Harris training hard for February 20 Bout Against Matthysse!

By Brandon Estrict



Former WBA Light-Welterweight champion Vivian Harris, 29-3-1 (19), keeps on trucking.



His fight with undefeated Lucas Martin Matthysse, scheduled to be on the off-TV portion of the Andre Berto-Shane Mosley HBO headlined card, was canceled when the Haitian born Berto withdrew after losing 8 family members in the natural disaster that ravaged the Caribbean nation. While Berto’s situation understandably canned the entire card, Harris was unsure if the fight was going to be rescheduled. Luckily, the Carlstadt resident received word that he will still have the opportunity to face Matthysse.



Harris will now take on the unbeaten Argentinean, who is 25-0 (23), February 20 in Mexico City, Mexico. The bout is Harris’ first since his fight with Noe Bolanos last summer, in which an accidental clash of heads produced a frightening outcome. Harris collapsed just seconds after the vicious clash and was taken out of the arena on a stretcher. The bout was declared a no-contest after two rounds.



For Matthysse, a fight with Harris represents a significant step up in the class of his, thus far, soft-touch opposition.



Harris, meanwhile, hopes to become the first man to beat Matthysse, the brother of fringe contender Walter, and get his career back on track.



“Vivian’s been working hard”, said Harris’ co-trainer Aroz “Terrific” Gist, a Paterson native who also handles training duties for Kendall Holt.



“A couple fights ago (in a bout with Octavio Narvaez) he was fighting a tough guy and he had to come from behind and stop him to win. He’s hungry, he sees the doubters out there and he wants to prove them wrong and become a world champion again”.



Harris finishes up camp at the end of next week and will head to Mexico City for final preparations.

Quotes from Adamek Estrada Final Presser!

Kathy Duva, CEO Main Events –“Tomasz has to win against Jason Estrada before he can realize his dream of being the heavyweight champion. It’s a tremendous fight, people are watching it closely. We are delighted to be promoting it.”



“A lot of people are asking me why Tomasz took this fight. It is one of those fights where it seems as if we brought in a young guy who pretty much plays to Tomasz’s “not so strengths”; I don’t want to say weaknesses because I don’t think Tomasz has any of those! Jason’s got strength, he’s got speed, he’s got movement. He’s got a lot of the things that have given Tomasz problems in the past. This fight will give Tomas a good opportunity to deal with all those things.”



“Tomasz is never afraid, he amazes me. He goes into each fight calm and cool, and always confident that he will win. We all believe in him. We know he will give us another great fight, in exciting Adamek fashion and add another victory to his record.”



Tomasz Adamek - “I never underestimate anyone, ever. This is boxing; you have to be prepared every time because you can lose not only the fight but also your health. I know what’s at stake on Saturday – for me and for Jason.”



“I’m always asked if I feel worthy to be in the heavyweight division and my answer always is – just watch me fight and you’ll know the answer. I don’t expect anybody to respect me because I was champion in two other weight classes – just enjoy what you see when I’m in the ring. I did not lose any strength as compared to being a light heavyweight or cruiser weight. Contrary – fighting at my natural weight helped me be a better boxer. I expect to weigh around 222 pounds for the fight. That’s natural weight and power, zero loss of energy.”



“Mine will be a great mix of European and American style boxing because of my two trainers – Roger Bloodworth and Andrzej Gmitruk.“



“Jason is a very unorthodox fighter for this weight class, buy I always believed that no matter who I’m fighting against, it is up to me if I win or lose. I know his strengths; I’m sure he thinks he knows my weaknesses. But whatever we are saying now makes no difference whatsoever. You can prove yourself in only one way – by winning. And this is exactly what I intend to do on Saturday. Don’t blink, don’t miss a second”.



“I will win.”



Jason Estrada – “Funny thing is when I was playing video games as a light heavyweight I was always playing as Tomasz Adamek. Loved his style and I still love what he did in light heavy and cruiserweight division. But this is different story, he’s among big boys now and it will be over his head to fight people like me. Experience, ring ability – everything is on my side. He’s making a big error thinking that beating aging Golota makes him a good heavyweight. Not at all.”



“I also understand that he has to say the things he’s saying – about putting me on canvas, talking about other fights after fighting me. He has to believe it, but believing and doing it are two different things.”



“This was my best training camp ever – by far. More than 8 weeks of very hard work, no injuries, no problems. I’m in my prime, I have to prove this now and help Adamek to fight Steve Cunningham again – as a cruiserweight. After this fight he will be finished in my division. I will prove that those are not just words this coming Saturday.”



Jimmy Burchfield, CES – “Main Events is the greatest promotion company in the whole sport. They only made one mistake; and that was picking Jason Estrada!”



“I want to thank all of the Polish people that have come here to support Tomasz Adamek, but Jason “Big Six” Estrada is fighting for United States of America. He’s fighting for his classmates of the 2004 Olympians. He’s fighting for every future, past and present Olympian. We don’t come to this fight as an opponent. We come to fight, we come to win.”



“I see some of the media and HBO looking past Jason Estrada. You are all making a big, big, big mistake. Jason’s won every amateur title you can imagine. He’s fought the real fighters, so this is going to be a real fight.”



Photo credit:KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI

Tamara-Calderon in the Works?

Manager Nelson Fernandez informed GSFS that talks between his newly crowned IBF Junior Flyweight champion Carlos Tamara of North Bergen and WBO/Ring Magazine champion Ivan Calderon of Guaynabo, PR are likely to take place in the coming days about a unification match in Puerto Rico.



“We understand that Calderon is a longtime champion and a great fighter, but we are looking for a fair negotiation”, stated Fernandez. “Everyone wanted to see Calderon vs Viloria, but Carlos is the man that beat the man, so this is the fight to make!”



Tamara, 21-4 (15 KO’s), scored a shocking 12th round TKO to take Viloria’s belt January 23 in The Philippines. The 2004 Olympian was behind on points, but battled back in what many insiders consider the biggest upset thus far in 2010.



Unbeaten at 33-0-1 with 6 wins by kayo, Calderon is regarded as one of the top fighters on the planet. The slick boxing Puerto Rican was a longtime title holder at Strawweight (105 lbs), before moving to junior flyweight, where he has five successful defenses.



Tamara and a member of Universal Promotions are heading to Puerto Rico Tuesday to stop by a number of radio and TV stations to spice up the potential fight.



E-mails to Puerto Rico based promotional firm PR’s Best Boxing weren’t immediately returned, but Calderon is tentatively scheduled to fight in April.

The "New" Shamone Alvarez Looking to Emerge Victorious Saturday Night in AC!

On Saturday February 6th, Atlantic City’s welterweight contender Shamone “The Truth” Alvarez (20-2, 11KO) will look to get his career back underway and once again begin his ascent into the upper echelon of the welterweight division when he takes on Mexican knockout artist, Alexis Camacho (17-2, 16KO). The show, promoted by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing, will take place at the Tropicana Casino and Resort and be broadcast live on GoFightLive.tv.

SHAMONE “THE TRUTH” ALVAREZ



The 33-year-old Alvarez began his professional career in 2002, and went onto to string together 19 consecutive victories, including picking up the WBO NABO welterweight title. In 2007 Alvarez squared off against Joshua Clottey in an official IBF title eliminator, dropping a decision to the eventual IBF welterweight champion.



After the loss Alvarez took some time off from the sport. He returned just under a year later to win a ten round decision over Terrance Cauthen in December of 2008.



The win over Cauthen put Alvarez in yet another official IBF title eliminator, this time against Delvin Rodriguez. The fight, which took place in March of last year, saw Alvarez lose a razor thin decision in a fight that many argued Alvarez could have won.



In October, Alvarez was scheduled to face undefeated Canadian contender Antonin Decarie (now 23-0), but the week of the fight, Alvarez injured his knee while running and had to pull out.



Alvarez is now back and according to the contender, more ready and hungrier than ever.



“This is my time,” stated Alvarez. “Physically and mentally I am one-hundred percent ready and focused to climb back into the world title picture. In both my losses I know what I did wrong and I have learned from them. You are going to see the old but at the same time the new and improved Shamone Alvarez when I get in that ring from now on. When I first came up I was very aggressive and took the fight right to my opponents. In my two losses my lack of aggressiveness cost me the fights, and cost me the world title opportunities. I’m on my third strike, trust me I don’t plan on striking out.”



In the fight against Camacho, Alvarez will be facing a big puncher and someone who will not be afraid to mix it up with him, something that Alvarez is well aware of, and looking forward to.



“I have watched tapes of him and I know that he can crack. You look at his record and you see that he obviously has some power but he has never been inside the ring with someone who is on my level. From what I have seen of him he is a typical Mexican style fighter, he comes forward, he throws big punches, he is durable, but he is there to be hit, and as you will see come Saturday night, he will be hit.”



While Alvarez states that he is not looking past the task at hand, he does have big expectations for himself in 2010.



“2010 is going to be a big year for me. God-willing everything goes well on Saturday, I am looking at a possible March 27th date to fight for the IBO title. Once I pick up the IBO belt, I will then hopefully have a chance to go to Canada to take on Decarie as we have unfinished business. At that point I will be ready to challenge any of the world champions in the welterweight division, it’s just a matter of who gives me that shot. There is no more playing around. You are going to see the dog come out of me this year, and for all those welterweight contenders and champions out there, look out because I’m coming for you.”



The Tropicana Casino and Resort is located at 2831 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ and can be contacted by calling (609) 340-4000. Tickets are priced at $100 (ringside), $50 and $30 with a limited number of V.I.P. packages available at $200. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Star Boxing office at (718) 823-2000 or visiting www.starboxing.com. Tickets may also be purchased at any Ticketmaster outlet, www.ticketmaster.com, or at the Tropicana North Tower Box Office.



ABOUT STAR BOXING:

Star Boxing, Inc. has been in operation since 1992. Star Boxing has worked to produce some of the most exciting and memorable boxing events in recent history. Star has continued to work with and develop a number of very exciting world champions, world rated contenders and young prospects. Star has consistently brought credibility, integrity, and exciting fights to the boxing industry. For more information on Star Boxing, visit the official website at www.starboxing.com.



ABOUT TROPICANA CASINO & RESORT:

The Tropicana Casino & Resort is a 24-hour gaming destination located on the beach and Boardwalk. Featuring more than 2,100 rooms and suites and home of The Quarter, a 200,000 square foot entertainment complex, Tropicana is the premier resort in Atlantic City. With more than 20 restaurants, 25 shops, 12 bars and lounges, 2 pools, an IMAX Theatre and a spa, Tropicana is consistently rated as the “Must-See Attraction” in Atlantic City. For more information, visit the new official Web Site at www.tropicana.net For more exclusive discounts, current information, pictures, and video, be sure to check out the Tropicana on the Web at www.facebook.com/TropAC or follow us on Twitter twitter.com/TropicanaAC