WBO super featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (9-1, 7 KOs) defeated Miguel Marriaga (25-3, 21 KOs) by seventh round stoppage on Saturday night at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Two-weight world champion Lomachenko knocked the Colombian down twice before Marriaga’s corner stopped the one-sided fight.
The Ukrainian connected with solid jabs and hard body shots from the start while Marriaga hardly landed a shot.
Lomachenko dropped the challenger with a straight left in the third….
Interview with ESL’s Mustard sheds light on USA/EU differences, and brings commentary insight
If you follow the Mortal Kombat scene at all, you must have heard of Ketchup and Mustard, two commentators who work with ESL. While the duo produces a lot of content, People Playing Games took the opportunity to turn the mic toward them and learn more. Jake “Mustard” Neal goes into his fighting game origins, commentary work, and partnering with ESL.
The interview starts out with a brief talk about Evo and commentating there, as Ketchup and Mustard had the opportunity to man the mics during pool matches. Mustard expands about the cultural differences between European and American events. Other than Evo, they had an opportunity to go to Combo Breaker this year as well. Scope and size is the defining difference, according to Mustard.
The segments cover Mustard’s first, favorite (it’s not Mortal Kombat!), and most hated games. They also go into how Mustard got into the fighting game scene and his initial tournament experiences. You’ll also find out where the names “Ketchup” and “Mustard” came from. It’s a valuable interview especially for those who want to get more into commentating.
Listen to the full interview below:
Limited Run Games provides an update on Skullgirls 2nd Encore’s physical releases
Fans’ patience is soon to be rewarded.
Limited Run Games, as producer of the long-awaited limited-edition physical releases of Skullgirls 2nd Encore for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita, have provided an update to the game’s significantly delayed production status:
We wanted to give everyone a production update on our Skullgirls physical release for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. It’s been a bumpy ride getting here, but the finish line is finally in sight!
If you weren’t already familiar with the situation, Lab Zero Games has been toiling away on patching out all the remaining bugs in the game so that this physical release would be a definitive and archivable piece. It took a lot longer to get to that point than any of us expected, but the final patch has been completed and we’re now in the final steps for this!
The PlayStation 4 version has been blocked by heavy factory production of other titles on Sony’s side, but is finally in the manufacturing stage and is expected to be ready to ship out to the (hopefully) patient fans by late September 2017. The PS Vita version is still undergoing the certification process, and does not have an expected date for completion/shipping at this time.
As intended to be the ultimate version of Skullgirls, the wait for these releases should be worth it for the dedicated fans that pre-ordered them.
Source: Limited Run Games
The King of Fighters 2000 is coming to Nintendo Switch
Yet another classic Neo Geo game is coming to the Nintendo Switch. The European eShop has given a sneak peak of the next ACA NEO GEO game hitting the portable-console hybrid: the King of Fighters 2000.
The second game in the “NESTS Chronicles”, the King of Fighters 2000 serves as a further refinement of the systems introduced in the King of Fighters ’99, including the new Striker Match system. While the striker system was never a competitive favorite, it’s still interesting to see SNK try to refine the system over time in succeeding games.
In addition to this, KOF2000 also has the dubious distinction of being the last KOF game made by SNK before the company went bankrupt (the next two games were made by Eolith instead).
The King of Fighters 2000, will be available at the Nintendo eShop for €6.99 (US $7.99, UK £6.29) on August 10.
Source: Siliconera
Japanese convenience store Daily Yamazaki to offer limited-edition Street Fighter II swag
Your corner store has some nice SFII goodies to grab — provided you’re in Japan, that is.
Japanese convenience store chain Daily Yamazaki is collaborating with Capcom to bring customers a number of limited-edition Street Fighter II items to collect. These goodies, available at Daily Yamazaki for the month of August, include clear files and memo pads that feature character art and classic special moves — straight from the original game’s pixel art.
There’s also a special pin set as a potential prize for customers spending more than ¥700, and Famitsu will be providing a special-edition “Streetsu” magazine as well:
These items are only available in Japan for now; maybe we’ll see a version of this promotion come to a similar chain in North America in the future…? Or maybe not.
Source: Otakomu via Crunchyroll
South East Asia Major 2017 returns to Singapore from October 14th-15th
After its success last year, South East Asia Major is returning to Singapore for 2017, running from October 14th-15th in Suntec City. Not only is SEAM hosting the Asia Regional Finals for the Capcom Pro Tour, but it acts as the Asia-Pacific Regional Championship for the Tekken World Tour and the Windjammers Asia Championships.
Over $50,000 will be up for grabs at South East Asia Major, as well as spots at Capcom Cup and the Tekken World Tour finals at the end of this year. Don’t worry if you’re not a Street Fighter V, Tekken 7 or Windjammers player, SEAM 2017 will also being holding tournaments for Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2, BlazBlue Central Fiction and Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite.
Do keep in mind that these Regional Finals are area-locked, so don’t expect a player from Europe or North America flying in to take qualifier spots. All of South East Asia will be out in force to prove themselves on the region’s largest stage. Registration is not available just yet, but stay tuned for more information on SEAM 2017.
Sources: Beastapac; ESPN Esports
Juan Manuel Marquez retires from boxing
Mexican great Juan Manuel Marquez has announced his retirement from boxing on Friday.
“Today is a special and sad day for me because I’m announcing my retirement,” Márquez told ESPN Deportes TV show Golpe a Golpe.
“The injuries pushed me to make this decision. It hurts, but I believe the right moment to put an end to my career has arrived.
“I would have loved to do a final fight to say goodbye inside the ring, but I have to listen to my body, and it was telling me that the right moment to stop…
Juan Manuel Marquez retires from boxing
Mexican great Juan Manuel Marquez announced his retirement from boxing on Friday.
“Today is a special and sad day for me because I’m announcing my retirement,” Márquez told ESPN Deportes TV show Golpe a Golpe.
“The injuries pushed me to make this decision. It hurts, but I believe the right moment to put an end to my career has arrived.
“I would have loved to do a final fight to say goodbye inside the ring, but I have to listen to my body, and it was telling me that the right moment to stop…
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ESPN will feature Evo 2017’s Street Fighter V finals as a special presentation on… ESPN 8: The Ocho?
No, you’re not waking up in a Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller movie. No, Rip Torn isn’t really a crazy dodgeball coach in a wheelchair. However, on August 8, you will wake up and find ESPN U temporarily rebranded as ESPN 8: The Ocho — the network for obscure sports in the movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.
At 2:30 PM EDT on Tuesday, August 8, The Ocho will be showing the Evo 2017 top 8 for Street Fighter V as part of their celebration of alternative sports. If you missed it live, catch the broadcast then! As a side note, you’ll have to wake up earlier (4:00 AM EDT early) to catch some actual dodgeball, though.
Source: ESPN Media Zone