DATE: SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2008
SITE: Wembley Arena
London, England
TELEVISION: EliteXC Presents Cage Rage 25
SHOWTIME, tape delay immediately following SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP
BOXING cruiserweight world title unification bout between Enzo Maccarinelli (World Boxing Organization) and David Haye (World Boxing Council/World Boxing Association) at the O2 Arena in London, live at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast)
PRINCIPALS: HEAVYWEIGHT MAIN EVENT
Ken Shamrock vs. Buzz Berry
26-10-2 11-7-0
San Diego, Calif. England
CAGE RAGE FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE
Jean Silva vs. Masakazu Imanari
15-7-3, 1 NC 13-5-1
Brazil Japan
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT ATTRACTION
Neil Grove vs. Rob Broughton
5-0-0 7-3-1
England England
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS MIDDLEWEIGHT ATTRACTION
Tom Watson vs. Pierre Guillet
4-3-0 10-7-0
England USA
ANNOUNCERS: Mauro Ranallo will provide play-by-play with Stephen Quadros serving as color analyst.
EliteXC Presents: Cage Rage 25 Fight Previews
Shamrock vs. Berry
This fight is destined to be an absolute war and for Robert Berry, the biggest challenge of his MMA career. After having been forced to retire after the first round in his fight against Neil Grove, Berry will be out to prove a point to all the watching fans as he takes on a living legend in MMA. Ken Shamrock needs no introduction whatsoever and remains supremely confident in his ability to stand and trade with anyone or take it to the ground. Berry’s ground game is vastly underestimated and should contribute to this fight living up to its main billing.
Silva vs. Imanari
This is another fight fans will not want to miss as two of the world’s top featherweights go head to head. Imanari will be making his second title defense against former Cage Rage Champion Jean Silva, who has openly proclaimed that he will do what it takes to get his title back. Both these fighters are technically gifted in all areas, which will make this one of the fights of the night
Grove vs. Broughton
Fan favorite Rob Broughton is returning after suffering severe injury problems. Broughton became an instant hit when he made his debut as an underdog against heavyweight superstar James Thompson. He surprised everyone by stopping Thompson via vicious ground and pound. He will now face one of his toughest tests when he goes head to head with heavyweight title contender Neil Grove. Grove, a towering practitioner of Gojo Ryu Karate, also had an impressive win over Thompson in ten seconds with a devastating right hand. He followed that with a first round stoppage of Dominic Ostich, a formidable kickboxer, and Cage Rage veteran Robert “Buzz” Berry. One question remains will “The Bear” have what it takes to stop the reign of Goliath.
Watson vs. Guillet
These two middleweights are dangerous opponents for any fighter they face, but to be facing one another is a middleweight dream fight. Both Watson and Guillet have had recent losses and both will be out to get back to winning ways as the cage door shuts. Tom Watson, a former boxer with excellent technical stand up striking, has recently spent time training in the states to improve on his wrestling and submission skills. Pierre Guillet is a well rounded fighter and has proven to be one of the toughest fighters on the Cage Rage middleweight roster. This will be great fight between two technically skilled fighters.