EliteXC Strips KJ Knoons of His Title!

09-20-2008, 05:33 PM

elitexc.proelite.com » ELITEXC STRIPS KJ NOONS OF LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE: EliteXC, Lightweight Champtionship Belt, KJ Noons: elitexc article

Belt Taken Away For Refusing To Fight Nick Diaz

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LOS ANGELES (Sept. 19, 2008) – KJ Noons of San Diego has been stripped of his EliteXC lightweight title. The announcement was made Friday by EliteXC Head of Fight Operations, Jeremy Lappen.

The foremost reason EliteXC is taking this action, Lappen said, was due to Noons’ reluctance to defend against leading 160-pound contender Nick Diaz of Stockton, Calif.

“We are stripping KJ of his championship belt for refusing to defend against Diaz,’’ Lappen said. “It’s a very unfortunate situation but we cannot have belt-holders who refuse to fight the top contenders.We want champions who will fight anyone, anytime, anyplace.That’s the mentality all champions should have.

“I feel very bad for KJ because I like him a lot on a personal level and have always thought he could be a big star.He’s charismatic, has a very exciting fighting style and is a top level fighter. So I’m obviously disappointed that he has chosen to take this stance.

“I don’t understand why he would turn down a chance to be a headliner on CBS on Oct. 4. KJ then turned down the fight again when we offered him a headlining spot on our next SHOWTIME date against Nick. From my view, it is a fight against a top-named opponent in Diaz (someone who beat the No. 1 fighter in the world in his weight class), a fighter KJ has bad blood with and a fight the fans really wanted to see. It seemed like a great opportunity for KJ to me.

“Personally, I do not think it was a smart career move, but I’m sure he sees it differently. KJ has two more fights remaining on his contract, so we are still looking forward to having him fight for us again soon, but not as our world champion.’’

EliteXC will announce a fight for the vacant lightweight title in the near future, Lappen said.

Contacts:

EliteXC (Brener Zwikel & Associates, Inc.)
John Beyrooty
(562) 233-7477
Johnnybey@aol.com

Tags: EliteXC, Lightweight Champtionship Belt, KJ Noons
Posted: 21 hours ago

09-20-2008, 05:36 PM

http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2008/09/...tweight-title/

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Alvarez and Diaz could vie for vacant EliteXC lightweight title

September 20, 2008 by Sam Caplan

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While EliteXC officials declined to offer specifics regarding a possible fight to determine a new lightweight champion for the promotion, sources informed FiveOuncesOfPain.com earlier in the week that the company had been considering an option that would involve Nick Diaz and Eddie Alvarez competing for the newly vacant title in a featured bout during a tentative Nov. 8 card.

The title became vacant after EliteXC announced Friday that K.J. Noons had been stripped of the belt for his refusal to defend the title against Diaz.

Alvarez, who was recently married and is currently on his honeymoon, is just 1-0 while competing under the EliteXC banner but has increased his profile and is considered by many to be a top-ten lightweight following his 3-0 performance during DREAM’s lightweight Grand Prix in Japan.

The Philadelphia native recorded a TKO over Brazilian Andre “Dida” Amade during the GP’s first round in March. He then advanced to the second round in May, where he recorded a unanimous decision victory over Joachim Hansen in a bout that many pundits consider to be a candidate for “Fight of the Year.”

Alvarez then won his semifinal matchup at DREAM.5 in July against Tatsuya Kawajiri via TKO at 7:35 of round 1. However, he was unable compete in the final, which was held the same night, due to injuries sustained in the win over Kawajiri. Hansen would go on to win the tournament after having won a reserve match earlier in the evening.

Alvarez began his career as an undersized and undefeated welterweight prospect. He was 10-0 and the reigning BodogFIGHT 170 lbs. champion until suffering a devastating loss against Nick Thompson during the promotion’s “Clash of the Nations” event in April of 2007. Since dropping to lightweight, Alvarez is undefeated. Overall, he is 15-1 in his career.

If the Diaz vs. Alvarez match is made official, it will mark a second chance for Diaz to claim the promotion’s 160 lbs. title. Last November during EliteXC’s “Renegade” show in Corpus Christi, Texas, the heavily-favored Diaz lost to Noons in a bout to determine the first-ever EliteXC lightweight champion.

Since losing to Noons via first round TKO by way of a doctor’s stoppage due to cuts, Diaz has gone 3-0 with wins over Thomas Denny, Muhsin Corbbrey, and Katsuya Inoue. Like Alvarez, Diaz is also a former welterweight competitor.