01.23.10 fact sheet - emcevents.com · fact sheet 12 rounds – wbo featherweight championship juan...

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FACT SHEET

12 Rounds – WBO Featherweight Championship

JUAN MANUEL LOPEZ vs. STEVEN LUEVANO WBO Jr. Featherweight Champion WBO Featherweight Champion Caguas, Puerto Rico La Puente, CA

27-0, 24 KOs 37-1-1, 15 KOs

12 Rounds – WBA Featherweight Championship YURIORKIS GAMBOA vs. ROGERS MTAGWA WBA Featherweight Champion IBF No. 7 & WBO No. 10 Cuba Philadelphia, PA 16-0, 14 KOs 26-13-2, 18 KOs

* Bouts Subject to Change When: Saturday, January 23, 2010 Where: WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden Tickets: Tickets, priced at $200, $100, $75 and $50, go on sale TODAY, THURSDAY, December

3 at 12 Noon and will be available at the Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets or online at www.thegarden.com.

Television: Broadcast live on HBO’s Boxing After Dark beginning at 9:45 PM ET/PT

(delayed on the west coast) Promoter: Top Rank, in association with Arena Box U.S., PR Best Boxing and

Madison Square Garden. Contacts: Lee Samuels, Top Rank: (702) 732-2717

Ricardo Jimenez, Top Rank: (909) 615-3436 Malte Müller-Michaelis, Arena Box: 011-49-162-2005615 Fred Sternburg, Sternburg Communications: (303) 740-7746 Dan Schoenberg, Madsion Square Garden: (212) 465-6357 Larry Torres, Madison Square Garden: (212) 631-5178 Ed Keenan, EMC: (609) 399-1330 Media Credentials: www.emcevents.com Fight Week Updates: www.toprank.com

JUAN MANUEL LOPEZ vs. STEVEN LUEVANO YURIORKIS GAMBOA vs. ROGERS MTAGWA

HEADLINE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLEHEADER LIVE ON HBO FROM MADISON SQUARE GARDEN!

Tickets Go On Sale Today! Thursday, December 3 at Noon

NEW YORK (December 3, 2009) – World champions JUAN MANUEL “JuanMa” LOPEZ, STEVEN LUEVANO and YURIORKIS GAMBOA, and Top-10 contender ROGERS MTAGWA will kickoff the new decade in separate world featherweight title fights, Saturday,

January 23, in the WaMu Theater in the “Mecca of Boxing,” Madison Square Garden. Lopez, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior featherweight champion, will be moving

up to challenge WBO featherweight titlist STEVEN LUEVANO, while Gamboa defends his

World Boxing Association championship belt against top-10 contender ROGERS MTAGWA.

Both fights will be televised live on HBO on the 2010 premiere telecast of Boxing After Dark,

beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast.) These four sluggers boast a

combined record of 106-14-3 (71 KOs), a winning percentage of 86% and a victory by

knockout ratio of 67%.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Arena Boxing U.S. and PR Best Boxing,

tickets, priced at $200, $100, $75 and $50, go on sale Today! Thursday, December 3 at

Noon, and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, all Ticketmaster

outlets, and online at www.thegarden.com.

“These four exciting fighters are about to usher in a new era at the “Mecca of Boxing” in

one of boxing’s flagship divisions,” said promoter Bob Arum. “Like Henry Armstrong, Willie

Pep and Sandy Saddler before them, these four gladiators will reunite Madison Square Garden

and the featherweight division to their former glory.”

Lopez (27-0, 24 KOs), from Caguas, Puerto Rico, is in the second year of his world title

reign, which began on June 7, 2008 when he ended the three-year tenure of defending

champion Daniel Ponce De Leon via a first-round knockout. Lopez, already a Top-10 pound

for pound favorite, has successfully defended his title five times since, four by knockout. In his

last defense, an exciting 12-round unanimous decision victory over Mtagwa, Lopez’s

impressive victory by stoppage streak ended at 14. Lopez was named Puerto Rico’s 2008

“Fighter of the Year” where he went 4-0, (4 KOs), including three first-round knockouts, all in

world championship fights. Looking to repeat, he posted another perfect year in 2009, having

stopped two-time world champion Gerry Peñalosa and undefeated North American Boxing

Association (NABA) super bantamweight champion Olivier Lontchi in 10 and 9 rounds,

respectively, this year in addition to his points win over Mtagwa.

A native of East Los Angeles, Luevano (37-1-1, 15 KOs), of La Puente, Calif., captured

the vacant WBO featherweight title in London in 2007, knocking out undefeated Englishman

Nicky Cook in the 11th round. Since then, Luevano has successfully defended his title five

times during his two-year reign against top-rated, world-class opposition, including Bernabe

Concepcion (21-1-1, 17 KOs), Billy Dib (21-0, 11 KOs), Mario Santiago (19-1, 14 KOs),

Terdsak Jandaeng (29-2, 19 KOs), and Antonio Davis (24-3, 12 KOs). Combined, his world

title challengers had a combined record of 114-7-1 (73 KOs) – a winning percentage of 93%

with a victory by knockout ratio of 64%. In short, Luevano gets his business done. Trained by

former world champion Robert Garcia, and Robert’s father Eduardo, Luevano and his corner

boasts a team that is poised, confident and experienced against very good opposition.

Gamboa (16-0, 14 KOs), a native of Guantanamo who now hails from Miami, Fla., has

been considered one of boxing’s brightest lights dating back to his amateur days, which

included winning Olympic gold at the 2004 games. Since making his professional debut in

2007, Gamboa has sought – and defeated – the toughest and most experienced opposition

available. In only his second year as a professional he collected the NABF and WBC

International super featherweight titles and then moved down in weight to collect the NABO

featherweight title in three consecutive fights, with victories over Johnnie Edwards, Darling

Jimenez and Al Seeger, respectively, destroying Edwards and Seeger in the first round while

winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Jimenez..

He captured the WBA featherweight title on April 17, knocking out four-time world title

challenger Jose Rojas in the 10th round. He successfully defended the title on October 10 at

The Garden, knocking out Panamanian strongman Whyber Garcia in the fourth round. The

two-fisted Cuban KO artist boasts a lethal combination of power and speed, an amateur

background second to none (he is a four-time Gold Medal winner in the Cuban National

Championships) and a victory by knockout ratio that’s on par with JuanMa Lopez.

Mtagwa (26-13-2, 18 KOs), a native of Dodoma, Tanzania, who has been compared to

the great Dick Tiger because of his heritage and his improvement with age, has made

Philadelphia, Penn. his base since moving to the U.S. in 2000. The former African Boxing

Union super bantamweight champion has incrementally advanced his career by fighting and

defeating some of the best competition at 122 and 126 pounds. But his “coming out party” on

the world stage occurred in his last fight when he challenged world champion Juan Manuel

Lopez for his WBO junior featherweight title at The Garden in October. Mtagwa was the star of

the night, trading leather with JuanMa for 12 exciting rounds, pushing the champ to the brink

before the final bell rang. Though the judges’ scores reflected a decision loss for Mtagwa, the

fight proved he was a winner, earning him another world title shot, this time against Gamboa.

Mtagwa’s career highlights include winning the vacant U.S. Boxing Association (USBA)

featherweight title in 2005 via a 10th-round TKO of Joe Morales. He successfully defended the

title twice, knocking out Art Simonyan and Alvin Brown, both in the fourth round. His come-

from-behind 10th-round TKO victory over Tomas Villas last year, ending Villa’s three-year, 12-

bout unbeaten streak, was considered a 2008 Fight of the Year candidate. Currently world-

rated No. 7 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and No. 10 by the WBO, Mtagwa is

trained by Bobby “Boogaloo” Watts, one of only three men to have beaten Marvelous Marvin

Hagler. For fight week updates, log on to www.toprank.com.

# # #

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (Media): Lee Samuels, Top Rank: (702) 732-2717 Ricardo Jimenez, Top Rank: (909) 615-3436 Malte Müller, Arena Box-Promotion: 011-49-162-200-5615 Ed Keenan, EMC Events: (609) 399-0133 Fred Sternburg, Sternburg Communications: (303) 740-7746 Dan Schoenberg, Madison Square Garden: (212) 465-6367 Larry Torres, Madison Square Garden: (212) 631-5178

JUAN MANUEL “Juanma” LOPEZ Age: 26 (6-30-83) Residence: Caguas, Puerto Rico Birthplace: Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico Record: 27-0, 24 KOs Height: 5’7” Reach: 68” Manager: Orlando Pinero Trainer: Alex Caraballo JUAN MANUEL “Juanma” LOPEZ (27-0, 24 KOs)…

• World championship fights: 6-0, 5 KOs... • WBO jr. featherweight world champion, four successful defense... • Puerto Rican “2008 Fighter of the Year”... • Former WBO Latino jr. featherweight champion, three successful defenses... • 2004 Olympic representative for Puerto Rico, 119 pounds… At the age of 26, Juan is a four-year pro. The WBO jr. featherweight world champion, he won the title in

June, 2008, and has made five successful title defenses. He has won all but one of his world championship fights by knockout.

Juan is one of boxing’s rising young stars. He moving up to the featherweight division in this fight. He is comoing off a 12 round unanimous decision win against Rogers Mtagwa in his last fight in

October, 2009. After the fight, Dan Rafael wrote on ESPN.com [excerpts]: The fight was terrific, an unexpected

barnburner that deserves serious consideration when the time comes to pick the fight of the year. As good as the action was throughout the fight, the end was as dramatic as anything you’ll ever see in a boxing ring: Lopez, clearly winning the fight, was badly hurt and desperate to get to the final bell.... Lopez had been hurt in the 10th round, barely survived the 11th and then was out on his feet for almost the entire 12th round, yet somehow was able to do just barely enough to keep referee Eddie Cotton from stopping the fight. It was truly amazing. Mtagwa was perhaps one solid punch away from ending the fight but couldn’t land it.

The entire fight was entertaining, but Lopez had opened a big lead in the first half, winning rounds 1-6 on all three judges’ scorecards. However, Mtagwa was still doing damage and slowing down Lopez before making a big comeback in the late rounds.

Lopez, Puerto Rico’s top rising star, had the crowd behind him and was making his fifth title defense against Mtagwa, a rough, tough fighter from Tanzania who now lives in Philadelphia. He doesn’t have a great record, but if you’ve ever seen him, you know Mtagwa makes entertaining fights and is better than his record looks.

Lopez started off well. He sent Mtagwa to the canvas twice in the first round for what appeared to be flash knockdowns, but Cotton did not have a good night and missed both calls (and basically ignored the dozens of Mtagwa head-butts). Nonetheless, Lopez did get credit for a flash knockdown in the fifth round, which put Mtagwa further down on the scorecards until his strong comeback. Whew! What a fight. [End Rafael item]

After the fight, Juan said, “He was definitely hurting me, but I never felt like I was going down. He was catching me with some good punches. I think the 11th round, he really hurt me and I was never really able to recuperate. The 12th round was all heart. A lot of people think I am Superman. I’m not. I get hit like everyone else. But I’m resilient.”

In April, 2009, Juan scored a sensational ninth-round TKO win against WBO bantamweight world champion Gerry Penalosa.

After the fight, Jack Hirsch wrote in Boxing News [excerpts]: When all is said and done in the career of Juan Manuel Lopez, it is not a stretch to predict we will be comparing him to the greatest fighters of all time. Obviously, it is too early to do so yet, but watching Lopez dismantle Gerry Penalosa, few could argue that hs is on the right track for immortality. [End Hirsch item]

Penalosa was the second world champion that Juan has fought. In June, 2008, he won the WBO title with a first-round TKO against defending champion Daniel Ponce De Leon.

Fightwriter.com’s Graham Houston reported [excerpts]: The fight...turned out to be an astonishing one-round blowout as Juan Manuel Lopez destroyed Daniel Ponce De Leon in two minutes, 25 seconds.

One moment De Leon was steaming in, looking strong, and the next moment he was on the floor. A star was born, certainly.... Lopez was sensational. Full credit to Lopez, who stayed cool and composed under De Leon’s initial heavy-handed assault,

waited for the right moment to fire back, then caught his fellow-southpaw with a full-leverage right hook that simply blasted the Mexican slugger out of the fight. Even though De Leon got up he was gone, and Lopez’s finishing barrage was brutal to behold. When De Leon went down for the second time, referee Michael Ortega didn’t bother to count. [End Houston item]

Regarding his nickname, Juan said, “Everybody just calls me ‘Juanma.’ It’s short for Juan Manuel.” Before he made his debut in January, 2005, Juan was an amateur standout in Puerto Rico - a five-time

national champion and 2004 Olympian. Fight by Fight – 2009 – 5TH WBO JF WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - in his last fight on 10-10-09 in New York, NY, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Rogers Mtagwa (26-12-2): the fight headlined in The Theater at Madison Square Garden, and it was fast-paced and exciting; Juan built an early lead – he floored Mtagwa two times with right hooks in the 1st round, but the referee missed the calls and ruled that both were slips; Juan swept the first four rounds on all three scorecards, but was cut over his left eye by a clash of heads in the 4th; Juan then scored a knockdown in the 5th round for a 10-8 round on all three scorecards, then swept the 6th, as well, and after six rounds, led by shutout scores of 60-53 on all three scorecards; but Mtagwa kept pressing forward and rallied in the second half of the fight – he won the 7th and 8th rounds on two scorecards, then Juan won the 9th on two scorecards; but Mtagwa finished the fight very strongly and swept the last three rounds – he staggered Juan with a series of punches in the 10th round, then staggered him again with a right hand late in the 11th; Mtagwa fought furiously and rocked Juan several times in the 12th round, but Juan managed to last until the final bell; Juan’s early lead held up - scored 116-111, 115-111, 114-113; after the fight, Juan said, He’s a very strong guy. Sometimes it’s very difficult to fight guys like this, because they have nothing to lose and I have a lot to lose.”... 4TH WBO JF WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 6-27-09 in Atlantic City, NJ, he TKO’d previously undefeated Olivier Lontchi (18-0-2): the bout headlined at Boardwalk Hall – it was the first time Juan headlined an event in the United States; Lontchi was awkward and evasive, but Juan was focused and poised and dominated the fight; Juan scored a knockdown with a right hook in the 2nd round, and steadily wore down Lontchi with body punches; Juan scored another knockdown with a right hook in the 9th round, and Lontchi did not continue after the round; after nine rounds, Juan led by shutout scores of 89-80 on all three scorecards; after the fight, Juan said, “I knew it would be difficult because I knew he was a very awkward fighter, and he showed that. I think he was not really fighting and not really boxing. He wasn’t throwing punches, and I felt like he was running and I was chasing him. I knew my strength could eventually get to him. I knew eventually my power would slow him down.”...

3RD WBO JF WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 4-25-09 in Bayamon, PR, he TKO’d 36 year-old lefthanded WBO bantamweight world champion Gerry Penalosa (54-6-2): the bout headlined at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez and drew a crowd of over 10,000; it was a fast-paced, exciting fight, and Juan was very impressive; Penalosa, a former WBC super flyweight world champion, had never been stopped in his 20-year, 62-fight career; he gave a good effort, but Juan kept a very fast pace and consistently landed the harder punches; there were some electrifying exchanges in the late rounds, but Juan steadily wore down Penalosa and he did not continue after the 9th round; after nine rounds, Juan led by scores of 90-81, 90-81, 89-82; the Puerto Rican commission records it as a TKO at 0:10 of the 10th round... 2008 – 2ND WBO JF WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 12-6-08 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKO’d former Argentinian super bantamweight champion Sergio Medina (33-1): the fight was featured with the Manny Paquiao-Oscar De La Hoya main event at the MGM Grand, and Juan quickly overpowered Medina – he scored three knockdowns, all with right hooks, in the 1st round and the referee stopped the fight at 1:38; after the fight, Juan said, “This is a big stage and it’s a bit of a letdown that I could not give the fans an even better fight. He looked a little scared to me. I didn’t think I hit him that hard, but he kept going down.”... 1ST WBO JF WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 10-4-08 in Hato Rey, PR, he knocked out former NABF featherweight champion Cesar Figueroa (30-6-2): the fight headlined at Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot, and drew a crowd of over 10,000; it was a spectacular knockout - Juan scored a knockdown with a left hand-right hook combination in the 1st round, and Figueroa was counted out at 0:47; after the fight, Juan said, “I trained for 12 long, hard rounds against Figueroa, but when I landed that right hook and saw him go down, I knew he was not getting up. I’m just to happy to be able to fight here in Puerto Rico as a champion and to give them a victory they can enjoy. I know the fans want me to fight some of the best fighters in my division, and I want to do it just as bad as they do. I want to face the Israel Vazquez’s and Rafael Marquez’s of the world and I hope I get a chance to do it. I know some people said I got lucky to knock out Ponce de Leon in the first round. I hope tonight I showed that I have the power to stop anyone at anytime, and look forward to many years as a champion, not only at 122, but 126, 130, all the way up to 135. I want to be the first Puerto RIcan to win world titles in four weight divisions.”... WON WBO JF WORLD TITLE – on 6-7-08 in Atlantic City he TKO’d lefthanded defending champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (34-1): Juan quickly overpowered him; he scored a knockdown with a right hook in the 1st round, staggered Ponce De Leon two times, then scored another knockdown with a series of punches that dropped Ponce De Leon on his side and cut him over his left eye later in the round – Ponce De Leon got up but was very unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight without a count at 2:25; after the fight, Juan said, “I knew he was hurt and it was just a question of time until I landed another strong punch. I just needed to be smart because I knew he was so strong. I know we were both hard punchers, but I thought I had more ability. I always had that great belief in myself, but people have wanted me to show it. I hope I did. I hope I showed it to all of the people tonight, especially the people of Puerto Rico.”... 4TH WBO LATINO JF TITLE DEFENSE - on 2-23-08 in Caguas, PR, he TKO’d Jonathan Oquendo (14-1): the fight headlined at Coliseo Hector Sola Bezares, and Juan was very impressive; he scored three knockdowns in the 2nd round, then scored two more knockdowns in the 3rd, and the referee stopped the fight at 0:49... 2007 – 3RD WBO LATINO JF TITLE DEFENSE - on 10-31-07 in San Juan, PR, he TKO’d Omar Adorno (16-8-1): the fight headlined at Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot; Juan gave an impressive performance and stopped Adorno at 2:18 of the 2nd round...

2ND WBO LATINO JF TITLE DEFENSE - on 8-4-07 in Rosemont, IL, he TKO’d 33 year-old former Mexican bantamweight champion and world title challenger Hugo Dianzo (31-11-1): the fight was on the undercard of the David Diaz-Erik Morales main event at the Allstate Arena; Dianzo gave a good effort, but Juan dominated most of the fight – he was penalized one point for low blows in the 7th round, but consistently outworked Dianzo and landed the harder punches; Dianzo was cut on the left side of his scalp in the 2nd round – the cut worsened as the rounds progressed, and the fight was stopped on the injury at 1:12 of the 10th round... 1ST WBO LATINO JF TITLE DEFENSE - on 6-22-07 in San Juan, PR, he TKO’d Giovanni Andrade (54-10): the fight headlined at Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot, and Juan quickly overpowered Andrade; Juan scored a knockdown with a series of punches in the 1st round – Andrade got up but was unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:59... WON WBO LATINO JF TITLE - on 4-28-07 in Barranquilla, COL, he TKO’d Jorge Otero (17-8-2): Otero gave a good effort, but Juan gave a strong performance and stopped him in the 7th round... On 3-3-07 in San Juan, PR, he TKO’d Leiva Brea (16-3-3): Juan scored two knockdowns in the 1st round – the first with a right hook, the second with a left hand; Juan scored another knockdown with a right hand in the 2nd round – Brea got up, but Juan staggered him with another right hook and the referee stopped the fight at 2:24 as Brea sank to his knees; after the fight, Juan said, “We are getting to were we want to be. I still need four or five fights before I can think about fighting for a world title. I am still learning. I still need more experience but I’ll be ready. Tonight, I was patient and just looked for the opportunities.”... On 1-19-07 in Phoenix, AZ, he TKO’d Cuauhtemoc Vargas (15-1-1): Juan dominated the fight; he consistently outworked Vargas, landed the sharper punches, and steadily wore him down; Vargas did not continue after the 6th round; after the fight, Juan said, “I knew I was getting to him and he was taking a lot of punches, but I was surprised when he didn’t come out. Vargas was definitely one the toughest guys I have fought so far. I am very pleased with my performance. I think with a little more experience, I will be ready to take on the top guys. I know it is time for me to move up. But I also know I have to be patient.”... 2006 – WON VACANT WBO LATINO JF TITLE - on 9-30-06 in Caguas, PR, he TKO’d Jose Alonso (31-10-2): Juan gave an impressive performance - he scored a knockdown in the 1st round and dominated the fight; Juan staggered Alonso with a series of punches in the 3rd, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:59... On 7-21-06 in Uncasville, CT, he TKO’d Edel Ruiz (28-14-4): Ruiz gave a good effort, but Juan dominated the fight; he steadily wore down Ruiz, and Ruiz did not continue after the 6th round; the Mohegan Sun commission records it as a TKO at 0:02 of the 7th round... On 6-10-06 in New York, NY, he won a 6 round unanimous decision against previously undefeated Sergio Mendez (4-0): the bout was on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto-Paulie Malignaggi main event at Madison Square Garden, which drew a crowd of 14,365; Juan dominated the fight - he consistently outworked Mendez and landed the harder punches, and won by scores of 60-54 on all three scorecards... On 4-7-06 in San Juan, PR, he TKO’d Alberto Chuc (8-6): Juan cut Chuc under his right eye, and the referee stopped the fight on the injury at 0:02 of the 6th round… On 3-4-06 in Bayamon, PR, he won an 8 round unanimous decision against Gilberto Bolanos (5-9-1): the fight was on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto-Gianluca Branco main event, which drew a capacity crowd at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez; Juan dominated the fight…

On 1-21-06 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKO’d Jose Luis Caro (10-3-1): the fight was on the undercard of the Erik Morales-Manny Pacquiao rematch at Thomas & Mack Center that drew an announced crowd of 14,618, and Juan scored a spectacular one-punch knockout; he scored one knockdown with a right hook in the 2nd round - it was a cuffing-type punch that dropped Caro to his hands and knees; Juan scored another knockdown with a counter right hook in the 4th that put Caro flat on his back - he struggled to get up, but the referee stopped the fight at 1:44… 2005 - in his last fight on 12-10-05 in San Juan, PR, he TKO’d Manuel Sarabia (15-16-6): the fight was on the undercard of the Ivan Calderon-Daniel Reyes main event at Coliseo Roberto Clemente; Juan rocked Sarabia with a series of punches in the 1st round, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:50… On 11-18-05 in Hato Rey, PR, he TKO’d former Colombian jr. bantamweight champion and fellow-southpaw Luis Bolano (41-4): it was a step up in class of opposition for Juan, and an exciting fight while it lasted; both exchanged hard punches for two rounds, but Bolano did not continue after the 2nd round claiming an injury to his left hand… On 9-30-05 in San Juan he knocked out Roberto Chacon (11-5-1): Juan scored two knockdowns in the 1st round, and Chacon was counted out at 2:10… On 8-20-05 in Ponce, PR, he knocked out Charles Jones (2-2): Juan was knocked down, but came back to score three knockdowns, all in the 1st round, and the referee stopped the fight at 3:00; after the fight, Juan said, “It was weird to find myself on the floor. It was mostly because I was off-balance but that’s the first time I ever went down in my life. I always heard from my trainers that I should take my time getting up but I was fine and I knew he couldn't take my punches, so I decided to shut him out.”… On 6-11-05 in New York, NY, he TKO’d Eric Nemo (5-0-1): the fight was on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto-Muhammad Abdulaev main event at Madison Square Garden; Juan dominated the fight anad scored a knockdown in the 3rd round; Nemo got up, but Juan rocked him with series of punches and the referee stopped the fight at 2:17… On 4-30-05 in San Juan he knocked out Efrain Perez (1-0): in the 1st round… On 2-26-05 in Bayamon, PR, he TKO’d Ivan Cordero (0-2): the fight was on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto-DeMarcus Corley main event that drew 12,000 fans; Juan stopped Cordero in the 1st round… He debuted at the age of 21 on 1-29-05 in Bayamon and knocked out Luis Colon (debut): at 1:06 of the 1st round… AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Juan said, “I was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. I have two brothers, I’m in the middle. My father manages a restaurant called El Caldero. My older brother used to box as an amateur, but he never turned pro. My father used to go to the gym, but he never really boxed.

“I used to fight a lot in school and they told me, ‘You know, you shouldn’t be doing that in the streets. You should go to a gym.’ So that’s what I did.

“I started boxing when I was about 10 years old. I had 150 amateur fights with 126 wins and 24 losses. I was national champion of Puerto Rico for five straight years, from 2000 to 2004. The first year, I won at 112 pounds. The next four years were at 119 pounds.

“I won the bronze at the Central American Games in El Salvador in 2002. I fought for the bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo in 2003, but I didn’t win it.

“I’ve been living in Caguas for eight years, but I’ve actually been training here for 15 years. “I’ve been living with my fiance, Barbara, for the last nine years. This year, in September, we’re

going to get officially married. My fiance had three children when we got together and we have two children together. There’s three boys and two girls altogether – they’re 12, 10, nine, five and four..”…

AMATEUR HIGHLIGHTS: 2004 OLYMPICS, Athens, Greece, 119 pounds: in his first fight on 8-17-04 he lost a 27-19 decision

against Khavazhi Khatsigov of Bulgaria… 2004 AMERICAS OLYMPIC QUALIFIER, Tijuana, B.C., Mexico, 119 pounds: in his first fight on 3-

14-04 he won a 32-22 decision against Roberto Benitez of New York, N.Y.; in his second fight on 3-17-04 he won a 21-15-decision against Argenis Mendez of Dominican Republic; in the championship round on 3-20-04 he lost a 29-18 decision against Andrew Kooner of Canada…

2003 PAN AMERICAN GAMES, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 119 pounds: in his fight fight on 8-8-03 he won a 27-10 decision against Castulo Gonzalez of Guatamala; in the quarterfinals on 8-10-03 he lost a 24-21 decision against Abner Mares of Mexico...

2002 CENTRAL AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN GAMES, San Salvador, El Salvador, 119 pounds – BRONZE MEDALIST: in the quarterfinals he won a 23-16 decision against Antonio Nunez of El Salvador; in the semifinals on 12-4-02 he lost a 23-19 decision against Abner Mares of Mexico... STRENGTHS: A natural lefthander with an aggressive style, good skills and movement...big and physically strong for the division, has good punching power...is patient and poised in the ring...is always in top condition...had a strong amateur background…is experienced against very good opposition... PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 5 years...27 fights...111 total rounds...33 world championship rounds... AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 4.1 rounds… KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 88 %... DISTANCE FIGHTS: 12 rounds – 1 (1-0)...10 rounds – 1 (1-0)...

THE PROFESSIONAL RECORD OF

JUAN MANUEL LOPEZ

JUAN M.LOPEZ-RIVERA/STHPW

RIO PIEDRAS, PUERTO RICODate of Birth: 06/30/1983

Won-Lost-Draw-KO'S27 0 0 24

2005

Jan 29 LUIS COLON, BAYAMON, PR.............. 122KO 1 PRO DEBFeb 26 IVAN CORDERO, BAYAMON, PR............ 123 TKO 1Apr 30 EFRAIN PEREZ, SAN JUAN, PR........... 127 KO 1Jun 11 ERIC NEMO, NY, NY.................... 121 TKO 3Aug 20 CHARLES JONES, PONCE, PR............. 120KO 1Sep 30 ROBERTO CHACON, SAN JUAN, PR......... 120 KO 1Nov 18 LUIS BOLANO, HATO REY, PR............ 124TKO 3Dec 10 MANUEL SARABIA, SAN JUAN, PR......... 125TKO 1

2006

Jan 21 JOSE CARO, LAS VEGAS, NV............. 123 KO 3Mar 04 GILBERTO BOLANOS, BAYAMON, PR........ 125W 8Apr 07 ALBERTO CHUC, HATO REY, PR........... 124TKO 6Jun 10 SERGIO MENDEZ, NY, NY................ 121 W 6Jul 21 EDEL RUIZ, UNCASVILLE, CT............ 122TKO 7Sep 30 JOSE ALONSO, CAGUAS, PR.............. 121 TKO 3 WBO/LA

2007

Jan 19 CUAUHTEMOC VARGAS, PHOENIX, AZ....... 123TKO 6Mar 03 LEIVI BREA, SAN JUAN, PR............. 123TKO 2Apr 28 JORGE OTERO, BARRANQUILLA, COLMBIA... 121 TKO 7Jun 22 GIOVANNI ANDRADE, HATO REY, PR....... 122TKO 1Aug 04 HUGO DIANZO, ROSEMONT, IL............ 120 TKO 10 WBO/LAOct 31 OMAR ADORNO, SAN JUAN, PR............ 121TKO 2 WBO/LA

2008

Feb 23 JONATHAN OQUENDO, CAGUAS, PR......... 120 TKO 3 WBO/LAJun 07 DANIEL DE LEON, AC, NJ............... 121TKO 1 WBOOct 04 CESAR FIGUEROA, SAN JUAN, PR......... 121KO 1 WBODec 06 SERGIO MEDINA, LAS VEGAS, NV......... 122TKO 1 WBO

2009

Apr 25 GERRY PENALOSA, BAYAMON, PR.......... 121 TKO 9 WBOJun 27 OLIVIER LONTCHI, AC, NJ.............. 121 TKO 9 WBOOct 10 ROGERS MTAGWA, NY, NY................ 121W 12 WBO

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Copyright Fight Fax, Inc. 2009

12 ROUNDS, FEATHERWEIGHTS – WBO WORLD TITLE – LUEVANO VS LOPEZ STEVEN LUEVANO Age: 28 (3-3-81) Residence: La Puente, California Birthplace: East Los Angeles, California Record: 37-1-1, 15 KOs Height: 5’8” Reach: 69” Manager: Cameron Dunkin Trainers: Robert Garcia (former IBF jr. lightweight world champion), Eduardo Garcia (Robert’s father) STEVEN LUEVANO (pr. lou-EVAN-o) (37-1-1, 15 KOs)...

• World championship fights: 5-0-1, 1 KO... • WBO featherweight world champion, five successful defenses... • Former NABO featherweight champion, one successful defense... • Former NABO jr. featherweight champion... • Former WBC Continental Americas featherweight champion... • 1997 National Jr. Olympic amateur champion, 119 pounds... At the age of 28, Steven is a nine-year pro. The WBO featherweight world champion, he won the

vacant title in July, 2007, and has made five successful defenses. In his last fight in August, 2009, he won by disqualification in the seventh round against Bernabe

Concepcion. After the fight, Dan Rafael wrote on ESPN.com [excerpts]: Luevano...was ahead on two scorecards

entering the seventh round against the 21-year-old Filipino in what had been a good fight to that point. Concepcion...hurt Luevano late in the round with a right hand. Then the bell rang to end the round. Luevano dropped his hands and went to bump Concepcion’s gloves in a sportsmanlike manner when Concepcion, well after the bell, blasted him with a left and a big right. Luevano went down and was out, taking several minutes to regain his senses. Referee Jay Nady immediately disqualified Concepcion for the flagrant foul. Roach and Concepcion didn’t dispute that the blows came after the bell, but they claimed it was not intentional, simply that Concepcion didn't hear the bell ring. Whatever the case, it was a brutal combination and totally uncalled for by a professional. Before the abrupt ending, Luevano, a southpaw making his fifth title defense, seemed to be in control. Luevano is more skilled and was doing a good job keeping the shorter Concepcion on the outside and outboxing him. Concepcion, a pressure fighter, had spurts of success but couldn't consistently stay on the inside and pound away. [End Rafael item]

After Steven travelled to London and won the vacant WBO title with an eleventh-round knockout against local favorite Nicky Cook in July, 2007, Boxing News editor Claude Abrams reported from ringside that Steven is “a superb technician with outstandingly quick hands and beautiful poise, the type of boxer I could watch all day. Not long into the fight one could tell Luevano was a little special – he cut a relaxed figure and the speed and smoothness with which he countered soon had Cook hesitant to attack.” Key Fights – 2009 – 5TH WBO F WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - in his last fight on 8-15-09 in Las Vegas, NV, he won by disqualification against Bernabe Concepcion (27-2-1): the bout was co-featured with the Nonito Donaire-Rafael Concepcion main event, and it was a good fight; Concepcion pressed forward, but Steven boxed and moved effectively and both had their moments; Concepcion swept the 1st round on all three judges’s scorecards, but Steven rallied and won the 2nd and 3rd on two scorecards, then swept the 4th

and 5th; Steven won the 6th round on two scorecards; Concepcion rocked Steven with a right hand in the 7th round, but Steven swept the 7th round, as well; but Concepcion dropped him flat on his back with a right hand clearly after the bell, and was immediately disqualified; after seven rounds, the fight was scored 68-65, 67-66 Luevano, 67-66 Concepcion; after the fight, Steven said, “He got me with a couple good punches. I didn’t feel anything that hurt me until he hit me after the bell rang. He must have been frustrated or mad that he couldn’t hit me. I thought it was a good fight.”... 2008 – 4th WBO F WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 10-18-08 in Atlantic City, NJ, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against previously undefeated Australian Billy Dib (21-0): the bout was co-featured with the Kelly Pavlik-Bernard Hopkins main event; Dib had a very awkward, unorthodox style, and it made for a sloppy fight; but Steven dominated most of the rounds - he outboxed and outworked Dib, and consistently landed the sharper punches; Dib was warned repeatedly for various fouls – including headbutts, low blows, and punching on the breaks; Steven staggered Dib with a left hand in the in the 8th round – Dib was held up by the ropes and it should have been scored as a knockdown, but wasn’t; scored 117-111, 116-112, 115-113; after the fight, Steven said, “The game plan was to wait, let him come in and he did. And then I hit him with everything. I wasn't going to chase after him.”... 3RD WBO F WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 6-28-08 in Las Vegas he fought to a 12 round draw against lefthanded Mario Santiago (19-1): the bout was on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-David Diaz main event at Mandalay Bay; it was a fast-paced, exciting fight, and it stole the show; Santiago scored a knockdown with a left hand that dropped Steven to one knee in the 2nd round, but Steven got up and knocked down Santiago with a left hand moments later; there were several good exchanges in the fight - both were rocked in the in the 5th and 8th rounds, and again in the 10th; scored 117-111 Luevano, 115-113 Santiago, 114-114; after the fight, Steven said, “The guy had a good jab and he really controlled the early part of the fight, but I felt I was the stronger guy in the second half. He tried to take me out early and I felt I was going to be stronger toward the end of the fight and I was. I’m still champion but the record book should say ‘W’ instead of ‘D.’ ”... 2ND WBO F WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 3-15-08 in Las Vegas, NV, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against lefthanded Terdsak Jandaeng (29-2): the fight was co-featured with the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez rematch main event at Mandalay Bay; Steven dominated most of the fight – he rocked Jandaeng with a left hand in the 1st round and raised a swelling around his left eye; Jandaeng scored a knockdown with a left hand in the 4th round, but Steven recovered and outboxed and outworked Jandaeng for the rest of the fight; scored 119-109, 119-109, 118-109; after the fight, Steven said, “He can be pretty strong. He was a lot stronger than I thought and he got me good. I just put that out of my mind and started working my jab and controlling him with my jab, but it was a really tough fight.”... 2007 – 1ST WBO F WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 10-6-07 in Las Vegas, NV, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Antonio Davis (24-3): the fight was on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Marco Antonio Barrera main event at the Mandalay Bay; Davis gave a good effort – he pressured and swarmed over Steven at times and bloodied his nose in the 6th round; but Steven dominated most of the fight – he jabbed and moved effectively and Davis was cut under his left eye in the 5th; Steven came on strongly in the late rounds – he cut Davis over his left eye, which was also badly swollen, in the 8th round, scored a knockdown with a left hand in the 11th, and won by scores 119-108, 119-108, 118-109; after the fight, Steven said, “He was awkward. I had a tough time for four rounds.”...

WON VACANT WBO F WORLD TITLE – on 7-14-07 in London, ENG, he knocked out previously undefeated former British Commonwealth and European featherweight champion Nicky Cook (27-0): the bout headlined at the O2 Arena and drew an estimated crowd of 7,000; Cook was the hometown favorite and betting favorite, as well, but Steven dominated the fight - he consistently outboxed Cook and steadily wore him down with body punches; Steven scored a knockdown with a left hand to the chin in the 2nd round, but Cook rallied in the middle rounds – he won the 3rd and 6th rounds on two scorecards, then swept the 7th and won the 8th on two scorecards, as well; but Steven came back very strongly in the 9th - Cook was cut over his left eye early in the round, and Steven scored two knockdowns – both with left hands to the body – before the bell; Cook fought desperately in the 10th round, but Steven scored a knockdown with a series of punches late in the round; Steven scored a final knockdown with another left hand to the body early in the 11th, and Cook’s corner stopped the fight in mid-count at 0:29; after 10 rounds, Steven led by scores of 97-89, 97-90, 95-92; ... 2006 – LOST NABO F TITLE ON SCALES, WON FIGHT - in his last fight on 10-13-06 in Nogales, AZ, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Baudel Cardenas (15-6-2): Steven lost the title when he weighed in over the 126 pounds limit at 127.5, but dominated the fight; he scored a knockdown in the 2nd round and outboxed and outpunches Cardenas for most of the fight; scored 119-108, 119-108, 118-109... WON VACANT NABO F TITLE - on 7-21-06 in Uncasville, CT, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Cristobal Cruz (32-7-1): Steven outboxed and outworked Cruz and dominated most of the fight; Steven scored one knockdown in the 1st round and another in the 9th, but his nose was bloodied by a clash of heads in the 10th round; scored 117-108, 116-109, 115-110; after the fight, Steven said, “He took a lot of good shots. I landed a lot of right hooks and he took them well. I could feel them in my wrists.”... On 3-31-06 in Laughlin, NV, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Jorge Martinez (13-4-2): Martinez gave a good effort, but Steven dominated most of the fight; he scored knockdowns in the 1st and 3rd rounds, and won by scores of 100-88, 97-91, 96-92… 2005 - on 11-25-05 in Santa Ana, NM, he lost a 10 round unanimous decision in a nontitle fight against Martin Honorio (19-3-1): it was a good, close fight, but there were several head clashes throughout the bout, and Honorio was warned repeatedly for leading with his head and for low blows; Steven started fast and built a lead - he scored a knockdown with a straight left hand in the 2nd round, and Honorio was penalized one point for headbutts in the 3rd; Steven’s nose was bloodied in the 4th, but he also staggered Honorio in the round; Honorio rallied in the second half of the fight - he kept a fast pace and constantly pressed forward, and Steven was swollen under his right eye in the 8th; scored 94-93, 95-92, 96-93… WON VACANT NABO JF TITLE - on 9-9-05 in Laughlin, NV, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against former Mexican jr. featherweight champion Ruben Estanislao (17-8-2): the fight headlined at the Edgewater Casino in an outdoor arena, and the temperature was around 100 degrees; it was a good, hard fight - Estanislao pressed forward and outworked Steven in the early rounds, but Steven rallied in the second half of the fight; Steven’s nose was bloodied in the 8th round, and Estanislao ws cut over both eyes; scored 118-110, 118-110, 117-111… WON VACANT WBC CONTINENTAL AMERICAS F TITLE - on 6-17-05 in Phoenix, AZ, he TKO’d Genaro Trazancos (21-6-1): Steven dominated the fight and scored a knockdown in the 3rd round; he scored another knockdown in the 5th, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:40… On 3-5-05 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKO’d Julian Rodriguez (14-10-3): the fight was on the undercard of the Jose Luis Castillo-Julio Diaz main event, and Steven dominated; he rocked Rodriguez several times, and the referee stopped the fight at 3:00 if the 5th round…

2004 - on 11-5-04 in Cicero, IL, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Aldo Valtierra (21-6): the fight was the main event at the Hawthorne Racecourse, and Steven gave an impressive performance; he scored a knockdown in the 3rd round and dominated the fight; scored 100-88, 99-89, 99-89… On 10-8-04 in Laughlin, NV, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Cristian Favela (9-5-3): Steven dominated the fight; he scored a knockdown in the 2nd round, and consistently landed the sharper punches; scored 100-89 on all three scorecards… On 7-2-04 in Struthers, OH, he TKO’d local favorite Fred Neal (17-2-2): it was an exciting fight; Steven scored three knockdowns in the 3rd round, but Neal came back and fought hard; both fighters were cut over their left eyes; Steven scored another knockdown in the 9th round when Neal was held up by the ropes, and Neal’s corner stopped the fight after the 9th round; the Ohio commission records it as a TKO10 … On 5-21-04 in Corpus Christi, TX, he knocked out Rodrigo Cerda (21-7-1): Steven scored a knockdown with a straight left hand in the 1st round, and Cerda was counted out at 2:04… On 2-13-04 in Laughlin he won an 8 round unanimous decision against Armando Cordoba (20-12-1): Cordoba scored a knockdown in the 2nd round that put Steven on the seat of his pants, but Steven came back and dominated the rest of the fight; he scored two knockdowns in the 7th round and won by scores of 79-71 on all three scorecards… 2003 - on 12-5-03 in Phoenix, AZ, he TKO’d Jose Luis Tula (15-10-2): Steven knocked down Tula with a straight left hand in the 2nd round and he was counted out at 2:39… On 8-15-03 in Gardnerville, NV, he won a 6 round unanimous decision against veteran Miguel Escamillas (17-4-1): Steven dominated the fight and won by shutout scores of 60-54 on all three scorecards… On 6-14-03 in Anaheim, CA, he TKO’d Aristeo Perez (7-5-1): Steven cut Perez over the right eye in the 2nd round, and the referee stopped the fight on the cut at 2:46; after the fight, Steven said, “I actually was waiting for that to happen. He kept lunging and I was countering him. I felt that he would receive a cut or my punch would hurt.”; Steven had also beaten Perez by six-round unanimous decision in November, 2002… On 5-2-03 in Las Vegas he won an 8 round unanimous decision against Arizona prospect John Nolasco (11-1-2): Steven dominated the fight; he kept a busier pace, bloodied Nolasco’s nose in the 3rd round, and won by scores of 80-72, 80-72, 79-73… On 3-28-03 in Oxnard, CA, he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Philip Payne (13-6-1): Steven dominated the fight, scored a knockdown in the 6th round, and won by scores of 60-53 on all three scorecards; after the fight, Steven said, “I was playing it smart and not trying to go for the knockout. I had the opportunity to make him miss and I made him pay. I’m very happy with my performance tonight.”… On 2-22-03 in Anaheim, CA, he knocked out Marcos Badillo (16-26-1): Steven scored two knockdowns in the 1st round and stopped Badillo at 2:59… 2002 - on 11-1-02 in Las Vegas, NV, he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Aristeo Perez, scored 60-54 on all three scorecards… On 10-4-02 in Las Vegas he TKO’d Ivan Alvarez (18-11): it was a spectacular one-punch knockout; Steven knocked down Alvarez with a straight left; he got up but was unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:31 of the 1st round… On 8-9-02 in Las Vegas he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Juan Garcia, scored 60-53 on all three scorecards… On 6-21-02 in Las Vegas he TKO’d Justo Sanchez (11-13-1): Steven wore down Sanchez, and the referee stopped the fight after the 3rd round…

2001 – on 7-15-01 in San Jacinto, CA, he won a technical decision against Freddy “Conejo” Castro (1-2-1): Castro was cut by a clash of heads in the 4th round, and the fight went to the scorecards; scored 40-36 on all three scorecards; Steven broke his left hand, and was inactive for 11 months… On 6-3-01 in San Jacinto he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Juan Martinez (11-16), scored 60-53, 60-53, 59-54… On 4-8-01 in Laughlin, NV, he won a 4 round unanimous decision against Martin Llamas (4-10-1), scored 40-36 on all three scorecards… On 3-4-01 in Reno, NV, he won a 4 round unanimous decision against Francisco Rodriguez (8-6-1)… He debuted at the age of 19 on 6-17-00… AMATEUR BACKGROUND: Steven said, “My cousin, Frankie Carmona, got me into boxing. He started going to the gym, so then we just started, too. My mom found out that he was boxing, so she wanted us to try it out to see if we liked it. We never really did any other sport. We ended up liking it. I was seven. My cousin did end up having a couple of professional fights. I had over 200 amateur fights. We figured it out - it was like, 187 wins and 18 losses.”…

He reportedly won 15 national amateur tournaments in all, including four Silver Gloves, two Jr. Golden Gloves, one international Jr. Olympics, and five Blue and Gold…

Steven and his wife Marina have two sons and one daughter... AMATEUR HIGHLIGHTS: 2000 OLYMPIC TEAM BOX-OFFS, Mashantucket, Conn., 125 pounds: on 2-25-00 in he lost an

11-8 decision against Rocky Juarez, who went on to win the Olympic silver medal… 2000 OLYMPIC TRIALS, Tampa, Fla., 125 pounds: in his first bout on 2-9-00, he won a 17-10

decision against Michael Evans of Dayton, Ohio; in the semi-finals on 2-10-00, he won a 22-0 decision against Hong Gu of Ft. Carson, Colo./Army; in the finals on 2-12-00 he lost a 17-7 decision against Rocky Juarez of Houston, Tex….

1997 NATIONAL JR. OLYMPIC CHAMPIONSHIPS, 119 pounds – GOLD MEDALIST... STRENGTHS: A lefthander with good skills, speed, and movement...has a good defense, a good counterpuncher...has good punching power...is poised and confident in the ring...is experienced against very good opposition...had a strong amateur background... PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 9 years, 7 months...39 fights...250 total rounds...66 world champioinship rounds... AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 6.4 rounds... KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 40 %... DISTANCE FIGHTS: 12 rounds - 7 (6-0-1)...11 rounds – 1 (1-0)...10 rounds - 5 (4-1)...


STEVEN LUEVANO

EAST LOS ANGELES, CADate of Birth: 03/03/1981


2000

Jun 17 HUGO ROSALES, BELL GARDENS, CA....... 128KO 2 PRO DEBAug 20 JOSE SALAZAR, TUCSON, AZ............. 129TKO 3Sep 03 IGNACIO GONZALEZ, YERINGTON, NV...... 129TKO 3Sep 17 MARTIN LLAMAS, PHOENIX, AZ........... 126W(S) 4Nov 05 ENRIQUE VALENZUELA, CHULA VISTA, CA.. 131KO 2Nov 26 MIGUEL MEDINA, PHOENIX, AZ........... 126TKO 1

2001

Feb 04 JACOB GODINEZ, CONCHO, OK............ 132W 4Mar 04 FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ, RENO, NV........ 128W 4Apr 08 MARTIN LLAMAS, LAUGHLIN, NV.......... 126W 4Jun 03 JUAN MARTINEZ, SAN JACINTO, CA....... 126W 6Jul 15 FREDDY CASTRO, SAN JACINTO, CA....... 127TW 4

2002

Jun 21 JUSTO SANCHEZ, LAS VEGAS, NV......... 132TKO 4Aug 09 JUAN GARCIA, LAS VEGAS, NV........... 131W 6Oct 04 IVAN ALVAREZ, LAS VEGAS, NV.......... 128TKO 1Nov 01 ARISTEO PEREZ, LAS VEGAS, NV......... 126W 6

2003

Feb 22 MARCOS BADILLO, ANAHEIM, CA.......... 130KO 2Mar 28 PHILLIP PAYNE, OXNARD, CA............ 128 W 6May 02 JOHN NOLASCO, LAS VEGAS, NV.......... 125W 8Jun 14 ARISTEO PEREZ, ANAHEIM, CA........... 130KO 2Aug 15 MIGUEL ESCAMILLA, GARDNERVILLE, NV... 128W 6Dec 05 JOSE TULA, PHOENIX, AZ............... 128TKO 2

2004

Feb 13 ARMANDO CORDOVA, LAUGHLIN, NV........ 128W 8May 21 RODRIGO CERDA, CORPUS CHRISTI, TX.... 129KO 1Jul 02 FRED NEAL, STRUTHERS, OH............. 127TKO 10Oct 08 CRISTIAN FAVELA, LAUGHLIN, NV........ 128 W 10Nov 05 ALDO VALTIERRA, CICERO, IL........... 129W 10

2005

Mar 05 JULIAN RODRIGUEZ, LAS VEGAS, NV...... 129 TKO 5

1



STEVEN LUEVANO

EAST LOS ANGELES, CADate of Birth: 03/03/1981


Jun 17 GENARO TRAZANCOS, PHOENIX, AZ........ 126TKO 5 WBC/CASep 09 RUBEN ESTANISLAO, LAUGHLIN, NV....... 122W 12 NABONov 25 MARTIN HONORIO, SANTA ANA, NM........ 133 L 10

2006

Mar 31 JORGE MARTINEZ, LAUGHLIN, NV......... 130W 10Jul 21 CRISTOBAL CRUZ, UNCASVILLE, CT....... 126W 12 NABOOct 13 BAUDEL CARDENAS, NOGALES, AZ......... 126W 12 NABO

2007

Jul 14 NICKY COOK, LONDON, ENGLAND.......... 125 KO 11 WBOOct 06 ANTONIO DAVIS, LAS VEGAS, NV......... 126W 12 WBO

2008

Mar 15 TERDSAK JANDAENG, LAS VEGAS, NV...... 126W 12 WBOJun 28 MARIO SANTIAGO, LAS VEGAS, NV........ 126D 12 WBOOct 18 BILAL DIB, AC, NJ.................... 126W 12 WBO

2009

Aug 15 BERNABE CONCECPION, LAS VEGAS, NV.... 125 WDSQ 7 WBO

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12 ROUNDS, FEATHERWEIGHTS – WBA WORLD TITLE – GAMBOA VS MTAGWA YURIORKIS “El Ciclon de Guantanamo” GAMBOA Age: 27 (12-23-81) Residence: Miami, Florida Birthplace: Guantanamo, Guantanamo (province) Cuba Record: 16-0, 14 KOs Height: 5’5.5” Reach: 65” Promoter: Ahmet Öner (pr. OWN-er), Arena-Box Promotion Trainer: Ismael Salas YURIORKIS “El Ciclon de Guantanamo” (The Cyclone of Guantanamo) GAMBOA (16-0, 14 KOs)...

• World championship fights: 2-0, 2 KOs... • WBA featherweight world champion, one successful defense... • Former NABO featherweight champion... • Former WBC International super featherweight champion... • Former NABF super featherweight champion... • 2004 Olympics (amateur), 112 pounds - Gold Medalist... • 2003 Pan American Games (amateur), 112 pounds - Gold Medalist... At the age of 27, Yuriorkis is a two-year pro. The WBA featherweight world champion, he is a former

international amateur standout - he was the 2004 Olympic and 2003 Pan American Games gold medalist at 112 pounds, a four-time Cuban national amateur champion, and the gold medalist in two international tournaments in Cuba, as well.

He won the WBA interim featherweight world title with a tenth-round TKO against Jose Rojas in April, 2009, but was elevated to “full” champion after the fight.

He made his first defense of the title with a fourth-round TKO win against Whyber Garcia in his last fight in October, 2009.

After the fight, Dan Rafael wrote on ESPN.com [excerpts]: There are few fighters as exciting as Gamboa, who brings an electricity and fury to the ring that makes it impossible to turn away when he’s fighting. The 2004 Cuban Olympic gold medalist, who later defected and turned pro in 2007, has as much charisma as anyone in the sport - not to mention speed and power. He used it all to destroy the overmatched Garcia.... Gamboa was not remotely challenged by Garcia, who was defensive from the start of the fight. Eventually, Gamboa got to him with a fast left hook that dropped him face-first in the fourth round. Garcia didn’t seem much interested in continuing after the knockdown but reluctantly did. Moments later, Gamboa had him pinned on the ropes and was blasting him with unanswered punch after unanswered punch, leaving referee Steve Smoger no option but to pull the plug.

It was a sensational performance for Gamboa.... [End Rafael item] Yuriorkis is trained by Ismael Salas. Now 52 years old, he is a native of Guantanamo, Cuba, which is

also Yuriorkis’ hometown in the easternmost province of the country. He was hired as Yuriorkis’ head trainer before the Al Seeger fight in July, 2008.

Salas said, “The most important thing in professional is mental, and I have seen good improvement in Gamboa. For some reason many Cubans, they’re not ready for being in professional boxing. All Cuban boxing is amateur, the system, the background, they’re always thinking the amateur way.

“Gamboa’s improving a lot, he’s much more professional thinking. He take care of himself much better. We’re working to improve technically. We been doing many drills to help him get better.

“Gamboa is a special one. I tell you what – in boxing, you have some with a very good style, but sometimes they don’t have the hard punch. Sometimes you can find hard puncher, but no good style. Gamboa is a combination of the good style and the hard punch. Gamboa is a real special one - he is one of the best I’ve trained.”

Regarding his nickname, Yuriorkis said through an interpreter, “The Cuban sportscasters put that on me because I just go in like a cyclone, like the Tasmanian Devil, and tear everything that gets in my way.” Fight by Fight – 2009 – 1ST WBA F WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - in his last fight on 10-10-09 in New York, NY, he TKO’d Whyber Garcia (22-6): the fight was co-featured with the Juan Manuel Lopez-Rogers Mtagwa main event, and Yuriorkis dominated; Yuriorkis scored a knockdown with a left hook that dropped Garcia face-first in the 4th round; he got up, but Yuriorkis rocked with an unanswered series of punches and the referee stopped the fight at 0:58; after the fight, Yuriorkis said, “I want to prove I am the best in the world. Whoever thinks they are better than me, I want to fight them.”... WON WBA INTERIM F WORLD TITLE - on 4-17-09 in Primm, NV, he TKO’d 37 year-old switch-hitter and former four-time world title challenger Jose “Cheo” Rojas (25-6-1): the bout headlined at Buffalo Bill’s - Yuriorkis was very impressive and dominated the fight; he pressed forward, but showed more poise and discipline than in earlier fights; he still showed his devastating punching power, however - he rocked Rojas with a series of punches in the 3rd round, scored a knockdown with a left hook in the 5th, and cut Rojas over his right eye in the 7th round; Yuriorkis rocked Rojas several times in the late rounds, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:31 of the 10th round; after nine rounds, Yuriorkis led by scores of 90-80, 90-81, 89-81; after the fight, he said, “This was a good fight and I am happy. Rojas took a lot of punches, but I felt good. I am ready for any of the top featherweights in the world. It is always good to put on a show for the fans. I think the fans are going to be hearing and seeing a lot from good Cuban boxers from now on.”... On 2-20-09 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, he knocked out Walter Estrada (30-8): Yuriorkis scored a knockdown with a right hand that lifted Estrada’s feet off the ground and dropped him flat on his side in the 1st round; he was counted out at 0:35... On 1-9-09 in Primm, NV, he TKO’d Roger Gonzalez (27-2): Gonzalez scored a knockdown with a right hand in the 2nd round – Yuriorkis’ knees buckled and his glove touched the canvas - but Yuriorkis dominated most of the fight after that; he boxed in a much more patient manner than in previous fights, but still outworked Gonzalez and landed the harder punches; he staggered Gonzalez with two uppercuts in the 10th round, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:12... 2008 – on 10-4-08 in Temecula, CA, he knocked out previously undefeated Marcos Ramirez (25-0): Ramirez staggered Yuriorkis badly with a left hook, then scored a knockdown with a series of punches moments later in the 1st round – video replays showed that Ramirez’ right elbow was actually the finishing “punch” before the knockdown; but Yuriorkis rallied later in the round, then overwhelmed Ramirez in the 2nd

– he scored a knockdown with a right uppercut that dropped Ramirez to one knee, then scored another knockdown with a left hook to the body followed by a right hand to the head that dropped Ramirez to his hands and knees, and he was counted out at 1:41; after the fight, Yuriorkis said, “The punch didn’t have much of an effect. Once I got hit, I became more aggressive. My career is progressing fast because of my ability. I am happy fans have high expectations of me. Up to now I have not disappointed them.”... WON VACANT NABO F TITLE - on 7-18-08 in Primm, NV, he TKO’d late substitute Al Seeger (27-3): Seeger took the fight on three days’ notice, and it was a spectacular one-punch knockout; Seeger moved, jabbed, and clinched at close range, but Yuriorkis rocked him with with a left hook in the opening seconds of the 1st round and rocked him again with a series of punches in mid-round; Yuriorkis scored a knockdown

with a right hand that dropped Seeger flat on his back late in the round, and the referee stopped the fight without a count at 2:30; after the fight, Yuriorkis said through an interpreter, “I trained for a southpaw but readjusted to the righthander. I wanted to show the United States public that I’m a knockout artist. I came here for one purpose - to be a world champion. By the end of the year, I think I’ll be ready.”... WON VACANT WBC INTERNATIONAL SF TITLE - on 5-17-08 in Primm, NV, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Darling Jimenez (23-2-2): the fight headlined at Buffalo Bill’s, and Jimenez was fighting for the first time in 13 months; he scored a knockdown with a right hand in the 4th round, but Yuriorkis dominated most of the fight; he consistently outworked Jimenez and landed the sharper punches, and won by scores of 97-92, 97-92, 99-91... WON VACANT NABF SF TITLE - on 2-22-08 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, he TKO’d Johnnie Edwards (13-1-1): the fight was co-featured at Xtreme Indoor Karting; it was Yuriorkis’s first scheduled 10-rounder and the fans chanted, “Cuba... Cuba... Cuba...”; Yuriorkis scored a knockdown with a left hook early in the 1st round; Edwards got up, but Yuriorkis scored another knockdown with a right hand that dropped Edwards face-first, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:34; after the fight, Yuriorkis said, “I was prepared to go 10 rounds and look what happened, it ended in the first. The fans give me momentum. They make me fight harder and better. I definitely felt the love from the Cuban fans. I could hear them while I was fighting. I succeed because of my hand speed. It’s like a light. It’s what makes me the fighter that I am. I’m proud to have won the belt - it’s a start.”... On 1-5-08 in Atlantic City, NJ, he TKO’d Gilberto Luque (7-4-2): the fight was on the undercard of the Paulie Malignaggi-Herman Ngoudjo main event at Ballys; Yuriorkis scored three knockdowns in the 1st round, all with left hooks, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:54; after the fight, he said, “My wife and daughter mean the world to me. I fight for them, and I promise that I will win the world championship for them.”... 2007 – on 10-30-07 in Hollywood, FL, he TKO’d Adailton DeJesus (19-2): it was Yuriorkis’ first fight in the U.S.; he scored a knockdown with a right hand in the 1st round, but DeJesus came back and scored a knockdown with a left hook - and push - in the 4th; Yuriorkis came back and staggered DeJesus with a right hand in the 6th round, then rocked him with a series of punches and the referee stopped the fight at 0:35; after the fight, Yuriorkis said, “I’ll probably be fighting for a title in the latter part of 2008. I’m a quality fighter, a gold medalist, and I’m proving in the ring that I’m adapting very well to the pro game. I wanted to show my people that I could maintain my dominance over a longer fight. The other fights I have won by knockout usually lasted one or two rounds. We have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, and we were proud of having the crowd support us.”... On 10-19-07 in Berlin, GER, he TKO’d 33 year-old Samuel Kebede (25-1): the fight was on the undercard of the Juan Carlos Gomez-Oliver McCall main event at the Estrel Convention Center, and Yuriorkis dominated; he scored three knockdowns and stopped Kebede at 2:11 of the 2nd round... On 9-21-07 in Luebeck, GER, he knocked out Nestor Paniagua (17-4-1): at 1:05 of in the 1st round... On 9-2-07 in Berlin he TKO’d Thomas Hengsberger (12-5-2): at 1:04 of the 1st round... On 7-6-07 in Hamburg, GER, he TKO’d 35-year old Chilean Joel Mayo (40-11): at 0:35 of the 2nd round; Fightnews.com reported, “Right after his fight, Gamboa went to the airport to fly to Miami where he will be reunited with his wife and daughter who have just defected from Cuba to join him.”... On 6-16-07 in Ankara, TUR, he TKO’d previously undefeated Araik Sachbazjan (7-0): the fight was on the undercard of the Oliver McCall-Sinan Samil Sam main event; Yuriorkis stopped Sachbazjan in the 4th round...

He debuted at the age of 25 on 4-27-07 in Hamburg and won a 4 round unanimous decision against Alexan Manweljan (6-1): Yuriorkis scored a knockdown in the 4th round... AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Yuriorkis said through an interpreter, “I was born in Guantanamo, Cuba. I’ve got two brothers and two sisters. My parents don’t work. My dad is a former fighter, he was on the Cuban team. His name is Carlos Gamboa. My mom is a homemaker. [note: Yuriorkis’ mother, two sisters, and one brother still live in Cuba]

“I’ve been going to the gym ever since I was a little boy watching my dad train. I started boxing when I was seven years old. I had 245 amateur fights, with 15 losses.

“I knew Joel Casamayor in Guantanamo. He used to train with my dad on the national team. My house in Guantanamo was exactly eight blocks away from the house where Casamayor was born and raised.

“I lived in the camp for the Cuban National Team. It’s called ‘La Finca’ – that means ‘The Farm.’ They had a Farm in Guantanamo for that province, and when I made the National team, I went to La Finca in Havana. I moved there when I was 17 and lived there until 2006. You live there all year and get one week off – from Christmas to New Year’s Day.

“I’m married. My wife’s name is Dunia and we have one daughter. Her name is Brenda. She’s three years old. They live with me in Miami.

“I sold my Olympic gold medal to pay for my daughter’s first birthday party in Cuba. I sold it for $1,500 U.S.”...

Yuriorkis defected from the Cuban National team in 2007 with teammates Odlanier Solis and Yan Barthelemy; they were training in Venezuela for the Pan American Games when they left their hotel and crossed into Colombia...each fighter signed a seven-figure, three-year contract with an option for two more years, not counting purses, with Hamburg, Germany-based Arena-Box Promotions, and Yuriorkis was based in Germany for the first six months of his pro career...

INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR HIGHLIGHTS: 2005 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, Mianyang, People’s Republic of China, 125 pounds – BRONZE

MEDALIST: in his first fight on 11-14-05 he stopped Homayoun of Afghanistan in the 1st round; in his second fight on 11-17-05 he stopped Chung Chun-an of Taiwan in the 3rd round; in the quarterfinals on 11-18-05 he stopped Kim Song-Guk of N. Korea in the 3rd round; in the semifinals 11-19-05 he was stopped on an injury in the 2nd round against Alexey Shaydulin of Bulgaria...

2004 OLYMPICS, Athens, Greece, 112 pounds – GOLD MEDALIST: in his first fight on 8-17-04 he won a 46-33 decision against Igori Samoilenco of Moldava; in his second fight on 8-21-04 he won a 26-21 decision against Somjit Jongjohor of Thailand; in the quarterfinals on 8-25-04 he won a 26-18 decision against Georgy Balakshin of Russia; in the semifinals on 8-27-04 he won a 20-11 decision against Rustamhodza Rahimov of Germany; in the finals on 8-28-04 he won a 38-23 decision against Jerome Thomas of France...

2003 PAN AMERICAN GAMES, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 112 pounds – GOLD MEDALIST: in his first fight on 8-10-03 he won a 26-13 decision against Carlos Valcarcel of Puerto Rico; in the quarterfinals on 8-12-03 he stopped German Torres of Ecuador in the 2nd round; in the semifinals on 8-13-03 he won a 31-18 decision against Raul Hilares of Mexico; in the finals on 8-16-03 he won a 28-22 decision against Juan Carlos Payano of Dominican Republic...

2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, Bangkok, Thailand, 112 pounds: in his first fight on 7-7-03 he stopped Bogdan Dobrescu of Romania in the 3rd round; in his second fight on 7-8-03 he won a 40-20 decision against Lee Sung of South Korea; in the quarterfinals on 7-10-03 he lost a 23-22 decision against Somjit Jongjohar of Thailand...

NATIONAL AMATEUR HIGHLIGHTS: 2006 CUBAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, Bayamo, Cuba, 125 pounds – GOLD MEDALIST: in the finals on 2-2-06 he won a 27-10 decision against Luis Franco... 2004 CUBAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, Camaguey, Cuba, 112 pounds - GOLD MEDALIST: in the finals on 2-1-04 he won a 24-20 decision against Kadel Luis Martinez... 2003 CUBAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, Holguin, Cuba, 112 pounds - GOLD MEDALIST: in the finals he won an 18-5 decision against Yosvani Acosta... 2002 CUBAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, Las Tunas, Cuba, 108 pounds – SILVER MEDALIST: in the finals on 1-30-02 he lost a 13-5 decisioin against Yan Barthelemy... 2001 CUBAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, Santiago de Cuba, 108 pounds – SILVER MEDALIST: in the finals on 1-28-01 he lost a 7-2 decision against Yan Barthelemy... 2000 CUBAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, Guantanamo, Cuba, 108 pounds - GOLD MEDALIST: in the finals he won a 19-9 decision against Yan Barthelemy... STRENGTHS: Has an aggressive style, good skills, speed, and movement...has tremendous punching power in both hands...physically strong, has good natural athletic ability...had a tremendous amateur background...comes from a strong family boxing background... PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 2 years, 9 months...16 fights...60 total rounds...14 world championship rounds... AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 3.75 rounds... KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 87 %... DISTANCE FIGHTS: 10 rounds – 3 (3-0)...8 rounds – 0...6 rounds – 1 (1-0)...


YURIORKIS GAMBOA

YURIOKIS GAMBOA-TOLEDANO

GUANTANAMO, CUBADate of Birth: 12/23/1981


2007

Apr 27 ALEXAN MANWELJAN, HAMBURG, GERMANY... 125 W 4 PRO DEBJun 16 ARAIK SACHBAZJAN, ANKARA, TURKEY..... 132 TKO 4Jul 06 JOEL MAYO, HAMBURG, GERMANY.......... 133 TKO 2Sep 02 THOMAS HENGSBERGER, BERLIN, GERMANY.. 130TKO 1Sep 21 NESTOR PANIAGUA, LUEBECK, GERMANY.... 126KO 1Oct 19 SAMUEL KEBEDE, BERLIN, GERMANY....... 132TKO 2Oct 30 ADILTON DE JESUS, HOLLYWOOD, FL...... 129 TKO 6

2008

Jan 05 GILBERTO LUQUE, AC, NJ............... 129TKO 1Feb 22 JOHNNIE EDWARDS, FT LAUDERDALE, FL... 128 TKO 1 NABFMay 17 DARLING JIMENEZ, PRIMM, NV........... 128 W 10 WBC/INTJul 18 AL SEEGER, PRIMM, NV................. 126TKO 1 NABOOct 04 MARCOS RAMIREZ, TEMECULA, CA......... 126 KO 2

2009

Jan 09 ROGER GONZALEZ, PRIMM, NV............ 126TKO 10Feb 20 WALTER ESTRADA, FT LAUDERDALE, FL.... 130KO 1Apr 17 JOSE ROJAS, PRIMM, NV................ 125 TKO 10 WBA-IOct 10 WHYBER GARCIA, NY, NY................ 124 TKO 4 WBA

1


ROGERS MTAGWA Age: 30 (3-22-79) Residence: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Birthplace: Dodoma, Tanzania Record: 25-13-2, 1 NC, 18 KOs Height: 5’5” Reach: 69” Manager: Joe Parella ROGERS MTAGWA (25-13-2, 1 NC, 18 KOs)…

• World championship fights: 0-1... • Ranked IBF #7, WBO #10 at 122 pounds... • Former USBA featherweight champion, two successful defenses... • Former African jr. featherweight champion… At the age of 30, Rogers is a 12-year pro. A contender at 122 to 126 pounds, he has an aggressive

style, is as tough as they come, and always makes exciting fights. A native of Tanzania, Rogers has been living in Philadelphia since mid-2000. He is coming off a 12 round decision loss against WBO junior featherweight world champion Juan

Manuel Lopez in his last fight in October, 2009. After the fight, Fightwriter.com’s Graham Houston reported [excerpts]: I think that most people

expected Puerto Rico’s rising star to hammer his Tanzanian-born opponent into defeat well inside the distance. Instead, Lopez was on his bike and in full survival mode in a dramatic last round.

Mtagwa deserved this big fight after a career in which he has given fans one action-packed fight after another, but I never dreamed he would be this deserving.

This compelling contest, for Lopez’s WBO 122-pound title, was, as MC Michael Buffer observed, “one of the greatest fights in many a year”. Lopez fully deserved the unanimous decision but he was cut, somewhat banged-up and desperately tired in the final stages. The southpaw firepower that had caused so many opponents to fall - or at least back off - was failing to deter the game, resilient and relentless Philadelphia-domiciled African. Lopez might have been saved by the bell when a right hand wobbled him in the waning moments of the 11th and in the 12th he was casting anxious glances at the big-screen clock as he backpedalled, grabbed and managed to get through the most perilous passage of his career.

I can’t say enough about Mtagwa’s amazingly determined effort. He took some heavy hits as Lopez’s black Reyes gloves bounced off his head and chin, but he kept coming forward, and his big, winging right hands and left hooks were a constant source of, at first, discomfort, then downright danger, for Lopez.

For the first time in his career Lopez was hitting an opponent and nothing was happening. Some of those left hands and right hooks from his southpaw style would surely have seen off a lot of 122-pounders - but not Mtagwa. It was as if Mtagwa was becoming increasingly inured to taking punches as the rounds went by, so that, by the later rounds, nothing was going to stop him.

The fight was a gruelling learning experience for Lopez, while Mtagwa will surely be rewarded with another big fight after this magnificent display of unflagging tenacity. [End Houston item]

Rogers is experienced against very good opposition, and has fought former world champions Juan Manuel Lopez (L12), Agapito Sanchez (L10) and Valdemir Pereira (TKOby8), as well as several contenders.

Key Fights – 2009 - in his last fight on 10-10-9 in New York, NY, he lost a 12 round unanimous decision against lefthanded defending champion Juan Manual Lopez (26-0): the fight headlined in The Theater at Madison Square Garden, and it was fast-paced and exciting; Juan built an early lead – he floored Mtagwa two times with right hooks in the 1st round, but the referee missed the calls and ruled that both were slips; Juan swept the first four rounds on all three scorecards, but was cut over his left eye by a clash of heads in the 4th; Juan then scored a knockdown in the 5th round for a 10-8 round on all three scorecards, then swept the 6th, as well, and after six rounds, led by shutout scores of 60-53 on all three scorecards; but Mtagwa kept pressing forward and rallied in the second half of the fight – he won the 7th round and 8th on two scorecards, then Juan won the 9th on two scorecards; but Mtagwa finished the fight very strongly and swept the last three rounds – he staggered Juan with a series of punches in the 10th round, then staggered him again with a right hand in the 11th; Mtagwa fought furiously in the 12th round and rocked Juan several times, but Juan managed to last until the final bell and his early lead held up - scored 116-111, 115-111, 114-113; after the fight, Rogers said, “The last round, I was very tired, really tired. He’s not a strong puncher, but he’s a good fighter. In the 12th round I see in his eyes that he is finished. It was a very close fight, a good fight. Why not a rematch? I don’t believe he won the fight.”... On 5-1-09 in Philadelphia, PA, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Ricardo Medina (31-33-5): scored 98-92, 98-92, 97-93... 2008 – On 11-7-08 in Tucson, AZ, he TKO’d Tomas Villa (20-5-4): Villa scored a knockdown in the 9th round; Rogers rallied and scored three knockdowns in the 10th, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:20... On 3-7-08 in Philadelphia he won a 10 round unanimous decision in the rematch against Aldo Valtierra (24-8): the bout headlined at the New Alhambra; Valtierra took the fight on short notice, and it was an exciting battle; the early rounds were close, but Rogers rallied in the middle and late rounds, and the referee penalized Valtierra one point for holding down Rogers’ head in the 8th round; scored 96-93, 96-93, 97-92... 2007 – on 11-10-07 in New York he lost an 8 round unanimous decision against Australian prospect Billy Dib (16-0): scored 80-72, 79-73, 79-73... VACANT NABF F TITLE CHALLENGE - on 7-20-07 in Philadelphia he had a no contest against Aldo Valtierra (24-8): the fight headlined at the New Alhambra, and it was fast-paced and close; Mtagwa pressed forward, but Aldo boxed and counterpunched effectively, the momentum shifted back and forth, and several rounds were close; the fight was originally scored as a split decision win for Mtagwa by scores of 116-112, 116-112 Mtagwa, 115-113 Valtierra; but Mtagwa tested positive for ephedra on his post-fight drug test, and the result was later changed to no contest... On 4-11-07 in Charleston, SC, he knocked out Terrance Roy (9-20): at 1:35 of the 2nd round... 2006 – LOST USBA F TITLE – on 11-10-06 in Cicero, IL, he lost a 12 round split decision against Martin Honorio (22-3-1): it was a fast-paced, exciting fight, and both gave tremendous efforts; the momentum shifted back and forth, and several rounds were close and hard to score; Rogers landed the harder punches, but Honorio consistently outworked him; Honorio was cut under his right eye in the early rounds, and Rogers rallied in the middle rounds and staggered Honorio in the 6th, 8th, and 9th rounds; Honorio was cut over his left eye in the 6th round, and was penalized one point for punching behind the head in the 8th; Honorio was cut over his right eye in the 11th, but finished very strongly in the late rounds – he staggered Rogers in the 11th round and punched almost nonstop in the 12th; scored 115-112, 114-113 Honorio, 114-113 Mtagwa; the crowd gave them a standing ovation at the final bell... 2ND USBA F TITLE DEFENSE – on 8-2-06 in Philadelphia he TKO’d Alvin Brown (26-8): at 3:06 of the 4th round...

1ST USBA F TITLE DEFENSE - on 6-16-06 in Philadelphia, PA, he TKO’d former USBA featherweight champion and world title challenger Art Simonyan (15-2-2): the bout headlined at the New Alhambra, and it was a fast-paced, exciting fight; Rogers staggered Simonyan late in the 1st round, but the following rounds were close; Rogers scored a knockdown with a series of punches in the 4th round, and Simonyan was counted out on his hands and knees at 1:58; after the fight, Rogers said, “I had him hurt early with a right, and when I went back to the corner my team said, ‘Use the jab, use the jab,’ and it allowed me to catch him with the right hands. He tried to tire me, but you can’t tire me. I can go all night like this.”... IBF F TITLE ELIMINATION BOUT – on 3-18-06 in Evansville, IN, he was TKO’d against former world title challenger Orlando Salido (25-9-2): Salido dominated the first three rounds, but Rogers rallied in the 4th and 5th; but he did not continue after the 5th round – his corner claimed he had injured a rib in the 1st round... 2005 – WON VACANT USBA F TITLE - on 7-8-05 in New Haven, CT, he TKO’d Joe Morales 19-9): it was a fast-paced, exciting fight; both fighters kept fast paces, but Rogers landed the harder punches and wore down Morales; Rogers rocked him with a series of punches in the 10th round, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:58... On 3-18-05 in Philadelphia he won a 10 round split decision against Fernando Trejo (23-9-4): it was a close, exciting fight, and both gave tremendous efforts throughout; Rogers scored two knockdowns in the 10th round, and won by scores of 95-93, 96-93 Mtagwa, 96-92 Trejo... 2004 – on 10-14-04 in Whippany, NJ, he lost a 10 round majority decision against former WBO jr. featherweight world champion Agapito Sanchez (32-10-3): Sanchez was cut on the bridge of his nose and over his right eye by head clashes, but dominated the early rounds; Rogers rallied in the middle rounds, but Sanchez finished the fight strongly and won by scores of 97-93, 97-93, 96-96... On 5-14-04 in Philadelphia he knocked out Broderick Harper (6-5-2): in the 2nd round... On 1-3-04 in Mashantucket, CT, he was TKO’d against contender Valdemir Pereira (15-0): Pereira dominated the fight and overpowered Rogers; Pereira scored one knockdown in the 1st round when Rogers was held up by the ropes; he staggered Rogers in the 3rd, and scored another knockdown in the 6th round that put Rogers flat on his back; he knocked down Rogers again in the 8th round, flat on his back, and the referee stopped the fight without a count at 2:36; after seven rounds, Pereira led by scores of 70-71 on all three scorecards; Pereira went on to win the IBF featherweight world title in 2006... 2003 – on 8-22-03 in Choctaw, MS, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Isidro Tejedor (16-14-4): scored 96-89, 96-89, 95-90... On 6-27-03 in Atlantic City, NJ, he knocked out Corey Alarcon (7-3): it was an exciting fight and a spectacular one-punch knockout; Alarcon boxed well early and scored a knockdown in the 2nd round; but Rogers came back and knocked down Alarcon with a right hand in the 3rd round, and he was counted out at 1:56… On 1-31-03 in Atlantic City he TKO’d Kareem Braithwaite (9-7) at 2:08 of the 4th round… 2002 – 10-11-02 in Philadelphia, PA, he lost an 8 round split decision against Jose Reyes (8-1): Rogers scored two knockdowns in the 2nd round, but Reyes came back and outworked him and won five of the last six rounds; scored 76-73, 77-72 Reyes, 76-73 Mtagwa… On 7-12-02 in Hampton Beach, NH, he fought to a 10 round draw against Edwin Santana (27-5-5): Rogers took the fight on two days’ notice, but gave a good effort and it was a close fight with good action, scored 97-94 Mtagwa, 97-94 Santana, 95-95; after the fight, Rogers said, “I trained one week. Maybe if we fight again, I’d win. He’s OK, but he has no punch.”…

On 5-25-02 in Concord, NC, he lost a 10 round majority decision against Antonio “Chelo” Diaz (22-3): it was a dull fight; Rogers pressed forward, but Diaz frustrated him with lots of clinching; Diaz was cut over the left eye in the 7th round by a clash of heads; scored 96-94, 98-92, 95-95… On 3-15-02 in Bushkill, PA, he fought to a 4 round draw against southpaw Victorio Abadia (19-3-1)… 2001 – on 9-21-01 in Philadelphia he TKO’d Steve Trumble (11-14): Rogers scored one knockdown in the 2nd round and two more in the 3rd round, and stopped Trumble at 2:44… On 6-15-01 in Philadelphia he TKO’d Donovan Carey (15-4-1): at 2:42 of the 2nd round… On 2-21-01 in Atlantic City he TKO’d Nelson Medina (12-17-2): in the 6th round… 2000 - on 10-6-00 in Atlantic City he lost a 10 round decision against prospect Emmanuel Lucero (13-0): Rogers pressed forward, but Lucero frustrated him with constant movement and made a dull fight; scored 100-89 on New Jersey’s majority scoring system… On 9-22-00 in Philadelphia, PA, he lost an 8 round unanimous decision against Isidro Tejedor (12-4-4): scored 77-75, 78-75, 78-74… On 9-12-00 in Philadelphia he knocked out Garvin Crout (10-3): at 2:39 of the 1st round… On 5-2-00 in Philadelphia he lost an 8 round decision against lefthanded former Olympian Debind Thapa (10-0): Rogers was knocked down late in the 1st round, but came back to win the 2nd; the rest of the fight was very close, but Thapa had the edge in most of the rounds; scored 77-74, 77-74, 79-72; Rogers had only been in the US for ten days before the fight… On 4-8-00 in Dar-Es-Salaam, TAN, he won a 6 round decision against Oboie Ameme (4-1)... He debuted at the age of 17 on 2-9-97… AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Rogers was born and raised in Tanzania...he has five brothers who are all boxers and three sisters... He reportedly started boxing at the age of 14 and had 10 amateur fights (9-1)… Manager Joe Parella said, “His mom does like, odd jobs. The father doesn’t work. He’s a sickly man, from what Rogers tells me. They’re very poor. From what he tells me, they only have one phone in the town where they live. They have to go get his mom, then she comes to the phone. He sends money home when he fights.”... STRENGTHS: Has an aggressive style and good skills…has good punching power…tough, determined, and durable… PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 12 years, 11 months…32 fights…199 total rounds… AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 6.2 rounds… KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 46 %… DISTANCE FIGHTS: 12 rounds – 1 (1-0)…10 rounds – 9 (4-4-1)…


ROGERS MTAGWA

DODOMA, TANZANIADate of Birth: 10/09/1979


1997

Feb 09 ALFRED NGAROMBA, DAR ES SALAAM, W 4 PRO DEBJul 23 RAJAE MOHAMED, DAR ES SALAAM, TANZNIA KO 3

1998

Aug 25 RASHID ALLY, DAR ES SALAAM, TANZNIA.. W 10Aug 29 JOSEPH WAWERU, NAIROBI, KENYA........ L 6Sep 05 JOSEPH WAWERU, MOMBASA, KENYA........ KO 4Sep 18 HILLANY OLUENYA, NAIROBI, KENYA...... KO 2Oct 18 MICHAEL KIZZA, ENTEBBE, UGANDA....... L 10Dec 20 RASHID ALLY, DAR-ES-SALAM, TANZNIA... KO 5

1999

Sep 04 MUSA NJUI, DAR-ES-SALAAM, TANZNIA.... KO 2Dec 31 CHINA KASUMBA, KAMPALA, UGANDA....... 122KO 12 AFRICAN

2000

Apr 08 OBOIE AMEME, DAR-ES-SALAM, TANZNIA... W 6May 02 DEVINDER THAPA, PHILADELPHIA, PA..... 115L 8Sep 12 GARVIN CROUT, PHILADELPHIA, PA....... 124KO 1Sep 22 ISIDRO TEJEDOR, PHILADELPHIA, PA..... 123L 8Oct 06 EMMANUEL LUCERO, AC, NJ.............. 122L 10

2001

Feb 21 NELSON MEDINA, AC, NJ................ 125TKO 6Jun 15 DONOVAN CAREY, PHILADELPHIA, PA...... 124TKO 2Sep 21 STEVE TRUMBLE, PHILADELPHIA, PA...... 124TKO 3

2002

Mar 15 VICTORIO ABADIA, BUSHKILL, PA........ 127D 4May 25 ANTONIO DIAZ, CONCORD, NC............ 124L 10Jul 12 EDWIN SANTANA, HAMPTON BEACH, NH..... 130D 10Oct 11 JOSE REYES, PHILADELPHIA, PA......... 127L(S) 8

2003

Jan 31 KAREEM BRAITHWAITE, AC, NJ........... 126TKO 4Jun 27 COREY ALARCON, AC, NJ................ 128KO 3Aug 22 ISIDRO TEJEDOR, CHOCTAW, MS.......... 127W 10

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ROGERS MTAGWA

DODOMA, TANZANIADate of Birth: 10/09/1979


2004

Jan 03 VALDEMIR PEREIRA, MASHANTUCKET, CT... 124TKBY 8May 14 BRODERICK HARPER, PHILADELPHIA, PA... 126 KO 2Oct 14 AGAPITO SANCHEZ, WHIPPANY, NJ........ 125L(M) 10

2005

Mar 18 FERNANDO TREJO, PHILADELPHIA, PA..... 127 W(S) 10Jul 08 JOE MORALES, NEW HAVEN, CT........... 125TKO 10 USBA

2006

Mar 18 ORLANDO SALIDO, EVANSVILLE, IN....... 124 TKBY 5 IBF/ELIMJun 16 ARTYOM SIMONYAN, PHILADELPHIA, PA.... 125TKO 4 USBAAug 02 ALVIN BROWN, PHILADELPHIA, PA........ 124 TKO 4 USBANov 10 MARTIN HONORIO, CICERO, IL........... 125 L(S) 12 USBA

2007

Apr 11 TERRANCE ROY, CHARLESTON, SC......... 126KO 2Jul 20 ALDO VALTIERRA, PHILADELPHIA, PA..... 123 NC 12 NABFNov 10 BILAL DIB, NY, NY.................... 127 L 8

2008

Mar 07 ALDO VALTIERRA, PHILADELPHIA, PA..... 129 W 10Nov 07 TOMAS VILLA, TUCSON, AZ.............. 121TKO 10 IBA/CONT

2009

May 01 RICARDO MEDINA, PHILADELPHIA, PA..... 127W 10Oct 10 JUAN LOPEZ, NY, NY................... 121L 12 WBO

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