The Las Vegas Showgirlz has teamed up with Clark County School District Girls Club Flag Football, the NFL, and Love Media Group of Las Vegas. We are helping start a varsity flag football program for girls, with a first time high school football camp on Sunday, March 8th, at All American Park from 11am to 3pm. Please come or send someone from your staff to cover this event, this is a "Her'story" in the making, we want to be the third state to sanction girls flag football, Alaska and Florida are the first 2 with over 2,000 players playing.



THOMSON-MELENDEZ CHAMPIONSHIP REMATCH
SET FOR APRIL 11TH

STRIKEFORCE Lightweight Title Fight Precedes Shamrock vs. Diaz Main Event;
Live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT)
From the HP Pavilion in San Jose , Calif.

Strikeforce World Lightweight Champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson (16-2) and top challenger “El Nino” Gilbert Melendez (14-2) will revisit their classic, five-round battle when they collide in a rematch for the coveted 155-pound title at Strikeforce: “Shamrock vs. Diaz” mixed martial arts (MMA) event at San Jose, California’s HP Pavilion on Saturday, April 11th live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

The championship bout will be the 30-year-old Thomson’s first defense of the Strikeforce (MMA) belt and an opportunity to extend his win streak to nine consecutive fights.

In their first encounter, a fight that many critics hailed as “Fight of the Year,” Thomson continually beat Melendez to the punch en route to earning the unanimous decision win at the HP Pavilion on June 27, 2008. With the victory, Thomson regained his footing amongst the world’s top-10 competitors in the sport’s 155-pound division.

The showdown between Thomson and Melendez, former training partners who hail from neighboring cities in California’s Bay Area, had been brewing for months as both fighters continued to climb the ranks in the division.

The defeat marked Melendez’s first in the Strikeforce cage. The 26 year-old had previously been on fire, winning all four of his Strikeforce starts, including a meeting with Japan’s Tetsuji Kato in the main event of the first-ever MMA affair at the world-famous Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif., on September 29, 2007.

On April 11, Melendez gets his chance at redemption.

Ironically, Thomson’s sole defeat in Strikeforce competition came at the hands of Clay “The Carpenter” Guida, the former junior collegiate wrestling star and first Strikeforce lightweight champion in history. Previously, Melendez had dominated Guida with superior striking to capture the Strikeforce title at the HP Pavilion on June 9, 2006.

The event represents the dawn of a new age for Strikeforce as it will be the first one under its new television agreement with Showtime Networks Inc. The live telecast will feature up to five fights including a thrilling main event between three-time world champion and MMA legend Frank Shamrock (24-9-1) and fellow knockout artist Nick Diaz (18-7, 1 NC) contested at a catch weight of 179 pounds.

Middleweight (185-pound limit) sluggers Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith (16-5, 1 NC) and Benji “Razor” Radach (19-4) will also meet in a featured contest.

Tickets for “Shamrock vs. Diaz,” priced from $30, are available for purchase at the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070) as well as at all Ticketmaster locations (408-998-TIXS), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com), and Strikeforce’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).


About Strikeforce

Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose ’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, Strikeforce has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”
About Showtime Networks Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.





Welterweight Tommy Rainone Looks To Make An Impact in 2009

The professional boxing career of Tommy "Razor" Rainone started out just as he had hoped, fighting 10 times within his first 13 months. Since then the fights have been coming in less frequently, despite his burgeoning popularity in his native Long Island, NY and the entire Tri-State area.

"I'd like to be fighting every two months," says Rainone, 12-2 (4 KO). "I'm hoping to fight in March and if so, I'd love to fight at least 5 times this year. I'm always in the gym, always ready."

Rainone, a 29-year-old Plainview resident, is a promotional and managerial free agent openly seeking representation for his career. In his last performance, Rainone traveled all the way to Argentina this past December, stopping Santos Galli in seven rounds.

What makes Rainone special is his unique appeal with the fans; Depending on location and adequate advance notice, Rainone routinely brings in between $7,000-$8,000 in ticket sales. On bigger shows, like at Madison Square Garden and similar venues, Rainone has the potential to generate $10-$15K in sales.

"It definitely adds an element to my fights," Rainone says of his fan base. "Having all of my family, friends and fans in the room at the same time for a common cause. That's something very special to me.

"Having a promoter who can get you the right fights makes life a lot easier. I've had to play the role of promoter, manager and fighter for most of my career and it can be burdensome. I'd like to sign with someone this year if it's the right fit. The opportunities have been there but I've had to turn them down because they weren't right for me."

Rainone aims to one day accomplish what every boxer sets out to do: Win a world title. He understands that he must walk before he runs and has set two short-term attainable goals that will bring him one step closer to his future objectives. The first is winning the New York State Welterweight Title, currently held by Daniel Sostre. The second is challenging fellow southpaw Demarcus "Chop Chop" Corley, a former world champion now competing in Rainone's weight range. Rainone feels confident that he can give his career the push it needs by defeating Corley, who has fought the likes of Miguel Cotto and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"I've been a huge boxing fan since I was six years old. I'm following my dream. I set myself small, reasonable goals, just taking it one step at a time. All I need are the opportunities."




The Daily News Golden Gloves Tournament has been a stepping stone for professional boxing careers for many of its participants. Former Golden Gloves Champions include Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay), Sugar Ray Robinson, Emile Griffith, Jose Torres, Vito Antuofermo, Mark Breland, Junior Jones and Zab Judah, to name a few.
Daily News Golden Gloves Tournaments give boxing fans a chance to see some of the best young amateur boxers in the United States go toe to toe. Get a glimpse at boxing's top prospects at the Daily News Golden Gloves Tournament hosted by Gleason's Gym.

Don't miss the action on March 10

Doors open at 6:30 PM and the first bout starts at 7:30 PM.

Venue: Masonic Temple

317 Clermont Ave, Fort Greene, Brooklyn

G train - Clinton/Washington Aves,
C train - Lafayette Ave

Tickets $25.

Available from www.ticketweb.com
and can be purchased at the door.
Inquiries.

Contact Gleason's Gym (718) 797 2872.
www.gleasonspromotions.com