Chicano Heavyweight Cristobal Arreola takes on Nagy Aguilera in co-feature

The Super Six World Boxing Classic Semifinals are set to begin. Andre Ward, Arthur Abraham, Carl Froch and Glen Johnson are all one victory from the tournament final en route to 168-pound supremacy. On Saturday, May 14, Ward will defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Middleweight world title against European superstar Abraham to kick off the Semifinals of the groundbreaking tournament LIVE on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) from The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.  The event is co-promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions, Antonio Leonard Productions and Sauerland Event and sponsored by Corona. In the co-featured non-televised portion of the card at The Home Depot Center heavyweight world contender and popular Southern California slugger Cristobal Arreola will try to stay on track for another opportunity of a world championship when he takes on Nagy Aguilera of the Dominican Republic.  

For Ward (23-0, 13 KOs), with his November victory over Sakio Bika and convincing wins over Mikkel Kessler and Allan Green in the Group Stage portion of the tournament, he enters the single elimination bout against Abraham as the tournament favorite. Ward, of Oakland, Calif., can advance to the tournament Final to face the winner of the upcoming Froch vs. Johnson Semifinal bout with a win over the former middleweight champ.

“I’m ready to get back in the ring and kick off the Semifinals against Arthur Abraham on May 14,” Ward said.  “I’m just one win away from reaching the Finals and achieving what I set out to achieve when I entered this tournament: Super Six champion and the world’s best 168-pound boxer.” Ward continued: “I’m also happy to return to The Home Depot Center.  I fought there once before and I think it’s a great outdoor venue.  Arthur should have a lot of fans there with the large Armenian contingency in Los Angeles, and I will have a lot of fans as well.” 

“California fans are going to be treated with what I believe will not only be a very exciting night of fights at the championship level, but witnessing the next superstar in Andre Ward.  He reminds me of Sugar Ray Leonard, tough as nails, classy, charismatic with matinee idol looks,” stated Dan Goossen of Goossen Tutor Promotions. 

Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, March 30, and will be available for as low as $25, with VIP floor seats priced at $200. Other tickets in the 8,000-seat outdoor stadium at The Home Depot Center are available at $50 and $100. Fans can purchase tickets, at all Ticketmaster outlets.

Training Camp Notes

Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero and Michael Katsidis “The Great,” who will meet in an explosive 12-round lightweight battle are sticking to their usual training regimens that have helped the two fighters compile 55 wins between them.  “Action Heroes,” featuring Morales vs. Maidana in a 12-round junior welterweight bout and Guerrero vs. Katsidis in a 12-round lightweight battle will take place at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev. and televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View.

ROBERT “THE GHOST” GUERRERO
Camp Location: Las Vegas, Nev.

Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero is training in Las Vegas (at Johnny Tocco’s and Pound for Pound Gyms) for the first time in his career. 

Guerrero stepped away from the ring for eight months in 2010 to care for his ailing wife Casey, but now that her cancer is in full remission, Guerrero has been able to reestablish himself as one of the top-rated lightweights in the sport. Despite the change of location, everything else in Guerrero’s camp has remained the same.

“As far as my training routine, we are keeping everything the same as if we were back at home,” Guerrero continued. “My thinking is why would I change something that has been working?”

MICHAEL KATSIDIS “THE GREAT”
Camp Location: Pai, Thailand (near Chang Mai) and Naklua, Thailand (near Bangkok)

Michael Katsidis “The Great” is a fighter who marches to the beat of his own training drum. While it is not uncommon for fighters to isolate themselves during training, Katsidis takes this to another level as he trains in Thailand and travels over 3,600 miles from his native Towoomba, Australia for camp. For over seven years, Katsidis has called Thailand his pre-fight home as his team owns and operates three private training locations in the country.

“If it’s not broken, we don’t fix it,” continued Katsidis. “We have had really great camps here and I am learning from each one. There aren’t any major adjustments from camp-to-camp. The one difference this time is that I am fighting a southpaw and there are adjustments to be made there, but otherwise, everything is standard practice.” 

El Gran Chisme:

Emociona a Mexicali  Segura-Calderón II

Un gran regalo para la conocedora afición mexicalense, además del impacto positivo de la capital bajacaliforniana a nivel nacional e internacional son los beneficios que ponderó el Alcalde de Mexicali, Francisco José Pérez Tejada Padilla, al recibir formalmente y “con los brazos abiertos” la función boxística a realizarse el sábado 2 de abril, copromovida por Top Rank, Zanfer y PR Best Boxing y que sera a benenficio del Patronato de la ComBox de Mexicali. “La Revancha” por el título Minimosca de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB) y de la Asociación Mundial de Boxeo (AMB) entre el campeón mexicano, Giovanni “Guerrero Azteca” Segura, y el retador puertorriqueño, Iván “Iron Boy” Calderón, encabeza la internacional velada boxística a realizarse en el Auditorio del Estado. El presidente municipal mencionó que su administración una de sus prioridades es apoyar y fomentar el deporte y este evento internacional de boxeo es una oportunidad para dejar beneficios a Mexicali.

Los boletos para “La Revancha” estarán disponibles a través del sistema Ticketmaster, mientras que en Mexicali los aficionados podrán comprar sus localidades en las taquillas del propio Auditorio del Estado de Mexicali. La entrada general tendrá un costo de 200 pesos, y hay áreas de 400, 600, 800 y la zona dorada VIP valdrá 1,000 pesos.