Jay-Z making a statement?

[Bonzo]

Gary Shaw: ‘I have officially joined Roc Nation’ January 8, 2015


Roc Nation Sports has finalized (http://ringtv.craveonline.com/news/369473-roc-nation-announces-three-fight-deal-with-fox-sports-1)a deal and purchased promoter Gary Shaw’s company, Gary Shaw Productions (GSP), said Shaw, who will run the organization’s boxing division.
“I have officially joined Roc Nation. I’ll be running their boxing division and working closely with Dave Itskowitch,” said Shaw of the former Golden Boy Promotions COO, who now holds a similar position for Roc Nation. “The rest of the staff that’s there and all of the people who have been with GSP are still going to be with us. There will be no more GSP.”
In accordance with the move, Roc Nation has taken over the promotional agreements of Shaw’s fighters, a stable that includes heavyweight contender Bryant Jennings, who could face (http://ringtv.craveonline.com/news/371445-barclays-center-in-running-to-host-klitschko-jennings-on-april-25)RING champion Wladimir Klitschko at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 25.
“[Klitschko-Jennings] is scheduled to be there but we’re still negotiating the deal,” said Shaw. “All of my fighters are Roc Nation fighters now. Roc Nation is the promoter. I’m just running its boxing division and working closely alongside Dave Itskowitch.”
Shaw will be present in the Theater at New York’s Madison Square Garden for Friday’s welterweight main event between Dusty Hernandez Harrison and Tommy Rainone.
Tureano Johnson will face Alex Theron in the middleweight co-feature to Hernandez Harrison, a card representing the first in Roc Nation’s three-fight deal with FOX Sports 1 for a televised series called “Throne Boxing.”
Founded by music mogul Jay Z, Roc Nation Sports burst into boxing in August, when Itskowitch posted a winning bid of more than $1.9 million (http://ringtv.craveonline.com/news/352891-roc-nation-outbids-golden-boy-top-rank-for-quillin-korobov)for the right to promote a bout between Matt Korobov and then-WBO middleweight titleholder Peter Quillin, who eventually pulled out of the fight. (http://ringtv.craveonline.com/news/354741-peter-quillin-vacates-wbo-title-pulls-out-of-matt-korobov-fight)
Also competing on Friday but at Chumash Casino, Santa Ynez, California will be two of Shaw’s other fighters, lightweights Darleys Perez and Jonathan Maicelo, in the main event.
Among the clients for Roc Nation are Kevin Durant of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, receiver Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys and singers Shakira and Rhianna, the latter of whom is expected to be in attendance (http://ringtv.craveonline.com/news/373477-roc-nation-amps-up-fan-experience-for-first-boxing-promotion) at the Garden on Friday.
“All this does is elevate every fighter that I have into a whole different status because of Roc Nation. All of the fighters are in the great company of guys like Kevin Durant and Dez Bryant, Roc Nation athletes and entertainers like Shakira and Rhianna,” said Shaw.
“These boxers will have the opportunity to be surrounded with this type of talent, not to mention the rest of Roc Nation’s talent pool, which is huge. I’m looking to help to build Roc Nation into boxing powerhouse, which I know that we can with Jay Z involved.”

[Bonzo]

Andre Ward signs with Roc Nation http://www.15rounds.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/WardWins300.jpg (http://www.15rounds.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/WardWins300.jpg)
According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Super Middleweight champion Andre Ward became the first big name fighter to sign with new boxing promoter Roc Nation.
Details of how the split with Goossen Promotions came about after years of legal battling were not disclosed, but Tom Brown of Goossen Promotions clearly was not happy with the result.
“That chapter is closed. I’ve moved on,” Brown told ESPN.com.
“We have signed Andre Ward and it’s something we’re very excited about,” David Itskowitch, chief operating officer of Roc Nation Sports’ boxing division, told ESPN.com. “It’s just the beginning for us but it’s a game-changer. He’s one of the best fighters in the world. Everything is coming together for us. On the same day we are having our first event, at Madison Square Garden, we are announcing our first really huge signing.”
“I wholeheartedly believe in Roc Nation Sports and I just believe that they have the vision and the power and resources to carry their vision out,” Ward told ESPN.com.
“I followed his lead on the whole situation and at the right time we talked about it and he asked how did I feel about (making the move) and he went through the steps to get to this point,” Ward said. “I felt it was the best move for me at this stage of my career.”
“We’re going to sit down and talk about when he will specifically fight and the level of opponent he will fight,” Itskowitch said. “He’s been out of the ring for a while. We’ll come up with names and come up with a date but we’re excited to give him the opportunity to show he’s one of the best in the world.”
“I kept myself in shape and I’ve stayed motivated and hungry,” Ward said. “But there’s nothing concrete now. I want to get back in the groove and consistently fight and get back on track. I don’t see what the rush is to push me to a higher weight class. I am not far off my fighting weight and I am super middleweight champion of the world and I want to defend my title.”
“I’m just excited about moving forward. It’s been a grueling two years but I can see what’s ahead in the future,” Ward said. “No regrets. Unfortunately, these things happen in the sport but it truly made me stronger as an individual and as a fighter.
“I embraced the whole process through the good and the bad and now I am on the other side of it. It can either make you, so to speak, or break you and I think it made me a stronger person.”

[Bonzo]

Andre Ward not interested in moving to light heavyweight By T.Baker| January 10, 2015 |

http://www.boxing247.com/wp-content/uploads/ward461.jpg (http://www.boxing247.com/boxing-news/andre-ward-not-interested-in-moving-to-light-heavyweight/37390)



Andre Ward (27-0, 14 KOs) feels there’s no need in him moving up to the light heavyweight division to get big fights in that weight class. Ward, 30, feels that there’s no need in him moving up to the 175 pound division until he physically grows into that division.
Right now, Ward still sees him as a super middleweight despite the fact there are questions whether he’ll be able to make the weight given his long year and a half layoff from the ring.
Ward signed with Roc Nations Sports last Friday after breaking free from his previous promoter Goosen Promotions, who Ward had been in litigation with for the last year.


Ward is hoping that with Roc Nations, he’ll be able to get a new start and get the fights that he’s been longing for. Unfortunately for Ward, he hasn’t had a big fight since 2011 when he beat Carl Froch in the Super Six tournament, and it’s not looking like he’s going to be able to get any similar fights anytime soon if he decides to stay at 168.
“I understand people talking about me going up, but I’ve defended my belts and I’m going to continue to defend my belts,” Ward said via Thaboxingvoice.com.
Ward has only one title at this time and that’s his WBA title, which he hasn’t defended since November 2013.
“I’m a super middleweight and the reality is there are a lot of super middleweights out there…I’m starting to get offended that my name isn’t brought up,” Ward said.
It seems like it’s only now starting to sink in with Ward that he’s being ducked by the top super middleweights in the division. The fact that he’s slow to respond to this doesn’t bode well for his future. If he’s going to stubbornly persist in sticking it out at super middleweight and continue to be ignored by the top guys, he’s going to waste a lot of time. He’d be far better off moving up to the light heavyweight division, if only temporary, to look for fights against guys like Sergey Kovalev, Adonis Stevenson and Jean Pascal. If any of those fights are available to Ward, he’d be better off taking one of them rather than wasting his career fighting obscure fighters at 168.

[Bonzo]

I really hope SOG will be back fighting more often and also not in his backyard.
Imo he has everything to become a big star in the game.

[rudee]

Totally lost interest in Ward... a fight a year jerk... plus he picks bums.
Fight the Ruskie!