kept talking about how he was going to knock him out and how he felt stronger than ever, and he ended up fighting the wrong fight.
"I hope he brings that fight [Friday], but I doubt it."
The 35-year-old Rodriguez hasn't won since he knocked out Richard Starnino in 2011 and was thoroughly outclassed by Kozlin in July, losing every round on two of the three scorecards, but the familiarity between he and Gardner - in addition to their past relationship - makes this one of the most intriguing of the regional showdowns slated for Friday's undercard at Twin River.
"You've got to think in his mind he knows the fight he fought against Keith was totally wrong," Gardner said. "When he's in tip-top shape, he's a sturdy guy."
Regardless of what Rodriguez does, Gardner's game plan will be the same as always - box on the outside, pick his shots, and frustrate his opponent into making mistakes. It's a cerebral approach that has worked well for Gardner in recent years.
"I think more than the other guys do. That's been my biggest advantage in the last year or two," Gardner said. "They come out balls to the wall in every fight looking for that one knockout punch. That might work for world-class guys, but not for guys on my level. If I see you a few times, I can usually pick you apart. My game is boxing on the outside. I just hope I can work my pace over the course of six rounds."
Peter Manfredo Jr. (38-7, 20 KOs) will face Seattle, Wash., nativeWalter Wright (14-3, 7 KOs) in the 10-round super middleweight main event of "Unfinished Business."
Tickets for "Unfinished Business" are $40.00, $60.00, $100.00 and $150.00 (VIP) and can be purchased by calling CES at 401.724.2253/2254, online at www.shop.cesboxing.com or www.twinriver.com, at the Players Club booth at Twin River, or through any TicketMaster location. Doors open 6 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 7.
Also on the undercard, Boston middleweight Julio Garcia (6-3, 3 KOs) - trained by former heavyweight world champion John Ruiz - will faceThomas Falowo (8-1, 6 KOs) of Pawtucket, R.I., in a six-round bout while light heavyweight Kevin Cobbs (6-1, 2 KOs) of Burlington, Vt., who is looking to bounce back from his first career loss in November, will face hard-htting Paul Gonsalves (4-2, 3 KOs) of Harwich, Mass., in a four-round bout.
Warwick, R.I., super middleweight Benny Costantino (7-2, 4 KOs) is also back in action and looking to bounce back from his loss in July as he faces Quincy, Mass., veteran Emmanuel Medina (2-3-1, 2 KOs), who appeared in a nationally-televised bout on ESPN2 in January. Unbeaten, 19-year-old Polish welterweight Patryk Szymanski (5-0, 2 KOs), fighting out of North Bergen, N.J., will make a special appearance in a six-round bout against Antonio Chaves Fernandes (2-8-1) of Brockton, Mass. Jesse Barboza (5-1-1, 3 KOs), a Barnstable, Mass., heavyweight, will return to Twin River for the first time since 2010 when he faces Jeramiah Witherspoon (2-2-1, 1 KO) of Altoona, Pa., in a four-round bout, while female bantamweight Noemi Bosques (1-0), a St. Petersburg, Fla., native who now trains in Providence, will face Queens native Vanessa Greco (1-2-1) in a four-round bout. All bouts are subject to change.
(Twin River has waived its 18+ rule for "Unfinished Business." Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult and must enter through the West entrance.)
April 20th at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York features a 12-round heavyweight battle between Tyson Fury and Steve Cunningham in the main event. Curtis Stevens will take on Derrick Findley in the 8-round middleweight co-feature. Six additional bouts are planned for the undercard. The main event and co-feature will be broadcast 4PM ET on NBC as a special 2 hour afternoon presentation of NBC Sports Fight Night. The card is presented by Hennessy Sports and Main Events.
The main event is an official IBF Heavyweight Voluntary Eliminator fight for the #2 position. The winner must meet #1 or the leading available contender to establish the mandatory challenger for Heavyweight King Wladimir Klitschko.
Tickets are priced at $25, $50, $100, $250 and $500. Tickets are available at the Madison Square Garden box office, through Ticketmaster 866-858-0008 and atticketmaster.com. Ticket prices include a $5 Facility Surcharge. Ticketmaster purchases are subject to a Ticketmaster Surcharge. Wheelchairs, companion seats, aisle seats and Assistive Listening Devices are available 212-465-6035.
