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TOP RANK & The NABF
AURI FORDMAN Age: 28 (8-5-80) Residence: Brooklyn, New York Birthplace: Gomel, Belarus Record: 25-0, 8 KOs Height: 5’11” Reach: 71” Managers: Alan Cohen, Murray Wilson Trainers: Tommy Brooks, Joe Grier, Darren Antola (cutman)
YURI FOREMAN (24-0, 8 KOs)…
At the age of 28, Yuri is a six-year pro. The NABF champion and a contender at 154 pounds, he is coming off his three career-best wins in his last two fights, the most recent a 10-round unanimous decision against former Mexican super welterweight champion Saul Roman in April, 2008. Last December, Yuri won the NABF title with a 10-round split decision agianst defending champion Andrey Tsurkan. After the fight, Dan Rafael wrote on ESPN.com, “It was a tale of two fights between immigrants to New York. The stalking Tsurkan, of Ukraine, had his way early, for about the first four rounds. Then more skilled Foreman, of Belarus, outboxed him and used a strong jab for the rest of the fight to pull out a tight split decision.” Yuri took his first major step up in class of opposition against Philadelphia prospect Anthony Thompson in June, 2007, and won a close 10-round split decision in that fight, as well. Fightwriter.com’s Graham Houston wrote, “I thought that Foreman looked the stronger man and he also looked more composed than Thompson, his punches - when they came - more compact and professional-looking. Foreman was smart, letting his hands go in quick bursts in between all the clinches to catch the eye of the judges - or two of the judges. “It was Foreman...who actually looked the puncher in the last couple of rounds.” Yuri is a native of the former Soviet state of Belarus and a former resident of Israel. He has been based in the United States for his entire professional career. Yuri’s website address is yuriforeman.com.
Fight by Fight – 2008 – 1ST NABF SW TITLE DEFENSE - in his last fight on 4-3-08 in Brooklyn, NY, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against former Mexican super welterweight champion Saul Roman (28-4): the fight headlined the Aviator Sports and Recreation Center; Roman was coming off an impressive win against former IBF jr. middleweight world champion Kassim Ouma five months earlier in November, 2007, but Yuri dominated the fight – he consistently outboxed Roman and landed the sharper punches; Roman was cut over his left eye in the 2nd round, and both were cut by a clash of heads in the 3rd – Yuri at his hairline, Roman over his right eye; scored 98-92, 98-92, 97-93...
2007 – WON NABF SW TITLE - on 12-6-07 in Bronx, NY, he won a 10 round split decision against defending champion Andrey Tsurkan (25-2): the bout headlined at the Paradise Theater, and it was a good, close fight; Tsurkan constantly pressed forward, but Yuri kept him off-balance with movement, boxed effectively, and scored with sharp leads and counters; the momentum shifted back and forth - Yuri swept the first two rounds on all three scorecards, but was cut over his right eye in the 3rd; Yuri was also cut over his left eye and Tsurkan over his right eye later in the fight; Tsurkan kept a relentless pace and ralled in the middle rounds – he swept the 3rd and 4th, won the 5th and 6th rounds on two scorecards, then swept the 7th; after seven rounds, Tsurkan led by scores of 68-65, 67-66, 67-66; but Yuri finished the fight very strongly – he swept the 8th and 9th rounds on all three scorecards, then won the 10th on two; some ringsiders thought the decision could go either way, but the judges scored 96-94, 96-94 Foreman, 96-94 Tsurkan...
On 6-9-07 in New York, NY, he won a 10 round split decision against Philadelphia prospect Anthony Thompson (23-1): the bout was on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto-Zab Judah main event at Madison Square Garden; it was a tactical fight, and very close; Yuri kept Thompson off-balance with movement and clinched at close range, and both were effective at times; Yuri was cut over his left eye in the 9th round, and some observers thought Thompson deserved to win, but Yuri won by scores of 97-93, 96-94 Foreman, 96-94 Thompson...
2006 - on 12-2-06 in Atlantic City, NJ, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Donny McCrary (20-4-2): the fight was on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto-Carlos Quintana main event at Boardwalk Hall; McCrary gave a good effort, but Yuri scored a knockdown in the 3rd round, boxed effectively, and dominated most of the fight; scored 100-89, 99-90, 98-91... On 6-3-06 in Las Vegas, NV, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against against Jesus Valverde (21-11): Yuri was cut on the right side of his head by a clash of heads and injured his hand early in the fight, but consistently outboxed and outworked Valverde and dominated the fight; scored 100-89, 99-90, 99-90… On 2-4-06 in Boston, MA, he TKO’d James LeBlanc (11-9-4): Yuri scored a knockdown in the 1st round - LeBlanc got up, but the referee stopped the fight at 2:49; after the fight, Yuri said, “I felt great, it’s my twentieth win and I’m very happy. I was preparing really hard for this fight. I hit him with the one-two in the beginning, and it was just a matter of time.”…
2005 - on 10-21-05 in Hollywood, FL, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Troy Lowry (27-5): Yuri dominated the fight, and won by scores of 100-90 on all three scorecards… On 5-6-05 in Mashantucket, CT, he won an 8 round unanimous decision against previously undefeated prospect Kevin Cagle (16-0): Yuri was very impressive - he boxed effectively and consistently outworked Cagle; Cagle gave a good effort - he cut Yuri over the right eye in the 3rd round and bloodied his nose later in the fight, but Yuri shut him out by scores of 80-72 on all three scorecards… On 2-24-05 in New York, NY, he won an 8 round unanimous decision against Jesus Soto-Karass (11-2-1): Yuri jabbed and moved effectively and dominated the fight; scored 80-72, 79-73, 79-73…
2004 - on 11-13-04 in New York, NY, he TKO’d Shakir Ashanti (15-8): the fight was on the undercard of the John Ruiz-Andrew Golota, Chris Byrd-Jameel McCline, Larry Donald-Evander Holyfield, Hasim Rahman-Kali Meehan heavyweight headliners at Madison Square Garden; Yuri scored a knockdown with a right hand in the 1st round; he scored another knockdown with a left hook in the 2nd, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:07… On 7-23-04 in Atlantic City, NJ, he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Joshua Onyango (19-2): Yuri dominated the fight, and won by scores of 60-54, 60-54, 58-56… On 4-15-04 in New York he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Calvin Shakir (6-1), scored 60-54, 59-55, 59-55… On 1-16-04 in Minneapolis, MN, he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Anthony Ivory (28-65-4), scored 60-54 on all three scorecards…
2003 - on 10-24-03 in Bushkill, PA, he won an 8 round unanimous decision against Israel Garcia (5-7): Yuri scored a knockdown in the 1st round, and dominated the fight… On 6-3-03 in Uncasville, CT, he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Sammy Sparkman (15-9-1)… On 4-26-03 in Mashantucket, CT, he TKO’d Charles Clark (14-15-1) at 1:40 of the 2nd round… On 3-29-03 in Philadelphia,, PA, he TKO’d James Johnson (11-6-2) in the 1st round… On 1-25-03 in Temecula, CA, he knocked out William Evans (4-2) in the 2nd round… On 1-10-03 in Uncasville he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Andrey Trunov (8-4): Trunov pressed forward, but Yuri frustrated him with movement and consistently outworked him; scored 60-54 on all three scorecards…
2002 - on 8-30-02 in New York he won a 4 round unanimous decision against previously undefeated Jose Almanzar (4-0-1): Almanzar pressed forward and cut Yuri over the right eye in the 1st round, but Yuri frustrated him with movement, consistently landed the sharper punches, and dominated most of the fight; Yuri was cut again on the forehead by a clash of heads in the 4th, but won by scores of 40-36, 40-36, 40-35; after the fight Yuri said, “I have to give him credit. This guy was really tough, and he could take a punch. My corner told me to go the body, and at the same time this guy headbutted me, when I was hitting the body. It was just another experience for me. He didn’t surprise me with anything. I knew he cannot hurt me. He tried to cut the ring all the time, but he couldn’t deal with my speed and my foot movement.”…
On 6-20-02 in Glen Burnie, MD, he TKO’d Michael Corleone (11-17-3) at 1:40 of the 2nd round… On 4-27-02 in New York he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Michael Doaks (3-4-1), scored 60-53 on all three scorecards… On 3-21-02 in Glen Burnie he won a 6 round majority decision against George Armenta (4-1), scored 58-55, 57-55, 56-56… On 3-15-02 in New York he TKO’d Tom Attardo (9-7-1) in the 3rd round… He debuted at the age of 21 on 1-24-02 in New York and TKO’d Israel Felix (1-1): Yuri scored a knockdown in the 1st round - Felix got up, but the ringside doctor stopped the fight moments later at 2:15; after the fight, Yuri said, “I’m a lion-hearted Jew.”…
AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: 2001 New York Golden Gloves amateur champion, 156 pounds-open division… From yuriforeman.com: Yuri was born on August 5, 1980, in Belarus, a state of the former Soviet Union. An only child, he was brought up in a two-room apartment shared also by his maternal grandmother, aunt, uncle and their daughter. Often times, the young Yuri slept on an old army cot in the hallway of the tiny apartment. Yuri’s first foray into the world of sports was as a swimmer. It wasn’t until the little boy was bullied by some of the older boys at the pool that he was introduced to boxing. Yuri’s mother brought him to the boxing gym at the age of seven. The first week he was at the gym he began hitting the heavy bag and the young fighter loved it. When one of the bullies from his swimming days tried to instigate a fight, the young Yuri immediately got into his stance, beat him up, and from then on had earned the respect of the pool bullies. His first competition came at the age of eight. Yuri lost. So disheartened and ashamed of his loss, he didn’t return to the gym. Every day he left the house, pretending he was going to the boxing gym and instead went to the local shopping mall. He did this for an entire month. It wasn’t until his trainer called his mother asking when Yuri would be returning to the gym that he was found out. He returned to the gym and won all his subsequent fights. In 1991, at the age of eleven, the Foreman family left Belarus and migrated to Israel. Even Yuri’s childhood dog made the trip: a 150-pound Caucasian Shepherd with a very telling name, Rocky. Yuri remembers landing in Tel Aviv: “When the plane door opened, the desert heat hit us. I remember how different it smelled - so fresh and fragrant. When we arrived in the airport, the Israelis welcomed us with wedges of fresh oranges. I had never tasted anything so sweet and delicious before. I thought I had arrived in paradise.” The reality of arriving in a new country, with no money, nor knowledge of the language set in. The family finally settled into a home in Haifa. It was a studio apartment in the basement of a housing complex. Yuri entered school, taught entirely in Hebrew. His father got a job cleaning offices. After school Yuri would join his father cleaning in order to help earn money for the family. In the summer and holidays, Yuri worked construction with Arabs from 7:00 A.M. until 6:00 P.M., seven days a week. In Haifa, there was no boxing gym, but the sport still stayed with him. The closest he could get to boxing was kickboxing until a real boxing trainer arrived to Haifa. His name was Mike Kozlowski. Yuri was back into the fight game. He constantly watched boxing on television: taping fights, studying them and then trying to emulate the moves in the gym. He loved watching Mike Tyson of Brooklyn, NY. He was ferocious, powerful, and never wore socks under his boots. The young fighter thought this the coolest thing. Shortly after Yuri re-entered the world of boxing though, the gym closed. With nowhere else to train and no money to rent a new space, a makeshift training camp was set up behind the town high school. Outside under the hot Israeli sun, the young boxers trained and boxed. They had practically no gear: a few pairs of gloves, the leather stitched together repeatedly, the padding pounded down through years of use. They sparred with no headgear. Months later, they were able to obtain one old headgear.
Three months later Yuri had his first amateur fight in Israel, fighting at 60 kg (132 pounds). He won all his subsequent fights, traveling to and from local boxing gyms, fighting Jews and Arabs. Everyone was noticing this kid with the famous boxing last name. By then eight months had passed and Yuri entered the Israeli National Championship tournament. He remembers his coach telling his teammates, “Yuri is preparing for an important fight, so this week he gets to wear the headgear.” He won the fight and the championship, thus gaining a spot on the Israeli National Boxing Team. He would eventually win the National Championship three times, in 1997 at 60 kg (132 pounds), 1998 and 1999, both at 67 kgs (148 pounds).
Mike Kozlowski’s ragtag Team Haifa continued to train behind the high school, producing seven National Champions. It wasn’t until Kozlovski went on a hunger strike to force the Israeli government to fund boxing that his team got a proper gym in which to train. Yuri would run every morning at 5 AM in order to get to school by 7 AM. After school he went to the boxing gym. On weekends and summers, he and Team Haifa would run on the beach, throwing heavy stones back and forth until their hands bled. Yuri’s fighting style was developing. He threw a lot of punches and was known for his quick reflexes and constant movement. During this period of his life, Yuri’s mother contracted hepatitis. Upon retuning home from an international tournament in Italy Yuri found out his mother was in the hospital. She had passed away from liver failure in 1998. Yuri was eighteen years old. After three weeks of mourning he returned to the gym and won his third Israeli National Championship. After winning the third championship, Yuri began to think about the United States. With dreams of making his mark in the United States boxing world, Yuri relocated to Brooklyn, NY. Once again, Yuri arrived in a strange land with no money or knowledge of the language. This time though, the feeling was not as welcoming. It was a dark, cold day and upon arrival at JFK he was not greeted with fragrant fruit. The next day he started work in the Garment District of Manhattan and trained afterwards at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn. His hard work paid off. In 2001, Yuri Foreman won the New York Golden Gloves 156 pound Open Class. His overall amateur record was 76-5. After his win at the Gloves, Yuri contemplated his professional debut. Having served as sparring partner to many pros at Gleason’s Gym, he felt he was ready. In fact, he served as sparring partner for Zab Judah at his training camp in Las Vegas in preparation of his legendary fight with Kostya Tszyu. In 2003, Yuri married Leyla Leidecker, a Hungarian model and herself a featherweight amateur boxer. They met at Gleason’s Gym. The Foremans currently live in Brooklyn, New York. [End yuriforeman.com info]
Yuri said, “My hobby is playing piano, but I’m not doing that as much as before. Boxing is taking so much time. “I had a little role in a movie directed by Dito Montiel. They just filming the movie, called ‘Fighting.’ It’s a working title, they’re probably going to change it. “The stars in it are Terrance Howard, Channing Tatum, Luis Guzman. It was Hollywood, it was made by Universal Studio, but they were shooting it in New York. My role is not big, but it’s very good for the beginning.”...
STRENGTHS: Has good skills, speed, and movement…a good counterpuncher…tough and determined, a hard worker in the gym, is always in good condition…
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 25 fights…144 total rounds… AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 5.7 rounds… KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 33 %... DISTANCE FIGHTS: 10 rounds - 6 (6-0)…8 rounds - 3 (3-0)…6 rounds - 7 (7-0)…
JESUS “Renuente” SOTO-KARASSAge: 25 (10-15-82) Residence: Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico Birthplace: Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico Record: 21-3-3, 15 KOs Height: 5’10” Reach: 73” Managers: Francisco Espinoza, Sergio Diaz Trainer: Javier Capetillo (Antonio Margarito’s trainer)
JESUS “Renuente” (Determined) SOTO-KARASS (21-3-3, 15 KOs)…
At the age of 25, Jesus is a seven-year pro. The NABF champion and a rising young contender at 147 pounds, he is undefeated in his last 12 fights - 10-0-2, with 5 knockouts. Jesus has stepped up in class of opposition in recent fights – he has given impressive performances and climbed into the Top 10 world rankings. He is coming off an eighth-round TKO win against David Estrada in his last fight in July, 2008. The fight was in Las Vegas on the night before the Antonio Margarito-Miguel Cotto battle. After the fight, Dan Rafael wrote on ESPN.com[ excerpts]: The corners for Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito went head-to-head on the eve of the big fight. Soto-Karass, trained by Margarito trainer Javier Capetillo, scored a quality victory against the Evangelista Cotto-trained Estrada in an excellent fight. In the eighth, Soto-Karass finally put Estrada on the canvas, and although he made it to his feet, Estrada was unsteady and referee Tony Weeks called off the fight. Soto-Karass...has been beating good competition over the past two years. He’s always been a crowd-pleaser and he deserves an opportunity to fight on a bigger stage. [End Rafael item] Fightwriter.com’s Graham Houston reported: From ringside I thoroughly enjoyed this tough, intense and absorbing battle for the vacant NABF title. After seven rounds I had Soto-Karass winning, but with Estrada very much in the fight. I had the sense, though, that Estrada was gradually wearing out. He fought gamely and had his successes, especially when he went to the body, but Soto-Karass just kept coming right back at him. In the war of attrition, Soto-Karass seemed to be the one who was giving and taking just that bit better, although the finish in round eight, when he knocked Estrada down, was startling in its suddenness. [End Houston item] Jesus won a 10 round unanimous decision win against Chris Smith in his previous fight in April, 2008 – it was a tremendous battle, hard-fought and exciting from the opening bell to the last, and earned a standing ovation from the crowd. Graham Houston commented: “This was just a terrific fight, the sort that keeps fans loyal to the game.” Jesus’s co-manager Francisco Espinoza is also the co-manager of WBA welterweight world champion Antonio Margarito. Francisco said, “Jesus has been in camp with Margarito for his last four or five fights, and has sparred with him many, many times. They help each other. “Jesus has been real, real serious about his training. He’s been doing his work real good. I have a lot of confidence in Jesus. He’s only 25 years old, he’s strong. He can take a punch, and he can give a punch, too. He’s got a lot of confidence in himself, too.” All three of Jesus’ losses came in consecutive fights in 2004 and 2005. All three were against undefeated fighters, and all were by decision – Yuri Foreman (16-0), Freddy Hernandez (16-0), and Nurhan Suleyman (12-0). Jesus hasn’t lost since. In an earlier interview, Jesus said through an interpreter, “I came from a boxing family – my father and all of my brothers were boxers. I had a lot of success early in my career without having to try very hard. A few of years ago, I realized I had to do something different. I knew I had to take this seriously and train harder. “My goal is to become a world champion, make a lot of money, and buy a house for my mother and family. I’m going to give it 100 percent.” Jesus’ nickname means “Determined.” He said, “It’s like, if you knock me down, I’m going to get up and knock you down.”
Key Fights – 2008 – WON VACANT NABF SW TITLE - in his last fight on 7-25-08 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKO’d David Estrada (22-4): the fight headlined at the Hard Rock Casino, and it was fast-paced and exciting; several rounds were close, but Jesus had the edge in most of them and gradually wore down Estrada; Jesus buckled Estrada’s knees - almost to the canvas - with a left hook in the 8th round, then scored a knockdown with two right hands that dropped him on his side – Estrada got up but was very unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:03; after seven rounds, Jesus led by scores of 69-64, 69-64, 67-66; after the fight, Jesus said, “It was a tough fight. He was a very difficult opponent. This was an important fight for me because it was against a world class fighter. My corner kept telling me to step it up, but I thought I was doing well. I thought I was comfortably ahead.”...
4TH WBC CONTINENTAL AMERICAS W TITLE DEFENSE - on 4-11-08 in Atlantic City, NJ, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Chris Smith (21-4-1): it was a tremendous battle, hard-fought and very close; Smith started fast – he constantly pressed forward and outworked Jesus in the early rounds; Jesus’s right eye became badly swollen, but he rallied in the second half of the fight – he scored with hard body punches at times, and boxed and moved effectively at others; the crowd gave the fighters a standing ovation at the final bell; many observers thought the decision could go either way, but the judges scored 98-92, 96-94, 96-94; after the fight, Jesus said, “When I boxed I did better, but it was too tough not to brawl. It was a real tough fight. I thought I hurt him, but every time I hurt him he kept coming back at me.”... On 1-18-08 in Brownsville, TX, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against lefthander Germaine Sanders (27-4): it was a good, close fight; Jesus pressed forward, but Sanders kept him off-balance with movement, boxed effectively at times and scored with counterpunches; Jesus consistently kept a busier pace and landed the harder punches, and won by scores of 97-92, 96-93, 95-93...
2007 – on 11-15-07 in Reading, PA, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Juan Buendia (14-1-1): it was a fast-paced, exciting fight; Jesus scored a knockdown with a left hook that dropped Buendia to his hands and knees in the 2nd round - he got up and gave a strong effort in the following rounds, but Jesus consistently outworked him and landed the harder punches; scored 98-91, 98-91, 97-92... 3RD WBC CONTINENTAL AMERICAS W TITLE DEFENSE - on 8-17-07 in El Paso, TX, he TKO’d Jose Ojeda (14-5-3): Ojeda gave a good effort, but Jesus dominated the fight; he staggered Ojeda with a right hand in the 2nd round, then scored a knockdown with another right hand in the 3rd - Ojeda got up, but Jesus rocked him with a series of punches and the referee stopped the fight at 1:30; after the fight, Jesus said, “I wasn’t in there looking for the knockout. I was trying to work off the jab, just trying to move around, work off that jab and look for openings. He made a mistake, didn’t pay attention, and that’s when I caught him.”… 2ND WBC CONTINENTAL AMERICAS W TITLE DEFENSE - on 5-25-07 in Albuquerque, NM, he fought to a 12 round draw against Gilbert Venegas (10-4-2): the fight headlined at the Isleta Resort & Casino, drew a capacity crowd of 2,800, and was fast-paced and exciting; it was also very close - Jesus pressed forward and started fast, but Venegas counterpunched effectively and rallied in the middle rounds; Jesus rallied in the late rounds, but was penalized one point for low blows in the 9th, which made the difference for him in a win and a draw; both fought hard until the final bell; scored 115-112 Soto-Karass, 114-113 Venegas, 114-114; after the fight, Jesus said, “I really thought I won the fight. I threw more punches, but felt a little tight. I know I can do better. But he was tough, strong. And we both deserve a rematch.”...
2006 - on 12-15-06 in Houston, TX, he TKO’d Luciano Perez (14-4-1): Jesus gave an impressive performance and dominated most of the fight; he boxed and counterpunched effectively, rocked Perez several times in the early rounds, and bruised him around both eyes; Perez rallied and rocked Jesus in the 4th, but Jesus came back later in the round and cut Perez under his left eye; Jesus steadily wore down Perez, bloodied his mouth, and Perez’ corner stopped the fight after the 6th round... 1ST WBC CONTINENTAL AMERICAS W TITLE DEFENSE - on 10-20-06 in Cicero, IL, he TKO’d previously undefeated prospect Michel Rosales (11-0): Jesus started fast, but was warned for low blows in the 3rd round; he landed several hard body punches, but was penalized one point for a low blow in the 5th; Rosales rallied in the middle rounds and Jesus was penalized another point for low blows in the 8th; but Jesus came back strongly in the late rounds, scored a knockdown with a series of punches in the 11th round that dropped Rosales to one knee, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:21... WON VACANT WBC CONTINENTAL AMERICAS W TITLE - on 6-2-06 in Tucson, AZ, he TKO’d 42 year-old former IBF jr. welterweight world champion Vince Phillips (48-10-1): the fight headlined at Club Envy, and Jesus dominated; he staggered Phillips in the 2nd round, then cut him over the right eye and bloodied his mouth in the 5th; Jesus steadily wore him down, and Phillips’ corner stopped the fight after the 9th round… On 2-18-06 in Las Vegas, NV, he won an 8 round unanimous decision against Fernando Mena (17-6-2): the bout was on the undercard of the Antonio Margarito-Manuel Gomez main event, and it was a fast-paced, exciting fight; Jesus started slowly and Mena gave a strong effort, but Jesus rallied in the middle rounds and finished the fight strongly; Jesus rocked Mena several times, cut him over his left eye, and bloodied his mouth; scored 78-74, 78-74, 77-75…
2005 - on 12-10-05 in in Maywood, CA, he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Juan Cervantes (11-17-2): scored 59-55, 59-55, 58-56… On 5-6-05 in Fountain Hills, AZ, he fought to a 10 round draw against Manuel “Shotgun” Gomez (28-10-1): Jesus took the fight on short notice and started slowly; Gomez staggered him in the 2nd round, but Jesus came back and outworked Gomez for much of the fight; scored 97-93 Gomez, 95-95, 95-95; after the fight, Jesus said, “Under the circumstances that we came in the ring, I think I felt real good and gave a real good fight. The people didn’t like the draw decision, but I could have won the fight as well as Shotgun could have. We both gave a great fight, but we have to accept the decision. I don’t want to belittle my opponent, you know, everyone has their point of view. But if I would have come in at 100 percent, I would have knocked him out.”… On 2-24-05 in New York, NY, he lost an 8 round unanimous decision against prospect and hometown favorite Yuri Foreman (16-0): Foreman frustrated Jesus with movement and dominated the fight with his jab; scored 80-72, 79-73, 79-73…
2004 - on 7-13-04 in Beverly Hills, CA, he lost a 10 round unanimous decision against Freddy Hernandez (16-0): the event was held outdoors at the Playboy Mansion, and it was a tactical fight; Hernandez was cut over his right eye by a clash of heads in the 3rd round, but boxed and moved effectively and generally outworked Jesus; scored 98-92, 98-92, 97-93… On 1-15-04 in Houston, TX, he lost a 12 round unanimous decision against two-time Turkish Olympian and former European amateur champion Nurhan Suleyman (12-0): Jesus took the fight on short notice; Suleyman boxed effectively behind his jab, and dominated the first six rounds; Jesus was penalized one point for fouls in the 7th round, but rallied late in the fight and rocked Suleyman in the 10th; scored 118-108, 117-109, 116-110…
2003 - 7-17-03 in Industry Hills, CA, he TKO’d Oscar Delgado (22-19): the early rounds were close; Delgado rallied in the middle rounds, but Jesus scored two knockdowns in the 7th, and the referee stopped the fight without a count at 0:34… On 5-5-03 in Shreveport, LA, he won an 8 round decision against Jaime Morales (7-21-4)… On 1-18-03 in Los Mochis, MX, he fought to a 10 round draw against Cristian Solano (14-4-3)… 2002 - on 7-19-02 in Los Mochis he TKO’d previously undefeated Marco Antonio Garcia (2-0): in the 6th round… On 4-20-02 in Los Mochis he knocked out previously undefeated Saul Roman (9-0): in the 1st round… He debuted at the age of 18 on 6-29-01 in Los Mochis and knocked out Edgar Inzunza (0-1): in the 1st round…
AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Jesus is a lifelong resident of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico…he said, “I have four brothers, no sisters. It’s family of boxers, the whole family. “My father was a professional boxer. He was in the gym all the time when I was little. I started training when I was 17. I had 14 amateur fights, with 13 wins and one loss. All of my brothers were boxers, but only one still fights, Jose.”… Jesus is married and has three young daughters… His hometown is a city of 200,000 people on Mexico’s eastern shore of the Gulf of California that has also produced former WBC and WBO light flyweight world champion Jorge Arce, two-time WBO jr. bantamweight world champion Fernando Montiel, and current super featherweight contender Humberto Soto... Co-manager Francisco Espinoza said, “Jesus started boxing with Manuel Montiel, who has, I think, the best school for boxing in all of Mexico. This school in Los Mochis has been owned for years by the Montiel family. Manuel Montiel is the father of Fernando Montiel, the two-time WBO jr. bantamweight world champion, and WBC light flyweight world champion Jorge “Travieso” Arce is another fighter from his school. They’ve had many, many other good fighters, they are all very skilled and educated.”...
STRENGTHS: Has an aggressive style, good skills and movement...tall and lanky for the division...physically strong, tough and determined...has good punching power...a good body puncher…has a strong family boxing background...is experienced against good opposition...
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 27 fights…181 total rounds… AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 6.7 rounds… KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 71 %... DISTANCE FIGHTS: 12 rounds - 2 (0-1-1)…11 rounds – 1 (1-0)...10 rounds - 6 (3-1-2)… __________________________________________________________________________________________________
ANTHONY PETERSON Age: 23 (3-16-85) Residence: Washington, D.C. Birthplace: Washington, D.C. Record: 28-0, 19 KOs Height: 5’8” Reach: 74” Manager: Barry Hunter Trainers: Barry Hunter, Patrice Harris (Anthony’s brother-in-law), Marvin Thomas (conditioning)
ANTHONY PETERSON (28-0, 19 KOs)…
At the age of 23, Anthony is a four-year pro. The NABF interim lightweight champoin and a Top 10-ranked contender at 135 pounds, he is the younger brother of jr. welterweight contender Lamont Peterson. A former amateur standout, Anthony has stayed active in the ring, given several impressive performances, and made good progress as a pro. He is coming off a decisive 10-round unanimous decision win against former IBF lightweight world champion Javier Jauregui in his last fight in August, 2008. After the fight, Dan Rafael wrote on ESPN.com [excerpts]: In his second fight since signing with Top Rank, Peterson, 23, continued his march toward an eventual title opportunity. Although the scores were wide, the 34-year-old Jauregui, a former titleholder, was competitive in the fast-paced fight. [End Rafael item] Anthony won the NABF interim lightweight title with a 12 round unanimous decision against Fernando Trejo in his last fight in June, 2008 – Anthony dominated the fight and won by near-shutout scores. He and Lamont received the Boxing Writers Association of America’s 2007 award for “perseverance in overcoming adversity” at the annual BWAA awards banquet on May 1 in Los Angeles. Co-manager and head trainer Barry Hunter first met the brothers when Anthony was eight years old and Lamont was 10 and introduced them to boxing. They had been homeless and living on the streets in Washington, D.C. Barry said, “When Lamont and Anthony first came into the gym, I never trained them like a regular junior or amateur. In fact, they used to get into trouble a lot of times when they were younger fighting in the juniors, because they fought so much like pros. “It’s been an amazing ride. Once God puts forth a blueprint for you, all you got to do is just kind of pretty much stick to the plan, and you should be successful.” One of the recent additions to their training program has been a conditioning coach. Barry Hunter said, “I had pretty much known of Marvin Thomas, the conditioning guy, and he had tracked me down a couple of times and wanted to talk about getting into our program. “Marvin is pretty extreme when it comes to conditioning, he’s almost like I am when it comes to training. He has a good spirit about him - he fit perfectly into our program because he was just like us. We really didn’t have to bring him up to par with anything, it was almost like putting a fish in water. We put him in there and he blended right in. He started to swim.” Anthony said, “Since we’ve been working with Marvin, I see more power and determination. That’s all I see, power and more determination. Stamina, I get that from my running. “Marvin, he’s vicious. Aw, man, he’s doing a whole lot of new things with us. Pullups, pushups, the whole nine - I mean everything. It’s like nonstop, everything is like, high speed. “In 2008, I see a world championship, being victorious, and just being a good kid. It’s been three years, it’s been a change. If we’re not ready now, we’ll never be ready. “I’m more relaxed now, more calm. Polished skills. The mental game is more solid. That’s the main thing. “I feel excellent. I never felt like this before. I feel a lot stronger, I just feel so powerful right now. You’ll see when I get in the ring. You’ll see the results.” Anthony had several impressive wins during his amateur career, including ones against current pro prospects Victor Ortiz and Anthony Dirrell.
Key Fights – 2008 – in his last fight on 8-2-08 in Las Vegas, NV, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against former IBF lightweight world champion Javier Jauregui (53-14-2): the fight was on the undercard of the Joshua Clottey-Zab Judah main event at The Palms; it was a good, close fight – anthony had the edge in nearly every round, but Jauregui fought hard and many rounds were close; scored 100-90, 100-90, 99-91... WON NABF INTERIM L TITLE - on 6-26-06 in Las Vegas, NV, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Fernando Trejo (30-13-4): Anthony dominated the fight; he consistently outworked Trejo and landed the sharper punches, and won by scores of 120-108, 120-108, 119-109... On 1-4-08 in Biloxi, MS, he TKO’d late substitute Jose Izquierdo (16-1-1): Izquierdo gave a good effort and the early rounds were fast-paced and exciting, but Anthony consistently outworked him, landed the harder punches, and steadily wore him down; Anthony scored a knockdown with a left hook in the 7th round; he scored another knockdown in the 8th with series of punches – Izquierdo got up, but was penalized one point for holding; Anthony knocked him down again moments later with a right hand and the referee stopped the fight at 0:54; after the fight, Anthony said, “It was a good victory for me. I always felt I was in charge. The guy was determined and a little awkward, but I made the adjustments I had to make. Fighting a last minute sub, I didn’t really know what to expect. But I got the job done, which is what counts. I am ready to fight next whoever they put in front of me.”...
2007 – on 11-17-07 in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, he TKO’d Oscar Leon (27-6): the fight was on the undercard of the Zab Judah-Ryan Davis main event at the Casablanca Casino; Anthony scored two knockdowns and stopped Leon in the 5th round... On 9-1-07 in Tunica, MS, he won an 8 round unanimous decision against Marteze Logan (25-28-2): the fight was co-featured at Fitzgeralds Casino; Logan gave a determined effort, but Anthony consistently outworked him and landed the harder punches; Anthony was penalized one point for low blows, but won by scores of 79-71, 79-71, 78-72... 2ND NABO JW TITLE DEFENSE - on 5-25-07 in Washington, DC, he TKO’d lefthander Luis Ernesto Jose (27-4-2): the bout headlined at the D.C. Armory, and was the first time Anthony fought in his hometown since June, 2005; Jose gave a good effort but was wild and inaccurate with many of his punches, and Anthony dominated the fight; he staggered Jose several times - with a right hand in the 3rd round, another right hand in the 4th, a left hook in the 7th round, and a series of punches late in the 8th; Jose was down two times in the 9th round – the first time was ruled a slip, the second time a knockdown – he got up but was unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:37; after the fight, Anthony said, “We came home to put on a show tonight, and that is exactly what we did. Our fans, our friends, the city showed out for us, and we showed out for them. Anybody in the top 10. Anyone they’ve got for me, I’m ready to fight.”...
1ST NABO JW TITLE DEFENSE - on 1-5-07 in Biloxi, MS, he knocked out Juan Garza (30-2): the fight headined at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino and was the first fight on the Mississippi Coast since August 20, 2005, nine days before Hurricane Katrina destroyed the area; it was a fast-paced, exciting fight; Anthony started fast and appeared to have the edge in the 1st and 2nd rounds, but Garza stepped up his pace and outworked him in the 3rd; Anthony came on strongly in the 4th round – he rocked Garza with a right hand, then scored a knockdown moments later with a left hook to the body - which seemed to do the most damage - followed by a right hand to the head; Garza went down to his hands and knees, then rolled over on his back and was counted out at 1:37; after the fight, Anthony said, “My coach told me to jab and come back with the right hand. I’m a headhunter. I knew he had a strong chin, so I went to the body.”...
2006 – on 11-18-06 in Tunica, MS, he won an 8 round unanimous decision against former WBO bantamweight world champion Alfred Kotey (24-13-1): the fight headlined at Fitzgerald’s Casino, and Anthony dominated; he jabbed and boxed effectively, and shut out Kotey 80-72 on all three scorecards... On 9-1-06 in E. Peoria, IL, he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Armando Cordova (21-26-2): Lamont co-headlined with his brother Anthony at the Par-A-Dice Casino, and dominated the fight... On 8-4-06 in Memphis, TN, he knocked out Jose Soto (18-3-2): Anthony quickly overpowered Soto; he scored a knockdown with a left hook to the temple-right hand to the body combination that put Soto flat on his back in the 1st round; he scored another knockdown with a left hook to the chin that dropped Soto flat on his face in the 2nd round – he got up but was unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:51; after the fight, Anthony said, “My corner was telling me that his hands were too high. They told me to go to the body, and they were right. I knew it hurt him because he grunted when I hit him, and then he went down.”...
WON VACANT NABO L TITLE - on 6-16-06 in Memphis, TN, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Adan Hernandez (14-4): Anthony dominated the fight; he kept a fast pace, consistently outworked Hernandez, and won by scores of 120-108, 120-108, 119-109... On 4-28-06 in New Town, ND, he TKO’d previously undefeated Jermaine White (13-0): Anthony quickly overpowered White - he scored a knockdown in the 1st round and a standing-8 count in the 2nd; Anthony rocked White with a series of punches in the 3rd round, and the referee stopped the fight after the round; after the fight, Anthony said, “I am a dog. There are killers out there everyday. I know White was undefeated, but he did not show me anything. He came out strong, but had nothing on his punches. I threw a lot of bombs in the first round, and I knew I could take him out in three or four rounds.”… On 3-11-06 in Tunica, MS, he TKO’d Steve Verdin (5-26-2): Anthony dominated the fight, and Verdin did not continue after the 3rd round… On 1-28-06 in Tunica he TKO’d Manuel Bocanegra (6-7-1): Anthony staggered Bocanegra in the 2nd round, and Bocanegra’s corner stopped the fight after the round…
2005 - on 10-15-05 in Lula, MS, he TKO’d Roy Bohannon (13-2): Anthony dominated, and Bohannon’s corner stopped the fight after the 4th round… On 9-2-05 in Little Rock, AR, he TKO’d Jorge Reyes (21-21-2) at 1:38 of the 2nd round… On 8-20-05 in Biloxi, MS, he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Johnny Walker (18-16): scored 60-54, 60-54, 60-52… On 7-26-05 in Memphis he TKO’d Carlos Valdez (8-5): at 1:21 of the 6th round… On 6-18-05 in Memphis he knocked out John Middlebrooks (3-0): at 0:28 of the 1st round… On 6-11-05 in Washington, DC, he TKO’d Wayne Fletcher (4-10-1): at 2:26 of the 6th round… On 5-22-05 in Choctaw, MS, he knocked out Mario Lacey (7-9-4): at 2:20 of the 2nd round… On 4-30-05 in Lula he TKO’d Martin Quiroz (2-7): in the 5th round… On 4-23-05 in Tunica he TKO’d Michael Moss (10-26-2): in the 4th round… On 4-9-05 in El Paso, TX, he won a 4 round unanimous decision against Edgar Pedraza (2-11-2): scored 40-36 on all three scorecards… He debuted at the age of 19 on 9-25-04 in Memphis and knocked out Toris Smith (1-15) in the 2nd round…
AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: A lifelong resident of Washington, D.C., Anthony has six brothers and five sisters...his father was at one time the manager of a grocery store, but became involved in drug abuse, lost his job, and was in and out of jail...the family lost their house, as well, and Anthony and Lamont were homeless for a time...they lived in a homeless shelter for about two years before living on the streets again, sometimes sleeping in a Greyhound Bus station... Anthony said, “I went through all of that stuff with Lamont. My brother and I did a lot of stuff together as kids, but I always ended up in Georgetown. I used to hang out with this guy named James, he was 17. He would take me to Georgetown a lot and showed me how everything worked. It was a few times I went by myself, because I already had it figured out. “I was seven years old, up in Georgetown making money. I was pickpocketing people and stealing. That’s the first order, to survive. At this particular time, I don’t know what Lamont was doing, but I know what I was doing. I would hang out by the most common part, it’s like a movie theater, and then they got food courts and all like that. This was back in like, 1992. It was a whole bunch of stuff down there, and I saw those people walking around and I knew they had a lot of money. “What I’d do, I’d go in the arcade game, where they’re paying attention to the game and not paying attention to me. So I would go in they pocket and take they money. My hands were so small, I never got caught. I used to come home with at least 100 dollars a day. You got to survive. And that’s why every time I fight, I point to my chest. I got ‘Survival A+’ on the right side of my chest. I got that when I was young, when I was about 17. I got it because it had meaning behind it, plus my coach had had it. “I started boxing like, three months after Lamont did. I only did it because he was doing it. I didn’t know nothing about no boxing. I didn’t even like boxing. I wanted to be an actor when I was younger. I would go to a lot of talent shows, singing and dancing. “Actually, Barry Hunter came in there one day. There was about five of us, and we walked in. Out of curiosity, I ran downstairs to see who this man was that was taking my brother to the gym every day. You know, I’m a showoff, and I stepped out of the crowd and I was throwing punches. He liked me. He was like, ‘I like you. You can fight a little bit.’ He told me to come up to the gym next week. I was so proud that he picked me out of the other children. I didn’t like it, though. They did too much exercise and stuff. They made me work, and I was just being the actor.”… Barry Hunter said, “Lamont came into his own when he turned open class in the amateurs, that’s when he did most of his damage. He exploded. At the time that he did that, Anthony had broke his hand, I think it was just before the Golden Gloves in ’02, so we took him out. And that’s when everything kind of changed hands a little bit. Anthony came back and won the Gloves in ’03, we didn’t think he was going to make it back that fast. He was just as good as his brother was. He was just doing it.”... AMATEUR HIGHLIGHTS: 2004 Olympic Box Offs, Cleveland, Oh., 132 pounds: on 2-27-04 he lost a 24-13 decision against Vicente Escobedo of Woodland, Calif…. 2004 Olympic Trials, Tunica, Miss. - SILVER MEDALIST, 125 pounds: in the semifinals on 2-18-04 he won a 14-8 decision against Victor Ortiz of Oxnard, Calif.; in the finals on 2-20-04 he lost a 22-14 decision against Vicente Escobedo of Woodland, Calif. - Escobedo went on to make the Olympic team; in the challenger’s bracket on 2-21-04 he won a 26-19 decision against Karl Dargan of Philadelphia, Penn…. 2003 National Golden Gloves, Las Vegas, Nev. - GOLD MEDALIST, 132 pounds: in his first fight on 5-27-04 he stopped Tony Cervantes of Kansas City, Mo.; in his second fight on 5-28-04 he won a 5-0 decision against Andres Chipres of Las Vegas, Nev.; in the quarterfinals on 5-29-04 he won a 5-0 decision against Rashad Ganaway of Little Rock, Ark.; in the semifinals on 5-30-04 he won a 3-2 decision against Danny Jimenez of Commerce, Calif.; in the finals on 5-31-04 he won a 5-0 decision against Jose Orozco of Fort Worth, Texas… 2001 National Junior Olympics, Marquette, Mich. - GOLD MEDALIST, 132 pounds: in his first fight he won a 5-0 decision against Travante Anderson of Jackson, Tenn.; in the quarterfinals he won a 5-0 decision against Michael Ortiz of Sylmar, Cal.; in the semifinals he won a 5-0 decision against DeAndre Latimore of St. Louis, Mo.; in the finals he won a 4-1 decision against Anthony Dirrell of Flint, Mich….
STRENGTHS: Has an aggressive style, good skills and movement…has good punching power...has good natural athletic ability…physically strong, is always in good condition...had a strong amateur background…
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 28 fights…141 total rounds… AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 5 rounds… KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 70 %... DISTANCE FIGHTS: 12 rounds – 2 (2-0)...10 rounds – 1 (1-0)...
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Alicia Ashley 
