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Godfrey-Cora fight April 6 Naazim Richardson working now in Godfrey's
corner
PROVIDENCE (February 15, 2007) - World cruiserweight contender Matt "Too
Smooth" Godfrey takes on his 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials teammate, Felix
"Bad News" Cora, Jr., on April 6 in the main event at a site to be
determined.
Team Godfrey also announced that Naazim Richardson, one of five
candidates for Trainer of the Year (Boxing Writers Association of
America, has been added to Matt's corner as chief second.
Providence-native Godfrey (14-0, 8 KOs) is rated No. 6 by the WBC, as
well as No. 10 by the WBA and IBF, while the WBC ranks Cora (18-1-2, 9
KOs) at No. 13.
Godfrey is coming off of four impressive wins in 2006 against Lloyd
Bryan (TKO4), Danny Batchelder (WDEC12), Shaun George (TKO1) and Ernest
Mateen (TKO2). Matt is the reigning NABA, WBC Continental Americas and
USNBC cruiserweight champion.
Cora, former USBA and NABF cruiserweight champion, has beaten the likes
of "King" Arthur Williams, Darnell Wilson and Chris Thomas. The
Galveston, Texas native lost his last fight to Vadim Tokarev for the
NABF title this past May.
"Cora is one of the toughest cruiserweights to fight because of his
style and experience," Godfrey said. "He's left-handed, extremely slick
and very busy throwing 100 punches a round. Even though he only has nine
knockouts, he has power in both hands and you don't seem 'em coming.
Felix Cora is the best cruiserweight in the world that doesn't hold a
title right now. He hasn't fought in almost a year because nobody wants
to fight him. I want to fight everybody and so does he. He's a good kid,
too"
With only 14 fights as a pro, despite already being rated as high as No.
6 in the world, Cora is a risky fight for Godfrey, one pitting two
26-year-old cruiserweight lions against each other now instead of
waiting for sometime down road.
"Nobody really wants to fight either of these cruiserweights," Godfrey's
manager Bret Hallenbeck added. "Matt's reputation and ability showed us
that he needs to fight upper echelon people in the cruiserweight
division to position him for a major world title fight. Same thing for
Cora and that's why this fight is happening."
Richardson, who trained Bernard Hopkins for his sensational performance
against Antonio Tarver, has been added to Godfrey's corner because
Matt's trainer, Peter Manfredo, Sr., will be too busy working with his
son, Peter Manfredo, Jr, for his April 7 title fight against world super
middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe in Wales. "Peter's not being replaced
by Nazeem," Hallenbeck explained. "Peter's son is fighting for a world
title and he'll be in Matt's corner as an assistant in future fights. We
did our research and found that Naazim has the ability and knowledge
that we were looking for. We (Bret and Matt) talked to Naazim and then
went to Philadelphia for two days to meet and for Matt to workout for
him. The chemistry was there right away; they just flowed. I interviewed
him, met with some team members, and we selected Naazim. Matt is going
to Philadelphia on February 18th to train there five weeks. He's going
to have plenty of good sparring there."
Richardson and Godfrey have known each other for years, starting when
Matt was a Junior Olympics boxer. "I've known him a long time and
Brother Naazim is one of the best in the business," Godfrey noted.
"Sometimes getting away and working with somebody else is good because
he may see some mistakes that we didn't notice. It's a good opportunity
for me because I'll be working with world championship fighters in
Philly. Sparring simulates fights. I need regular sparring and you can't
get any better than I'll have there."
Godfrey's 194-23 amateur record included six national championships,
four open tournaments including the 2004 Everlast U.S. Championships,
plus two in the Junior Olympics. He was a Bronze medal winner at the
2001 Pan-American Games, Silver medallist in all four of the 2004
national major tournaments - National Golden Gloves, PAL (Police
Athletic League), U.S. Championships and U.S. Challenge -- and six-time
New England Golden Gloves champion.
"At first, I wasn't sure if I could give Matt the attention he
deserves," Richardson remarked. "I saw Matt's situation, him in a big
fight and Manfredo busy with his son. Matt was going to need one-on-one
attention, so I made time to work with him. I've known him for a long
time, since he was a puppy - he's a great kid!
"Matt's a complete kid, not a finished fighter, but he does a little of
everything. His only flaw is that he's young. Matt being able to do so
many things well means we can work on what's needed to be emphasized on
for different opponents. That's what is so great about Matt. He's a
solid kid who has such a diverse game. At his age, in the cruiserweight
division, he can make a lot of noise and position himself quickly for a
big fight. There's a lot of talent in Philadelphia and the sparring here
will keep Matt sharp. He will get consistently good sparring on a daily
basis and that's going to be good for him."
Godfrey was the second heavyweight alternate on the 2004 U.S. Olympic
Boxing Team and as an amateur, Matt defeated many boxers who are
contemporary professionals, including Randy "The Gentleman" Griffin
(24-1-2, 12 KOs), Chazz "Mensa With Muscles" Witherspoon (16-0, 10 KOs),
Devin Vargas (11-0, 5 KOs), Corey "Black Ice" Cummings (15-2, 12 KOs),
Lenord "Haitian Sensation" Pierre (18-3, 13 KOs), and John Johnson
(12-1, 10 KOs). |
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