Global promoter for WRC appointed.

January, 29th, Sligo, Ireland. As the cars and drivers make their way to the start line of the 2009 WRC season opener @ Rally Ireland, International Sportsworld Communicators has been announced as the global promoter of the World Rally Championship.
The 10-year deal - which officially starts in 2010 - with the sport's governing body, the FIA, was announced this morning upon completion of the final contract details. The tendering process closed last year and the parties have been in negotiation since then.
ISC was selected by a panel made up of WRC event organizers, the WRC commission and representatives from the FIA.
FIA president Max Mosley said: "We received significant interest in this tender but ISC, with its experience in rallying and its ambitious plans for the Championship, proved a worthy winner.
"We can now look forward with a great deal of optimism as ISC implements its comprehensive strategy for the Championship's future."
ISC has held the commercial rights to the WRC since 1996. Formerly owned by David Richards, North One Television took over ISC in October, 2007. Due to ISC's commercial position in the WRC, the new deal will start immediately and run until the end of 2020.
Neil Duncanson, ISC Chairman, said: "This represents the start of a new era for the sport - a genuine opportunity for everyone involved in the World Rally Championship to work together to build something special for the future.
"We are really excited about the challenge, especially reaching out to new rally fans as our media landscape morphs into the digital age."

TWO WORLD TITLE FIGHTS – ONE NIGHT!

COTTO & PAVLIKTWO WORLD TITLE FIGHTS – ONE NIGHT!

Saturday, February 21, 2009Live on Pay-Per-View

“IRELAND’S” JOHN DUDDY and ANTHONY PETERSON HIGHLIGHT COTTO vs. JENNINGS GARDEN PARTY! UNDEFEATED CONTENDERS’

FIGHTS WILL BEFEATURED ON PAY-PER-VIEW BROADCAST
NEW YORK, NY (January 27, 2009) – Undefeated Top-Five contenders “Ireland’s” JOHN DUDDY and ANTHONY PETERSON will light it up in separate bouts at Madison Square Garden, headlining the undercard of the Miguel Cotto vs. Michael Jennings / Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik vs. Marco Antonio Rubio two-city / two-title pay-per-view extravaganza.

Duddy will go mano-a-mano with MATT “The Predator” VANDA and Peterson will rumble with EDNER “Cherry Bomb” CHERRY, in 10-round middleweight and lightweight bouts, respectively.

Together, these four warriors boast a combined record of 116-14-2 (70 KOs ) – a winning percentage of 88%.

Two title fights in two different towns on one pay-per-view broadcast! This event is so big, both Michael Buffer and Jimmy Lennon, Jr. will be introducing the main events from New York and Youngstown, respectively.

Spectators at The Garden will be able to see the live broadcast of the Pavlik-Rubio fight. Spectators at the Chevrolet Centre will be able to see the live broadcast of the Cotto-Jennings fight.

Promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank, the Cotto-Pavlik doubleheader will take place Saturday, February 21 and will be broadcast Live on Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

Remaining tickets to the Madison Square Garden event , priced at $500, $300, $200, $100, and $50, can be purchased at the Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets or online at http://www.thegarden.com/.

Remaining tickets to the Chevrolet Centre event, priced at $500, $300, and $200 can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, Retail Locations, including Giant Eagle and Macy’s, or charge by phone at (800) 745-3000 or (866) 448-7849. Tickets are also available at the Chevrolet Centre Box Office. Additional fees may be applicable. There will be a ticket limit of eight (8) per customer.

Duddy (25-0, 17 KOs), from Derry, Ireland, is a huge fan favorite at The Garden drawing tens of thousands to the “Mecca of Boxing” throughout his five-year professional career. The former WBC Continental Americas middleweight champion boasts victories over former world champion Yory Boy Campas and two-time world title contender Howard Eastman.

Currently world-rated No. 2 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO), No. 3 by the World Boxing Council (WBC), and No. 7 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF), Duddy’’s aggressive, hard-hitting style has not only made for exciting fights but has also developed a very strong following on both sides of the Atlantic, drawing capacity crowds in New York, Boston, Dublin and Belfast. Vanda (39-8, 22 KOs ), from St. Paul , Minn. , is a 12-year battle-tested veteran who has never taken a step backward in the ring.

Known as “The Predator” for the way he hunts down his opponents in the ring before finishing them off, less than half the opponents Vanda has vanquished have gone the distance. He is a former International Boxing Association Americas junior middleweight champion, won via an exciting 12-round split decision over former world champion Yory Boy Campas. Famous for his trademark upper body tattoos, Vanda returns to the ring on the heels of an exciting two-fight series against undefeated contender Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.

Peterson (28-0, 19 KOs ), from Washington , D.C. , is a rising star within the lightweight division. Currently world-rated No. 4 by the WBC and WBO and No. 6 by the IBF, Peterson, 23, returns to the ring on the heels of an impressive 10-round unanimous decision victory over former world lightweight champion Javier Jauregui in a fast-paced fight that not only showed how far Peterson has progressed since his professional debut in 2004, but also displayed his aggressive style, boxing skills and punching power.

A former North American Boxing Organization (NABO) lightweight champion, he became the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) lightweight champion last June, winning a dominating 12-round unanimous decision over gritty veteran Fernando Trejo.

Cherry ( 24-6-2 , 12 KOs ), from Nassau , Bahamas , has held NABF and North American Boxing Association (NABA) lightweight titles. Known for his aggressive style and as a pressure style fighter, Cherry, 26, has a collection of impressive victories on his resume including Monty Meza-Clay, Daniel Alcea, Wes Ferguson and Marco Perez.

Currently world-rated No. 10 by the WBC, Cherry returns to the ring fresh from his first world title challenge, where he moved up in weight and lost a 12-round decision to undefeated WBC super lightweight champion Timothy Bradley, Jr. last September. The Cotto vs. Jennings / Pavlik vs. Rubio pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $44.95. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. For Cotto vs. Jennings / Pavlik vs. Rubio fight week updates, log on to http://www.toprank.com/.

Don King Productions ‘St. Valentine’s Day Massacre’

SUNRISE, Fla.—Unified lightweight world champion Nate “Galaxxy Warrior” Campbell (32-5-1, 25 KOs) gave a stern warning to International Boxing Federation No. 1-Ranked lightweight mandatory challenger Ali “Rush Hour” Funeka (30-1, 25 KOs) at a Don King-hosted press conference at BankAtlantic Center today promoting their Valentine’s Day meeting in South Florida.

“I’m a New Age guy that likes to be on the Internet,” Campbell began. “Then I went on the Web and read what Ali Funeka said he’s going to do to me on Valentine’s Day. He said he sees nothing special in me. He said he knows me like the back of his hand. That’s rhetoric but he’s going to pay for it. I’m going to beat him like he tried to steal something from me.”

Campbell said there was no previous ill will between him and his South African opponent.

“This was a basic training camp for me until I heard his mouth. Now it’s personal. He’s got to pay the retail American price for his words, not the South African price. I’m going to hit this 6-foot-1-inch Funeka everywhere it’s legal and maybe where it ain’t if the referee turns his back. If he truly wants to win, he better be ready to fight, kill or die.”

Campbell’s comments caught the attention of the assembled media and his promoter, Don King.

“He’s not fooling around,” King said of Campbell’s comments. “Don’t forget what this man did to Juan Diaz, and he did that partly on my behalf. I hope Funeka knows what he’s getting into.”

King announced tickets to the fight, priced at $200, $75, $40 and $25 (with all seats buy one, get one free excepting a limited number of golden circle seats) will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday and can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, charge by phone at (800) 745-3000, by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or at the BankAtlantic Center box office.


Dubbed “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” by King, the card will also feature colorful former three-time world champion Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga (28-7-1, 22 KOs) tangling with undefeated Alfredo “Perro” Angulo (14-0, 11 KOs) to determine the WBC’s No. 1 ranking and mandatory challenger at the 154-pound limit as well as another important match at 154 pounds with interim WBC super welterweight champion Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez (44-1-1, 24 KOs) taking on former IBF welterweight champion Kermit “The Killer” Cintron (30-2, 27 KOs).


A full undercard, with opponents to be announced soon, will showcase heavyweights Ray “The Rainman” Austin (26-4, 17 KOs) and Bermane “B-Ware” Stiverne (16-1, 16 KOs); undefeated cruiserweight Francisco “The Wizard” Palacios (16-0, 9 KOs); welterweight Ivan Kirpa (22-1, 14 KOs); lightweights Anges Adjaho (23-1, 14 KOs) and Angelo “The Cobra” Santana (4-0, 3 KOs); junior lightweight John “Action” Jackson (13-1, 13 KOs); undefeated light heavyweight Anthony Dirrell (14-0, 12 KOs); and featherweight Gary Russell (1-0, 1 KO).


The event is promoted by Don King Productions. Campbell vs. Funeka is presented in association with One Punch Productions. Mayorga vs. Angulo is a co-promotion with Gary Shaw Productions. Campbell vs. Funeka, Mayorga vs. Angulo and Martinez vs. Cintron will also be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

O’Connor fighting Friday night in Montreal

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (November 26, 2008) – 2008 U.S. Olympic first alternate Danny O’Connor heads north of the border to fight pro-debuting Greg Jimenez off-television on this week’s ESPN Friday Night Fights show, headlined by the IBF light welterweight title fight between Herman Ngoudjo and Juan Urango, at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

In his last fight, the 23-year-old O’Connor (2-0, 2 KOs) pitched a shutout last November against 16-fight veteran Anthony Woods, winning all four rounds on each of the three judge’s scorecards (40-35, 40-36, 40-36), at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

“I’m happy to be making a trip to Canada,” O’Connor said. “I can’t wait to fight. I’ve been working hard in the gym….training, training and training. I’ve come to realize that sometimes it’s difficult in the pros because opponents get switched around. It’s all part of the learning process. I train the same for all opponents, assuming that they’re going to bring their A game. I’m ready to fight. I’m in great shape and I can’t wait to show everyone there what I’ve been working on in the gym (401 Gym in Cranston, Rhode Island).”
O’Connor, fighting out of Framingham (MA), won last year’s US Future Stars National Championship, in which he was named Most Outstanding Boxer, as well as the 2008 National Golden Gloves Tournament. Danny, who signed a promotional contract with Seminole Warriors Boxing, defeated 2008 Olympic Gold medalist Felix Diaz, of the Dominican Republic, last May as an amateur in a USA-Dominican Republic dual meet.
“I love Montreal and the opportunity for Danny to fight there makes a lot of sense,” added O’Connor’s head trainer, Dave Keefe, who also co-manages Danny with Rob Valle. “I’m happy we’re fighting on the undercard of an IBF light welterweight title fight, which we hopefully will be fighting for in a couple of years.”

Bob Trieger, Full Court Press