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Schaefer insists he has no inside knowledge regarding Mayweather-Ellerbe rift

Fighters Network
18
Sep
Floyd Mayweather Jr. recently hinted that his business relationship with Leonard Ellerbe (center) might be ending. Could former Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer (left) be next in line to head up Mayweather Promotions?

Floyd Mayweather Jr. recently hinted that his business relationship with Leonard Ellerbe (center) might be ending. Could former Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer (left) be next in line to head up Mayweather Promotions?

Former Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said he doesn’t “know what’s going on” in the apparent rift between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and longtime friend and Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal.
Mayweather hinted in an interview with FightHype.com on Wednesday that he could be parting ways with Ellerbe in the wake of this past Saturday’s unanimous decision over Marcos Maidana at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Schaefer promoted Mayweather’s majority decision over Maidana in May, left Golden Boy in June and was ringside for Mayweather-Maidana II on Saturday.
“I don’t know what’s going on and I don’t have any inside information about what Floyd said,” Schaefer told the Review-Journal “I am retired for the time being and Floyd is my friend and Leonard is my friend and I wish them both nothing but the best.”
Neither Ellerbe nor Schaefer could be reached by RingTV.com for an immediate comment.

 

ORLANDO SALIDO: ‘I CAN STILL FIGHT’

Orlando Salido watched Vasyl Lomachenko’s majority decision over previously unbeaten Gary Russell Jr. for the WBO’s vacant featherweight belt in June, recalling his own split decision triumph over Lomachenko in March.

Lomachenko represents the most recent fight for Salido, who, despite victory, had already lost his WBO title on the scales due to being overweight prior to the bout.



“I think that the way Lomachenko dominated that fight with Russell, that confirmed to me that I can still do a lot in this sport. I still have great abilities and that I can still fight,,” said Salido, 33, a three-time beltholder.

“Lomachenko was one of the best amateurs in the world and I was able to beat him but then, look what he was able to do to one of the best fighters in the world in Russell. So I think that proves my worth because a lot of people were starting to think less of me going into the fight with Lomachenko but I proved them wrong.”

Salido (41-12-2, 28 knockouts) will be after his third straight victory on Saturday when he meets Terdsak Kokietgym (53-4-1, 33 KOs).

Kokietgym represents the junior lightweight debut for Salido, who will fight him at Auditorio Municipal Fausto Guti├®rrez Moreno in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico on Sept. 20.

“Without a doubt, I feel a lot stronger at this weight and I am capable of doing more things than I was previously able to do at the lower weight. Four pounds may not seem like that much of a difference for some people,” said Salido.

“But for me, it was a big difference. My body feels a lot better and it’s been a great help. I had stayed at 126 because, unfortunately, there didn’t seem like there were a lot of opportunities at 130. So like it or not, I felt that I had to make the effort that it took to stay there.”

Last October, Salido won a featherweight belt for the third time with a seventh round stoppage over Orlando Cruz, regaining the WBO’s vacant 126-pound title.

Kokietgym, 33, has won seven straight since falling by unanimous decision to Takahiro Ao in April 2012 and was last in the ring for a unanimous decision over Rene Bestudio in April.

Note: Translation by Top Rank’s Ricardo Jimenez

 

VASYL LOMACHENKO PRIMED FOR FIRST TITLE DEFENSE
Ukrainian southpaw Vasyl Lomachenko (2-1, 1 KO) will make the first defense of his WBO featherweight title against Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo, in support of the Nov. 22 main event featuring Manny Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title defense against Chris Algieri at the Venetian’s Macao’s Cotai Arena in Macao, China.

“I am very happy and excited to have become a world champion in my third professional fight,” said Lomachenko, 26, who stopped Jose Ramirez in the fourth round of his professional debut in October 2013.

“I just followed the plan for the world title fight against Gary Russell: work the body, make him fight as much as possible and then go to the head. Russell was very fast and I had to take my time. I felt I hurt him a few times and I did not feel his power at all. That was a big win for my country and I know that they enjoyed it very much.”

A 29-year-old from Thailand, Piriyapinyo (52-1, 33 KOs) has won eight consecutive fights, six by stoppage, since falling by unanimous decision to Chris John in a failed bid to earn the WBA belt in November 2012.

Note: the record shown for Lomachenko is the one listed by boxrec.com. However, Lomachenko was paid to participate in the World Series of Boxing six times during 2013, scoring a record of 6-0.

In another bout on the Pacquiao-Algieri card, Jessie Vargas is being matched with Antonio DeMarco, a former lightweight beltholder.

DeMarco represents the third straight southpaw opponent for Vargas, who has is coming off consecutive unanimous decision wins over previously unbeaten fighters Khabib Allakhverdiev and Anton Novikov in April and August, respectively.

DeMarco is 3-0 with two knockouts as a welterweight since being dethroned for the WBC lightweight belt in an eighth round stoppage loss to Adrien Broner in November 2012. DeMarco is coming off last month’s unanimous decision over Lanardo Tyner.

“The goal to win another world championship and bring it back to Mexico are the reasons why I keep fighting,” said DeMarco, who rose from a first round knockdown against Tyner. “This fight against Jessie Vargas is a great opportunity to do just that. I am sure that Freddie Roach will have me ready to win the fight and because of our styles I am sure this fight with Vargas will be one that the fans will enjoy.”

In an WBO junior flyweight eliminator bout, three-time Chinese Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming will face Thailand’s Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym, 32, who is also known as Kwanpichit 13 Rien Express.

The winner of Zou-OnesongchaiGym could become the mandatory challenger to Juan Francisco Estrada, who defended his WBA and WBO belts by 11th-round stoppage against Giovani Segura on Sept. 6.

“This will be my first time fighting in a bout that is scheduled for 12 rounds. It will be the toughest test of my skills as a professional. As we all know, the boxing atmosphere in Thailand is awesome. I watched videos of my opponent’s fights, where he performed fiercely and bravely,” said Zou, 33.

“It is no surprise that he is undefeated. I respect his strength and his skills. This fight is so important because so much is at stake, most of all the opportunity to fight for the world title with a victory on Nov. 22. I will make this the best training camp I have ever had so I can give my best performance ever.”

 

NEW YORK HEAVYWEIGHT GEORGE ARIAS TO DEBUT ON GLEN TAPIA CARD

Heavyweight George Arias, a 22-year-old New York Golden Gloves gold medalist from the Bronx, will make his professional debut on the Oct. 4 undercard of a junior middleweight bout between Glen Tapia and Donatas Bondorovas at Bally’s in Atlantic City, Top Rank Promotions announced on Wednesday.

Trained and handled by Leon Washington of New York, Arias’s favorite fighters are Mike Tyson and Joe Frazier.

“My father and myself know [Top Rank matchmaker] Bruce Trampler at Top Rank. We called Bruce and told him George is prepared and ready for professional boxing,” said Washington.

“We call him ‘Gentleman George’ because he smiles and shakes everyone’s hands going into the ring. But then he goes in and destroys, shaking hands again as he walks down the ring steps.”

Born in the Dominican Republic, Arias admires Tyson and Frazier “because they entertained the crowds with their outstanding skills and domination over their opponents,” he said.

“At the same time, I learned to love and respect the sport because every fighter who goes into the ring against me is a warrior too.”

In the featured bout, Tapia is being matched against Bondorovas and in the co-feature, Philadelphia super middleweight Jesse Hart will face Puerto Rico’s Robert Acevedo.

Note: Quotes taken from a release by Top Rank Promotions

 

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