Las Vegas, NV (July 30, 2007) Two-time Las Vegas K-1 tournament champion, Stefan “Blitz” Leko (54-15-1 (1 NC) (32 KO’s), will return to Sin City for the fifth time in his career for a Superfight showdown with former K-1 Italy tournament victor, Petr Vondracek (44-19 (23 KO’s), at Bellagio on Saturday, August 11th.

SANTA YNEZ, Calif. (July 28, 2007) – In a scintillating finish to a thrilling, crowd-pleasing and exciting debut of ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series, KJ Noons bounced back to register an impressive third-round knockout over Edson Berto Friday on SHOWTIME.

Vernon "The Viper" Forrest (39-2, 28 KOs) defeated Carlos "Tata" Baldomir (43-11-6, 13 KOs) to capture the WBC super welterweight championship Saturday night. Forrest was sharp all night, using his quick hands and superior footwork to outclass the Argentine warrior over 12 round. To his credit, Balodmir took Forrest's best punches and was still standing at the final bell. Judges scored the bout 118-109, 118-109, and 116-112 all in favor of Forrest. The only blemish of the night came in the 9th round when Forrest was deducted a point for a low blow. After the fight, Forrest said he would like to take some time off before finding his next opponent. Baldomir was gracious in his defeat and said he would considered hanging up his gloves.

Tacoma, WA - HBO's late-night boxing series heats up with an exciting junior middleweight bout when HBO Boxing After Dark: Vernon Forrest vs. Carlos Baldomir is presented Saturday, July 28 at 10:15 PM (ET/PT) from the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Wash., exclusively on HBO.

In a battle of former welterweight champions, Carlos Baldomir (43-10-6, 13 KOs) of Santa Fe, Argentina takes on Atlanta's Vernon Forrest (38-2, 28 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round event. Baldomir, a former 147-pound titleholder, returns to the ring after three consecutive marquee matchups, which produced two wins (over Zab Judah and Arturo Gatti) and one loss (to Floyd Mayweather). The always aggressive Baldomir suffered his first loss in eight years when Mayweather snapped his winning streak in Las Vegas last November.

Baldomir's opponent in this 154-pound showdown is Vernon Forrest, who's been on a winning streak of his own since returning to the ring after a two-year absence. Forrest has been defeated by only one man - Ricardo Mayorga - in his last 15 years as a professional, and hopes to reestablish himself as a title contender in this highly competitive division.

Saragtoga Springs, N.Y. - Rising Star Andre Berto won a unaniamous decision over Cosme Rivera after being knocked down in the sixth round by a powerful and unexpected left uppercut.

Berto (19-0, 16 KOs), a former Olympian and one of boxings hottest prospects looked flat footed at times, while trying chase Rivera (30-11, 21 KOs) around the ring. Berto seemed frustrated, throwing wild combinations which were aimed at trying to knock out Rivera.

Berto went down after Rivera turned southpaw with ten seconds left in the sixth round. During the break, Berto's corner bought a few extra seconds by changing Berto's glove. Since Rivera seemed like he was in the fight just to survive, he failed to come back and press Berto. Berto came back in the seventh round with devastating combinations and opened a bad cut over Rivera's eye.

Berto's hand speed and power proved to be just too much for Rivera.

Interview with Andre Berto

Los Angeles, CA (July 27th) - Floyd Mayweather Jr. has agreed to come out of "retirement" to take on undefeated British sensation Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton December 8th in Las Vegas. The fight will be held at the 147 pound welterweight limit. Both fighters will be coming off career defining victories, Mayweather (38-0, 24KO's) defeated Oscar De La Hoya 3 months ago that generated over 2.1 million PPV buys and Hatton (43-0, 31KO's) a KO victory over Mexican Legend Jose Luis Castillo.

July 27, 2007 (New York)- Joe Deguardia’s Star Boxing in association with the Atlanta KO Kings today announced an opponent change for the spectacular Friday, August 3 “Crossroads Collision” featherweight co-main event from Atlanta, GA, live broadcast on Showtime boxing series ShoBox: The Next Generation.

New York City, NY (July 26th) - Wednesday July 25th was the second time that "Ferocious" Fernando Vargas and “El Matador” Ricardo Mayorga have met in front of the press. The first time they met ended badly with Mayorga throwing the first punch, Vargas retaliating, and legendary promoter Kathy Duva getting the worst of all punches thrown as she sat between the two men. Wednesday’s press conference was strategically planned to avoid any fights between both men who utterly despise each other. Two stages were set up on opposite sides of the room so that each fighter’s camp would face each other in the press conference. Placing the media throughout the room in-between the two fighters kept heads turning to not miss a second of the barrage of trash talking coming from each man’s mouth.

HOLLYWOOD, FL, July 26 – You’ve heard of the exciting contest that will put you ringside at the Hard Rock Live Arena on August 8th for the return of ‘The Supernova’, former undisputed cruiserweight champion O’Neil Bell, but you can’t make it to your computer to enter, and you’re stranded in the middle of nowhere with nothing but your mobile phone.

Just text message the word “Ringside” on your phone to 36266, and you will be automatically entered to win tickets to the “Rough, Rugged and Raw” event in Hollywood, Florida on Wednesday, August 8th. The show, brought to you by Seminole Warriors Boxing, is headlined by the cruiserweight clash between O’Neil Bell and Louis Azille, and also features former world champion Raul Marquez and rising middleweight star ‘Mean’ Joe Greene in action in separate bouts.

LOS ANGELES (July 25, 2007)- KJ Noon hopes to become the first fighter to hold and MMA Championship and Boxing Belt at the same time. He'll attempt to move close to his goal when he takes on rising star Edson Berto in the first-ever edision of ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series on SHOWTIME this Friday night. Tickets in all price ranges are on sale for Friday’s terrific 10-bout Mixed Martial Arts cage fight card at Chumash Resort Casino at Santa Ynez, Calif. They are priced at $55, $80, $105, $130 and $155. For ticket information and sales, please visit www.chumashcasino.com or call the box office at 1-800-585-3737. Friday’s event starts at 8 p.m. PT. Doors open at 7 o’clock.

Tickets in all price ranges are on sale for Friday’s terrific 10-bout Mixed Martial Arts cage fight card at Chumash Resort Casino at Santa Ynez, Calif. They are priced at $55, $80, $105, $130 and $155.For ticket information and sales, please visit www.chumashcasino.com or call the box office at 1-800-585-3737. Friday’s event starts at 8 p.m. PT. Doors open at 7 o’clock.

The main event will feature Edson Berto (11-3-1) of Orlando, Fla., against KJ Noons (3-1) of San Diego (155-pound match). In the co-feature, Aaron Wetherspoon of (5-2) of Irvine, Calif., will meet hometown champion Jeremiah Metcalf (5-2) of Santa Ynez in a King of the Cage/Gladiator Challenge welterweight championship unification match.

Up to six additional fights on Friday will be streamed live on the Internet (www.ProElite.com) immediately following the SHOWTIME telecast.

NEW YORK, July 25, 2007 – The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI) today announced the dates, venues and rosters for the 2007 IFL World Grand Prix, the individual all-star competition for the world’s number one mixed martial arts league. The semifinals will be held on Saturday, Nov. 3 at the Sears Centre in Chicago and the finals will take place on Saturday, Dec. 29 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., sites of two of the league’s most successful team events in 2007.

STAMFORD, Conn. (July 25, 2007) – Tye “Big Sky” Fields (37-1, 33 KOs) one of the rising stars in the heavyweight division will face one of his biggest challenges to date in Cedric Boswell (24-1, 19 KOs) in a 10-round clash that will headline the next Fight Night on VERSUS in collaboration with Top Rank Boxing, Thursday, August 9 at 9 p.m. ET from the Hard Rock Hotel Casino in Las Vegas.

New York, NY (July 25th) - Legendary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion, Renzo Gracie, spoke with the media in New York regarding the upcoming International Fight League event next week at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ. Gracie was very excited for the upcoming fight and the growth of the IFL in its infancy stages. The International Fight League feels that it has put together a format for their league that will relate with fans and consistently grow.

Houston, TX (July 24, 2007) - Twenty-three-year-old unified lightweight champion Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz has been deputized as a Volunteer Voter Registrar in his hometown of Houston. His first registration was for his mother.

HOLLYWOOD, FL, July 23 – It's been a long time coming, but on Saturday, August 4th, WBA super bantamweight champion Celestino Caballero will finally make his long-awaited return to premium cable airwaves when he defends his title on Showtime against perennial contender Jorge Lacierva.

New York, July 24—Undisputed and Undefeated World Middleweight Champion Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor will make the fifth defense of his two-year title reign when he faces the stiff test of number 1 contender (WBC, WBO) Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik on Saturday night, September 29, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, it was announced today by Lou DiBella, president of DiBella Entertainment.

Bernard Hopkins earned a unanimous decision victory over Ronald “Winky” Wright. In the third round, Wright suffered a cut above his left eye after he was hit with an accidental head butt from Hopkins. Hopkins was warned numerous times for obsessive head butts, but was never penalized. Ironically, it was the younger Wright who seemed to tire down the stretch. Scores were 116-112, 117-111, and 117-111.

photo courtesy of Getty Images

More news to come!

touchgloves.com Exclusive predictions below.

Vegas lines after the weigh-in: Wright (-150) vs. Hopkins

Farz B. – Hopkins should have stayed retired. This is the first time Hopkins may be coming into a fight with some doubt in his mind. Wright’s jabs will help him control the fight. Wright by decision.

photo courtesy of HBO PPV

Los Angeles, CA (July 20, 2007) Bernard Hopkins and Winky Wright both weighed in at 170 pounds today for their fight tomorrow night in Las Vegas, Nevada. Billed as “Coming To Fight” both fighters have vowed to fight hard and both will be going for the knockout. Both fighters are known more for their fabulous defense than their knockout abilities. HBO PPV will televise the fight starting at 9pm ET/6pm PT. The two fighter's started their fight early.

Pictures after the jump.

June 29, 2007; San Jose, CA…. Frank Shamrock’s elite martial arts academy, the Shamrock Martial Arts Academy, in San Jose, California, will hold an open house in honor of Frank Shamrock’s victory against Phil Baroni on July 21, 2007. Frank Shamrock became the first Strikeforce middleweight (185 lb. limit) champion in history by submitting Phil “The New York Bad Ass” Baroni with a rear naked choke four minutes into the second round of their EliteXC-Strikeforce main event showdown that was nothing short of an all-out slugfest.

Accra, Ghana July 17—Ghanaian Boxing superstar Ike “Bazooka” Quartey (37-4-1, 31 KO’s) is ready to start fighting again and is prepared to take on all comers. While he is busy preparing for the opening of his new hospital in Accra, he has already begun intense training back at home in preparation for his next battle.

NEW YORK (July 19, 2007) – Showtime Networks Inc. and mixed martial arts organization EliteXC officially announced today the debut of a new series on the premium television network, ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series. The series will premiere live on Friday, July 27 at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast), from Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, Calif.

NEW YORK, July 18, 2007- The International Fight League, the world's number one professional mixed martial arts league, takes a look at the matchup between the unbeaten New York Pitbulls, coached by Renzo Gracie, and Toronto Dragons, coached by Carlos Newton, with a playoff berth on the line, in the next episode of "IFL Battleground" on Monday, July 23, at 8 p.m. ET/PT (7 p.m. CT/MT). "IFL Battleground" airs every Monday night, with a replay on Saturday, on MyNetworkTV.

Los Angeles, CA (July 17th) - Tickets for the Fernando Vargas vs. Ricardo Mayorga bout went on sale yesterday, July 16th. Tickets priced at $300, $150, $100 and $50 are avilable online at ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (213) 480-3232 or (714) 740-2000 and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers including Wherehouse Music, Robinsons-May, Tower Records and Ritmo Latino locations. Tickets are also available at the STAPLES Center box office and the box office at TEAM LA at Universal CityWalk.

Two of boxing’s most popular and colorful personalities, two-time world champion “El Feroz” Fernando Vargas and three-time world champion Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga, have agreed to face each other in a scheduled 12-round match fought at a catch weight of 162 pounds in what promises to be a knock-down, drag-out, fight-to-the-finish slugfest at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Saturday, Sept. 8

NEW YORK (July 16, 2007) - Two up and coming heavyweight prospects, Kevin “The Kingpin” Johnson (15-0-1, 6 KOs) and Damian “Bolo” Wills (22-1-1, 16 KOs), will have their chance to make a mark on the American heavyweight picture when they meet on the renowned SHOWTIME series – ShoBox: The Next Generation, Friday, August 3, from Atlanta, Ga. In the featherweight co-feature, Eric Hunter (7-1, 3 KOs), of Philadelphia, Pa., will take on Joel Santiago (8-0, 2 KOs) of Mexico City, Mexico.

Las Vegas, NV (July 15, 2007) - Undefeated knockout artist, “Savage” Rick Cheek, (19-0 (17 KO’s) (1 No Contest), and fellow United States representatives and Muay Thai stars Patrick Barry (14-3-1 (8 KO’s) and Esh’Chadar “The Dispossessor” Brown Ton (6-1 (3 KO’s) will each battle to become the next K-1 North America tournament champion during the “2007 K-1 World GP In Las Vegas” eight-man, single-elimination playoff at Las Vegas, Nevada’s Bellagio on Saturday, August 11th.

Los Angeles, CA (July 15th) - Paul “The Punisher” Williams lived up to his nickname Saturday night in his twelve round championship bout against former champion Antonio Margarito at the Home Depot Center. Williams came out strong early, combining jabs, crosses, hooks, and fancy footwork to outwork the “Tijuana Tornado” for the first six rounds. With the majority of the 8,000 fans who packed the Home Depot Center behind him, Margarito (34-5, 24 KO’s) adjusted to Williams and mounted a strong comeback. But it wasn’t enough, as Williams won the crucial twelfth round on two of the judge’s scorecards (both scored it 115-113) to come away with the unanimous decision. Touchgloves.com had it 116-114 for Williams.

Paul Williams defeated Antonio Margarito last night via unanimous decision to win the WBO Welterweight championship. Score were 116-114, 115-113, and 115-113. In front of 8,000 fans at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, Williams outworked Margarito for the majority of the fight, throwing combination after combination all while flashing his brilliant speed and defense along the way. Margarito, who chose to fight Williams over WBA champion Miguel Cotto, started slow but showed a lot of heart coming back and winning th majority of the late rounds.

Pictures and a full report to come.

Atlantic City, NJ (July 14th) - Kermit Cintron needed just over one round to defeat Walter Dario Matthysse. Matthysse went down after a vicious combination by Kermit Cintron who retained his IBF welterweight title. Matthysse was knocked down in the first round and again early in the second round. 29-seconds into the second round Cintron's combination of a left uppercut and then a hard right was all that Matthysse could take. Cintron won his fourth straight bout since his 2005 loss to Antonio Margarito. Cintron, now 28-1, looks to be on a real roll as of late.

- "The Contender" proved to be just that on Saturday night in Atlantic City. Alfonso Gomez dominated an aging Arturo "Thunder" Gatti, who as always stood in the ring and showed a tremendous amount of courage although easily outclassed and outmatched. After enduring a six round beating, Gatti couldn't make it through the seventh round as he was knocked out midway through the seventh round. After the bout, a bloodied Gatti confirmed his retirement in an HBO interview. Gomez, now 17-3-2, of reality television fame shows that he may have a promising future. Gomez, who says he once idolized Arturo Gatti, easily defeated Gatti in a slaughter. After the bout, Gatti announced his retirement with a career record of 40-9.

Los Angeles, CA (July 13th) - Antonio Margarito defends his WBO Welterweight Championship against number one contender Paul Williams Saturday night from the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Margarito accepted the fight after turning down a unification title bout with WBA Champion Miguel Cotto. HBO will televise the fight as a part of a tripleheader live at 9pm ET/6pm PT.

Los Angeles, CA (July 12, 2007) - Antonio Margarito and Paul Williams met today at the world famous Santa Monica Pier in front of fans and media to talk about their Saturday night bout from the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles. Both fighters looked fit and rested for their welterweight showdown.

More Pictures inside

PHOTO By TOM CASINO/SHOWTIME
LOS ANGELES, CA (July 11th) — Two of boxing’s most popular and colorful personalities, two-time world champion “El Feroz” Fernando Vargas and three-time world champion Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga, have agreed to face each other in a scheduled 12-round match fought at a catch weight of 162 pounds in what promises to be a knock-down, drag-out, fight-to-the-finish slugfest at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Saturday, Sept. 8. A fight broke out at a press conference on Wednesday in Los Angeles where former world champions met for the first time.

Tickets priced at $300, $150, $100 and $50 go on sale Monday at noon online at ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (213) 480-3232 or (714) 740-2000 and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers including Wherehouse Music, Robinsons-May, Tower Records and Ritmo Latino locations. Tickets are also available at the STAPLES Center box office and the box office at TEAM LA at Universal CityWalk.

NEW YORK, July 11, 2007- The International Fight League , the world's number one professional mixed martial arts league, takes a look at the matchup between the unbeaten and first-place Los Angeles Anacondas and the surprising Seattle Tiger Sharks, with a playoff berth on the line, in the next episode of "IFL Battleground" on Monday, July 16, at 8 p.m. ET/PT (7 p.m. CT/MT). "IFL Battleground" airs every Monday night, with a replay on Saturday, on MyNetworkTV.

Los Angeles, CA (July 10) - Margarito, Williams, Ward, and Arreola will be featured at a press conference and weigh-in leading up to their fights on “Pride N’ Punishment” Saturday, July 14, at the outdoor tennis stadium at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The Press conference will be held Thursday, July 12th, in Santa Monica at the Pier starting at 1pm. The following day, July 13th, the final weigh-in will be held at the Crown Plaza Hotel, LAX in the Colombard Room starting at 3pm. Fans are welcomed to both events.

Tickets, available for as low as $25, are on sale at Ticketmaster outlets and online at www.Ticketmaster.com, and The Home Depot Center Box Office (open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.). The first bout July 14 will begin at 5:30 p.m. PT.