Michael 'The Brazilian Rocky' Oliveira Boxing's New Road Warrior - Official Update
By Special Report on Doghouse Boxing (Feb 9, 2012)
-
MIAMI (February 9, 2012) - Based on his frequent flyer miles, undefeated middleweight prospect Michael "The Brazilian Rocky" Oliveira may be boxing's new "Road Warrior."
Oliveira
(16-0, 12 KOs), rated No. 14 by the World Boxing Council ("WBC"), makes
his Canadian boxing debut Saturday night (Feb. 11) against Sergei "Baltic King" Melis (18-7, 7 KOs) in an eight-round Special Middleweight Attraction at Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. The card is presented by United Promotions in association with Hennessy Sports.
The
21-year-old Brazilian, who lives in Miami, will be fighting in his
third different country for his third straight fight. Last July, Michael
traveled back to where he was born to knock out Jose Soto in Sao Paulo, Brazil (8142 round trip), followed by his eighth-round win by disqualification against Xavier Toliver in El, Paso, Texas (3286 round trip) in his ShoBox debut this past November. Add the distance to and from Toronto this
week (3286 round trip), throw in a drive from his house to the Miami
Airport and back, and he's traveled approximately 15,000 for these three
fights.
"I'd
fight on the moon if helped my career," Oliveira said. "Seriously,
though, to accomplish my ultimate goal of becoming world champion, I
want to fight all around the world, especially where there are friendly
Brazilians in the stands. To me, that's what a true world champion is,
not somebody who fights in the comfort zone of their hometown. My job is
to train and fight. My team tells me where and who I'm fighting. They
have my best interests at heart."
Oliveira's head trainer, Orlando Cueller, who for many years has trained the real "Road Warrior," former IBF light heavyweight champion "Gentleman" Glen Johnson, really knows better and appreciates more than anybody what it truly takes to travel and fight well.
"Traveling
from country to country isn't part of our strategy," Cueller explained
the Team Oliveira travel agency, "but that's what has been presented to
us. We're winning and getting calls from all over the place to fight. Carlos (Oliveira,
Michael's father/promoter) works on deals and we fight. We're all
having fun traveling and it's been a great learning experience.
Brazilians live all over the world and Michael is creating an
international fan-base.
"Fighting
on the road is often easier than at home with friends and family around
because calls keep coming and there are other distractions. Fighting
away from home means far less distractions and all of us are able to
focus better. Michael's very polite and accommodating but fighting at
home does take away from some of his focus. When he's away, everything
is about fighting."
Michael
is a two-time defending Brazilian International Press Award's Athlete
of the Year (2009 and 2010) and a strong candidate for 2011 honors
against the likes of UFC star Anderson Silva.
Saturday's show in Mississauga is headlined by unbeaten welterweight Samuel Vargas (8-0-1, 2 KOs), a native of Colombia living in Mississauga, versus former Canadian light welterweight champion Manolis Plaitis (17-1-1, 8 KOs), of Quebec, in a 10-rounder for the vacant Canadian
welterweight title. The popular Vargas is coming off of the 2011
Canadian Fight of the Year, in which he battled Quebec arch-rival Ahmad Cheikho, who was unable to continue fighting after five of the scheduled 10 rounds last October.
Local fan-favorite Brandon "Bad Boy" Cook (4-0, 2 KOs) faces upset-minded middleweight Chris Aucoin (4-5-1) in the six-round co-feature.
Also fighting on the undercard is unbeaten Kitchener cruiserweight prospect Denton Daley (4-0, 2 KOs) versus former Mexican National Boxing Team invader Benito "El Asesio" Quiroz (6-1, 6 KOs) in a six-round bout, as well as pro-debuting Hamilton lightweight Steve Wilcox vs. TBA in a four-round bout.
Whitby super middleweight Phil "The Assassin" Rose (3-1-1, 3 KOs) will be in action vs. Coteau-du-Lac's cagey Francis Lafreniere (1-2-1, 1 KOs), along with undefeated Toronto prospect Ibrahim "Firearm" Kamal (6-0, 5 KOs) vs. Danish lightweight Tommi Schmidt (6-4, 3 KOs).
Tickets,
priced at $30.00 and $50.00, are available at the Hersey Centre Box
Office, through Ticketmaster at 855.985.5000 or ticketmaster.ca.
Go on line at www.UnitedPromotions.ca for more information about the Feb. 11 show.
For more information about Oliveira, visit his website at www.MichaelOliveira.com.
.
--
The Biggest, just got better! CHECK IT OUT! Check out the New Improved Forums here at Doghouse Boxing (Ipad, Mobile, Android and YouTube friendly.) Check out the Dog Pound and have your say at: http://forums.doghouseboxing.com/
NEW: Follow Doghouse Boxing on FaceBook!
For more Boxing News 24/7 and so much more...
visit our homepage now!
|