Martinez Speaks Out Against Domestic Abuse

For Immediate Release:

MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION SERGIO MARTINEZ CALLS FOR A BOXING INITIATIVE AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

(Oxford, CA – April 20, 2010) Newly crowned world champion Sergio Martinez won the biggest fight of his career last Saturday night, a stunning and emphatic decision over Kelly Pavlik to capture the WBC and WBO world middleweight championship belts.

Now, he’s joining a fight of even greater significance.

In the wake of the tragic murder of Edwin Valero’s wife Jennifer Viera, and Valero’s subsequent suicide, Martinez is making his voice heard, taking a stand against violence against women.

“I love and respect women. Violence against women is simply unacceptable. The great number of cases, too often involving athletes, requires action.” said Martinez. “I have always confided in my mother and consider myself to be a momma’s boy; women must be respected, not abused.”

Like in the ring, where Martinez is known to back up his words, he promises that his stance against domestic violence is more than just lip service. He plans begin a campaign in the boxing community to reinforce that fighting is meant for the ring, not for the home.

“Sergio is going to petition the different sanctioning bodies and the different boxing dignitaries to make them know he is serious in this effort,” said Martinez’s advisor, Sampson Lewkowicz. “We can create a foundation that makes a world of difference to women everywhere.”

Martinez has also asked his promoter, Lou DiBella, to enlist the help of the Boxing Promoters Association in this effort.

“I am proud of Sergio for attempting to use his newfound fame to help address a terrible problem, which must be eradicated,” said DiBella.

It is the hope of Martinez that as he travels the world as a champion, he will be able to help spread this message.

“My middleweight championship gives me a voice,” said Martinez. “I will use this voice in an effort to protect women from senseless violence and abuse.”

Contact:
DiBella Entertainment – 212-947-2577

Alex Dombroff – alex@dbe1.com
Meredith Greenberg – meredith@dbe1.com

Rhonda Utley-Herring

Two weeks ago was the COMBATT Award Dinner. Many of our great boxers attended and paid tribute to the organization and the children it’s helped over the years. Joe Frazier, Mark Breland, Al Cole, Harold & Julie Lederman, Melvina & Doc Lathan are just some of the people who were there. The founder is Larry Hazard but the CEO and driving wheel is our Rhonda Utley-Herring… our NABF Star of the Month!

Larry Hazard may have been the dreamer, but Rhonda was the dream maker. She is the CEO of COMBATT. “As the CEO, I have to keep all the wheels turning for a smooth ride. I write all of the grants and plan all of the activities . Larry Hazard does a wonderful job in legitimizing our organization and working daily with the children, mentoring, tutoring and training them for adulthood. He also supervises all of the staff & volunteers on a daily bases. Together, we’ve been able to help many youth and their families overcome some of their many challenges. Our most accomplished student, Ms. Tabatha Younger, has been in our program since our inception. She graduated from high school two years ago an honor student for three years. Tabatha also received scholarships from boxing organizations for her accomplishments both inside and outside of the ring.”

Rhonda grew up with thoughts of becoming a dentist – that changed after she took an internship at a dentist’s office. Rhonda admits she was not a boxing fan; but in 1980 she entered the boxing industry in an intern position at the New Jersey Office of the State Athletic Commissioner as part of the governor’s summer program initiative for college students. She began her initiation into the sport of boxing with one of New Jersey’s greatest boxing champions, Jersey Joe Walcott, who was the state athletic commissioner at that time. In 1985, Rhonda was hired full-time as a MIS technician by then commissioner, Larry Hazard, Sr., who groomed Rhonda to become a boxing administrator and taught her most of what she knows about boxing. Rhonda was proud to be a part of the historic meeting that led to the plan often referred to as the “Association of Boxing Commissions Unified Championship Rules”. She is also the first female as well as African American elected official to the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC).

.After leaving the commission, Utley-Herring was tapped to head the amateur boxing organization, Community Organization Making Better Alternatives Today for Tomorrow, Inc., (C.O.M.B.A.T.T.), which Utley-Herring co-founded in 1996 and incorporated in 2002. Under Rhonda’s leadership as CEO of the non-profit organization, C.O.M.B.A.T.T. has expanded its social services provided for boxers to three cities, Newark, Irvington and Jersey City, NJ.

She is the founder of the Frederick Douglass Achievement Award, which is an academic youth scholarship. Other organizational leadership positions formerly held by Rhonda include, president and vice president of the Trenton State Psychiatric Hospital Board of Trustees (11 years membership and seven years as an officer), president of the Visiting Nurses Association Community Services Board of Directors, president of the La Debu Debutantes Alumni Association, fund development chairperson of the National Urban League Young Professionals and a founding member, treasurer (and member) of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church and member of the Mercer County Black Business Association. Current affiliations/memberships include, National Consortium of Certified Public Managers, Greenway Wetlands Preservation Society, New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee (2004), Rider College Alumni Association, Rutgers University Alumni Association, and the NAACP.

Rhonda currently resides in Trenton, NJ. Daughter of the late Alcine and the late Shirley K. Utley, Jr. She enjoys attending and watching all combative sports, professional football, reading, creative and screen writing, community service, shopping, traveling, theater, movies, backgammon, music, “ladies’ day of spa treatments” with her best friends, Roxanne and Carolyn, and spending quality time with her precious pet French poodle, Colbie.

We are very proud to have Rhonda as a friend of the NABF and a pivotal part of the boxing community. Where others talk-the-talk, Rhonda walks-the-walk. We thank her for all she does for our sport and the youth who are lucky enough to have her as their guiding light.

NABF CONVENTION

A Nuestros Amigos Que Hablan Español:

Si ustedes tienen alguna pregunta, nuestro Presidente, Joe Dwyer, ha organizado que Benjamín y Monique Rendón los ayuden. Ellos traducirán toda la información pertinente. Sepan que hay muchos miembros del personal del hotel que también hablan Español.
Estamos entregados al hecho de que ustedes la pasen bien y disfruten y tenemos muchas ganas de verlos en Nueva Orleans!!

NABF AWARDS 2009

New York, April 9 – President Joe Dwyer has announced the winners of the NABF’s yearly awards, to be presented at the organization’s annual convention which will take place from June 9-12, 2010, at the Royal Sonesta in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“We had a great year, and all of the recognition accorded to the winners is hard-earned and well-deserved,” said Dwyer, who refers to the NABF as the Triple A of professional boxing.

“As good of a year as we’ve had, we are not going to rest on our laurels,” he continued. “There is a lot of good boxing in store for the future.”

This year’s recipients are:

Fight of the Year

Johnathan Banks TKO 6 Travis “Freight Train” Walker: The hard-punching Walker, 34-4-1 (28 KOS), outweighed Banks, now 24-1 (17 KOS), by 20 pounds when they squared off for the vacant heavyweight title in Germany in March. The fight was filled with many ebbs and flows, but when the dust settled it was Banks whose hand was raised in victory. The bout was promoted by K2 Promotions, as the lead-in to the Wladimir Klitschko-Eddie Chambers world heavyweight title bout.

Fighter of the Year

Wilbert Uicab, 27-5-1 (16 KOS), of Mexico has already made 5 defenses of the NABF flyweight title that he won in January 2009. Although his last bout, against Anthony Villarreal in February 2010, was ruled a no contest because of an accidental clash of heads, it is expected that the always busy Uicab will be back with a vengeance in the very near future.

Most Dramatic Fight

Willie Lee W 10 Alex Bunema: Lee or Bunema are never in dull fights, but their August 2009 thriller for the vacant light middleweight crown exceeded all expectations. Both well-traveled warhorses were hurt and looked as if they could have been stopped on several occasions. In a fight that could have gone either way, the Mississippi-based Lee, now 17-6 (11 KOS), eked out a spilt decision over Bunema, now 31-7-2 (17 KOS), a native of the Congo who fights out of Tennessee.

Prospect of the Year

Vanes Martirosyan: Less than one month after stopping Willie Lee in three rounds to win the vacant NABF light middleweight title, the 23-year-old Martirosyan, a 2004 Olympian, enthusiastically embarked on the biggest challenge of his career. He squared off against the rugged and resilient former world champion Kassim Ouma of Uganda. In a seesaw battle of wills, Martirosyan, now 27-0 (17 KOS), outworked the crafty Ouma, now 26-7-1 16 KOS), and secured his spot as a legitimate top-10 contender.

Female Fighter of the Year

Irma Sanchez: The 22-year-old flyweight from Mexico turned professional in August 2006, but has already won multiple titles, including the vacant NABF crown from Susana Morales in October 2010. Since that sterling victory, she has fought twice more, picking up the WBC female youth title along the way. With a record of 17-3-1 (5 KOS), she is all-action, all the time.

Female Promoter of the Year

Hector Garcia: Having promoted his very first card just four years ago in a venue with a capacity of 100 people, Garcia has moved forward at a breakneck pace. He has made boxing a thriving sport in Guadalajara, Mexico, which was the site of many of the 11 female championship bouts and 40 male title bouts that he has promoted.

Matchmaker of the Year

Bobby Goodman: The Hall of Fame matchmaker has decades of experience in developing future champions. Long considered one of the few matchmakers by which all others should be compared, Goodman works for Square Ring Inc., which promoted numerous NABF contests over the past year

Promoter of the Year

Square Ring, Inc.: With John Wirt as its CEO, Square Ring kept the career of the legendary Roy Jones Jr. alive in 2009. Promoting fights between Jones and Omar Sheika and Jeff Lacy, led to much bigger bouts for Jones against local hero Danny Green in Australia and a long-awaited grudge match against Bernard Hopkins. On the undercard of Jones-Hopkins were two highly competitive NABF title fights, featuring super featherweights Jason Litzau vs. Rocky Juarez and light heavyweights Ismayl Sillakh vs. Daniel Judah.

President’s Award

Gale Van Hoy: One of the original members of the NABF, Van Hoy’s long and meritorious contributions to the organization are tremendous. Each year he runs a memorabilia auction that raises funds for the NABF treasury. Whenever he is asked, and even when he isn’t, Van Hoy is quick to assist in any endeavor that will enhance the reputation of boxing in general, and the NABF in particular.

FEMALE DIVISION:
Irma Sanchez – Fighter of the Year
Hector Garcia – Promoter

NABF AWARDS, 2009

* Boxing

Fighter of the Year-Wilbert Uicab,Mexico

Prospect of the Year- Vanes Martirosyan,- USA

Promoter of the Year- Square Ring Inc. ( John Wirt, C.E.O.)

Matchmaker of the Year- Bob Goodman, Square Ring Inc.

Fight of the Year- Jonathan Banks/ Travis Walker (K2 Promotions)

Most Dramatic Fight-Willie Lee/Alex Bunema (Rumble Time Promotions)

President’s Award- Gale Van Hoy

Female Fighter – Irma Sanchez

Promoter (Female Division) – Hector Garcia

NABF’s Alicia Ashley

Boxer Alicia Ashley:
Brooklyn’s Jamaican Sunshine

In need of restoration, the magnificently decorated four story auditorium of the Masonic Temple in Brooklyn’s historic Fort Greene District provided a unique aura for an intense evening of O’Shea Brothers “Brooklyn Brawl” boxing. The limited space at this Landmark created a feeling of intimacy amid the smell of popcorn, hot dogs and bottled beer. Surrounded by marble, brick and glazed terra cotta, a few hundred packed-in boxing fans eagerly anticipated the evening bouts. And from the start, a roar went up from the balcony.
The women’s Super Bantamweight 6 round match between Alicia Ashley and Jaclyn Trivilino kept the New York crowd energized. Hailing from Albany, Jaclyn fought well and hung tough, but Alicia started off early with some weaving and dancing, picking punches and throwing a couple of lightning flurries in round one. This recipe remained the same for all six rounds with Jaclyn showing heart and grit in response to the faster Alicia who could not manage to put Jaclyn down on the mat. For every solid right hand blow Jaclyn managed to score, Alicia made her pay double with rights and lefts to the head and body. Shifting in and out, first elusive, then a strike, then disappearing again, Alicia kept overall control of the bout throughout the fight, and won by Unanimous Decision.

(Alicia and her brother Maurice)