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Fight Junkie Boxing News From Around The Globe
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3/13 -- Adrian Curiel V Rosendo Hugo Guarneros
11:00PM ET/11:00PM PT
{Telemundo}
3/13 -- Brandun Lee V Camilo Prieto
10:00PM ET/10:00PM PT
{Showtime}
3/14 -- James Kirkland V Mark Anthony Hernandez
9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT
{FS1}
3/14 -- Miguel Marriaga V Shakur Stevenson
9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT
{ESPN}
3/17 -- Michael Conlan V Belmar Preciado
9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT
{ESPN+}
3/14 -- Kevin Lee V Charles Oliveira
2:00PM ET/11:00AM PT
{ESPN+}
Stevenson {-5000}
Marriaga {+2500}
Hernandez (-750}
Wilson {+450}
Lee {-145}
Oliveira {+125}
Burns {-175}
Maia {+155}
UPSET ALERT! Ryan Garcia {+590} DEFEATS Devin Haney {-950} via 12 round DECISION. Will go 12 rounds {+105} & Garcia wins by decision {+1900} hits!
UPSET ALERT! Sebastian Fundora {+380} DEFEATS Tim Tszyu {-550} via 12 round DECISION. Will go 12 rounds {+260} & Fundora wins by decision {+700} hits!
Isaac Cruz {-280} DEFEATS Rolando Romero {+215} via 8 round KNOCKOUT. Won’t go 12 rounds {-200} & Cruz wins inside the distance {-105} hits!
Anthony Joshua {-325} DEFEATS Franics Ngannou {+275} via 2 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 10 rounds {-230} & Joshua wins inside the distance {-150} hits!
UPSET ALERT! Joesph Parker {+185} DEFEATS Zhilei Zhang {-225} via 12 round DECISION. Will go 12 rounds {+125} & Parker wins by decision {+350} hits!
Jake Paul {-2500} DEFEATS Ryan Bourland {+1400} via 1 round KNOCKOUT. Won’t go 8 rounds {-700} & Paul wins inside the distance {-600} hits!
Jaime Munguia {-500} DEFEATS John Ryder {+350} via 9 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 12 rounds {+135} & Munguia wins inside the distance {+170} hits!
Natasha Jonas {-150} DEFEATS Mikaela Mayer {+120} via 10 round DECISION. Will go 10 rounds {-850} & Jonas wins by decision {-110} hits!
Artur Beterbiev {-600} DEFEATS Callum Smith {+370} via 7 round KNOCKOUT. Won’t go 12 rounds {-330} & Beterbiev wins inside the distance {-245} hits!
Anthony Joshua {-450} DEFEATS Otto Wallin {+310} via 5 round KNOCKOUT. Won’t go 12 rounds {+130} & Joshua wins inside the distance {+175} hits!
UPSET ALERT! Joseph Parker {+480} DEFEATS Deontay Wilder {-800} via 12 round DECISION. Will go 12 rounds {+325} & Parker wins by decision {+750} hits!
Dmitrii Bivol {-4500} DEFEATS Lyndon Arthur {+1600} via 12 round DECISION. Will go 12 rounds {-150} & Bivol wins by decision {-135} hits!
Daniel Dubois {-290} DEFEATS Jarrell Miller {+215} via 10 round KNOCKOUT. Won’t go 10 rounds {-190} & Dubois wins inside the distance {+135} hits!
UPSET ALERT! Agit Kabayel {+620} DEFEATS Arslanbek Makhmudov {-1100} via 4 round KNOCKOUT. Won’t go 10 rounds {-400} & Kabayel wins inside the distance {+900} hits!
Jai Opetaia {-2400} DEFEATS Ellis Zorroi {+1160} via 1 round KNOCKOUT. Won’t go 12 rounds {-600} & Opetaia wins inside the distance {-470} hits!
Filip Hrgovic {-5000} DEFEATS Mark de Mori {+1600} via 1 round KNOCKOUT. Won’t go 10 rounds {-1300} & Hrgovic wins inside the distance {-1100} hits!
Frank Sanchez {-2000} DEFEATS Junior Fa {+1000} via 7 round KNOCKOUT. Won’t go 10 rounds {-370} & Sanchez wins inside the distance {-300} hits!
Jesse Rodriguez {-210} DEFEATS Sunny Edwards {+160} via 9 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 12 rounds {+510} & Rodriguez wins inside the distance {+490} hits!
Jake Paul {-750} DEFEATS Andre August {+450} via 1 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 10 rounds {+115} & Paul wins inside the distance {+148} hits!
UPSET ALERT! Franchon Crews Dezurn {+490} DEFEATS Shadasia Green {+800} via 10 round DECISION. Will go 10 rounds {-360} & Dezurn wins by decision {+750} hits!
Devin Haney {-450} DEFEATS Regis Prograis {+310} via 12 round DECISION. Will go 12 rounds {-380} & Haney wins by decision {-235} hits!
Liam Paro {-190} DEFEATS Montana Love {+160} via 6 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 10 rounds {+180} & Paro wins inside the distance {+320} hits!
Andy Cruz {-2500} DEFEATS Jovanni Straffon {+1100} via 3 round KNOCKOUT on UFCOVID19. Won't go 10 rounds {-158} & Cruz wins inside the distance {-144} hits!
UPSET ALERT! Miyo Yoshida {+440} DEFEATS Ebanie Bridges {-700} via 10 round DECISION. Will go 10 rounds {-480} & Yoshida wins by decision {+600} hits!
Amari Jones {-1450} DEFEATS Quilisto Madera {+790} via 5 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 8 rounds {-250} & Jones wins inside the distance {-200} hits!
Beatriz Ferreira {-2400} DEFEATS Destiny Jones {+1160} via 8 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 8 rounds {+100} & Ferreira wins inside the distance {+120} hits!
Ryan Garcia {-550} DEFEATS Oscar Duarte Jurado {+340} via 8 round KNOCKOUT. Won’t go 12 rounds {-235} & Garcia wins inside the distance {-128} hits!
Floyd Schofield {-4500} DEFEATS Ricardo Lopez {+1600} via 1 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 10 rounds {-350} & Schofield wins inside the distance {-420} hits!
Shane Mosley Jr {-600} DEFEATS Joshua Conley {+300} via 6 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 10 rounds {+120} & Mosley wins inside the dsitance {+182} hits!
Darius Fulghum {-4500} DEFEATS Pachino Hill {+1600} via 2 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 8 rounds {-1100} & Fulghum wins inside the distance {-800} hits!
David Benavidez {-490} DEFEATS Demetrius Andrade {+290} via 6 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 12 rounds {+105} & Benavidez wins inside the distance {+165} hits!
Jermall Charlo {-850} DEFEATS Jose Benavidez Jr {+510} via 10 round DECISION. Will go 10 rounds {-190} & Charlo wins by decision {-120} hits!
UPSET ALERT! Katie Taylor {+160} DEFEATS Chantelle Cameron {-175} via 10 round DECISION. Will go 10 rounds {-800} & Taylor wins by decision {+185} hits!
Tyson Fury {-2000} DEFEATS Francis Ngannou {+1040} via 10 round DECISION. Will go 10 rounds {+540} & Fury wins by decision {+800} hits!
Fabio Wardley {-310} DEFEATS David Adeleye {+225} via 7 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 12 rounds {-430} & Wardley wins inside the distance {-136} hits!
Joseph Parker {-1100} DEFEATS Simon Kean {+610} via 3 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 10 rounds {-154} & Parker wins inside the distance {-122} hits!
Arslanbek Makhmudov {-4500} DEFEATS Junior Anthony Wright {+1600} via 1 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 10 rounds {-3500} & Makhmudov wins inside the distance {-2000} hits!
Moses Itauma {-3500} DEFEATS Istvan Bernath {+1400} via 1 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 10 rounds {-900} & Itauma wins inside the distance {-600} hits!
Martin Bakole {-750} DEFEATS Carlos Takam {+470} via 4 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 10 rounds {-150} & Bakole wins inside the distance {-122} hits!
Amanda Serrano {-3000} DEFEATS Danila Ramos {+1360} via 12 round DECISION. Will go 12 rounds {+135} & Serrano wins by decision {+154} hits!
Tommy Fury {-400} DEFEATS Ksi {+280} via 6 round DECISION on PRIME CARD. Will go 6 rounds {-120} & Fury wins by decision {+165} hits!
Logan Paul {-700} DEFEATS Dillon Danis {+450} via 6 round DQ on PRIME CARD. Won't go 6 rounds {-200} & Paul wins inside the distance {-145} hits!
Leigh Wood {-210} DEFEATS Josh Warrington {+160} via 7 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 12 rounds {-210} & Wood wins inside the distance {+310} hits!
Saul Alvarez {-550} DEFEATS Jermell Charlo {+360} via 12 round DECISION. Will go 12 rounds {-235} & Alvarez wins by decision {-125} hits!
UPSET ALERT! Erickson Lubin {+300} DEFEATS Jesus Alejandro Ramos Jr {-430} via 12 round DECISION. Will go 12 rounds {+210} & Lubin wins by decision {+700} hits!
UPSET ALERT! Mario Barrios {+200}DEFEATS Yordenis Ugas {-260} via 12 round DECISION. Will go 12 rounds {-270} & Barrios wins by decision {+350} hits!
Elijah Garcia {-400} DEFEATS Jose Armando Resendiz {+280} via 8 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 12 rounds {+100} & Garcia wins inside the distance{+155} hits!
Zhilei Zhang {-130} DEFEATS Joe Joyce {+105} via 3 round KNOCKOUT. Won’t go 12 rounds {-165} & Zhang wins inside the distance {+160} hits!
UPSET ALERT! Chris Eubank Jr {+140} DEFEATS Liam Smith {-180} via 10 round KNOCKOUT. Won’t go 12 rounds {-140} & Eubank wins inside the distance {+430} hits!
Oleksandr Usyk {-1450} DEFEATS Daniel Dubois {+770} via 9 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 12 rounds {-340} & Usyk wins inside the distance {-230} hits!
Anthony Joshua {-2000} DEFEATS Robert Helenius {+1000} via 7 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 12 rounds {-600} & Joshua wins inside the distance {-440} hits!
Derek Chisora {-700} DEFEATS Gerald Washington {+430} via 10 round DECISION. Will go 10 rounds {+340} & Chisora wins by decision {+490} hits!
Filip Hrgovic {-950} DEFEATS Demsey McKean {+550} via 12 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 12 rounds {-280} & Hrgovic wins inside the distance {-175} hits!
Johnny Fisher{-2000} DEFEATS Harry Armstrong {+900} via 7 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 12 rounds {-400} & Fisher wins inside the distance {-310} hits!
Campbell Hatton {-1800} DEFEATS Tom Ansell {+960} via 8 round DECISION. Will go 8 rounds {+180} & Hatton wins by decision {+210} hits!
Jake Paul {-430} DEFEATS Nate Diaz {+290} via 10 round DECISION. Will go 10 rounds {+175} & Paul wins by decision {+310} hits!
Amanda Serrano {-1600} DEFEATS Heather Hardy {+800} via 10 round DECISION. Will go 10 rounds {+120} & Serrano wins by decision {+130} hits!
Chris Avila {-225} DEFEATS Jeremy Stephens {+175} via 6 round DECISION!
Shadasia Green {-2400} DEFEATS Olivia Curry {+1220} via 10 round DECISION. Will go 10 rounds {-130} & Green wins by decision {+380} hits!
Terence Crawford {-150} DEFEATS Errol Spence {+120} via 9 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 12 rounds {+160} & Crawford wins inside the distance {+320} hits!
Isaac Cruz {-600} DEFEATS Giovanni Cabrera {+400} via 12 round DECISION. Will go 12 rounds {+250} & Cruz wins by decision {+500} hits!
UPSET ALERT! Alejandro Santiago {+130} DEFEATS Nonito Donaire {-165} via 12 round DECISION. Will go 12 rounds {-130} & Santiago wins by decision {+220} hits!
Seniesa Estrada {-2000} DEFEATS Leonela Paola Yudica {+100} via 10 round DECISION. Will go 10 rounds {-600} & Estrada wins by decision {-450} hits!
Naoya Inoue {-400} DEFEATS Stephen Fulton {+280} via 8 round KNOCKOUT. Won’t go 12 rounds {-120} & Inoue wins inside the distance {-110} hits!
George Kambosos Jr {-360} DEFEATS Maxi Hughes {+260} via 12 round DECISION. Will go 12 rounds {-320} & Kambosos wins by decision {-155} hits!
Keyshawn Davis {-3500} DEFEATS Francesco Patera {+1420} via 10 round DECISION. Will go 10 rounds {+110} & Davis wins by decision {+120} hits!
Giovanni Santillan {-1450} DEFEATS Erick Bone {+800} via 10 round DECISION. Will go 10 rounds {-300} & Santillan wins by decision {-260} hits!
Jeremiah Milton {-2400} DEFEATS Willie Harvey {+1200} via 4 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 8 rounds {-430} & Milton wins inside the distance {-310} hits!
Troy Isley {-1450} DEFEATS Antonio Todd {+760} via 8 round DECISION. Will go 8 rounds {-205} & Isley wins by decision {-165} hits!
UPSET ALERT! Joseph Goodall {+480} DEFEATS Stephan Shaw {-700} via 6 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 8 rounds {+110} & Goodall wins inside the distance {+750} hits!
Alycia Baumgardner {-1200} DEFEATS Christina Linardatou {+680} via 10 round DECISION. Will go 10 rounds {-450} & Baumgardner wins by decision {-310} hits!
Savannah Marshall {-430} DEFEATS Franchon Crews Dezurn {+300} via 10 round DECISION. Will go 10 rounds {-500} & Marshall wins by decision {-210} hits!
Natasha Jonas {-1200} DEFEATS Kandi Wyatt {+700} via 8 round KNOCKOUT. Won't go 10 rounds {-150} & Jonas wins inside the distance {-120} hits!
Tim Tszyu {-1600} DEFEATS Carlos Ocampo {+870} via 1 round KNOCKOUT on UFCOVID19. Won't go 12 rounds {-410} & Tszyu wins inside the distance {-270} hits!
Regis Prograis {-1800} DEFEATS Danielito Zorilla {+960} via 12 round DECISION. Will go 12 rounds {+400} & Prograis wins by decision {+500} hits!
UPSET ALERT! Teofimo Lopez {+160} DEFEATS Josh Taylor {-210} via 12 round DECISION. Will go 12 rounds {-175} & Lopez wins by decision {+400} hits!
Jaime Munguia {-600} DEFEATS Sergiy Derevyanchenko {+400} via 12 round DECISION. Will go 12 rounds {-120} & Munguia wins by decision {+120} hits!
Former unified super bantamweight world champion Danny Román will look to take one step closer to regaining his champion status when he takes on Ricardo Espinoza Franco in the co-main event of action live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) this Saturday, May 15 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
The 31-year-old Román (27-3-1, 10 KOs) made his ring return after losing his unified titles in January 2020 last September, when he bested former champion Juan Carlos Payano on his way to a unanimous decision. The Los Angeles-native captured his first title with a 2017 stoppage of Shun Kubo, before unifying belts with a triumph over T.J. Doheny in 2019, and eventually lost the belts via a narrow decision against Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
Here is what Román had to say about his training camp, his matchup Saturday and more:
On his recent training camp:
“The final days of camp are wrapping up now before we head to the bubble. As always, the sparring we got was top notch. My coach Eddie González and I have relentlessly been working every day to get me in the best shape of my life. These last two months have been demanding, but I know all the hard work will all pay off on fight night.”
On fighting in Southern California on SHOWTIME:
“Everyone knows Southern California is a breeding ground for boxers and the fans always show support for their hometown fighters. SHOWTIME has had some tremendous fights showcased out here and I plan to keep that tradition going strong. I plan to put on an entertaining fight for the fans by being explosive with my effort.”
On his matchup with Ricardo Espinoza Franco:
“This is not going to be an easy fight because I know my opponent is a tough fighter from Tijuana who is coming with everything he’s got. He’s got a lot of power, so I must be smart on how I throw my combinations. I believe my experience in big fights is going to be the difference on May 15. I’m expecting a rough fight and I’m ready for an intense battle.”
On his quest to become a world champion once again:
“Everything I do in boxing from here on out is to regain my status as a world champion. I’ll do whatever it takes to put me back in that position. A victory on May 15 will get me one step closer to that goal. I know in my heart I will become a world champion once again.”
Boston Boxing Promotions has announced a three-week residency at the Castleton Banquet and Conference Center in Windham, New Hampshire this summer. Entitled “The Great American Boxing Bash,” the residency will feature three distinct nights of professional boxing on July 23rd, July 30th and August 6th.
"These three evenings of boxing will be packed cards of the anticipated match-ups the fans have wanted to see for over a year,” said Boston Boxing Promotions President Peter Czymbor, “promising neighborhood rivalry local vs. local match-ups that fight fans have been asking for.”
"With light finally at the end of the tunnel following a rather stifling pandemic, we're welcoming crowds back at 100% capacity, with permission from the authorities, and plan on celebrating the liberating freedom of fans, fights and fulfillment."
Individual match-ups will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets are for individual nights only. Packages for tickets to all three nights are available at BoxingNH.com, including a limited-time-only savings special when you order tickets to all three events together.
Windham, NH [October 28, 2019] - Boston Boxing Promotions has announced that Springfield, Massachusetts' undefeated junior middleweight Jalen Renaud (3-0, 1 KO) will be in action on November 27th as part of the Thanksgiving Eve Boxing Spectacular at the Castleton in Windham, New Hampshire as he takes on Brazilian-born Boston resident Amadeu Cristiano in a four-round fight.
Renaud is a former three-time Golden Gloves Champion who compiled an amateur record of 64-16. He made his pro debut this past summer and is on pace to fight four times in less than six months.
"What you can expect out of me is a boxing clinic," said Renaud. "Cristiano is coming to fight. He's not trying to take a loss. However, I just got to throw my hands faster and stick my jab in his face and stay away from whatever he has coming at me."
Cristiano is an accomplished combat sports athlete with boxing, MMA and Muay Thai kickboxing experience. With a Muay Thai record of 53-17, he is the reigning Lion Fights Muay Thai North American Middleweight Champion. He trains at Hard Knocks Muay Thai in Everett, Massachusetts and has competed on national television on AXS TV.
Tickets for the Second Annual Thanksgiving Eve Boxing Spectacular are available at www.BoxingNH.com.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) returned to the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Miss. on Saturday night as Jim Alers knocked out Leonard Garcia in the main event of BKFC 7 live on FITE and the BKFC YouTube page.
Alers immediately overwhelmed Garcia with an onslaught and dropped Garcia just six seconds in to the fight. Alers continued to press the action and knocked Garcia down again before the :30 mark. As Garcia's left eye appeared to swell shut, Alers kept unloading massive shots on Garcia. Garcia hit the canvas two more times and referee Bill Clancy had seen enough, stopping the bout 1:38 in to round one.
"It was fun," said Alers. "I came in and did exactly what I said I was going to do. I came in, got in his face, put those hands on him and there was no recovering from that."
BKFC Heavyweight Champion and Police Gazette American Bare Knuckle Heavyweight Champion Arnold Adams went toe-to-toe in a thrilling contest against challenger Chase Sherman. Both fighters shined at times, but Sherman was able to drop Adams in the opening seconds of round five and collected a unanimous decision (49-45 X 2, 49-46), winning both bare knuckle heavyweight titles in the process.
"It feels really good," said Sherman. "It's been 136 years since this belt came back to Mississippi. It's back now and it's going to stay here.
"I pushed the pace," continued Sherman. "I had to get Arnold out of that relaxed rhythm that he finds himself in and it worked."
Defending Police Gazette American Women's Bare Knuckle Featherweight Champion Christine Ferea faced Helen Peralta in a semi-final matchup of the BKFC women's featherweight tournament. In a back and forth bout that saw both fighters knocked down in the second round, Peralta upset Ferea by unanimous decision (48-47 X 2, 48-45) to earn the Police Gazette American Women's Bare Knuckle Featherweight Championship and advance to the BKFC women's featherweight tournament final.
Isaac Vallie-Flagg emerged victorious over Melvin Guillard as Guillard was forced to retire after round three due to an injury to his right hand. The official time of the stoppage came at the 2:00 mark of the third round.
Adam Pellerano knocked down Joshua Boudreaux twice en route to a knockout victory with the referee stopping the fight 1:30 in to round two.
Dale Sopi met Juan Torres in a very spirited and evenly-matched contest with Sopi earning a unanimous decision (49-46 X 2, 48-47) victory.
Kaleb Harris dominated Johnavan Vistante, knocking Vistante down three times in round one and twice more in the second round. The fifth and final knockdown came from a Harris right hand that connected perfectly with Vistante's chin, knocking Vistante out cold and ending the contest at the :51 mark of round two.
In the first contest of the night, from the opening bell, Bubba Malbrough and Quintin Henry exchanged thunderous blows at a furious pace. Henry recovered from being dropped twice early and scored a vicious knockdown of Malbrough late in the first frame with the referee stopping the bout at the 1:55 mark and Henry earning the technical knockout victory.
The event was distributed and executive produced by MultiVision Media, Inc.
Unbeaten Polish star and Brooklyn native Adam Kownacki (20-0, 15 KOs) earned a unanimous decision over Chris "The Nightmare" Arreola (38-6-1, 33 KOs) in an all-action brawl in front of his hometown fans that headlined FOX PBC Fight Night main event and on FOX Deportes Saturday night from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.
Kownacki and Arreola set the CompuBox heavyweight record for combined punches landed and thrown in a heavyweight fight. They landed a combined 667 punches, besting the previous record of 650, while throwing 2,172 punches, far surpassing the previous mark of 1,730.
"Chris is an Aztec warrior," said Kownacki. "He's a great fighter. I knew it would be a tough fight and I prepared for it. The CompuBox numbers prove it was a great fight."
"Adam is relentless," said Arreola. "He just keeps coming. I know I got him with some good punches and he got me with some good ones. I was more than ready to go all 12, but Adam came in and won the fight."
The action began right from the first bell, as Kownacki charged at Arreola and immediately began exchanging as both men threw power punches in bunches. Kownacki worked off of his jab to initiate his offense, while Arreola was effectively able to counter his hard-charging opponent and respond every time he was hit with a combination.
"I thought it was a good close fight but I knew I pulled it out," said Kownacki. "I landed a lot of shots and that was enough to win. That's all that matters."
Kownacki stunned Arreola in the early moments of round two but Arreola quickly responded to slow Kownacki's momentum. Arreola found more and more success with his overhand right as the fight went, landing the punch numerous times in the fourth and fifth round especially.
Round six was a back and forth affair that featured a big offensive surge from Kownacki early in the round, before an exciting exchange at the end of the round saw both men take heavy punches.
"I tried to follow up when I had him hurt but I was throwing two punches instead of three or four," said Kownacki. "Props to Arreola because he proved he could still hang. I'm sure the fans would want to see him again."
The middle rounds saw Arreola pick up a hand injury, but it didn't appear to slow him down much as his punch output continued to be strong for the second half of the fight. For Kownacki, it was his first time going past 10 rounds as a pro.
After the punches continued to fly through the last bell, the two heavyweights embraced in the ring prior to hearing the judges' scores. After 12 rounds, all three judges saw the fight in favor of Kownacki, by scores of 117-11 twice and 118-110.
"Retirement is something I need to talk to my family and team about," said Arreola. "I gave it my all this fight. I let it all hang out. After breaking my hand, I kept fighting because I believed I could win."
"I just have to keep training hard, getting better and sharpening my skills," said Kownacki. "We'll see what the future holds. Hopefully next year I'll get the title shot."
The co-main event saw former world champion Jean Pascal (34-6-1, 20 KOs) earn a narrow technical decision over previously unbeaten Marcus Browne (23-1, 16 KOs) to capture the WBA interim light heavyweight title after an accidental headbutt ended the fight in round eight.
"Boxing is boxing," said Pascal. "We clashed heads, but at the end of the day, I was winning the round. I dropped him three times. It was a close fight, but I believe I was winning."
Browne appeared to be in control early, using his jab effectively and finishing his combos with power punches. Throughout the fight, Browne would land 52% of his power punches according to CompuBox.
In round four, Pascal broke through landing a perfect right hand that connected with Browne as he threw his own right hook. Browne hit the canvas for the third time in his career, but was able to make it through the round.
Browne looked to have regained control of the fight until late in round seven when Pascal again connected on a powerful right hook that caught Browne during an exchange. Pascal jumped on Browne after he got to his feet and knocked him down a third time right before the bell ended round seven.
Montreal's Pascal was looking to finish Browne in round eight, while Browne looked to effectively navigate the ring while recovering from the previous round. It was midway through the round that Pascal hit Browne with an accidental headbutt on the ropes that opened a cut over Browne's left eye.
Referee Gary Rosato halted the bout 1:49 into the round, on the advice of the ringside physician, meaning the fight went to the scorecards. By winning the shortened eighth round on all three judges' cards, Pascal won the fight by the score of 75-74 three times.
"I could hear my daughter ringside and that was motivation for me," said Pascal. "She was yelling my name all night long. I'm going to go home and talk to my team to see what is next. Canada has Drake, the NBA Champions and now I'm bringing the belt home."
Browne was unavailable for post fight comments as he was taken to NYU Lutheran Medical Center due to the cut.
The opening bout on FOX saw Wale Omotoso (28-4, 22 KOs) drop Curtis Stevens (30-7, 22 KOs) three times on his way to a third round stoppage victory in their super welterweight clash.
For Stevens it was his first fight at 154-pounds, and he was tested at the new weight from the outset. Omotoso began moving and jabbing around the ring as Stevens stalked him and tried to throw power punches to slow his movement. Late in the first round, Omotoso broke through with a right hand to the side of Stevens' head that dropped him in the middle of the ring.
"My coach told me to keep my hands up, be patient, box him and jab," said Omotoso. "He told me I shouldn't push it and that when the opening was there, I'd take it. That's exactly what happened."
"He hit me with an overhand right in the first round that knocked my equilibrium," said Stevens. "But that didn't really affect me too much. I wasn't stepping enough into my punches, I was reaching. I got caught when I was reaching."
In round two Omotoso landed a perfect jab on Stevens, as his opponent was throwing a left hook, that sent him down for the second time in the fight. Stevens again made it through the round, and began the next frame trapping Omotoso in the corner and connecting on power punches.
"I was just letting my hands go," said Omotoso. "On the second knockdown my confidence grew. I was glad to get the victory by knockout."
While Stevens was able to own the early moments of the third round, Omotoso hit him with a three punch combo that featured left hook, left uppercut and then straight right hand that put Stevens down for the third time. Stevens got to his feet but referee Johnny Callas halted the bout at 1:28 of the third round.
"I was okay but the referee has to do his job," said Stevens. "I was down three times so I know he was looking out for my best interests."
"I didn't expect it to go exactly like that," said Omotoso. "I was just listening to my coach. The second knockdown was actually with my jab. I have to talk to my team about what's next. I'm thankful for this opportunity. I'm so happy to have this win. Give me anybody next, I'm ready."
Sampson Boxing proudly announces the signing of Panamanian junior lightweight Jaime “Jaimito” Arboleda to a promotional contract.
Arboleda (13-1, 11 KOs) has been fighting since he was six years old. As an amateur, he fought internationally, going 117-13 and winning the national title at 123 pounds in 2012. He turned professional in 2014.
Arboleda is from a fighting family, as his father, uncle and two older brothers all fought. Brother José was a world-ranked junior featherweight before being killed in a bus accident in 2009. Growing up in the notorious Curundu section of Panama City, Arboleda avoided the gang life by spending most of this time at the Pedro Rockero Alcazar Gym in Panama City, working with trainer Rigoberto Garibaldi.
The 24-year-old is known as a stylist with above-average power in his punches, especially the left hook. Blessed with a high ring intelligence, Arboleda has drawn early comparisons to his countryman and former world champion Ismael Laguna.
“I am very happy to sign with Sampson Boxing,” said Arboleda. “Panamanians like (former two-time world champion) Roberto Vasquez have signed with him and had great careers. Sampson is the right person to move me forward. I trust him and know that he will help me get where I want to be.”
Arboleda also recently signed with Vasquez’s former manager, Carlos Gonzalez, who says the young prospect now has the team in place to make things happen.
“Jaimito wants nothing more than to give his family a better life through boxing and now he has the people who can help him do it. We already have him scheduled to fight twice in the coming months. He is very enthusiastic to become someone in life.”
Promoter Lewkowicz says he’s excited to work with another promising Panamanian after his successful runs with world champions like Vasquez, Anselmo Moreno and Celestino Caballero.
“Panama has produced many great fighters and with some help Jaime can become another one,” said Lewkowicz. “Carlos and I have a plan set out for him and we expect he will become a recognized contender in the next year or two. He works very hard in the gym to reach his goals.”
Former two-division world champion Danny "Swift" Garcia and veteran contender Adrian Granados previewed their Premier Boxing Champions on FOX and FOX Deportes main event showdown at a press conference in Los Angeles Tuesday as they prepare to square-off Saturday, April 20 from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Mayweather Promotions, in association with DSG Promotions, are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at AXS.com or at the Dignity Health Sports Park box office from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The April 20 broadcast begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and features heavyweight contender Andy Ruiz Jr. taking on Alexander Dimitrenko in a 10-round bout in the co-feature and unbeaten contender Brandon Figueroa battling Venezuela's Yonfrez Parejo in a 12-round match for the WBA Interim Super Bantamweight title.
Here is what the press conference participants had to say Tuesday from the Palms Restaurant Downtown L.A.:
DANNY GARCIA
"I've been training hard. I've seen Granados fight a few times and I know what he can do. I'm excited to be back in Los Angeles, because this is where the stars fight. This is another fight that can get me to where I want to go in my career.
"My mentality is that I have to stop Granados. Nobody has stopped him and I have to do that to make a statement. He's never fought a counter puncher like me and I'm definitely the hardest puncher he's faced. I'm going to showcase everything to get the stoppage.
"This is another fight for my legacy. There have been a lot of great fights in my career and this is another important one for me. I know he's coming to fight, but I'm looking to make this one of my easiest wins.
"He's a tough and aggressive fighter who likes to throw a lot of punches. He's hungry, and that's the type of guy that you have to watch out for. I've got to handle my business against Granados before I look to any bigger fights.
"This is a big platform for me to perform on. I'm going to show the world why I'm one of the best fighters in the world.
"I plan on winning with style. I'm going to bring a lot of skill, a lot of will, a lot of power and I'm going to entertain my fans. April 20 will be the 'Danny Garcia Show.'"
ADRIAN GRANADOS
"This is going to be a great fight. We're two fighters who bring it. I'm coming for a victory in dominating fashion. This is the fight that I've wanted for a while now.
"I haven't had the easiest road and that's why I'm looking to get my respect in this fight. I'm looking forward to this. It's going to be a barnburner. May the best man win.
"If he's underestimating me it will definitely be a big mistake on his part. I don't think he will though. I think he realizes now he's in for a fight. If he didn't know me before, he does now. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind April 20.
"I was never taken care of coming up. I always had to work harder to get to where I'm at. Danny and I basically had the same accolades in the amateurs, and I always gave him kudos for what he's done in his whole career, but he doesn't know what I've gotten through to get here.
"I'm coming to get my respect in this fight. I'm going to make Danny fight and see what he's made of. I've always had a chip on my shoulder but being able to take out a fighter like Danny is motivating me to another level."
TOM BROWN, President of TGB Promotions
"Premier Boxing Champions has made a major commitment to bringing some of the best and biggest fights to Southern California. We started with the Wilder vs. Fury heavyweight title fight downtown in December and we're back again in April at the Dignity Health Sports Park. This is the premier outdoor boxing venue in the United States and we have a great show there on April 20.
"Danny Garcia is a throwback fighter. A first-ballot Hall of Famer in my opinion. At 140-pounds he took on the best in the division and never backed down from a challenge. Danny was a 2-1 underdog when he fought Lucas Matthysse, and we knew what happened after, he proved the doubters wrong. I'm so excited to have him back in California on this great card.
"Adrian Granados could arguably be sitting up here with a record of 27-1, since all but one of his losses have been by split or majority decision, and usually it's in his opponent's backyard. He's a battle-tested veteran who's made a name for himself bringing action-packed fights to the fans. When we announced all the PBC on FOX fights, this is the one that I circled."
LEONARD ELLERBE, CEO of President of Mayweather Promotions
"This is going to be a terrific fight. I've really been looking forward to this fight because I've known these guys for a long time. Styles make fights and in this particular matchup, we have two fighters who are all action.
"Danny has shown that he's an elite fighter, because he's beaten a number of great world champions. Adrian Granados always comes to fight. He's never ever in a boring fight. The styles mesh so well, with Danny being a world class counter-puncher and also being a superb boxer. Granados is going to force Danny to fight on the inside a lot more than usual.
"I think this fight is going to bring the best out of both Danny and Adrian. They've both fought a number of very good fighters and been in involved in numerous debatable decisions. They're going to have to leave it all in the ring come April 20."
Undefeated WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay "The Bronze Bomber" Wilder will put his title on the line for the ninth time when he steps into the ring against hard-hitting mandatory challenger Dominic "Trouble" Breazeale live on SHOWTIME and presented by Premier Boxing Champions on Saturday, May 18 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.
Wilder vs. Breazeale promises the type of explosive displays of power that fans have come to expect from the red-hot heavyweight division as the two knockout artists have combined for 57 knockouts in 62 professional bouts. Both men stand at 6-foot-7-inches tall, have engaged in numerous dramatic clashes and are fan-favorites at Barclays Center. Wilder will be fighting at the arena for the fourth time and Breazeale will be making his third appearance.
Tickets for this BombZquad event go on sale Friday, March 22 at 10 a.m. ET and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Beginning Saturday, March 23 at 12 p.m. ET, tickets can be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.
Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KOs) is the most exciting heavyweight in the world with a power-punching style that has fans on the edge of their seats from start to finish, knowing the tide of a fight can change in the blink of an eye. He has only gone the distance twice in his career with 39 of his 41 matches ending inside of the distance. He battered Bermane Stiverne over 12 rounds to win a lopsided unanimous decision and claim the WBC title on Jan. 17, 2015. In the rematch two years later Wilder crushed Stiverne with a brutal first-round knockout that left the challenger crumpled on the bottom rope.
The 33-year-old Wilder is coming off a thrilling battle with British heavyweight contender Tyson Fury that resulted in a split draw on Dec. 1. Wilder scored knockdowns in the ninth and 12th rounds of the fight. The last knockdown appeared to finish off Fury, but he beat the referee's count and made it to the final bell.
Born in and still living in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Wilder picked up the nickname "The Bronze Bomber'' in honor of Joe Louis, who was known as "The Brown Bomber'' after he won the bronze medal as a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic boxing team. Wilder got a late start as a boxer, taking up the sport at age 20 hoping to become a professional and earn enough money for the medical treatments of his daughter Naieya, who was born with spina bifida. He won the U.S. Olympic trials with just 21 amateur bouts under his belt.
"I'm very happy that I get a chance to get a mandatory out of the way, because I consider mandatories like flies buzzing around my head," said Wilder. "They bother me. I'm busy. I have things that I want to do. I want to get him out of the way. I'm about to smash this fly. This is a personal fight for me. As the universe works this is the perfect time. I haven't been this excited about destroying an opponent since Bermane Stiverne. I'm also excited to have the very first event for BombZquad Promotions at what I consider one of best arenas in the country, Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It's go time baby. I can't wait.''
Breazeale (20-1, 18 KOs) is nicknamed "Trouble'' and that's exactly what he has been for his opponents. The 33-year-old has a durable chin and a slugger's mentality, throwing heavy-handed shots that have seen him score 18 knockout victories in his 21 professional fights.
Breazeale, who was born in Glendale, California and now lives in Eastvale, California, was an outstanding high school football player who played quarterback at Northern Colorado University before taking up boxing. The 6-foot-7 Breazeale was a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic boxing team.
He put himself into position to challenge for the WBC world title by ripping off three straight knockout victories following the only loss in his career, a seventh-round TKO to Anthony Joshua in a heavyweight world title match in 2016. In December he scored a knockout victory in Brooklyn over Carlos Negron for his second-straight win at Barclays Center.
"I'm excited for the event more so than just fighting Deontay Wilder," said Breazeale. "I want that WBC title. What I bring to the fight is excitement and consistent action. I'm going to bring the action all night. I'm not scared to stick my nose out there and look for the big shot. I know the big shot is coming as long as I set it up the right way.''
On Tuesday, December 18, inside the Pyramid in Kazan, Russia, WBO #13 super middleweight Aslambek “The Hulk” Idigov will stay active with a 10-round showdown against rugged Russian veteran Konstantin “The Volga Cossack” Piternov.
Idigov (14-0, 6 KOs) is a 5’ 8” bull with pinpoint accuracy. This will be the Idigov’s fourth fight this year since signing with Salita. The 23-year-old has been training mostly at the Kronk Gym in Detroit to prepare for his fights and the improvement has been remarkable.
“I had a great training camp and I look forward to putting it all on display December 18,” said Idigov. “I have a very experienced opponent in front of me, but my skills will show that I am ready for the elite in the division.”
Idogov is another of Salita Promotions’ “Beasts from the East” a growing stable of fighters from the former Soviet Bloc that includes Uzbekistan-born junior welterweight sensation Shohjahon “Shoh” Ergashev, undefeated world-ranked light heavyweight Umar Salamov, undefeated Kazakhstani junior welterweight showman Bakhtiyar Eyubov, undefeated heavyweight Apti Davtaev, undefeated Ukrainian-born ethnic Korean super bantamweight slugger Arnold Khegai, cruiserweight contender Alexey Zubov, undefeated women’s future champion Elena Savelyeva, top-rated bantamweight Nikolai Potapov, undefeated up-and-coming women’s prospect Elena Gradinar and undefeated heavyweight Izim Izbaki.
“Aslambek has shown tremendous improvement in his last several fights and I expect for him to finish the year out in a big way with an impressive victory on December 18,” said his promoter, Dmitriy Salita.
Comosa AG is delighted to bring a spectacular doubleheader to Russia: the Ali Trophy Bantamweight Quarter-Final and WBO World Championship between Zolani Tete and Mikhail Aloyan and the Cruiserweight Quarter-Final between Andrew Tabiti and Ruslan Fayfer.
All four fighters performed their media workouts today ahead of their quarter-finals that will take place at the Ekaterinburg Expo in Ekaterinburg this Saturday.
Russia’s Aloyan (4-0) begins a tough quest for the Muhammad Ali Trophy against SouthAfrica’s WBO World Champion Zolani Tete (27-3, 21 KOs).
“I have watched Tete’s fights, but I do not want to let him distract me too much. I’d better concentrate on my own goals,” said Aloyan. “I know it’s only my fifth fight as a professional, but I have huge experience as an amateur and that helps me a lot. It’s a big opportunity to fight in the WBSS, and my goal is to win the trophy.”
The cruiserweight bracket was revealed in August by tournament organiser Comosa and threw up a match-up of unbeaten fighters with America's Andrew Tabiti (16-0, 13 KOs) taking on Russian Ruslan Fayfer (23-0, 16 KOs) in the Season II cruiserweight opener.
“Tabiti has no loses, he has good footwork and defense, he has a lot of experience,” said Fayfer of the Floyd Mayweather Snr trained boxer.
“But we have our plan and we are working to realise it in the ring. I don’t pay attention to his KO statistics.”
“My goal is to make sure Season II of the WBSS will be as awesome as the first in the cruiserweight edition, and I want to win the Muhammad Ali Trophy!”
In a rematch of their epic 2016 "Fight of the Year", Brooklyn's Heather "The Heat" Hardy (21-0, 4 KOs) and Shelly "Shelito's Way" Vincent (23-1, 1 KO) will clash once again on October 27, at the Hulu Theater from Madison Square Garden. The scheduled 10-round bout, for the vacant WBO Women's Featherweight World title, will open a sensational tripleheader televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Previously announced on the telecast, Daniel Jacobs (34-2, 29 KOs) and Sergiy Derevyanchenko (12-0, 10 KOs) will battle for the vacant IBF World Middleweight Title and Alberto Machado (20-0, 16 KOs) will defend his WBA Super Featherweight Title against Yuandale Evans (20-1, 14 KOs).
"I'm so excited and so honored to be fighting on HBO," said Hardy. "Shelly and I have wanted a rematch since the first fight ended and it's fitting that it's on this huge card and will be telecast on HBO from Madison Square Garden. The first fight was one of the very best of 2016 and the rematch will start right where we finished off."
Said Vincent emphatically about the world title bout and prospect of winning the title belt, "I'm not leaving without my property!"
"I was thrilled to call Heather and Shelly and let them know that their rematch will be telecast on HBO," said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. "I have to give a lot of credit to Peter Nelson and HBO for advancing women's boxing by stepping up to air this fight."
"The first fight between Heather and Shelly was an outstanding, back-and-forth battle, reminiscent of the Gatti-Ward fights that I co-promoted. I anticipate nothing less when the bell rings for the rematch. October 27 is a stacked card, in the intimate setting of Hulu Theater from Madison Square Garden, and I encourage as many fans as possible to join us live."
Fighting on August 21, 2016, in Coney Island, NY, and in a nationally telecast bout, Hardy won a hard-fought majority decision over 10 rounds. Hardy has since won three additional fights including two victories versus former world title challenger Edina Kiss. Most recently, Hardy scored an eight-round decision against Iranda Torres on April 21, in Brooklyn.
A native of Providence, RI, Vincent has stayed busy with five wins since her loss to Hardy, the only defeat of her eight years as a professional. As a result of her performance against Hardy, the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame named her their "Fighter of the Year" for 2016, with Vincent becoming the first female recipient of that award. In her last bout on July 21, Vincent took home an eight-round decision victory against Calista Silgado.
Tickets are on sale NOW from TicketMaster.com priced from $46, $66, $106, $206 and $356 (ringside). The Jacobs vs. Derevyanchenko event is promoted by Matchroom Boxing and DiBella Entertainment in association with Fight Promotions Inc., Golden Boy Promotions and Miguel Cotto Promotions.
Japan’s Naoya Inoue and the Dominican Republic’s Juan Carlos Payano are ready for their Ali Trophy Quarter-Final and WBA ‘Regular’ World Bantamweight Championship clash on Sunday at the Yokohama Arena, Japan.
“I have great respect for Payano,” said Inoue at Friday’s press conference in Tokyo. “He has a good technique and he had a very good amateur career. He is a two time Olympian so he is very experienced.”
“But I believe in my own strengths. I have had a good training camp, and I am in great shape. It is an honour to compete for the Muhammad Ali Trophy and I am looking forward to fighting in front of my fans."
His opponent, Payano, looked confident at the top table, and he is preparing for a war.
“I have worked very hard for this fight,” said Payano.
“I know it is going to be a tough fight, but I am in top shape. It is lovely to be in Japan and I feel good. I have the utmost respect for Inoue. He is a warrior like myself which makes this fight on of the most interesting bantamweight fights of the year. Expect the best from me on Sunday.”
The event in Yokohama kicks off Season II of the World Boxing Super Series and the quest for the Muhammad Ali Trophy.
It is a doubleheader night with the WBA World Super-Lightweight Championship between Belarus's Kiryl Relikh and Russia's Eduard Troyanovsky in the second main event.
“We are two fighters who can punch so it is going to be a really good fight,” said Troyanovsky. “People can look forward to a fight that will probably not go all the rounds.”
Relikh is also expecting fireworks in Yokohama.
“The Muhammad Ali Trophy is my chance to show the world who I am and what I can do,” said Relikh. “I am sure that my fight against Troyanovsky will be great, it is time for me to prove that I am the real champion.”
Kalle Sauerland, Comosa’s Chief Boxing Officer is looking forward to the first WBSS show in Asia.
“I am very happy and proud on the behalf of the World Boxing Super Series to present our first event in Asia, our first event in Japan,” said Kalle Sauerland, Comosa’s Chief Boxing Officer.
“We have a sensational opener to the season. In Super-Lightweight, we have Eduard Troyanovsky challenging Kiryl Relikh for the WBA Championship. Kiryl is probably one of the most underrated boxers pound-for-pound at the moment. He faces a Russian puncher with an 86 percent knockout ratio. So that is something quite spectacular.”
“In the main event of the evening, we have Payano taking on Inoue, the local hero, the ‘Monster’ as he is called. It is going to be his toughest fight so far, Payano is an absolute warrior in the ring, a former world champion. Inoue will need all the local support he can get and I have heard that there will be a very big crowd on Sunday evening. So we are very excited to be here in Japan.”
Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing is excited to announce the return of the critically acclaimed "Rockin' Fights" series on November 30TH, live, from The Paramount in Huntington Long Island.
The intimate venue makes it feel as if you are in the ring no matter where your seats are located. The "Rockin' Fights" series has a history of bringing extremely action packed fights to Long Island, and the 33rd edition of the fantastic fight series will be no different.
As a loyal fan of Star Boxing, and the Rockin' Fights series, you will have access to tickets before anyone else. Get your tickets, on pre-sale NOW, until October 5th at 10AM, by using code 'STAR' to gain early access before tickets go on sale to the general public on October 5th
Boston Boxing Promotion's has announced that after a ten-year layoff from boxing, Haverhill's Brendon Simonds (2-0, 2 KO's) will return to the ring on Thanksgiving Eve, November 21, 2018 at The Castleton Banquet and Conference Center in Windham, New Hampshire.
He will be taking on Vermont's Andre Belcarris in a four-round welterweight fight. Belcarris was originally supposed to fight North Andover's "Irish" Tommy O'Connell, a fighter that Simonds has helped train, but O'Connell was forced to withdraw after suffering a broken wrist, broken ribs and a broken shoulder blade following an accident this past weekend.
"This has been ten years in the making," said Simonds.
"When I last fought ten years ago, I didn't plan on it being the last time I fought. My wife was pregnant and soon enough between my job and family, I was in and out of the gym and basically making excuses. On November 21st there's no excuses. I'm fighting at least one last time and I'm going out on my own terms."
Simonds last fought in August of 2008 scoring a second-round TKO in Worcester, Massachusetts over Edwin Rosado. Prior to that, Simonds made his pro debut in 2005 with a first-round TKO in a fight held in Braintree. This upcoming fight in Windham represents the closest Simonds has ever fought to his hometown of Haverhill.
"Thanksgiving Eve is a great night for everyone to get together and see people you haven't seen in forever and have a good time. Instead of going right to downtown Haverhill that night, I expect to see tons of people at the fight in Windham. I'm excited and looking forward to it."
Andre Belcarris, a battle tested veteran of both the boxing ring and MMA cage, was completely unfazed by the change in opponent for him in November.
"On the eve of Thanksgiving, let's give the fight fans something to be thankful for," Belcarris said enthusiastically when asked to comment.
Tickets for the November 21, 2018 Thanksgiving Eve Boxing event in Windham, NH are on sale now at www.BoxingNH.com.
CES Boxing's star-studded professional and amateur boxing showcase Saturday, Oct. 20th, 2018 at Foxwood Resort Casino's famed Fox Theatre just added another huge fight to its already-stacked lineup.
Joining teammate Edwin Soto from the Boxing In Faith Gym in New Haven, Conn., undefeated super middleweight and fellow New Haven resident Elvis Figueroa steps up to face "Lethal" Leemont Johnson of Pittsburgh in a six-round battle of unbeatens.
The 27-year-old Johnson (6-0, 4 KOs) has been on an incredible role since making his professional in February of 2017. The combined record of his last three opponents at the time of the opening bell was 10-2, including a win over 6-2 Eric Govan in November followed by an impressive fourth-round knockout win over unbeaten Jeremy Lane in May. Oct. 20th is his first fight in the northeast.
The fan-favorite Figueroa is no stranger to the Foxwoods audience. He made his Fox Theatre on June 2nd, outworking the game Leandro Silva in an unanimous decision win. He compiled an impressive amateur record before turning pro, including a showdown with former United States Light Heavyweight Champion Jonathan Esquivel at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in Reno.
The Figueroa-Johnson fight is one of nine on the professional main card, which begins at 7 p.m. ET preceded by the preliminary amateur bouts. Tickets are priced at $47, $77 and $157 (VIP) and can be purchased online at www.cesboxing.com, www.foxwoods.com, or www.ticketmaster.com; by phone at 401-724-2253 or 800-200-2882 or at the Fox Theater Box Office.
Promising featherweight prospect Ruben Villa (13-0, 5 KOs) headlines a talent rich card from his hometown of Salinas, Calif. on Saturday, Oct. 13.
Villa, 21, returns to the Salinas Storm House for the second time this year. The talented southpaw faces Mexico's Miguel Carrizoza (10-3, 2 KOs) in the 8-round "New Blood" main event.
Villa last fought from the Salinas Storm House in April, when he routed fellow prospect Marlon Olea in route to winning the vacant WBO Youth featherweight championship. It was Villa's first title since turning professional in July 2016.
The two-time national Golden Gloves winner fights for the fifth time this year after registering six wins in 2017.
"It's incredible how fast I've developed," said Villa, who is managed by Danny Zamora and trained by Max Garcia. "It feels like it was yesterday that I was in four round fights and now I'm routinely headlining shows."
The lefty, who sometimes conducts training camps in the sparring rich city of Riverside, Calif., decided to stay close to home for this fight. Him and his team have zeroed in on what is required to defeat Carrizoza.
"He fought my stablemate, Michael Dutchover [undefeated junior lightweight], last year so Mike gave me a pretty detailed scouting report on him," Villa said. "He's a bruiser. He likes to come forward and get you onto the ropes or just backpedaling. I know how to fight guys like that. I've fought against guys like that before and I've seen a bunch of them in previous training camps. We are really comfortable in our game plan."
Villa is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions.
Tickets for "New Blood" are priced at $40, $75, & $125, and are available for purchase by calling 714-935-0900, or online at ThompsonBoxing.com.
In the 6-round co-feature, unbeaten lightweight Pedro Moreno (9-0, 5 KOs) of Sacramento, Calif. faces veteran Erick Martinez (14-13-1, 8 KOs) of Mexico. Moreno, a former Silver Gloves champion and U.S. Junior Olympic team member, is coming off a complete performance against Luis Zarazua in late June.
Moreno, 21, is stepping up in class by facing the more experienced Martinez.
"I think it will be the toughest fight of my career," said Moreno, who signed with Thompson Boxing in March. "Martinez has a lot of fights under his belt so he knows how to compete against a lot of different styles. I need to make a statement early. I can't let him get comfortable and develop any kind of momentum. It's going to be a fun fight to watch."
Leading the "New Blood" undercard is junior welterweight Max Becerra (15-2-2, 8 KOs) of Sacramento. Becerra will fight an opponent to be named later (6-rounds).
Lightweight Brandon Trejo (3-1, 1 KO) of Napa, Calif. faces the winless Mario Franco (0-3) of Mexico in a bout set for 4-rounds.
Unbeaten bantamweight prospect Eros Correa (2-0, 1 KO) of San Jose, Calif. meets Leonardo Torrez (4-11, 1 KO) of Mexico in a fight scheduled for 4-rounds.
Opening "New Blood" is featherweight Arnold Dinong (1-0) of San Leandro, Calif. Dinong will face an opponent to be named later (4-rounds).
The Salinas Storm House is located at 185 Maryal Drive in Salinas, CA 93907.
Doors open at 4:30 p.m. local time with the first bout at approximately 6 p.m.
All fights will be live streamed on TB Presents: New Blood via our Facebook page, YouTube channel, and ThompsonBoxing.com.
The livestream starts at 6:00 p.m. PT / 9:00 p.m. ET with Beto Duran as the blow-by-blow announcer and Steve Kim providing expert, color commentary.
"New Blood" is presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions and Banner Promotions and sponsored by Everlast.
George Groves and Callum Smith were in confident voice at the Final Press Conference ahead of their Ali Trophy Super Middleweight Final on Friday at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The all British-battle between the tournament’s top two seeds will close the hugely successful inaugural season of the World Boxing Super Series and determine the division’s number one fighter with a host of titles up for grabs.
Groves, the defending WBA Super World Champion, booked his place in the final with impressive victories over countrymen Jamie Cox and Chris Eubank Jr, while Smith, the WBC Diamond titlist, secured his spot with decisions over Erik Skoglund and Nieky Holzken. The prestigious Ring Magazine title will also be on the line.
George Groves:
“It’s great to finally be only a day or two away from the fight. We’ve had a great camp in the end. It took a long time to get back to full fitness, but we’re there now, and everything has gone as good as it possibly could. After such a long training camp and a long time since my last win, I can’t wait to fight and to collect some new belts and the Ali Trophy.
“I have been involved in some real big fights as a professional. I recently became WBA Super Champion and ranked number one in the division. Up for grabs for me this time around is the Ring Magazine belt, the WBC Diamond Championship and obviously the Ali Trophy as well.
“The tournament is only in year one, but everyone is extremely excited about it. It is a very prestigious thing to be associated with it, and I’m going to make sure I win it and win it well to stake my claim as the number one in the division.”
Callum Smith:
“It is a massive opportunity for me. Every fighter who starts boxing dreams of becoming a World Champion and I was no different. I turned professional and I believed my abilities were good enough to tell me to the very top and Friday night I get a chance to be there.
“A win over George puts me as the best super middleweight in the world, and a World Champion and a Ring Magazine Champion. It ticks a lot of boxes for me this fight, there is a lot at stake and that’s why I turned professional, for fights like these. I’ excited. I’m in a good place. I feel good, I feel strong. I’m ready to do what I came here to do and that’s become a World Champion.”
Shane McGuigan (Groves coach):
“It’s very different (from Eubank Jr. fight). You’ve got a guy who's 6 foot or 5’11 and another guy whose 6’3’’. Completely different styles and that has been reflected in our training camp.
“I believe Callum is a much better fighter than Eubank Jr. and George will have to be better on the night, but I’m very confident that we are going to come away with the win. George has got the experience and I think the experience is going to tell in this fight. Calum has been in this position for a very long time. He has waited for this opportunity so we are expecting the very best Callum Smith.”
Joe Gallagher (Smith coach):
“There’s not much really to be said here. You’ve got the number one and number two seed of the tournament meeting in the final. Everyone is well aware of George Groves. His attempts at World titles and becoming World Champion, for which I think the whole nation in the UK was really pleased for him.
“This is now Callum Smith’s opportunity. His chance to shine, and he’s now got to go take this opportunity with both hands. We’re excited and ready to go, and ready to take care of business on Friday night.”
Wilfried Sauerland (Hall of Fame Promoter):
“For us it is a big day on Friday when we come to the final of the first round of the World Boxing Super Series. We’ve had one final already in Moscow and on Friday it will be the final everybody has been looking forward to in the super middleweight division, one of the strongest divisions in boxing.
"On Friday, we have the two best super middleweights in he world fighting on Friday for this most prestigious trophy and I myself can’t wait to see this fight. That means something when, like me, you have seen thousands of fights. It will be a very special occasion.”
Fans in the UK can watch Groves vs Smith LIVE on ITV Box Office. Ringwalks for the final will be at 9.00 pm UK time. Registration is open at itvboxoffice.com.
Fans in the U.S. can watch LIVE on DAZN, the global sports streaming platform. To sign up for a one-month free trial, fans can visit DAZN.com or download the DAZN app to their preferred connected device.
Boston Boxing Promotions has announced another fight for Thanksgiving Eve, November 21, 2018 at The Castleton Banquet and Conference Center in Windham, New Hampshire as Billerica, Massachusetts' native John Ortolani will take on Schuylerville, New York's Ian Beatease in a four-round junior middleweight fight.
Ortolani and Beatease are both accomplished combat sports athletes. Ortolani is a former title challenger for regional championships in Mixed Martial Arts and Beatease is a former MMA regional amateur champion. Ortolani is also a former professional lacrosse player playing for both the Boston Cannons and Boston Breakers. He is a graduate of Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts.
“I am really excited to be able to step into the ring again in front of a New England crowd," said John Ortolani, who currently lives and trains in Florida.
"My opponent has a lot of combat sports experience, and I’m looking forward to testing my skills and showcasing my improvements. This will be an exciting matchup for sure. Get your tickets early!”
Beatease, from New York state, is an honorary New Englander as he trains in Vermont. He is teammates with Andre Belcarris who will also fight on the show against North Andover's Tommy O'Connell on the same night.
"A fight is a fight," said a confident Beatease. "I predict action for as long as it lasts and am prepared to go four hard rounds if need be."
DiBella Entertainment's middleweight contender Alantez "SlyAza" Fox, and prospects Tiara "The Dark Menace" Brown and Jose "Cheito" Roman all posted big wins on Saturday night, September 22, in hometown clashes.
At Bowie State University, in Bowie, MD, middleweight contender Alantez Fox (24-1-1, 11 KOs) was victorious returning to the ring following surgery for a torn rotator cuff suffered in his last fight. Battling former world title challenger Elvin Ayala (29-11-1, 13 KOs), the tall southpaw Fox displayed his full arsenal of world-class skills en route to a shutout eight-round decision (80-72 on all cards) in front of the hometown crowd.
Fox was bouncing back from his first loss, a 12-round clash against former world champion Demetrius Andrade on October 21, 2017, telecast on HBO's "Boxing After Dark" from Verona, NY. It was during the first round against Andrade that Fox suffered the injury to his left shoulder and he gutted it out for the remainder of the 10-round contest, including scoring a knockdown in the seventh frame. The 26-year-old Fox is co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and New Legend Boxing and managed by Mike Borao.
Also featured in Bowie, MD, on Saturday night, popular, undefeated female prospect Tiara Brown (6-0, 4 KOs) stayed perfect with a fourth-round stoppage of Jasmine Clarkson in their scheduled six-rounder for the Metropolitan Police Department (Washington, D.C.) Officer. Although there were no knockdowns, the ringside physician called a halt to the action at the end of the fourth stanza as Brown was punishing Clarkson with a barrage.
A graduate of Fort Myers High School in Fort Myers, Florida, Brown will be inducted into the school's High School Athletic Hall of Fame this Friday, September 28, at a ceremony to be held during halftime of the school's varsity football game.
Fighting in Juncos, Puerto Rico, the 24-year-old Jose Roman (7-0, 3 KOs) stayed undefeated with another dominant performance, winning a unanimous decision against fellow Boricua, Alexander Charneco. Thrilling the island crowd, the 6'3" Roman, managed by Ricardo Figueroa, earned the victory by scores of 60-54 twice and 59-55. The victory was Roman's third this year.
Undefeated professional boxer Sam "The Hillbilly Hammer" Shewmaker will face veteran MMA fighter Arnold "AJ" Adams in the finals of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) heavyweight tournament on Saturday, October 20 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi and live on pay-per-view.
The championship heavyweight bout will serve as the main event of "BKFC 3: The Takeover", which will be broadcast across the United States and Canada, exclusively on pay-per-view through MultiVision Media, Inc., on all major television and streaming distribution outlets for $29.95.
"After their performances in the quarterfinals and semifinals, Shewmaker and Adams have shown that they are worthy of earning the first-ever BKFC heavyweight belt," said BKFC Founder and President David Feldman. "I'm looking forward to an amazing fight, which I don't expect to go the distance. Both fighters are coming for the knockout and to take this title in spectacular fashion."
Tickets for "BKFC 3: The Takeover" are available now exclusively at www.bareknuckle.tv beginning at $35.
"I'm going to knock him out," said Shewmaker. "I'm the better fighter and he's going to find that out the second the bell rings for round one to start."
"That heavyweight belt is coming back to Chicago with me," said Adams. "I'm ready for whatever Shewmaker tries on October 20."
BKFC 3 will also showcase the beginning of the men's 135-pound lightweight tournament, with a champion expected to be crowned in 2019. All four quarterfinal-round fights, plus the tournament alternate bout, will be contested on October 20. The lightweight tournament field will include UFC and Bellator veteran Johnny Bedford against professional boxer Reggie Barnett Jr., both of whom are undefeated so far in BKFC competition.
Returning to BKFC action is undefeated bare knuckle fighting legend and Police Gazette Bare Knuckle Heavyweight Champion Bobby Gunn, as well as UFC and Bellator veteran Kendall Grove. Grove will face former University of Alabama linebacker Marcel Stamps, who is undefeated in both MMA and bare knuckle fighting.
Making his promotional debut at BKFC 3 will be Joe Riggs, who has a lengthy resume with the UFC and is the former WEC Middleweight Champion. Riggs will meet MMA veteran Brok Weaver. The card will also feature Christine Ferea versus Jennifer Tate in the first bare knuckle bout for both women.
Junior lightweight Michael Dutchover (11-0, 8 KOs) put on another impressive performance on Friday night, this time knocking out the bigger Bergman Aguilar (14-4-1, 4 KOs) in the fifth round of Thompson Boxing's "New Blood" main event.
Dutchover, 20, used controlled body punching to end Aguilar's night in the fifth round of a scheduled 8-round fight. The Midland, Texas native, who conducts training camp in Los Angeles, zeroed in on the body from the outset.
A pinpoint left hook to the body sent Aguilar to one knee in the fourth round. By the fifth, Dutchover had knockout on his mind.
"Once I started letting my hands go, that's when things started opening up," said Dutchover, who is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions. "In the third round I turned up the pace. By the fourth everything started to click. I rocked him with some body shots and got a knockdown. I knew he was getting tired. I knew my punches were wearing him out so I made the choice to take him out in the fifth."
Official stoppage time came at the 2:31 mark of the fifth round.
In the "New Blood" co-feature, Mario Hernandez (7-0-1, 3 KOs) of Santa Ana, Calif. appeared to produce enough offense to win by decision over Ivan Gonzalez (4-1-2, 1 KO), but the judges saw it differently. Two judges scored the bout even at 57-57, while the third awarded it to Hernandez 58-56. The 6-round bout ended in a majority draw.
While some rounds were indeed close, Hernandez looked like the better fighter through most of the fight. He targeted the body with left hooks and would follow up with overhand rights. Hernandez was never hurt and he did manage to stun Gonzalez with his power punches on multiple occasions.
New Blood Undercard
Lightweight talent Ruben Torres (7-0, 6 KOs) of Los Angeles used his compact punching to thoroughly dismantle the shifty Eder Amaro (6-6, 2 KOs) of Mexico. Torres battered Amaro with strong combinations in route to a fourth round technical knockout. Amaro was unable to continue after the fourth round.
Torres did well to side-step Amaro's changing stances. He frequently switched from southpaw to orthodox, but in the end, it wasn't enough to frustrate Torres. Torres was too skilled for Amaro's gimmicks. He landed heavy shots and displayed superior defensive ability to solidify his blue-chip prospect status.
Junior middleweight Richard Brewart (2-0, 1 KO) of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. looked polished beyond his years during his second round knockout of Houston's Edward Aceves (0-5).
Brewart attacked the body early and earned a first round knockdown by going to the midsection. The 20-year-old followed the same script to pay dirt in the second round.
He landed several hard body shots that pushed the still winless Aceves into a neutral corner. Aceves cringed after each punch, which prompted referee Edward Hernandez to step in and stop the bout at the 1:32 mark.
Junior welterweight David Ortiz (1-0) of Bloomington, Calif. made his professional debut a memorable one with a sweep of the scorecards over Mario Angeles (2-11-2) of San Diego. The 4-round fight featured some solid exchanges with Ortiz getting the best of Angeles.
"New Blood" was presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Everlast.
WBA Super World Champion George Groves (28-3, 20 KOs) and Callum Smith (24-0, 17 KOs) are both appearing in confident moods in the Pre Fight Documentary for the hotly anticipated Ali Trophy Super Middleweight Final on Friday 28 September at the Indoor Sports Hall in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“We are supremely confident,” says Groves in the Pre Fight Documentary.
“We are not underestimating him the slightest, but I believe I’ve seen enough of him to put together a winning formula.”
George Groves tells that taking home the Muhammad Ali Trophy in the inaugural season will eclipse everything he has achieved in his impressive career.
“This tournament, even a year on, has captured the public’s imagination. Everyone has got behind it, everyone is enjoying it, ” says Groves.
“It’s the first of it’s kind and will it grow to something way beyond what is now. Winning it will be the pinnacle of my career.”
The opponent, Callum Smith, is living the dream these days. The WBC Diamond belt holder has his first shot at a World title after being in mandatory positions over the last few years.
“Since the day I turned professional I’ve been dreaming about becoming world champion and I finally got that fight now,” says Smith.
“I’m excited, I’m enjoying coming to the gym, enjoying the sessions, it’s everything I ever wanted since turning pro. I know I will deliver. There is no bigger time to deliver than in the World Boxing Super Series Final against George Groves.”
On the line in Jeddah: The Muhammad Ali Trophy, the WBA Super World Championship, The WBC Diamond belt and the Ring Magazine belt. Only Joe Calzaghe and Andre Ward have ever held The Ring title at 168 lb.
WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay Wilder will defend his title against lineal champion Tyson Fury in a blockbuster matchup of undefeated heavyweights Saturday, December 1 live on pay-per-view.
The contracts have been signed and the promotional tour will kickoff in London on Oct. 1 and continue with stops in New York City and Los Angeles.
Wilder vs. Fury tests the raw power of Wilder against the unmatched size and mobility of Fury. America's only heavyweight champion since 2007, Wilder has 39 knockouts in 40 professional fights, including knockouts in all seven of his title defenses. Fury is a former IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight world champion who is undefeated in 27 professional fights and holds boxing's prestigious lineal heavyweight title.
More details on the location, venue and the on-sale ticket information for the heavyweight championship battle will be released next week.
Featherweight standout Ruben Villa (13-0, 5 KOs) makes his fifth appearance of the year from his hometown of Salinas, Calif. when he headlines "New Blood" on Saturday, Oct. 13, from the Salinas Storm House.
Villa, 21, returns to his hometown for the second time since winning the vacant WBO Youth featherweight championship in April. In that bout, he handedly outpointed fellow prospect Marlon Olea for his first professional title.
The southpaw followed that performance with a knockout win over Ricardo Lopez in June and a unanimous decision win against Jose Santos Gonzalez in August.
"It's exciting to be back in my hometown," said Villa, who is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions. "All my friends and family are already asking for tickets. We sold out the last time we were here, and I think we'll do it again this time."
Also on the card, super lightweights Pedro Moreno (9-0, 5 KOs) and Max Becerra (15-2-2, 8 KOs) will be featured in separate bouts.
Tickets for "New Blood" are priced at $40, $75, & $125, and are available for purchase by calling 714-935-0900, or online at ThompsonBoxing.com.
The Salinas Storm House is located at 185 Maryal Drive in Salinas, CA 93907.
Doors open at 4:30 p.m. local time with the first bout at approximately 6 p.m.
Callum Smith’s coach Joe Gallagher expects his boxer to peak and shine in the Ali Trophy Super Middleweight Final against George Groves in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on September 28.
“On the night all will be unveiled,” said Joe Gallagher. “The thing with these two fighters; both have the power, both carry serious power. That’s what makes it exciting. One shot, that’s all it may take for this fight. I know everyone will say George is experienced, being there many times and Callum is the young kid coming through,” said Gallagher before adding:
“But in Callum’s pressure fights up to now, title fights, he has performed. There is something within Callum that comes out when his back’s against the wall.”
The experienced coach, voted Ring Magazine & UK boxing trainer of the year in 2015, talks with great respect of the opponent, George Groves, before the final in Saudi Arabia.
“I am a huge fan of George Groves,” said Joe Gallagher. “He is the boxers boxer, everyone likes him, what he has been through to get to where he is now. A mentally strong person, full praise and credit to him, I am a huge admirer of him and I have enjoyed watching his fights back studying for Callum Smith.”
The final on September 28 will be Groves’ third defence of his WBA Super World title, with all three fights involving British opponents – Jamie Cox, Chris Eubank Jr. and now Callum Smith.
Callum Smith booked his place in the final after defeating Sweden’s Erik Skoglund and Dutchman Nieky Holzken in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively. The WBC Diamond belt holder has his first shot at a World title after being in mandatory positions over the last few years, and like Groves, a unique chance to bring home the Muhammad Ali Trophy, The Greatest Prize in Boxing.
“This tournament, the World Boxing Super Series, is not like normal fights,” said Gallagher. “It’s like a World Cup, it’s like a Wimbledon. You don’t peak in your first fight, you don’t peak in your second fight. You have a game plan and a strategy to get through those fights and now we are in the final and this is where I expect Callum to peak and shine and I am sure George will as well so I am looking forward to a really good fight.”
Boxing fans in Jeddah and Saudi Arabia can buy tickets for the Final on Friday 28 September at the Indoor Sports Hall in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia via sauditickets.sa.
Fans in the UK can watch the George Groves vs Callum Smith Ali Trophy Super-Middleweight Final on Friday 28 September LIVE on ITV Box Office. Ringwalks for the final will be at 9.00 pm UK time.
Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing proudly announces the signing of a trio of undefeated Dominican prospects to promotional contracts: featherweight Ranfis Javier Encarnacion, super featherweight Michael "La Salsa Michell" Rivera (14-0, 9 KOs), and super lightweight Starling "Exparquison" Castillo (6-0, 5 KOs).
Known worldwide as boxing's greatest at finding hidden talents, Lewkowicz says he's found a treasure trove to continue mining in the Dominican Republic. Having already discovered and guided the careers of recent Dominican-born world champion Javier Fortuna, Lewkowicz says he's got high hopes for all three of his young fighters.
"These are three more excellent prospects to come out of the Dominican," he said. "I am excited to sign them all and will be working to make them the next world champions from this great island nation."
Encarnacion (13-0, 10 KOs) was a heavily decorated amateur, Rivera already holds a stoppage victory over 2008 Olympic Silver Medallist Yanquiel Leon of Cuba. Castillo is the brother of Sampson Boxing's former IBF World Female Super Bantamweight Champion, Katy Wilson Castillo.
"All three fighters are eager to take the same path their countrymen took to the world championship and I am going to provide it for them," continued Lewkowicz. "Like I do with all my fighters, I am currently securing all of their P1 work visas, so they can fight in the United States starting in 2019."
Junior lightweight Michael Dutchover (10-0, 7 KOs) has been receiving a priceless education in the lead up to his main event showdown with Bergman Aguilar (14-3-1, 4 KOs) this Friday night from the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Calif.
Dutchover, 20, has been sparring with reigning WBA super bantamweight champion Danny Roman in Los Angeles. The unbeaten prospect dishes on his relationship with Roman, his new found culinary skills, and what the fans in attendance and on the LiveStream can expect from the surging prospect this Friday night.
Tickets for "New Blood" are priced at $40, $60, & $100, and are available for purchase by calling 714-935-0900, or online at ThompsonBoxing.com.
You were originally scheduled to face Luis Lopez, but he dropped out last week due to illness. The replacement fighter is Bergman Aguilar of Nicaragua. How do you stay focused on what you need to do to win?
"It's one of those things that happens in boxing, especially to young guys like myself. I don't let it affect me. I have a new guy in front of me. That's how I view it. He's in my way in what I want to accomplish, which is to win a world title. He's not going to stop me from getting to that point."
You've been sparring with WBA champion Danny Roman. What's it like to learn from one of the best?
"Every single time I spar with Danny I learn something new. He's a skillful fighter. A very smart boxer. I love working with him. I'm happy to have him in my corner. He helps me how to think through my punches. He talks to me after we spar and we go over things. It's great to learn from a world champion."
If boxing wasn't a career option for you, what would you get yourself into? We hear you're developing new culinary skills.
"I love everything related to fitness and nutrition. So I think I'd go the nutritionist route or study to become a physical trainer. I'm already learning a lot about nutrition. I cook my own meals. I do my own meal prep. I'm eating a lot of lean meats and vegetables and making them taste great. I get down in the kitchen. I'm learning how to cook on the fly and it's great. When I go back home to Midland [Texas] to cook for my family, they come away very impressed."
How do you expect to perform on Friday night?
"From when the first bell rings, I'm going to fight my fight. I'm not shooting for a knockout, but if it's there, I'll take it. I'm in peak shape right now. Come Friday, it's showtime."
Dutchover is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions.
The Heavyweight Factory’s latest promotional signing, undefeated welterweight power puncher Derrieck Cuevas, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, will face Mexican veteran Silverio Ortiz over 10 rounds on the undercard of “Rumble at the Rock 2,” the professional boxing event on Friday, Sept. 28 in the Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
A former decorated amateur, Cuevas (17-0-1, 14 KOs) has torn through his professional opposition thus far. Ortiz (37-22, 18 KOs) is a true spoiler, having faced a long list of world champions and undefeated fighters and taken a number of their “0’s.”
Presented by Kris Lawrence and The Heavyweight Factory, in the night’s 10-round main event, Honolulu, Hawaii’s undefeated Logan “The Korican Kid” Yoon (12-0, 10 KOs) will defend his WBO-NABO Youth Junior Welterweight Championship against John “El Emperador” Rentería (16-4-1, 12 KOs) of Panama.
In the night’s 10-round co-main event, Miami via Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan’s Mussa “Warrior” Tursyngaliyev (7-0, 6 KOs) will take on Monteira, Colombia’s Deivi “El Cabo” Bassa (20-5, 12 KOs) for the WBA International Featherweight Championship. In an “All Florida” bout, undefeated welterweight Livan “Machine Gun Kid” Navarro (8-0, 5 KOs), from Miami (via Cuba) will face once-beaten Armando “The Gentleman” Alvarez (18-1, 12 KOs) of Key West.
Tickets for “Rumble at the Rock 2” cost $60, $100, $150, $250 and $500 VIP and are available through ticketmaster.com.
Cuevas sat down for the following interview during a break in training:
How does it feel fighting in the USA mainland for the first time?
I am happy to be fighting here in Hollywood Florida with my new team. I’m in phenomenal shape and, come September 28, I plan on showing it big time.
What do you know about your opponent?
I know he’s a tough savvy Mexican veteran, but I will be prepared for anything he brings to the table. Mexico vs PR has always been a real draw when it comes to boxing and I invite all the Puerto Rican fans to come see me fight.
How long until we see you in a championship-level fight?
My promotional team at The Heavyweight Factory will take care of that for me. I have full faith in what my manager Alex Troya did when he brought me here. I’m working with my new trainer Jesse Robinson and within 18 months, I will hopefully be fighting for the world title. These people know what they’re doing and work hard for their fighters. I’m glad to be here.
Describe your style of fighting for the people who will be seeing you for the first time.
I don’t run away. I stand in the pocket and slip and make my opponents pay. I am working on power, explosivity and speed. That’s a dangerous combination. I can box. I can bang. I will get it on, how ever they want it. I want to be showman and a crowd pleaser.
How old were you when you realized you had above average punching power?
I must have been 13 and my coach at the time was telling others that I had pop in my punch. Then it just became part of my arsenal.
Would you ever consider an “All Puerto Rico” showdown with a fighter like Subriel Matias or Danielito Zorrilla?
Auntie and Daniel are my friends we spar often on the island. I have great respect for both guys, but once you step in the ring, it’s ‘go time’ no matter who it is.
Do you miss Puerto Rico when you train in the US?
I miss my family and my people but I’m a pro who is focused on getting to the top now and now is the time I will stay focused until I get to that big showdown for the title, coming soon to a theatre near you!
On Friday's "New Blood" co-feature, fast charging bantamweight Mario Hernandez (7-0, 3 KOs) of Santa Ana, Calif. meets Ivan Gonzalez (4-1-1, 1 KO) of Mexico City, Mex. in what projects to be an all action fight set for 6-rounds.
The undefeated Hernandez is coming off an impressive, unanimous decision win over the previously unbeaten Jonah Flores in July.
Hernandez, 27, sat down with Thompson Boxing and talked about becoming a father at age 16, his full-time career at UC Irvine, and what fans can expect from him on Friday night.
Boxing runs in your family. Your dad and uncles boxed. Your dad had plans for you to get in the ring when you were in high school, but an unexpected development delayed that. Talk us through what happened.
"When I was 16, I got my girlfriend pregnant. She was 15 at the time and we were forced to grow up pretty quickly. I didn't really have time to go to the gym and learn how to box because of this new found responsibility. That part of my life was on pause. We were fortunate in that we had tremendous amount of help from both of our families. Without their support, things would have been a lot different and I might never have gotten the chance to box."
[Hernandez would later marry his girlfriend Stephanie and they would have another child. They have an 11-year-old girl and a boy who is four-years old].
By 21, you still had the itch to get inside the ring and pursue a career in boxing. How excited were you to launch this new chapter in your life?
"I was really pumped to finally do it. By then my daughter was nearly six and my wife Stephanie and I had already obtained our associates degrees from Santa Ana College so we were in a better place financially. It made sense to pursue the dream of being a pro boxer. I've loved the sport ever since I was little so I'm having a great time with it."
A lot of boxers that are just starting their careers supplement their boxing income by working full-time. You work in the parking and transportation department at UC Irvine. How do you manage two careers simultaneously?
"Working full-time adds a lot of structure to my life. I'm lucky that I work an early shift at UC Irvine. I come in at 6 a.m. and leave by 2:30 p.m. Once I'm done, I head straight to the gym [TKO Boxing] and I'm there from 3-6 p.m. It requires a lot of sacrifice on my part in that the hours that I'm at the gym I could be spending it with my family. That's really the toughest part, being away from your wife and kids."
On Friday night's opponent, Ivan Gonzalez.
"I try to focus on the game plan and do what I need to do to win. The plan is to put the pressure early. Start to the body early and break him down every round. I need to make him feel my punches. More than anything I love to put on a show for the fans. I want to keep them coming back. I'll never be in a boring fight. My style is too aggressive and I think fans respect that about me."
Tickets for "New Blood" are priced at $40, $60, & $100, and are available for purchase by calling 714-935-0900, or online at ThompsonBoxing.com.
Ali Trophy Super-Middleweight Final reserve Chris Eubank Jr. faces JJ McDonagh over ten rounds on the George Groves vs Callum Smith undercard on 28 September at The Indoor Sports Hall at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Eubank Jr. (26-2, 20 KOs), who was defeated in a thrilling semi-final by Groves, will be on standby to enter the final in the unlikely scenario of one of the original participants being unable to compete.
“I have been training hard in Vegas, and I am looking be a part of the event in Jeddah,” said Eubank Jr. “I am preparing for any scenario that may present itself.”
Eubank Jr.’s opponent in Jeddah is Ireland’s powerful southpaw JJ McDonagh (16-4, 8 KOs).
"I'm surprised he did not retire after he embarrassed himself against groves," said McDonagh.
"Eubank is a fit man but he does not know how to fight hard, I’m a fighting man from a fighting family of generations of fighters. I am going to knock him out!"
McDonagh picked up the WBA International Light-Heavyweight title in 2016, as he defeated England’s Jake Ball and earned himself a KO of The Year contender, after a sensational first round stoppage.
Fans in the UK can watch the George Groves vs Callum Smith Ali Trophy Super-Middleweight Final fight night LIVE on ITV Box Office.
Greg Cohen Promotions (GCP), Murphy’s Boxing and 12 Round Promotions are proud to announce the signing of undefeated super featherweight Abraham “El Super” Nova to a multi-year co-promotional contract.
Nova (12-0, 10 KOs), born in Puerto Rico and now residing in Albany, New York, has looked like a future champion while trotting the globe and winning all his fights. The 24-year-old was last seen in May, scoring a KO 7 over Italy’s Hassan Nourdine at the RTL Spiroudome in Charleroi, Belgium.
Before his 2016 debut, Nova had an incredible amateur career in which he went 167-11 with 60 KOs and was once the #1 ranked 141-lb. boxer in the United States. The prestigious titles he won include national and international victories at the 2014 USA Nationals, the 2014 Independent World Cup in the Dominican, and Gold at the 2014 Cheo Aponte Tournament, and the 2015 Olympic Qualifiers. He is also a five-time New York Golden Gloves Champion.
“I’m very happy I got to associate myself with people of such good quality,” said a happy Abraham of the deal. “I’m looking forward to winning a world title in the very near future!”
“This is a fantastic young fighter and I want to thank my partners, Ken Casey from Murphy’s Boxing and Alain Vanackère from 12 Round,” said Greg Cohen of GCP. “Abraham Nova is an extreme talent and will soon be a world champion. He’s also a pleasure to work with and I’m very happy to be involved.”
“Murphy’s Boxing have been lucky enough to work with Abraham Nova on several of his fights,” said Ken Casey of Murphy’s Boxing. “He is one of the classiest kids in boxing with an unmatched dedication. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that he is an amazing fighter with incredible credentials and some of the scariest power I have ever seen. We are thrilled to be co promoting Abraham.”
“It is a pleasure and an honor for me to be able to accompany a future world champion in his career,” said Alain Vanackère from 12 Round. “What an incredible opportunity to be able to live this unique experience with two esteemed promoters, GCP and Murphy's Boxing. I think we will have a lot of success and pleasure working together.”
Cohen says he’s not sure which 130-lb champion will be targeted (WBC: Miguel Berchelt, WBA: Gervonta Davis, IBF: Tevin Farmer and WBO: Masayuki Ito), but the plan is to move swiftly.
“We will immediately begin plans to put Abraham in against rated fighters and get him up the ladder as quickly as possible,” he said. “This young man has shown every indication he is ready for the next level of boxing. It’s a very exciting time to be in the Abraham Nova business.”
Terry Flanagan believes he can neutralise Regis Prograis’ strengths when they meet in an Ali Trophy Super-Lightweight Quarter-Final at the U.N.O. Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, USA on October 27.
“I cannot wait for this fight to begin,” said 29-year-old Flanagan. “New Orleans looks like a wonderful place but this is strictly business so hopefully I will be able to visit again after the fight to take in the attractions.”
Flanagan of Manchester, UK, a former WBO World Lightweight Champion, believes he can kickoff the 140 lb tournament in style coming back from a split decision World title defeat to Maurice Hooker in June.
“The fans can expect me back at my best and giving Prograis a boxing lesson,” said ‘Turbo’. “He looks like a very dangerous fighter and I like his style but he has not boxed anyone like me before.”
The World Boxing Super Series sees eight elite fighters in three different weight classes compete in a knockout style competition over several months, with quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final taking place until one man is left with the Muhammad Ali Trophy in his hands. This is as spectacular as it gets in boxing.
“I’m expecting some tough fights but that’s exactly what I’m in this business for,” said Flanagan.
“I see the fight against Prograis as 50/50 with us both having our own strengths, but I just think my assets stop his and therefore I win. I think what I bring to the table neutralise his strengths and that is the difference. I expect to get the credit I duly deserve after winning this fight.”
Tickets for Prograis vs Flanagan at the U.N.O. Lakefront Arena in New Orleans on October 27, start from $30 (plus fees) and are on sale now at TicketMaster.com.
On September 29th, WBA World Heavyweight Champion Manuel Charr defends his title against mandatory challenger Fres Oquendo at 16,000 seat LANXESS arena in Cologne, Germany. In the lead-up to the fight, "The Diamond Boy" hosted a media workout and looked to be in great shape.
"I feel very strong", says Charr. "I fought Ustinov only five months after hip replacement surgery. Now I am completely used to my new hips and I puch a lot harder than I used to. All my life I fought without really using hip rotation. I feel like a new fighter."
Charr’s strength and conditioning coach Chris Mohr confirmed that the 33-year-old heavyweight champion has more stamina and power than ever. "I have never seen him as strong, fast and focused", says Mohr. "We had a long time to get ready and you can tell that when you see him."
While Charr knows that he cannot underestimate Oquendo despite the fact that the Puerto Rican has not fought in four years. "Fres is very experienced and has always been a very slick fighter", says Charr. "Lots of people avoided him during his career because of his style. On the other hand, he is an old man and my home crowd in Cologne will push me above my limit. So I promise that I will knock him out and then have a great party with my fans."
It was Charr’s Manager Christian Jaeger and his promoter Bernd Trendelkamp who made sure that the fight ended up in Cologne. "I promised Manuel that we will give him the chance to fight at home. It took us a while but here we are", states Jaeger. "Negotiations were long and not always easy but I want to thank Fres Oquendo and his team for accepting the challenge and coming to Germany."
If "Diamond Boy" Charr can keep his word and beat Oquendo, he knows exactly what his next steps should look like. "Bring on Anthony Joshua!", says Charr. "He calls himself WBA Super Champion. I think it’s time to prove how Super he really is. I am the World Champion and I think we all agree that there should be only one Champion. So, AJ, if you beat Povektin and I beat Oquendo, we should find out who is the real WBA Champ."
But does Charr really believe that he has a chance against Joshua? "Of course", he says. "Wait until you see me in the ring and you will know that I can beat anybody now. After taking care of Joshua, I will go on to fight the winner of Fury vs. Wilder – and then retire as undisputed heavyweight champion of the World!"
The WBA Heavyweight Championship between Charr and Oquendo will take place at LANXESS arena in Cologne, Germany, and will be broadcasted live on Sky Pay-Per-View in Germany. Tickets starting at 45 Euros are available on koelnticket.de and eventim.de. For more information see charr-oquendo.com.
After delivering a resounding one-punch, second round knockout in his last main event attraction, unbeaten junior lightweight standout Michael Dutchover (10-0, 7 KOs) returns to action one week from Friday in Thompson Boxing's "New Blood" 8-round main event.
The hard-hitting prospect out of Midland, Tex. will match wits against Nicaraguan Bergman Aguilar (14-3-1, 4 KOs) from the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Calif. on Friday, Sept. 21 (8-rounds).
Two other top notch prospects fill out the top end of the card.
Bantamweight Mario Hernandez (7-0, 3 KOs) of Santa Ana, Calif. meets Ivan Gonzalez (4-1-1, 1 KO) of Mexico City, Mex. in the 6-round co-feature, and unbeaten lightweight sensation Ruben Torres (6-0, 5 KOs) of Los Angeles hopes to continue his winning ways against Mexico's Eder Amaro (6-5, 2 KOs) in a fight also set for 6-rounds.
Tickets for "New Blood" are priced at $40, $60, & $100, and are available for purchase by calling 714-935-0900, or online at ThompsonBoxing.com.
Dutchover is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions.
LIVESTREAM INFO
All fights will be live streamed on TB Presents: New Blood via our Facebook page, YouTube channel, and ThompsonBoxing.com.
The livestream starts at 8:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET with Beto Duran as the blow-by-blow announcer and Steve Kim providing expert, color commentary.
EVENT INFO
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. local time with the first bout at approximately 8:00 p.m. The Doubletree Hotel is located at 222 N. Vineyard Ave. in Ontario, CA 91764 and can be reached at 909-937-0900.
"New Blood" is presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Everlast.
The 32nd edition of Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing's "Rockin' Fights" pits two of The Paramount's most popular rising prospects against each other in a battle for the ABO INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE, when DANNY "EL GALLO" GONZALEZ (Woodhaven, NY 16-1-1 7KO's) bids for his ninth win at The Paramount against, JOHNNY "HITMAN" HERNANDEZ (Huntington, NY 9-3 1KO), also seeking his ninth win in his hometown venue. Along with this much anticipated main event, Star Boxing announces an undercard of prospects with amateur accolade, that is sure to set the table for a great main event.
Returning to The Paramount almost one year to the date of his last bout at the venue, "ACTION" ANTHONY LAUREANO (East Hartford, CT 8-0 3KO's) will take on tough Texan, MARQUIS HAWTHORNE (5-8-1 1KO). Hawthorne poses a great test for Laureano, who was honored as the 2017 New England Boxing Prospect of the Year; as a taller fighter with great reach, Laureano will look to close the distance and score on the inside. Laureano looks to continue his rise in the 140 lb. weight class with another impressive outing on September 21st.
In a battle of the pro-debut's, JARED BONILLA (Belmore, NY Pro-Debut) will take on JOSE MAYSONET (Hartford, CT Pro-Debut) in a 4-round, super lightweight bout. Bonilla was a 2014 New York State Golden Gloves, 141 lb. novice class finalist. Over the past year, Bonilla has challenged himself by training and sparring with Star Boxing's rising star, Tyrone "Pretty Boy" James. Maysonet, traveling from Hartford, enters his pro-debut willing to leave everything in the ring to earn his first professional win.
23 year old, ALEX VARGAS (Bellport, NY Pro-Debut) will make his pro-debut at "Rockin' Fights 32". In 2013, at the age of 17, Vargas found himself under the bright lights of the Barclay's Center, where he won the New York Daily News Golden Gloves at the 165 lb. division. Vargas had this to say about is pro-debut, "I can't wait to get in the ring and show people what I can do." Vargas will step in with DERRON LAWSON (Philadelphia, PA 0-1) who returns to The Paramount coming off a majority decision loss at "Rockin' Fights". Vargas vs Lawson will be a 4-round welterweight bout.
SHAUN KENNEDY (Huntington, NY 0-0-1 ND) returns to his backyard at The Paramount to take on PEREZ AUGHTRY (Buffalo, NY Pro Debut) in a 4-round, cruiserweight scrap. After receiving a no decision in his first outing at The Paramount at "Rockin' Fights 29", in January, Kennedy returns with vengeance eyeing the first win of his pro career against Aughtry, who is seeking to put an end to Kennedy's homecoming with a win of his own.
CEO JOE DEGUARDIA had this to say about the "Rockin' Fights" undercard, "we are very excited to have added Anthony Laureano to the Rockin' Fights undercard, as his last appearance at The Paramount demonstrated to boxing fans his exciting style and ability. Along with Laureano, we have thrilling hungry fighters on the undercard making their pro-debut's. Alex Vargas, and Jared Bonilla have impressive amateur accolades and talent that will be on full display at "Rockin' Fights". Tickets are extremely limited, so be sure to get them now."
Poland’s Mateusz ‘Master’ Masternak gets huge support from fans in his home country before the Ali Trophy Cruiserweight Quarter-Final against Yunier Dorticos October 20 at the CFE Arena, Orlando, USA.
“I feel appreciated and honoured to be part of the World Boxing Super Series,” said Masternak. “It’s a big thing to be part of this group of eight great boxers. For me, this is a huge opportunity that I want to use.”
Mateusz Masternak, 31, from Wroclaw, Poland is a former EBU (European) Cruiserweight champion. His dangerous right hand and accurate hooks are known and respected by everyone in the division.
In 2014 he fought for the WBA Interim World Cruiserweight Championship and lost via split decision to DR Congo’s Youri Kayembre Kalenga. The defeat was exchanged to a TKO victory in round six after a dominating performance when the pair fought for WBO’s European title this year in April. Now Masternak eyes the chance to finally reach the highest top.
“Few people count on me in the world, but I believe that I will be able to win the tournament, although I know that a very difficult task is ahead of me because in this group of eight there are no weak fighters and everyone wants to win,” said Masternak.
“Polish fans are normally very divided when it comes to me. Some believe in me, others strongly criticize me and don’t give me a chance. But now, before this fight, I get a lot of nice and warm words and a lot of people say that now it’s my time, now it’s my moment to prove to the whole world that I can beat the best fighters out there.”
‘Master’ admits the challenge is big when he faces Season I sensation, Miami-based Cuban Yunier Dorticos, who is among the favorites to take home the Muhammad Ali Trophy in the upcoming season.
“Dorticos is a very good boxer, presenting a good Cuban boxing school, and he has a very strong punch. In Poland he is known and valued for his great fights in the first edition of the tournament, winning against Kudryashov and for his big heart in the fight against Gassiev,” said the Polish hardhitter.
“I believe I will beat Dorticos. I’m clever, I’m experienced ... and you'll see the rest in the ring because we have a very good plan.”
Promising super lightweight prospect Nicholas Briggs will make his long-awaited professional boxing debut Friday night at Twin River Casino Hotel at the age of 19.
That's not the unusual part. What sets Briggs apart from others is the road he took to get here, an unconventional path littered with poor choices, broken promises and a remarkable turnaround to keep him on the right track toward beginning the next great fighter to emerge from the famed city of Worcester.
Briggs faces fellow newcomer Jacob Wright of Decatur, Ala., on Sept. 14th, 2018, a little more than a year since the end of his second stint behind bars stemming from gun and drug charges in 2017.
As a teenager, Briggs wandered from the confines of the boxing gym and ran into trouble with the law -- trouble he blames only on himself -- before realizing he was dangerously close to wasting his God-given talent as a fighter. That same weekend he returned home, Briggs was back in the gym, slowly working his way back into shape, and now he's less than a week away from completing the ultimate comeback.
His inner circle is much smaller these days, but Briggs is happy, healthy and content with a new lease on life. At 19, he has his whole career ahead of him despite the fact he hasn't actually fought since 2014. With a new trainer and the region's No. 1 promoter in his corner, sky's the limit for one of Worcester's most decorated amateurs.
Briggs' four-round super lightweight bout against Wright is one of nine on a stacked fight card promoted by CES Boxing, which signed Briggs to a multi-year promotional agreement earlier this summer.
"Nobody is going to support my dream the way I have to because it's my dream," Briggs said. "What happened in the past, that's my past. My past built character. That's who I was, but this is who I am."
Backed by his late father, Briggs began boxing at the age of 7 and rose through the amateur ranks under the guidance of legendary Worcester trainer Carlos Garcia, working side-by-side with fellow CES Boxing stablemate Jamaine Ortiz. He won a Ringside Tournament in 2011 and advanced to the finals of the Junior Olympics Regionals three years in a row from 2012 to 2014.
Home life, he says, was "great." He grew up with both parents and five siblings (two older sisters, an older brother and a younger brother), but things changed when his father passed away in 2012, just two months before the first of his three consecutive appearances in the Junior Olympics.
"He was like the foundation of the family and he always made sure me and my brother were in school, he always made sure me and my brother were in the gym until nighttime. Every single day, sometimes training twice a day," Briggs recalled. "We had a gym in our garage.
"After he passed away, everyone was devastated. I started doing my own thing, trying to be in the gym, hanging with my friends. I stopped going to the gym for a couple months."
Only 13 at the time, Briggs got caught up in an entirely different lifestyle outside of the gym, lured by those he now knows never truly had his best interests in mind. Still, he kept winning in the ring, racking up amateur accolades and advancing to the Junior Olympic finals again in 2013 and 2014.
The third loss hit him particularly hard. He felt he had won the fight. That, he says, is when things unraveled. Several months later, at 15 years old, he got caught up in an armed robbery and spent nearly two years locked up. He even remembers the exact dates.
"July 4, 2014 until Feb. 17, 2016," Briggs said.
Upon returning home the first time, Briggs tried to clean up his act, but again wound up in trouble, this time arrested on gun, drug and assault charged after pulling a firearm on a man at a gas station in Worcester. The second stint cost Briggs another six months behind bars, which is when he finally realized he needed to wake up or wind up like everyone else in his predicament.
"I ended up thinking, 'Wow, I'm just like everyone else and I don't want to be like everyone else,'" Briggs said. "I didn't want to be like everyone else sitting in jail for life or dead, or a dope fiend asking people for money in the street. I didn't want that life. Boxing is my real, God-given talent, so that's what I'm going to pursue. It's going to get me somewhere."
After returning home late last year, Briggs reunited with trainer Jose Santos of 401 Boxing, who had actually worked his corner at the 2014 Junior Olympics. The two had a great rapport and Briggs trusted Santos' wisdom. Shortly thereafter, Santos brought Briggs to CES Boxing president Jimmy Burchfield Sr., who became enamored with Briggs' potential.
Briggs has grown tremendously in just under a year. He now lives in Rhode Island and trains full-time with Santos. He's also learned to accept his past for what it is. He doesn't point the finger at anyone else but himself for the choices he made, but realizes everything that happened is what makes him the man he is today.
"Everybody has choices," Briggs said. "I made my own choices and ended up getting into trouble."
These days, Briggs keeps to himself. The circle is much smaller than it used to be. You won't find him out on the town late at night or surrounding himself with large groups of people. If you're looking for him, check the gym. It's practically become his permanent residence as he prepares for Friday's debut. He hasn't missed a day yet.
"I just like to be around myself and train. I like to surround myself with positive people," he said. "I don't really want to hang around that type of environment, the streets, stuff like that. I just stay with people who uplift me. Back then, I was with a whole bunch of people who brought me down."
Win or lose, Briggs has already accomplished so much just by turning his life around and leaving behind the empty promises of street life that seem to lure so many teenagers down the wrong path. He understands many want him to succeed, but some may want to see him fail. He can't control that. All he can control is what he does when that bill rings Friday night.
"There are a lot of up-and-coming fighters from Worcester. It's hard to support when a lot of people don't want to see you do well," he said. "A lot of the people who come from the same place you did are just stuck and they don't want to support because they see that they're still stuck in that place.
"A lot of people don't like to show love. I don't understand why. It is what it is. I'm going to show love regardless."
Even though he's still only 19, there's an unspoken pressure on Briggs to prove all that amateur success was simply the foreword to what may become one of boxing's greatest success stories. Not everyone makes it, but don't bet against Briggs. Even fewer have made it this far.
"I've let too many things slip out of my hands." Briggs said. "I can't let this one slip out of my hands."
Tickets for Friday's event start at $47 and are available online at www.cesboxing.com, www.twinriver.com, www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 401-723-2253 or at the Twin River Casino Hotel Players Club. All fights and fighters subject to change.
More exciting bouts have been announced for “Rumble at the Rock 2,” professional boxing event, presented by Kris Lawrence and The Heavyweight Factory, taking place on Friday, Sept. 28 in the Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
In the night’s 10-round co-main event, Miami via Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan’s Mussa “Warrior” Tursyngaliyev (7-0, 6 KOs) will now take on Monteira, Colombia’s Deivi “El Cabo” Bassa (20-5, 12 KOs) over 10 rounds for the WBA International Featherweight Championship.
In an important “All Florida” bout, promising undefeated welterweight Livan “Machine Gun Kid” Navarro (8-0, 5 KOs), a former heavily decorated amateur from Miami (via Cuba) will face once-beaten former WBC Latino Welterweight Champion Armando “The Gentleman” Alvarez (18-1, 12 KOs) of Key West.
Both of these terrific showdowns are in support of the night’s 10-round main event with Honolulu, Hawaii’s undefeated Logan “The Korican Kid” Yoon (12-0, 10 KOs) defending his WBO-NABO Youth Junior Welterweight Championship against former WBA Fedecentro Super Lightweight, WBA Fedecaribe Welterweight and WBA Fedecentro Welterweight Champion John “El Emperador” Rentería (16-4-1, 12 KOs) of Panama.
Tickets for “Rumble at the Rock 2” cost $60, $100, $150, $250 and $500 VIP and are available through ticketmaster.com.
“These three fights are indicative of the quality match-ups we are able to consistently present to South Florida boxing fans,” said Henry Rivalta, Director of Boxing Operations of The Heavyweight Factory. “Mussa is in against a very tough veteran for his second professional title and Livan Navarro has asked us to challenge him. You have to commend him for being willing to take tough challenges and that’s exactly what Armando Alvarez is. They are both very good fighters, and this should be a great fight.”
A treasure for Florida’s fans of live boxing, Heavyweight Factory’s fights at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino have become the nation’s strongest off-TV boxing series. On fight night, doors open at 6 p.m. and the action starts at 7 p.m. Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is located at 1 Seminole Way in Hollywood, Fla. More exciting bouts will be announced shortly.
Growing up in the Olneyville section of Providence, Victor Reynoso saw it all from drug addicts on the streets to homeless people begging for change along his bus route to school.
The conditions weren't always ideal -- Reynoso lived with his mother and two siblings in low-income housing -- but they prepared him for life as he knows it, a life where Reynoso has had to earn every penny the hard way, battling through adversity to live out his dreams in the boxing ring.
On Friday night at Twin River Casino Hotel, Reynoso makes his long-awaited professional debut against Maurilio Alava of Ecuador on the undercard of CES Boxing's latest installment of the 2018 Twin River Fight Series.
The 24-year-old native of the Dominican Republic fought on and off as an amateur as he balanced boxing with his full-time job as a therapeutic safety technician, but is finally ready to make the leap after one final tour through the amateur circuit this past summer.
Outside the ring, Reynoso works at Bridgewater State Hospital, a facility housing the criminally insane, in a role he more or less describes as being a correctional officer. He's put school on hold, temporarily leaving Rhode Island College to continue the chase in boxing, and will do whatever it takes to be the best 154-pounder in the world, a tireless pursuit that takes on a new meaning Friday.
"I understand school is something I could always finish later on. Boxing, you can't box later on. This is right now," Reynoso said.
"If I want to chase my dream, I've really got to do it now, while I can, not later. It won't be an option later. I don't want to get to that age and be like, 'Wow, I should've tried this.' I didn't want to be one of those people."
Trained by Roland Estrada at the Big Six Boxing Academy in Providence, Reynoso enjoyed a successful amateur career in which he won the Junior Olympics in 2009, earned three Southern New England Golden Gloves titles and competed in U.S. Olympic Qualifiers in 2012 and 2018.
Inspired by his grandfather, who was a Colonel back home in the Dominican Republic, Reynoso began working at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls when he was 19, which he later parlayed into a job at Southcoast Behavioral Health Hospital in North Dartmouth before moving to Bridgewater. Boxing, however, was always his top choice, so he continued fighting on and off as an amateur while studying sociology at RIC. Though he never graduated, he earned 66 credits, which is more than the number of credits required to earn an associate degree.
Even after taking two years off, and, according to Reynoso, gaining the dreaded "freshman 15" while attending RIC, he worked himself back into shape and returned to boxing in 2014, dropping close to 40 pounds in a four-week span to prepare for his comeback fight.
The delicate balance between school, boxing and work has always pulled Reynoso in different directions, but he understands the time is now if he's going to make something of himself in the ring.
Twenty-four is considered a late start by some standards, especially since he was 15 when he won his first amateur title, but it gives him just enough time to implement his 10-year plan. Then, he joked, if the Rhode Island State Police are still looking for "34-year-olds in great shape," he could chase his other dream job of becoming a state trooper. Only time will tell.
"I'm taking a leap of faith," he said.
The unconventional path has always been Reynoso's preferred road of travel. He and his family moved to the United States when Reynoso was five. There were times when they didn't have enough money for food and other amenities, so his middle school would send him home with groceries each week to help support he and his siblings.
Times were tough, but the family always had help. His boxing coach at the community center where he trained would never charge him a membership, and his school even gave him Christmas presents in years in which his mother didn't have enough money during the holidays.
"It had a big effect on my life and who I was going to be. I want to be able to give back to my environment just like they gave to me as a kid," Reynoso said. "I can relate to a lot of kids who aren't as fortunate enough to have many things."
He envisions one day opening his own non-profit center similar to where he trained as a youth with the idea of providing boxing as an outlet to keep kids off the streets out of the detention centers where he works today. Though he's seen things on the job he'd rather forget, Reynoso cherishes every experience. In a field where he's taught to deescalate certain situations, Reynoso has found a way to connect with the patients at Bridgewater -- and the other facilities where he's worked -- based on his own upbringing.
"I grew up in Providence, so I kind of know how to deal with a lot of people, different types of characteristics," he said. "Whether aggressive, violent, at the end of the day, they just want to be respected."
Now Reynoso continues his quest for respect in a sport where it's most certainly earned, not given. To achieve his dreams of helping those within his community and perhaps even providing for his family back home in the Dominican Republic, boxing may be his best chance to strike it rich. He hasn't seen his father in a decade, but keeps in touch with him regularly and sends him clips of his amateur fights. His mother, not the biggest fan of his career in the ring, continues to support in other ways.
Reynoso's intelligence and tireless work ethic will carry him a long way once his boxing career ends, but for now the focus is on making the most of that 10-year window. The talent is there. Reynoso has an accomplished amateur background and is a tall, imposing figure in the ring, a lean, 154 pounds of pure muscle intent on making an immediate splash beginning Friday.
He has the Estradas, both Roland, his head trainer, and Roland's son, Jason Estrada, the former U.S. Olympian and CES Boxing icon, in his ear constantly, teaching him what it takes to be a professional both in and out of the ring. He has a promoter, too, with CES Boxing president Jimmy Burchfield Sr. recently signing Reynoso to a long-term promotional contract, overwhelmed by Reynoso's immense talent and humility.
The timing couldn't be better as Rhode Island's newest prospect prepares to take the next step. The road less traveled may soon become his path to success.
"I feel very proud and accomplished," Reynoso said. "I understand it's been a long road and I understand this is really just the beginning of my professional career and that this is the start. I've been through a lot of ups and downs and I'm pretty excited to be a part of CES and to put on for CES.
"They definitely believe in me and I believe in myself. I've always believed in myself. I'll just look to be able to represent the Estradas, Big Six, and CES at the highest level I can."
Tickets for Friday's event start at $47 and are available online at www.cesboxing.com, www.twinriver.com, www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 401-723-2253 or at the Twin River Casino Hotel Players Club. All fights and fighters subject to change.
Australia’s Jason Moloney promises a ‘very special’ performance in his Ali Trophy Quarter-Final against Emmanuel Rodriguez October 20 at the CFE Arena, Orlando, USA.
“I can’t wait to get over to Orlando,” said Moloney. “I really feel like this is my time to shine. I have been training so hard to achieve my dream of becoming World Champion and I will not let this opportunity slip.”
27-year-old Moloney (17-0, 14 KOs) had a prolific amateur career before joining the ranks of the professionals, including competing in the 2010 Commonwealth Games at only age 19. Since turning pro in 2014 Moloney has stayed unbeaten, and the ‘The Smooth One’ believes he can continue the winning streak and take the next step in his division.
The quarter-final ahead of him, a mandatory challenge against IBF World Bantamweight Champion Emmanuel Rodriguez (18-0, 12 KOs) from Puerto Rico, is the biggest test to date. A test Moloney feels comfortable in solving.
“I take great pride in being the first fighter to represent Australia in the World Boxing Super Series and I am 110% ready to bring this World Title back to Australia and advancing into the semifinals,” said Moloney.
“I’m not just in this tournament to make up the numbers, we truly believe that we have what it takes to go all the way.”
Fighting in the U.S. is nothing new to the Australian from Kingscliff, New South Wales, but this time the whole world will be watching.
“I fought over in the U.S. as an amateur but this will be my first time as a professional so I’m really looking forward to showing the U.S. and the worldwide audience exactly what I am capable of and putting on a spectacular performance.”
“Training has been fantastic, my team and I are very happy with how things are coming together. Rodriguez is a good fighter, but on October 20 I believe you are going to witness something very special!”
The second Ali Trophy bout of the huge night of boxing in Orlando, Florida is a cruiserweight clash between Cuban Yunier Dorticos and Poland’s Mateusz Masternak.
Tickets for the WBSS Quarter-Finals – Rodriguez vs Moloney & Dorticos vs Masternak – starting from $30 (plus fees) are on sale at TicketMaster.com.
Josh Taylor (Scotland) vs Ryan Martin (United States) and Ryan Burnett (Northern Ireland) vs Nonito Donaire (Philippines) will battle it out as they begin the quest for the Muhammad Ali Trophy on November 3 at the SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland.
Taylor, Martin, Burnett and Donaire are the marvelous ingredients when the World Boxing Super Series comes to Scotland’s biggest city.
One night, two main events, a spectacular doubleheader.
In an Ali Trophy Super-Lightweight Quarter-Final WBC Silver titlist and No 2 seed Josh ‘The Tartan Tornado' Taylor faces Ryan ‘Blue Chip' Martin. “I cannot wait for November 3rd in Glasgow,” said Taylor. “I’m delighted to be boxing in Scotland in front of my home fans. On November 3rd, the Scots will get to see the World Boxing Super Series show come to town and I will put on a winning performance to keep them singing.” “My team and I believe I can win the Muhammad Ali Trophy and both World Title belts and the first step on that journey is in Glasgow against Ryan Martin. I will be ready.” In an Ali Trophy Bantamweight Quarter-Final No 1 seed Ryan Burnett and Nonito 'The Filipino Flash' Donaire face off for the WBA ‘Unified’ World Championship and the WBC Diamond Title. “Donaire is a great fighter,” said Burnett. “I have always admired him, but now I must prepare to beat him. I am someone who wants to prove I am the best by beating the best. The WBSS has given me the opportunity to achieve that dream.” Comosa's Chief Boxing Officer, Kalle Sauerland: "There are some big UK boxing nights in 2018 but this doubleheader has so much depth and quality. It’s what the WBSS is all about," said Sauerland. "Following on in the UK from Groves vs Eubank Jr in Manchester it’s great to bring the biggest show in boxing to Scotland. In addition, we will have a massive UK undercard to complete the fireworks." The Season II Quarter-Finals of the World Boxing Super Series will feature doubleheaders over six fight nights on back-to-back weekends, starting on Sunday, October 7 at the Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan.
Back-to-back doubleheader Ali Trophy Quarter-Finals in Orlando and New Orleans: Rodriguez vs Moloney and Dorticos vs Masternak on October 20 at the CFE Arena, Orlando, USA and Prograis vs Flanagan at the U.N.O. Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, USA on October 27.
“We are very much looking forward to our U.S. events,” said Comosa’s Chief Boxing Officer, Kalle Sauerland.
“An action-packed package, with four spectacular Ali Trophy quarter-finals, awaits U.S. fight fans when the World Boxing Super Series comes to the United States.”
The Season II Quarter-Finals of the World Boxing Super Series will feature doubleheaders over six fight nights on back-to-back weekends, starting on Sunday October 7 at the Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan.
In Orlando, Oct. 20:
A mandatory challenge between IBF World Bantamweight Champion Emmanuel Rodriguez from Puerto Rico and Australia’s unbeaten Jason Moloney.
"I am ready, I am hungry and prepared to go all the way," said Rodriguez.
"All I am doing is training hard, sparring hard and preparing myself for this bout. I am coming to win this fight, win the whole tournament and bring the trophy back to Puerto Rico."
The second Ali Trophy bout of the night is a cruiserweight clash between Cuban Yunier Dorticos and Poland’s Mateusz Masternak.
Miami-based Dorticos was one of the most exciting participants of the inaugural season of the World Boxing Super Series, and the KO artist believes he will win 200 lb division this season.
“The first season was great with its ups and downs and taught me a lot,” said Dorticos.
“I am now a different fighter and will show all my fans in the U.S. and boxing fans around the world what ‘The KO Doctor’ is all about. I am looking forward to taking home the Ali Trophy with me this season!”
Tickets for the WBSS Quarter-Finals - Dorticos vs Masternak & Rodriguez vs Moloney - starting from $30 (plus fees) go on sale at 9am ET tomorrow (Friday Sept 7th)! Available to buy online from: TicketMaster.com, or via the Box Office on: +1 407-823-6006
In New Orleans, Oct. 27:
American Regis Prograis vs Terry Flanagan from England for the WBC Diamond Title, the second Ali Trophy quarter-final will be announced in due course.
Prograis was born and raised in New Orleans - the city is tattooed across his chest. 'Rougarou' is looking forward to begin his quest for the Muhammad Ali Trophy in familiar surroundings. Prograis beat Argentinian Juan Jose Velasco in New Orleans in July to enter the WBSS and is now bringing back big-time boxing to The Big Easy.
"I'm very excited to fight again at home in New Orleans," said Prograis.
"I know what to expect and the people of New Orleans, my biggest supporters, know what to expect. It will be a very special night on October 27th,” said Prograis.
"This will be a great season of the World Boxing Super Series for the fans and the fighters participating."
Tickets for Prograis vs Flanagan, starting from $30 (plus fees), go on sale at 9am ET tomorrow (Friday Sept 7th)! Available to buy online from: TicketMaster.com, or via the Box Office on: +1 504-280-7222.
Fans in the U.S. can watch both events on DAZN, the global sports streaming service. Visit DAZN.com for more details.
Coming on the heels of Premier Boxing Champions' (PBC) groundbreaking deals with both FOX Sports and SHOWTIME Sports, many of the brightest stars in the PBC galaxy will be ringside Saturday night to see one of the biggest fights of the year live and in person as Danny Garcia takes on Shawn Porter in a welterweight world title fight. Expected to be seated ringside at Barclays Center will be several current or former world champions in a variety of weight classes.
"Ringside will be well represented Saturday night with PBC champions," said Tim Smith, VP of Communications for PBC. "It is great that so many of our fighters will be supporting Danny and Shawn for this tremendous welterweight championship. This is just another reason that Garcia vs. Porter will be one to remember."
Some of the biggest names, all of whom have fought on SHOWTIME in the past, include the below (in alphabetical order by first name):
Adrien Broner - (33-3-1, 24 KOs), Former Four-division world champion
Andre Berto - (32-5, 24 KOs), Former welterweight champion
Errol Spence Jr. - (24-0, 21 KOs), IBF Welterweight Champion
Gervonta Davis - (20-0, 19 KOs), WBA Super Featherweight Champion
Jarrett Hurd - (22-0, 15 KOs), Unified 154-Pound Champion (IBF/WBA)
Jermall Charlo - (27-0, 21 KOs), Former junior middleweight champion
Jermell Charlo - (31-0, 15 KOs), WBC Super Welterweight Champion
Keith Thurman - (28-0, 22 KOs), WBA Welterweight Champion and Former Unified Welterweight Champion
In addition to the pugilists, several celebrities can be expected including star of Black Panther Chadwick Boseman as well as two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa Shields and others.
Boxing's preeminent throwback fighter just added another 5,000 miles to his weathered travel log and now hopes to add an elusive world title to his resume.
Philadelphia's "Hammerin'" Hank Lundy (29-6-1, 14 KOs) returns to the ring Friday night in Russia to face undefeated WBC Silver Lightweight World Champion Zaur Abdullaev (9-0, 6 KOs) in a 12-round bout as part of a stacked fight card at the Traktor Sport Palace in Chelyabinsk, less than 1,000 miles east of Moscow.
The event is promoted by RCC Boxing Promotions, owned and operated for two decades by German Titov. Originally named Titov Boxing Promotions, the promotion merged with the Russian Copper Company, a state-of-the-art copper mining company in Yekaterinburg, in 2016 to form RCC Boxing, which helped launch the careers of Russian stars Ruslan Provodnikov, Dmitry Pirog, and former cruiserweight world champion Grigory Drozd.
RCC also co-promoted an event in Yekaterinburg with Main Events in 2016 featuring two-time light heavyweight world champion Sergey Kovalev, and is now working in conjunction with CES Boxing, which launched Lundy's career in 2006 and has helped guide the 34-year-old Philadelphia lightweight to two regional titles in addition to a shot at the WBO world super lightweight title in 2016.
"In an era where fighters dodge fights because they don't want to travel outside of their hometown or they worry about judges, officials and things they cannot control, Hank Lundy is what this sport needs," CES Boxing president Jimmy Burchfield Sr. said.
"There is no one more deserving of this opportunity. The one thing about 'Hammerin'' Hank is he never quits. He doesn't listen to the critics. He stays in the gym and remains focused on winning a world title and he won't rest until he's the No. 1 fighter in the lightweight division, and we sure as hell won't rest until we help him accomplish that goal. We're fully confident we're leaving Russia with the title and we're excited about what lies ahead."
This is Lundy's second trip to Europe, preceded by his 2013 showdown with former 140-pound world-title holder Viktor Postol in the Ukraine. The well-traveled Lundy has fought everywhere from Memphis to Montreal, including fights in Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Cleveland and Los Angeles, earning the reputation as boxing's most feared road warrior.
Chelyabinsk, Russia is merely another postcard to add to the collection as Lundy aims to bring a world championship back to Philadelphia, a city rich in boxing tradition with the likes of Bernard Hopkins, Joe Frazier and Sonny Liston, all of whom won multiple world titles during Hall of Fame careers.
The landscape in Philadelphia has changed in recent years with Hopkins' retirement, ushering in a new cast of rising stars hoping to claim the throne as the city's best. As one of the area's elder statesmen, Lundy has the opportunity to add even more clout as a world title-holder with a win over Abdullaev on Friday, which would no doubt be the biggest of his career.
"This fight for me is very big, and when I win it, it'll put me back on top in the race for the big, green belt," Lundy said. "The WBC Silver belt will change me and my family's lives and I'm more than ready. I will not let this slip through my hands."
The "big, green belt" Lundy is referring to is, of course, the WBC World Lightweight Championship, currently held by undefeated Mikey Garcia. The Silver belt was established by the WBC in 2010 to replace its interim title, and the WBC typically matches its interim champions with its world-title holders, meaning a victory for Lundy on Friday could set the stage for a future showdown with Garcia, a fight Lundy has coveted for quite some time.
"Mike, I'm coming for you," Lundy said.
But first, Lundy must solve the 24-year-old Abdullaev, recognized as one of the top Russian prospects who competed in the semi-pro World Series of Boxing before making his official professional boxing debut in 2017. In just his eighth pro fight, he captured the WBC Youth Lightweight Title with a knockout win over Ardie Boyose and then added the Silver lightweight title to his collection two months later with a win over Deiner Berrio.
Born in Dydymkin, which is south of Chelyabinsk, Abdullaev comes from a long line of European fighters who've made quick climbs to the top of their weight class. Ukrainian Vasyl Lomachenko fought for a world title in just his second pro fight and won it in his third, albeit with 397 amateur fights under his belt. Abdullaev amassed an amateur record of 16-8, beginning at the age of 16, before his first World Series of Boxing match in 2016 and then turned pro a year later, making his rapid ascension in the lightweight division equally remarkable.
None of this fazes Lundy, who boasts a resume unlike most in pro boxing and has certainly been forced outside of his comfort zone more so than Abdullaev has in his short career. Lundy's legendary track record, both at lightweight and super lightweight, includes bouts against pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford, Thomas Dulorme, Mauricio Herrera and Raymundo Beltran, who recently fought for the WBO World Lightweight Title.
Lundy also ended the career of former world champion David Diaz in Illinois and knocked off former WBA title-holder Richar Abril in 2010. He enters Friday's fight fresh off a three-fight win streak, including a dominant performance over former WBO world champion DeMarcus Corley in his hometown in February.
Friday's fight card also features a 10-round bout for the vacant IBF Youth Super Featherweight Title bout between Mark Urvanov (13-2, 6 KOs) and Nikita Kuznetsov (9-0-1, 4 KOs), plus a 10-round cruiserweight showdown between former world champion Denis Lebedev (30-2, 22 KOs) and former world-title challenger Hizni Altunkaya (30-2, 17 KOs) of Germany.
All three of Salita Promotions’ Russia-based contenders, light heavyweight Umar Salamov, super middleweight Aslambek “The Hulk” Idigov and heavyweight Apti Davtaev scored impressive victories in Russia today.
Fighting in the main event at the Grozny City Hotel in Grozny, and live in Russia on Match TV, IBF #11- and WBO #15-rated Umar Salamov moved to 22-1, 17 KOs with a two-round KO over Denis Liebau (23-3, 21 KOs) of Frankfurt Germany.
Fighting for the WBO International Light Heavyweight Championship, Salamov came out firing in round two, landing a perfect left hook to the body that dropped Liebau for the count. The official time was 2:15.
WBO #14-rated super middleweight Aslambek Idigov (14-0, 6 KOs) destroyed former African champion Daniel Wanyonyi (27-13-2, 22 KOs) of Kenya in two brutal rounds. Idigov dropped Wanyonyi three times with a series of brutal right hands. The fight was waved off at 2:32. Idigov is now the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight Champion.
Heavyweight crusher Apti Davtaev (16-0-1, 15 KOs) took out the Ukraine’s Evgeny German Skobenko in six dominant rounds. A serious prospect in the big man’s division, Davtaev was way too powerful for the normally capable Skobenko, pushing him around until the fateful round, where a solid mix of unanswered shots brought an end at 2:40.
“All three fighters did their jobs well today,” said their co-promoter, Dmitriy Salita. “They are all future champions and they looked the part today against respectable opponents. I am proud of all them. The work they have been doing at Kronk Gym is really showing through in their dominant performances.”
Michael Dutchover (10-0, 7 KOs), a fast rising talent in the junior lightweight division, headlines a prospect rich card on Friday, Sept. 21, from the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Calif.
Dutchover collides with once-beaten Luis Alberto Lopez (12-1, 5 KOs) of Mexico in the "New Blood" 8-round main event.
Dutchover, 20, hails from Midland, Tex., but has relocated to Santa Fe Springs, Calif. to take advantage of the rich sparring readily available to him in the greater Los Angeles area.
"I first came out to Santa Fe Springs the summer before my senior year of high school," Dutchover said. "That's when I met my current trainer Danny Zamora. He put me in with world champ Darleys Perez [WBA lightweight]. After that experience, I knew once I turned professional that I would want to live and train in this area."
To prepare for Lopez, Dutchover has been clocking rounds against current WBA super bantamweight champion Danny Roman. The former cross country standout at Midland High School credits the elite level sparring for his rapidly evolving game.
"You have to be patient against guys like Danny Roman," said Dutchover, who is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions. "He is too skilled for you to walk in there and think you are going to lay gloves on him. That's been my biggest growth area. Just learning how to settle into a patient rhythm and capitalize on angels once I see them."
Dutchover's patience was on display in his latest outing, a second round, one-punch destruction of Sergio Martinez in July.
"I was setting him up from the first round," Dutchover said. "He was leaving himself open and throwing lazy jabs. I sat on the right moment and delivered a right hand that ended his night."
For his fight against the little known Lopez, Dutchover will rely on the experience he's built up to this point.
"He has a good record on paper, but I know he hasn't fought the level of talent that I have," remarked Dutchover. "I'm heading into the fight with a lot of confidence."
Tickets for "New Blood" are priced at $40, $60, & $100, and are available for purchase by calling 714-935-0900, or online at ThompsonBoxing.com.
In the "New Blood" co-feature, entertaining bantamweight Mario Hernandez (7-0, 3 KOs) of Santa Ana, Calif. meets Ivan Gonzalez (4-1-1, 1 KO) of Mexico City, Mex. (6-rounds).
The undefeated Hernandez is coming off his most impressive win to date - a unanimous decision win over the previously unbeaten Jonah Flores in July.
Hernandez, 27, has developed a reputation as a fierce puncher with boxing skills to match. The volume puncher plans to stick to what he does best against Gonzalez.
"I usually try to come forward early and often," Hernandez said. "I'm really comfortable starting out as the aggressor and I don't see that changing any time soon."
Unbeaten lightweight prospect Ruben Torres (6-0, 5 KOs) of Los Angeles hopes to continue his winning ways against Mexico's Eder Amaro (6-5, 2 KOs) in a fight scheduled for 6-rounds.
The 20-year-old Torres, who is studying kinesiology at Cerritos College, has shown excellent promise in his brief career that began last August. The lanky striker stands at nearly six feet tall, which provides him with a distinct reach advantage against virtually any opponent.
"My reach definitely helps in controlling fights," said Torres, who is trained and managed by Danny Zamora. "I try not to rely on it too much because the goal is to develop into a complete boxer. I think I'm improving with every fight and I'm excited to get back in the ring in a few weeks."
Also on "New Blood," junior lightweight Bogar Padilla (1-2) will face an opponent to be named later (4-rounds).
Opening "New Blood" is lightweight David Ortiz of Bloomington, Calif. He makes his professional debut against Keith Carson (0-1) of Riverside, Calif. in a bout set for 4-rounds.
All fights will be live streamed on TB Presents: New Blood via our Facebook page, YouTube channel, and ThompsonBoxing.com.
The livestream starts at 8:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET with Beto Duran as the blow-by-blow announcer and Steve Kim providing expert, color commentary.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. local time with the first bout at approximately 8:00 p.m. The Doubletree Hotel is located at 222 N. Vineyard Ave. in Ontario, CA 91764 and can be reached at 909-937-0900.
"New Blood" is presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Everlast.
Top welterweight stars of the past, present and future have weighed in with their thoughts on the highly anticipated matchup that pits former welterweight champions Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter against each other for the vacant WBC Welterweight World Title Saturday, September 8 in the main event live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features a welterweight title eliminator between Cuba's Yordenis Ugas and Argentina's Cesar Barrionuevo and heavyweight action that pits unbeaten Polish slugger Adam Kownacki against former heavyweight champion Charles Martin.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, in association with DSG Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.
Here is what a group of current and former welterweight fighters had to say about the Garcia vs. Porter world title showdown:
SUGAR RAY LEONARD, Hall of Famer & Former Unified Welterweight World Champion
"I feel the Danny Garcia vs. Shawn Porter fight has the makings of an exciting fight from what I've seen of both of these talented fighters. So here is my prediction based on what I feel both fighters bring into the ring.
"Garcia will win if he uses his jab to keep Porter at bay and off balance, but Porter gains a victory if he connects and hurts Garcia early and makes him abandon his boxing ability and fight like a slugger -- as I did with my first fight vs Roberto Duran.
"This is how I see this matchup, which should be an exciting fight!"
ERROL SPENCE JR., Unbeaten IBF Welterweight World Champion
"I definitely want to fight the winner of Danny Garcia vs. Shawn Porter. That's a close fight. I always picked against Danny Garcia in the past, and he always proved me wrong. Shawn Porter's always a tough fight, because he's going to come forward and give it his all. He's basically trying to mug you. But for this fight, it's hard to go against Danny Garcia. I pick Danny Garcia to win a split decision."
KEITH THURMAN, WBA Welterweight World Champion; Former Unified Champion
"I honestly love this fight, and I consider it a tremendous battle and one of the best matchups of the year. For me, having fought both of them, I do believe that each is capable of hurting the other and getting one another out of there.
"I know most fans are going to lean toward Danny Garcia with his knockout power and the potential for that. Then there is Shawn, who's got a decent punch, even though he focuses on his output more than his one-punch solid blow and has it in his arsenal to hurt Danny Garcia.
"I wouldn't bet on Shawn getting the knockout, but I would on Shawn getting the victory, simply because of his output. I think Danny's only chance of winning is by knockout, but even as a gambling man, I can't put my money on Danny getting it. I'm taking Shawn Porter by decision."
MANNY PACQUIAO, Multiple-Time Welterweight World Champion
"I'm going to give the edge to Danny Garcia. They're both gritty fighters, but I think Garcia is a little more technical with a little more ring generalship. It should be a great fight, and there's a possibility of me fighting the winner, but we'll have to see what happens."
MIKEY GARCIA, Four-Division World Champion
"I think this is a very good matchup. Shawn Porter is the kind of athlete who is always bringing the fight to you with pressure and volume punching. They both come to fight and they can both take it and dish it out.
"Danny Garcia can use his skills to box on the outside and work from a distance. I think Danny will be able to box a little more and win more of the tight rounds in a very close fight. I'm not sure if it will be a split-decision or a unanimous decision. I believe that Danny will use more of those tactics to win an exciting decision."
YORDENIS UGAS, Top Welterweight Contender
"I have much respect for Shawn Porter, and I think it will be a great fight. Danny Garcia has more technique and he's also faced and beaten better opponents than Porter. I am leaning toward Danny Garcia to pull off the victory."
ROBERT GUERRERO, Former Multiple Division World Champion
"This will be a very entertaining fight for the fans. I can see Danny putting up a good fight, but Porter is going to make the fight rough, and Garcia doesn't like those type of fights. I'm going with Porter to win by split decision."
VICTOR ORTIZ, Former Welterweight World Champion
"I think it's going to be a fast-paced fight. Shawn will be pushing forward, making it rough on Danny, and Danny will be trying to control the distance. I'm going with Danny, giving him the slight edge and saying he wins by a decision."JAMAL JAMES, Welterweight Contender
"It's a good one. Shawn is busier than Danny, more active and carries a lot of momentum when he fights. But that's not always a good thing because Garcia has power with his timing, he might be able to catch Porter coming in. I'm thinking that Shawn Porter pulls it off."
BRANDON RIOS, Former World Champion & Welterweight Title Challenger
"That's a really tough fight to predict. If Danny can counter really well and keep Shawn Porter off of him while Porter's coming in, then I see Danny stopping him.
"But if Shawn Porter is able to pressure Danny like he usually does, I don't see Shawn Porter stopping Danny, or anything, but I see him winning by split-decision if he can be in his chest all night long. But if Porter gets nailed with one of those left hooks or a straight right hand, I say Porter goes down. I'm going to go with Danny because he knocked me out."
BRYANT PERRELLA, Welterweight Prospect
"It could come down to how well Shawn Porter can take Danny Garcia's punches in a fight that's really hard to predict, and how well Danny can move, given that he's not known for having fast feet similar to a guy like Keith Thurman.
"But if Shawn can get close and smother Danny's punches, he will make it a difficult fight. But Danny's got really heavy hands and sits on his shots well, timing and counter-punching guys, so Porter could play into his hands.
"Based off of clean, effective hard shots and giving him the edge in the close, competitive rounds, I'm leaning toward Danny Garcia. Shawn is tough as nails, so I see it going the distance, but just the slight edge to Danny."
SAMMY VASQUEZ JR., Welterweight Contender
"I'm going with Shawn Porter. Not by stoppage, but Shawn creates too much pressure and Danny Garcia doesn't throw enough punches and doesn't deal with pressure. You saw that when he fought Guerrero, who wasn't looking too bad in that fight.
"Danny can win by knockout if he catches Shawn with that hook, but Shawn's a workhorse and he puts forth far more pressure than I think Danny's ever seen in a fight. Shawn may not be susceptible to it if he doesn't have the proper head movement, but I believe that he will."
FOX Sports today announced it has reached a landmark four-year, multi-platform agreement with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) making FOX Sports the preeminent broadcaster for PBC's top-tier championship fights featuring its biggest and brightest stars. The announcement was made by Mark Silverman, President, National Networks, FOX Sports and Alan Haymon, President and CEO of Haymon Sports, creator of the PBC series.
"We're thrilled to expand our relationship with the PBC in coming years and take the world's best boxers to the next level by exposing them to the widest possible audiences across FOX, FS1 and FOX Deportes," said Silverman. "While FOX Sports has been invested in boxing as a key property on both FS1 and FOX Deportes, this will be the first time in more than 30 years that boxing will be regularly featured in prime time on network television."
"We are pleased to continue with FOX Sports to showcase our unrivaled roster of more than 160 of the best boxers in the world, including 60 current and former world champions in the weight divisions that most excite the fans," says Tim Smith, Vice President of Communications for Haymon Sports. "The PBC on FOX will bring the fans the best boxing and bring our boxers and the sponsors the biggest audience as we continue to pursue the goal of returning this great sport to mainstream prominence."
With the four-year deal, the FOX broadcast network will feature 10 marquee fight nights in prime time each year, while FS1 and FOX Deportes will telecast 12 fight nights annually. The package includes FOX Sports-PBC Pay-Per-View events. The Emmy Award-winning FOX Sports production team will produce all the live events and more than 175 hours of original PBC boxing content per year across its channels.
"FOX Sports is delighted to support PBC fights with a robust boxing programming lineup across FOX, FS1 and FOX Deportes, including a variety of prefight and postfight shows," said Bill Wanger, FOX Sports EVP, Programming, Live Operations and Research. "In addition, FOX Sports will promote PBC events across FOX's multiple platforms, networks and powerful sports programming line-up, which includes the NFL, Major League Baseball, college football, college basketball, NASCAR, USGA, MLS and WWE SmackDown programming."
To build anticipation for each fight, FOX Sports will surround each fight night on FOX, FS1 and FOX Deportes with top-level ancillary programming including multiple episodes of behind-the-scenes shows on FOX, fight-countdown preview shows, press conferences, fighter face-off shows, weigh-ins and prefight and postfight shows on FOX, FS1 and FOX Deportes. This programming line-up also includes two studio-based PBC-branded shows a month on FOX and FS1, with PBC boxer interviews and profiles. Fight cards will have televised preliminary fights on FOX, FS1 or FS2 and FOX Deportes.
All PBC on FOX Sports events and programming will be streamed live on the FOX Sports app, available in English or Spanish through the FOX, FS1 or FOX Deportes feeds. FOX Sports will offer a platform inside the app to allow viewers to stream the PPV events. In addition, boxing and the PBC will be prominently featured across the FOX Sports website, apps and social platforms.
FOX Sports and FOX Deportes will announce on-air personalities, as well as upcoming airdates and times soon.
FOX Sports and PBC launched the highly regarded primetime boxing series TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS on FS1 and FOX Deportes in the fall of 2015, featuring PBC's brightest up-and-coming boxers. The deal was expanded to include several fight nights on the FOX broadcast network, including exciting title fights such as heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder defending his title in February of 2016, July of 2016, and again in February of 2017, plus the exciting welterweight showdown between Danny Garcia and Robert Guerrero in January of 2016.
The Premier Boxing Champions series is created for television by Haymon Sports. Please visit www.premierboxingchampions.com and follow Premier Boxing Champions on Facebook and Twitter. For more information on FOX Sports, visit FOX Sports Press Pass.
Former welterweight world champion Victor Ortiz and hard-hitting former title challenger John Molina Jr. spoke with media in Los Angeles Tuesday at a luncheon to discuss their upcoming showdown headlining Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 and FOX Deportes Sunday, September 30 from Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California.
Joining them at the press conference and competing in televised action on FS1 and FOX Deportes were 2016 Olympic Silver Medalist Joe Joyce and heavyweight Iago Kiladze, who meet in an eight-round showdown, plus rising unbeaten prospect Karlos Balderas, who steps into the ring for a six-round attraction.
Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Ringstar Sports, are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com.
Televised coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and also features Uubeaten featherweight contender Brandon Figueroa taking on rugged veteran Oscar Escandon and 2016 Nigerian Olympian Efe Ajagba returning to the ring in a six-round heavyweight fight.
Here is what the participants had to say Tuesday from the Palm Restaurant Downtown Los Angeles:
VICTOR ORTIZ, Former Welterweight World Champion
"John Molina Jr. is an amazing warrior just like myself. He's got a huge heart and he's not going to back down and neither will I. It's going to be a great fight.
"John and I have known each other for many years. I'm not one to bad mouth anybody, but especially this guy. We're in this to go to war on September 30. I fight violently and I can't change that. I hope at the end of the day it gives people a fun showdown.
"I'm happy to be back in this position as the main event and for it to be in Southern California is even better. I'm humbled to have this opportunity.
"I still feel strong and powerful and I'm not going to waste this time I have to still compete at the highest level. I'm ready to go out there and put on another war for the fans.
"John Molina Jr. actually told me at the Mayweather vs. McGregor press conference that he was moving up to 147 and I better get out of the way, so it's funny now that we're facing-off. We have a lot of mutual respect for each other. It doesn't change anything though, we're going to go out there and give it our all."
JOHN MOLINA JR., Former World Title Challenger
"I'm grateful to Victor Ortiz and his team for accepting this challenge. We have nothing but respect for each other. My only prediction is that September 30 is going to be two guys coming to win and two guys refusing to go home with a loss.
"I know that Victor is going to be up in my face and that's exactly my style and how I like to fight. It's got all the makings of an all-action brawl.
"In this business we have to fight people we know very well. This is how we feed our families so we take it extremely seriously. I know we're both going to be prepared and the best man will win.
"Every time I get into the ring it's a war. My way of boxing has always been to fight the toughest guys and Victor is certainly no slouch. He's a tremendous fighter. He's explosive and it's going to make it a great fight.
"In a fight like this you're going to have fireworks. Victor is a big, strong guy who's coming to win. He wants to get back to the mountain top. But there's no quit in me. That's the intrigue for this fight. Can I out will him? We'll find out on September 30.
"Every fight that I've had, has been my biggest fight. Everyone knows that I leave everything in the ring. Every fighter says that, but if you've ever watched my fights you know it's the truth. It's going be the same thing on September 30."
JOE JOYCE, Unbeaten Heavyweight Prospect
"I have a plan, and a goal to get where I want to be to win a world title. I've settled into Big Bear to train and it's like my second home. I'm looking forward to making my U.S. debut on September 30.
"I'm going to show the American fans my style and put on a really good show and a strong performance. Stay tuned and watch my progression here in the U.S., because I'm going to be heavyweight champion of the world.
"I've looked at Kiladze's record and he has a good knockout percentage and he has a lot of good experience. He's a strong guy but I'm just going to have to look a little more closely and work out his strengths and weaknesses and capitalize on that.
"I have a lot of really good sparring up in Big Bear for the next couple weeks and it's going to get me ready for September 30. It's a different structure and tempo in Big Bear than it was in the UK. It took a bit of time to adjust but now I feel comfortable and I feel like I fit into the group of boxers we have there. I see myself progressing and getting even stronger."
IAGO KILADZE, Heavyweight fighting out of Los Angeles
"I have a very good and strong opponent but I am in great shape and I've had an incredible training camp. I'm ready to go and I know I'm going to come out with the victory.
"Los Angeles is my adopted home and I love being able to fight here with those close to me watching. It's going to give me more motivation to win this fight and help once fight week comes.
"I don't worry too much about what my opponent has accomplished but I am mostly preparing myself to be my best. My team will have a great plan to guide me to this win on September 30."
KARLOS BALDERAS, Unbeaten Super Lightweight Prospect
"I'm really focused right now on finishing 2018 strong so I can pick it right back up in 2019. I'm going to continue to take my time and move forward, but I have my eye on a world title. My brother Jose Balderas will also be on the card, so we're looking to both put on a show for everyone watching.
"I've been getting better at controlling my emotions in the ring. Me and my brother get mentally prepared in camp so that when we get to the fight, it's really just another day.
"We're just going to continue working and growing and building up our fan base step-by-step. We might start fighting on different cards down the road, but for now we enjoy fighting on the same night.
"I don't think it will be too long until I start moving my up the cards until eventually I'm the main event. I want to close this year strong so that in 2019 I'm in a position to get even closer to a title shot."
RICHARD SCHAEFER, Chairman & CEO of Ringstar Sports
"This fight between Victor Ortiz and John Molina Jr. is a great cherry on top to a great month for the sport of boxing. This is an all-action brawl that will be toe-to-toe. That's what the fight fans want to see and that's what we are going to get.
"This card is absolutely loaded. It is full of young talent and experienced fighters who are sure to put on a great night of action for the fans at Citizens Business Bank Arena.
"I know that Karlos Balderas and Joe Joyce are fired up to have this chance to perform on this platform and I believe the fans are going to be in for a real treat. For Joe it's a debut in the U.S. that gives him a chance to make a big first impression. Both of these guys are absolutely ready to step into the spotlight."
Welterweight World Champion Keith Thurman has an acute understanding of what it takes to beat Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter. The undefeated, former unified champion edged both fighters in blockbuster matchups and will be watching intently from ringside at Barclays Center as the two face off for the WBC Welterweight World Championship Thurman vacated due to injury.
The reigning WBA 147-pound champion, Thurman defeated Porter via unanimous decision in a 2016 Fight of the Year candidate (FULL FIGHT VIDEO: https://s.sho.com/2MAUoNH), and narrowly beat Garcia via majority decision in 2017 (FULL FIGHT VIDEO: https://s.sho.com/2MZB6kA). The matchups were so closely contested that both fights would have been ruled draws if a single round were scored differently.
Thurman spoke with SHOWTIME Sports® Hall of Fame analyst Steve Farhood to break down what he calls "one of the best matchups of the year" in seven key categories - punching power, physical strength, defense, speed, boxing ability, ring IQ and chin.
See below for Thurman's analysis of the showdown of consensus top-5 welterweights, which airs this Saturday live on SHOWTIME.
PUNCHING POWER: Edge GARCIA: "Danny can punch with both hands. He does load up, so you can't be right there in front of him."
PHYSICAL STRENGTH: Edge PORTER: "Shawn is clearly the more physical fighter."
DEFENSE: Edge GARCIA: "Porter's defense is his offense. With Danny, I've never seen anyone so willing to just stare at me without throwing a punch. He's committed to being second, a pure counterpuncher."
SPEED: Edge PORTER: "Shawn is faster and a little more athletic. He'll triple on the jab to get inside and use stutter-steps. Danny's real relaxed, but that doesn't necessarily come through in his hand speed."
BOXING ABILITY: Edge GARCIA: "Neither one is known for boxing. Danny's a counterpuncher, and Shawn outworks you. Danny has nice boxing movement when he wants to be evasive. He's underrated when on his back foot. We saw that against (Lucas) Matthysse and (Brandon) Rios."
RING IQ: EVEN: "Hard to judge. These are two world champions with tremendous amateur pedigrees."
CHIN: EVEN: "In my fights, Porter took more big punches than Garcia did. I had to hit hard to keep Porter off me. They both have enough power to hurt each other."
PREDICTION: "This is one of the best matchups of the year. I try not to overthink it. It's Porter by decision or Garcia only by KO. I lean toward PORTER."
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features a welterweight title eliminator between Yordenis Ugas and Cesar Barrionuevo and heavyweight action that pits unbeaten Polish slugger Adam Kownacki against former heavyweight champion Charles Martin.
Undercard streaming coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN as five-division world champion Amanda Serrano attempts to win a world title in her record sixth weight class when she faces Yamila Esther Reynoso for the WBO 140-pound title.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, in association with DSG Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.
Unbeaten featherweight contender Brandon Figueroa takes on rugged veteran Oscar Escandon in a 10-round bout and 2016 British Olympian Joe Joyce battles Iago Kiladze in an eight-round heavyweight attraction in Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 and FOX Deportes action Sunday, September 30 from Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California.
The telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will also see 2016 U.S. Olympian Karlos Balderas (6-0, 5 KOs) continue his rise in the lightweight ranks in a six-round match and 2016 Nigerian Olympian Efe Ajagba (6-0, 5 KOs) returning to the ring in a six-round heavyweight fight. Sensational super welterweight prospect Joey Spencer (4-0, 4 KOs) steps in for his fifth fight this year in a four-round bout.
Former welterweight champion "Vicious'' Victor Ortiz (36-6-3, 25 KOs) clashes with hard-hitting brawler John Molina, Jr. (30-7, 24 KOs) in a 12-round welterweight battle that promises plenty of action and fireworks in the main event.
Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Ringstar Sports, are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com.
Figueroa (16-0, 11 KOs), the brother of former lightweight world champion Omar Figueroa, Jr., continues to climb the ladder in the featherweight division with a step up match against the tough former title challenger Escandon. The 21-year-old out of Weslaco, Texas was busy last year as he won all four of his matches and he has logged two knockout victories this year, beating Giovanni Delgado in March and Luis Roy Suarez Cruz in his last fight on August 4.
The 34-year-old Escandon (25-4, 17 KOs), who fought in the 2004 Olympian for Colombia, is a hardnosed veteran from Ibague, Colombia looking to rebound from two tough losses to Tugstsogt Nyambayar on May 26 on FS1 and WBC featherweight champion Gary Russell, Jr. in 2017.
A 6-foot-6 heavyweight, Joyce (5-0, 5 KOs) won the silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games as a super heavyweight from Great Britain. The 32-year-old from London turned pro in 2017 and has been on a knockout roll since. Joyce, whose nickname is 'Juggernaut,' has ended four of his five fights inside of two rounds. He scored a first-round KO victory over Ivica Bacurin in his last fight on June 15.
Kiladze (26-3, 18 KOs) is an experienced veteran who will test Joyce early in his young career. The 32-year-old out of Ukraine who now lives in Los Angeles and will be looking to rebound from back-to-back losses to Michael Hunter and Adam Kownacki. Before those losses he had put together a six-match win streak.
The 22-year-old Balderas (6-0, 5 KOs), a first-generation Mexican-American, competed on the U.S. Olympic boxing team in the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil before turning pro in April 2017. Representing Santa Maria, Calif., Balderas scored knockout victories in his last two fights and will look to make it three in a row when he enters the ring on September 30.
The 24-year-old Ajagba (6-0, 5 KOs), who represented Nigeria in the 2016 Olympics, will be stepping into the ring again a month after his last match ended in disqualification. His opponent, Curtis Harper, walked out of the ring without throwing a punch after touching gloves and the bell sounded to start the fight on Aug. 24 that was live on FS1.
Nick DeLomba has been around the sport of boxing long enough to know it's as unpredictable as the weather. It'll throw you a curveball when you're expecting a fastball down the plate.
Though he's still only five years into his professional career, which began at Twin River Casino Hotel in 2013, the Cranston, R.I., native (13-2, 3 KOs) is well-seasoned in the art of boxing politics.
In the past year, he's had bouts canceled, opponents disappear and fights he didn't even agree to plastered all over social media, so it was an easy decision for DeLomba when approached by CES Boxing president Jimmy Burchfield Sr. to rejoin the team that launched his career five years ago.
Fittingly, DeLomba's first fight back with CES Boxing will be in the same venue where it all began on Friday, Sept. 14th, 2018 when DeLomba defends his Universal Boxing Federation (UBF) All America Super Lightweight Title in the main event against Louisiana's Chris Singleton (18-5-2, 8 KOs) at Twin River Casino Hotel.
"It feels amazing," DeLomba said. "I'm back home where I belong."
The last time DeLomba entered the ring at Twin River, he jumped a few pounds to welterweight to face New Haven's Jimmy Williams in April of 2017 for the then vacant WBC USNBC title, a tremendous opportunity to fight for boxing's famed green belt. Williams, the much bigger fighter on fight night, won by an overwhelming majority decision. DeLomba hasn't fought above 140 pounds since and he'll remain at super lightweight next Friday, where he finally gets to enjoy the size advantage, in what could be his toughest test against the slick, fleet-footed Singleton, who heads north for the first time in his career for the opportunity to bring a title back home to Baton Rouge.
Because nothing is ever easy in the sport of boxing, DeLomba has had to change gears in camp to prepare for a new opponent. He was originally supposed to face undefeated Irish super lightweight Ray Moylette, but Moylette withdrew a little a more than a month from fight night due to a hand injury sustained in training camp.
Singleton hopped on board a week later, giving DeLomba more than enough time to adjust to the change in opponent. Singleton actually bears some resemblance to Amos Cowart, who DeLomba beat decisively in September of 2016 except for the fact Cowart is a southpaw and Singleton is a right-hander.
"Hopefully, I can put together the same kind of fight," DeLomba said. "[Singleton] throws a lot of sneaky check hooks and uppercuts, overhand rights. He's a counterpuncher. I feel as though if he's not the aggressor, he's not as busy.
"I want to put pressure on him because he won't throw as many chances. He's busy coming forward, but not if you bring the fight to him, and I like to bring the fight to my opponent. I'm not wild or careless. I'm strategic with a game plan, but sometimes you have to throw those styles out the window and just bring it to him and overpower him."
DeLomba's eight-round main event showdown is one of nine fights on a stacked card for CES Boxing that features an eclectic blend of fan-favorites and new faces. The promotion recently signed six fighters, four of whom will make their Twin River debuts on the 14th.
Tickets for the event start at $47 and are available online at www.cesboxing.com, www.twinriver.com, www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 401-723-2253 or at the Twin River Casino Hotel Players Club. All fights and fighters subject to change.
The 28-year-old DeLomba hopes re-signing with CES Boxing adds some stability to his career and helps point him in the right direction again after a tumultuous two-year stretch of testing the waters with various promotions.
What has always stood out about DeLomba is the fact he's been willing to fight anyone at any given time, often jumping into fights others felt he might not win. In just his fourth pro fight, he stepped up to face New Haven's Edwin Soto, who was 9-1-2 at the time, in Soto's backyard, scoring a majority decision win to remain undefeated. In May of 2016, he faced unbeaten Worcester prospect Freddy Sanchez, who was considered the favorite in some circles, and cruised to a unanimous decision win. When he announced he was fighting Cowart in 2016, DeLomba vividly remembers the pre-fight chatter.
"People looked at me like I was going to lose, or get knocked out," he said. "I went out and dominated him."
With Burchfield and CES Boxing, there's a certain comfort level he hasn't felt anywhere else. The promotion launched his career in 2013, starting with a rare six-rounder in his pro debut against Jimmy Smith, which DeLomba won in a bloody unanimous decision. He won his first eight pro fights before suffering his first pro defeat and even then didn't look to take the easy road back to the top, instead jumping in the ring with the then 7-0 Sanchez just eight months after getting stopped by Gledwin Ortiz.
"There's that respect level you don't get when you're moving around and fighting between different promoters on different shows at different venues," DeLomba said. "I know what I'm going to get with Jimmy."
After beating Louis Cruz in December to capture the UBF title in December, DeLomba didn't fight again until July. A proposed bout against Connecticut's Mykquan Williams in May fell through for unexplained reasons, though it was still announced via social media even though DeLomba had never signed a contract. Williams went on to fight Orlando Felix instead.
DeLomba eventually shook off the rust in late July in New Hampshire as Burchfield partnered with Granite Chin Promotions for DeLomba's bout against Rashaan Blackburn, which ended in a first-round knockout win for DeLomba. Even then, DeLomba had to deal with several opponent changes before fight night while trying to keep his training and conditioning up to par.
"You have to just stay active in the gym and keep a clear mindset. I can't let things affect me. Whether the opponent cancels or pulls out, I'm always working," DeLomba said.
"Opponents change. It doesn't matter. We work hard, train, and come up with a game plan while working on things we're supposed to work on, and when we get an opponent, we tweak things to his style."
With Singleton, DeLomba has simply switched up his sparring to accommodate for a slight difference in height against a now shorter opponent, otherwise it's business as usual as he prepares for his long-awaited Twin River homecoming.
"There's nothing like being in your hometown and being at that wonderful venue," DeLomba said. "There's nothing like coming out to that crowd. When I walk out there, I feel at home, like I'm on top of the world."
Sept. 14th also features the return of unbeaten prospects Anthony Marsella Jr. (9-0, 4 KOs) of Providence and Pawtucket, R.I., featherweight Ricky Delossantos (5-0, 1 KO). Marsella Jr. faces Maine's Brandon Berry (13-3-2, 8 KOs) in a six-round super lightweight showcase while Delossantos steps up in a six-round bout to face the dangerous Jose Ortiz (3-3-2, 1 KO) of Jersey City, N.J.
Also in the featherweight division, Providence's Phil Dudley (1-1) returns to face unbeaten Ranse Andino (1-0) of Worcester and Fall River, Mass., super lightweight Kris Jacobs makes his professional debut in a four-round bout against the entertaining Andy Aiello (1-1) of Bridgewater, Mass.
CES Boxing will also introduce four of its highly-touted prospects on the 14th, starting with 6-foot-8 Nigerian heavyweight Raphael Akpejiori, a former college football and basketball for the University of Miami now trained by two-time world champion Glen Johnson. Akpejiori faces Texas veteran Omar Acosta (1-1, 1 KO) in a four-round bout.
Female lightweight sensation Shayna Foppiano (1-0, 1 KO) of Everett, Mass., makes her Twin River against Sarah Click (0-1) of Buzzard's Bay, also fighting for CES Boxing for the first time after stepping into the cage with CES MMA in 2017.
Amateur standout Nicholas Briggs of Worcester, who now lives and trains in Rhode Island, makes his professional debut against fellow newcomer Jacob Wright of Decatur, Ala., and Providence's Victor Reynoso fights for the first time as a professional against debut Maurilio Alava of Ecuador, a professional of 11 fights in mixed martial arts. The 6-foot-1 Briggs won 50 fights as an amateur while Reynoso enters fresh off a trip to the United States National Amateur Boxing Championships in Aurora, Ill.
For the first time in Boston Boxing Promotions history, women are set to take center stage as Revere, Massachusetts' Kim Wabik and Springfield, Massachusetts' Liz Humphries make their respective pro debuts in a four-round lightweight fight at the Thanksgiving Eve Boxing Spectacular being held at the Castleton Banquet and Conference Center on Wednesday, November 21st in Windham, New Hampshire.
Wabik, a veteran of 34 amateur fights on the New England circuit, has been trying to turn pro for over a year but finding opportunities and potential opponents to be few and far between. She trains out of Quietman Sports Gym in Medford, MA owned by former two-time WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz.
"I am thankful for this opportunity," said Wabik, who holds down a day job as a licensed independent clinical social worker.
"I believe my opponent is a tough girl and will put up a great fight. We are coming to give 100% and leave everything in the ring. We are expecting a lot of friends and family in the crowd in Windham that night."
Humphries, a special education English teacher by day at Putnam Vocational-Technical High School in Springfield, will be going from the classroom to the ring after an amateur boxing career that included a close decision loss to Wabik. Now, Humphries has the opportunity to avenge that amateur defeat in the confines of a professional prizefighting ring.
"I think this match is a great opportunity for a pro debut," said Humphries. "We had an intense match two years ago and have both been working hard to advance in the sport. I expect a challenging fight from Wabik, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. This match just gave me the edge to train that much harder-which will be the hardest I’ve ever trained."
"This has a chance to be the fight of the night," said Boston Boxing Promotion's President Peter Czymbor. "I can't wait to hear the crowd response in Windham on November 21st when the bell sounds and these ladies do what they do. They'll make anyone think twice who has ever condescendingly said someone 'fights like a girl.'"
Tickets for the November 21, 2018 Thanksgiving Eve Boxing event in Windham, NH are on sale now at www.BoxingNH.com.
Undefeated heavyweight bomber Apti Davtaev will return to the ring in an 10-rounder on Wednesday, September 5 in Grozny, Russia
6’ 6” Davtaev (15-0-1, 14 KOs) will face 6’ 9” Moscow-based veteran Evgeny “Molecule from Hell” Orlov on a card that features his Salita Promotions stablemates Umar Salamov fighting for the WBO International Light Heavyweight Championship, and super middleweight Aslambek Idigov.
Davtaev (from the Chechen Republic of Kurchaloi) continues working with his US trainers, Kronk Gym’s Javan SugarHill Steward and co-trainer Rick Phillips, and says he’s enjoying his evolution to an American style of fighting.
“I had a great camp at Kronk Gym in Detroit, a place that produced so many great champions. My opponent is an experienced fighter and a big man. I look forward to fulfilling the legacy of the great fighters that trained in Detroit and, with this victory, will continue to climb towards the heavyweight title.”
A fearsome puncher, Davtaev was last seen demolishing Kentucky’s Cory Phelps in two quick rounds.
“At 6’ 6” and 250 lbs., Apti has the size, strength and skills to be a real threat in the heavyweight division,” said his promoter, Dmitriy Salita. “On September 5, he is going to take another step towards his goal of becoming heavyweight champion.”
Epic Sports and Entertainment announced today that the Kubrat “The Cobra” Pulev vs. Hughie Fury initial press conference at the Hotel Marinela, Sofia, Bulgaria will be streamed live on Facebook on Monday, September 3, 2018 at 1:00 pm local time, 11:00 am London time and 6:00 am New York time.
The press conference can be viewed here
Pulev (25-1, 13 KOs) and Fury (21-1, 11 KOs) will be competing for the right to face the winner of the September 22 showdown between champion Anthony Joshua and challenger Alexander Povetkin.
The event, titled “Fire & Fury,” is scheduled for October 27, 2108 at the Arena Armeec, Sofia, Bulgaria and is being co-promoted by Epic Sports and Entertainment and Fury’s promoter, Hennessy Sports.
Daniel Jacobs (34-2, 29 KOs) and Sergiy Derevyanchenko (12-0, 10 KOs) will clash for the vacant IBF World Middleweight Title and Alberto Machado (20-0, 16 KOs) will defend his WBA Super Featherweight Title against Yuandale Evans (20-1, 14 KOs on Saturday, October 27 at the Hulu Theater from Madison Square Garden in New York. The doubleheader will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Jacobs, fighting out of Brooklyn, N.Y., is in hot form having taken the unbeaten records of Luis Arias and Maciej Sulecki in his last two outings at the Nassau Coliseum, Long Island and Barclays Center, Brooklyn respectively, punctuating his win over Sulecki with a knockdown in the final session.
The 'Miracle Man' is gunning to regain his world champion status having lost his WBA crown to Kazakh star Gennady Golovkin in a tight unification tussle in March 2017 in New York, and with Golovkin and Mexican hero Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez meeting in a rematch in September, Jacobs is hunting down the winner.
Derevyanchenko has his own designs on those blockbuster nights though. Born in Feodosia, Crimea, Ukraine, and now based in Brooklyn, NY, Derevyanchenko was a touted amateur, compiling an astonishing record of 390-20, as well as a 23-1 ledger in the World Series of Boxing, and representing Ukraine in the 2008 Olympics, before turning pro in July 2014. Known as "The Technician," Derevyanchenko is fundamentally sound with superb reflexes, deft defense and devastating power, having stopped 10 of his 12 professional opponents thus far.
In a final IBF eliminator for mandatory status, Derevyanchenko proved he could carry his power into the later rounds, halting Tureano Johnson in the 12th and final frame of their August 2017 clash. One year earlier, Derevyanchenko knocked out former world champion Sam Soliman, becoming only the second man to do so, inside two rounds in July 2016, in an IBF elimination bout for the #2 ranking. While awaiting his title shot, Derevyanchenko dusted off the experienced Dashon Johnson in six stanzas in his last bout on March 3. Co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Fight Promotions Inc., Derevyanchenko is thrilled that his shot at coronation will take place in his debut at Madison Square Garden, the Mecca of Boxing.
Jacobs and Derevyanchenko are familiar foes as they both hone their skills with trainer Andre Rozier, who will be in Jacobs' corner and camp for the bout, but Brooklyn hero Jacobs doesn't believe that will play a part in their clash - and predicts a triumphant return to World champion status in a tough fight. Gary Stark Sr. will take over head trainer responsibilities for Derevyanchenko as he prepares for his first world championship opportunity.
Jacobs vs. Derevyanchenko will top a stacked bill in New York as the main event of a world title double-header. In the co-main event, unbeaten Puerto Rican star Alberto "El Explosivo" Machadomakes the second defense of his WBA World Super Featherweight title against Cleveland's Yuandale Evans in a 12-round fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Miguel Cotto Promotions and DiBella Entertainment.
Topping the non-televised bill is a rematch of the 2016 women's fight of the year as Heather Hardy (21-0, 4 KOs) and Shelly Vincent (23-1, 1 KO) renew their rivalry, with the vacant WBO World Featherweight strap on the line after Hardy edged their fantastic first meeting.
"I'm excited to be back in New York City fighting in my hometown," said Jacobs. "This opportunity for a world title is one I don't take lightly and I'm preparing myself to be in an incredible fight with Sergey Derevyanchenko. I've always felt that I was the best middleweight in the world with this type of fight I'm that much closer to all the that glory and to proving to the world I am the best "
"I'm a step away from my dream and I will not miss this chance," said Derevyanchenko. "From my time in the amateurs to my pro career, this has been a long time coming for me. I've beaten everyone they've put in front of me to earn this shot. Having trained with Danny, I know him very well and we are friends. However, it will be strictly business in the ring. I will not be denied. The belt will be mine."
"I feel excited to make the second defense of my title, but this time before all of my Puerto Rican brothers in New York," said Machado. "I'm anxious to get to Los Angeles to start the strong stages of preparation and solidify myself as a champion for the second time with a convincing win for all of Puerto Rico. Thank you to HBO for believing in me. Thank you to Peter Nelson, Miguel Cotto Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions. Yuandale Evans is a great fighter who comes with a lot of hunger after years of rest. But this time I will go into the ring with extra motivation to reward all my people in person and those watching at home with a great victory."
"I want to let Machado know that I am taking the belt home," said Evans. "Training has been going great and I've been doing my homework. Machado is tall and strong, but he's never fought a guy like me, who can hit like me. To fight for a world title at Madison Square Garden is a dream come true. I am going make the most out of this opportunity. This is my time to shine."
"One of the saddest things is that in 2016, Shelly and I put on the fight of the year, and so many people missed it," said Hardy. "We've been dying to do the rematch but under the right circumstances. This is a great time for women's boxing and a great event to showcase the rematch - and I'm going to bring home that title, don't worry about that."
"Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to shoot hoops at MSG - now I'm going to get to beat Heather's ass there," said Vincent. "The first fight was close, I thought I won it, Heather thought she won it, some people thought I won, some thought she won, some thought it was a draw.
"This time, you are going to see the old 'Shelito' - I've got more than just three weeks to get ready, and I think it'll be a repeat of the first fight, non-stop punching, and my hands are going to be all over Heather Hardy like she's my woman and I'm not leaving without that title."
"When we started working with Danny, the goal was always to become World Champion and now the time has come," said Jacobs' promoter Eddie Hearn. "This is brilliant match up but I strongly believe on October 27 at MSG Danny will be crowned champion and add another chapter to this Cinderella story.
"It's a powerful triple-header with unbeaten WBA Super-Featherweight champion Alberto Machado defending his crown against Cleveland contender Yuandale 'Money Shot' Evans and New York's own Heather Hardy meeting Shelly Vincent in a rematch of their 2016 Fight if the Year, with the WBO World Featherweight crown on the line. October 27 will be an electric night in New York."
"With over 400 amateur bouts, a trip to the Olympics, and experience in the World Series of Boxing, Sergiy was adamant with me that he wanted to fight for a world title against the biggest name available," said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. "I've known Danny since he was a kid. He is a great fighter in and out of the ring. Stylistically, this is a can't-miss action fight. Sergiy studies his opponents, finds their weaknesses, then breaks them down. That is why he has such a great chance to win this fight and become the IBF Middleweight Champion.
"Yuandale Evans has a tremendous opportunity in the co-feature to capture his first world title against champion Alberto Machado. Coming off the biggest win of his career, Evans is highly motivated to seize the moment and perform at his best. Both Machado and Evans can bang and like to brawl, so this should make for a very entertaining opening bout on HBO.
"Finally, Heather 'The Heat' Hardy and Shelly 'Shelito's Way' Vincent will get the chance to rematch their 2016 Female Fight of the Year. The first fight was a barnburner, and this promises to be nothing less. The stakes are higher this time, as both women will compete for the WBO Featherweight Championship of the World. A World Championship in boxing has been a lifelong dream for both, and I am thrilled that they will get this opportunity on October 27."
"Alberto Machado is determined to prove that he is the best super featherweight in the world," said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. "He beat a strong champion in Jezreel Corrales and defended his crown against a tough contender in Rafael Mensah. In both fight, he used his skills and power to obtain the victory, and I'm positive he will do the same against Evans before legion of Puerto Rican fans in New York. I have no doubts he will be recognized as one of the best champions that Puerto Rico has produced."
"Alberto Machado is building his own legacy fight after fight," said Miguel Cotto, President of Miguel Cotto Promotions. "He wants to be the best in his division and is hungry for the big challenges. He has the best opportunity to showcase his skills in front of his Puerto Rican brothers at The Garden in New York."
Tickets are on sale NOW from TicketMaster.com priced from $46, $66, $106, $206 and $356 (ringside).
Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing's "Rockin' Fights" 32 is already set to be a barnburner with a hometown, main event showdown, between two of The Paramount's finest in, DANNY "EL GALLO" GONZALEZ (Woodhaven, NY 16-1-1 6KO's) and JOHNNY "HITMAN" HERNANDEZ (Huntington, NY 9-3 1KO). With a combined 20 appearances at The Paramount, both Gonzalez and Hernandez are determined to leave with the ABO INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE on September 21st.
Star Boxing now announces the addition of top rated undefeated New England prospect, "ACTION" ANTHONY LAUREANO (East Hartford, CT 8-0 3KO's) to the already exciting show. Laureano has been making a name for himself over the past year, earning honors such as the 2017 New England Prospect of the Year and also Star Boxing's Prospect of the Year. Most recently, Laureano defeated Juan Rodriguez at Mohegan Sun Arena in dominating fashion, winning by unanimous decision. Laureano controlled the action from start to finish with his relentless and exciting style, showing rough, 'old-school' fighting on the inside, and cutting off the ring.
In April, Laureano traveled to Massachusetts to take on up-and-coming prospect Tobias Green of Florida. Laureano and Green went toe-to-toe over six rounds, where Laureano allowed his persistent fighting style to shine, as he dug in and earned the victory, in a terrific fight.
Anthony returns to the Paramount on September 21st for the second time in his career, the last almost exactly a year ago, when he defeated James Lester at "Rockin' Fights 28". After dictating the fight from the opening bell, and planting Lester on the canvas with a vicious right hand, Lester's corner called off the fight, as Laureano earned the TKO win.
Laureano cannot wait to step back in the ring at The Paramount, "I'm super excited to be returning to the Paramount. The Paramount is known for its Boxing. It has an established fan base and following. I'm blessed to have this opportunity again and look forward to bringing some "Action" to the Paramount on Sept 21st!"
NATE TORRES, manager/trainer of Laureano, had this to say about his bout on September 21st, "We are very thankful for the opportunity Star Boxing has given us. Four wins, and one year later we are back, and want to show everyone in Long Island [Anthony's] growth as a fighter. Anthony will be ready to display his skills and make the adjustments necessary to win this fight! His relentless pressure and counters will be the key to this win. Anthony comes to fight, no question about it; he will not disappoint The Paramount fans. You don't want to miss this one!"
Star Boxing CEO JOE DEGUARDIA stated: "Anthony is on a path up the rankings in the 140 lb. division. He has shown time and again the ability to dig deep and brings a relentless attitude every minute that he is in the ring. Boxing fans are in for a treat whenever Laureano steps into the ring."
The Season II Quarter-Finals of the World Boxing Super Series will feature doubleheaders over six fight nights on back-to-back weekends, starting on Sunday 7 October at the Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan.
The WBA ‘Regular’ World Bantamweight Championship between 'Monster' Naoya Inoue (Japan) and Juan Carlo Payano (Dominican Republic) opens the 2018/2019 season together with another spectacular quarter-final on the same night, the WBA World Super-Lightweight Championship: Kiryl Relikh (Belarus) vs. Eduard Troyanovsky (Russia).
After the bouts in Japan, the remaining ten quarter-finals will be held in pairs over the following Saturdays in locations around the globe that will be announced over the next few weeks.
“We will be doing doubleheaders this time on the quarter-finals,” said Comosa’s Chief Boxing Officer, Kalle Sauerland.
“You will be seeing action from not always the same weight class on the same night, but you will always get doubleheaders. So twelve fights, six weeks, all over the world; Asia, US, UK, Europe. We can’t wait!”
Season 2018/2019 will contain a total of 15 fight nights; six doubleheader quarter-finals, six semi-finals and three finals.
Dates for the six weeks of Ali Trophy quarter-final action this autumn:
1. 7th October - Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan:
Naoya Inoue (Japan) vs. Juan Carlos Payano (Dominican Republic)
WBA ‘Regular’ World Bantamweight Championship
Kiryl Relikh (Belarus) vs. Eduard Troyanovsky (Russia).
WBA World Super-Lightweight Championship
2. 13th October - Ali Trophy quarter-finals
3. 20th October - Ali Trophy quarter-finals
4. 27th October - Ali Trophy quarter-finals
5. 3rd November - Ali Trophy quarter-finals
6. 10th November - Ali Trophy quarter-finals
Season II divisions and quarter-final match-ups:
BANTAMWEIGHT:
Ryan Burnett (Northern Ireland) vs. Nonito Donaire (Philippines)
WBA 'Unified' World Championship and WBC Diamond Title
Zolani Tete (South Africa) vs. Mikhail Aloyan (Russia)
WBO World Championship
Naoya Inoue (Japan) vs. Juan Carlos Payano (Dominican Republic)
WBA ‘Regular’ World Championship
Emmanuel Rodriguez (Puerto Rico) vs. Jason Moloney (Australia)
IBF World Championship
SUPER-LIGHTWEIGHT:
Regis Prograis (United States) vs. Terry Flanagan (England)
WBC 'Interim' World Championship and WBC Diamond Title
Josh Taylor (Scotland) vs. Ryan Martin (United States)
WBC Silver Title
Kiryl Relikh (Belarus) vs. Eduard Troyanovsky (Russia)
WBA World Championship
Ivan Baranchyk (Belarus) vs. Anthony Yigit (Sweden)
IBF World Championship
CRUISERWEIGHT:
Mairis Briedis (Latvia) vs. Noel Mikaelian (Germany)
Yunier Dorticos (Cuba) vs. Mateusz Masternak (Poland)
Krzysztof Glowacki (Poland) vs. Maksim Vlasov (Russia)
Ruslan Fayfer (Russia) vs. Andrew Tabiti (United States)
Bidding runs until this Saturday, September 1 for the auction items available from welterweight star Shawn Porter including two tickets to his welterweight world title showdown against Danny Garcia Saturday, September 8 live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™ and presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
Fans can bid through Bidding Owl up until Saturday, September 1 to benefit Gleason's Give a Kid a Dream Foundation, a great cause that uses boxing to help at-risk youth turn their lives around.
Porter is auctioning off a pair of worn and signed hand wraps, a pair of signed boxing shoes, "Team Porter" t-shirts and a meet and greet at the weigh-in, in addition to the tickets from PBC for fight night.
"This was something that I really wanted to do so that I could give back and continue to show all of the good that boxing can do for people," said Porter, who donated the items to Gleason's Gym while training there earlier this month. "I'm so happy to give my time to something that will help people who grew up just like me and use this sport to better themselves and the lives of others."
"We truly appreciate Shawn's contribution to our Give a Kid a Dream foundation and we're excited to team up with him," said Bruce Silverglade, Owner of Gleason's Gym. "It's always great when fighters lend a hand toward our goal of helping the kids in our community through the sport of boxing."
Please share this information with your followers and encourage them to bid and support this worthy endeavor.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features a welterweight title eliminator between Yordenis Ugas and Cesar Barrionuevo and heavyweight action that pits unbeaten Polish slugger Adam Kownacki against former heavyweight champion Charles Martin.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, in association with DSG Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.
On Friday, Sept. 28, in the Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., promoter Kris Lawrence and The Heavyweight Factory return with “Rumble at the Rock 2,” another sensational night of world-class professional boxing. A treasure for Florida’s fans of live boxing, Heavyweight Factory’s shows at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino have become the nation’s strongest off-TV boxing series.
“Rumble at the Rock 2” is no exception. In the night’s 10-round main event, Honolulu, Hawaii’s undefeated Logan “The Korican Kid” Yoon (12-0, 10 KOs) will defend his WBO-NABO Youth Junior Welterweight Championship against former WBA Fedecentro Super Lightweight, WBA Fedecaribe Welterweight and WBA Fedecentro Welterweight Champion John “El Emperador” Rentería (16-4-1, 12 KOs) of Panama.
Blessed with cat-like reflexes, fast hands and substantial power, the promising 19-year-old Yoon is gaining fans and reputation with every impressive performance. In his last fight in July, he took a unanimous decision over Colombian veteran Luis E. Flores with scores of 99-91, 97-93 and 97-93. In March, Yoon overcame the determination and experience of former two-time world champion Juan Carlos Salgado, winning a unanimous 10-round decision (100-89, 97-92 and 98-91). Yoon is currently the WBO #11-rated contender.
“I’m excited and thankful for the opportunity to fight in my first professional main event,” said Yoon. “I’m not any more nervous than usual because I fought in the amateurs in main events before and I’m used to all eyes being on me. I know he’s got a body punch, so I’ll be watching out for that. Training is going well. I’m training two or three times a day, six days a week. The weight is good. I feel awesome physically and I’m very confident going in.”
Twenty-six-year-old Renteria, of Panama City, is a six-year professional. He won the WBA Fedecentro Super Lightweight Championship in March 2016, with a TKO 6 over then-undefeated (16-0) David Lobo Ramrez. Renteria picked up the WBA Fedecaribe Welterweight title the following April by ninth-round technical decision over Omir Rodriguez. He also grabbed the WBA Fedecentro Welterweight Championship with a TKO 5 over formerly undefeated Lesvy Maure.
“I am happy to be coming to Florida,” said Renteria. “I am representing Panama and I am coming to showcase my talent. My rival Logan Yoon is a very tough upcoming prospect who is very powerful, so I will bring my all.”
The evening’s 10-round co-main event will feature Miami via Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan’s Mussa “Warrior” Tursyngaliyev (7-0, 6 KOs) defending his NABA-USA Featherweight Championship against undefeated Colombian Ruben Cervera (10-0, 9 KOs).
Tickets for “Rumble at the Rock 2” cost $60, $100, $150, $250 and $500 VIP and are available through ticketmaster.com.
“We are very happy to be back at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, bringing live boxing to South Florida fans,” said Henry Rivalta, Director of Boxing Operations, The Heavyweight Factory. “I feel very fortunate to be a part of this. Boxing at the Seminole Hard Rock is always great, and the event center is a perfect place for it. The Hard Rock is filled with wonderful things to do, from fine dining to gambling and spectacular events – all in one place! The Heavyweight Factory wishes to send a special thanks to Jim Allen Larry Mullin and Dave Gold and their entire staff. Fight fans, please enjoy South Florida’s boxing at its best.”
On fight night, the Event Center doors open at 6 p.m. and the action starts at 7 p.m. Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is located at 1 Seminole Way in Hollywood, Fla.
Former world champion Danny Garcia hosted a media workout ahead of his world title showdown against Shawn Porter taking place Saturday, September 8 live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™ and presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features a welterweight title eliminator between Yordenis Ugas and Cesar Barrionuevo and heavyweight action that pits unbeaten Polish slugger Adam Kownacki against former heavyweight champion Charles Martin.
Undercard streaming coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN as five-division world champion Amanda Serrano attempts to win a world title in her record sixth weight class when she faces Yamila Esther Reynoso for the WBO 140-pound title.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, in association with DSG Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.
Garcia, along with father and trainer Angel Garcia, showed off his skills and spoke about his upcoming clash and more from the DSG Boxing Gym in Philadelphia. Here is what they had to say Wednesday:
DANNY GARCIA
"Once you're in there with me, it's not the same as anyone else. It's not the same as what you expect it to be. You're in for a rude awakening.
"I've knocked out a lot of fighters for the first time, so it won't be surprising to me if I knock Shawn Porter out for the first time.
"Shawn had to have some skill to get to this level, it wasn't all brawling. I'm not taking anything away from him. We're prepared for the best Shawn Porter.
"This is another opportunity to become a four-time world champion and that excites me. I still feel like the WBC title is mine, so I'm even more ready to reclaim it.
"Getting that world title back is what it's all about. I know that I'm always going to be a top fighter. I fill the seats and make big fights, that's why Shawn came to me after my win against Brandon Rios for his moment of glory.
"I can't rank Porter against the other top fighters in my career. I'll have to see what he brings once we get in the ring. I've fought a lot of great opponents and he's just the next in that line.
"In boxing they say the more you throw, the more open you are to get hit. Volume punching has to be effective. I'm the sharper boxer and I land the cleaner punches. That's more my style. We've prepared ourselves for 12 hard rounds of any style.
"After four rounds you can really tell how strong a fighter is and how good their conditioning is. It's all about the will power after a certain amount of rounds and I carry that well.
"We've had perfect sparring with guys who just come forward and put pressure on you. We've had bigger, heavier guys and some guys who jab and box how the way that Porter does.
"There's going to be a lot of support from Philly on September 8. I'm a big draw in Brooklyn and I'm going to make it another epic night for Philly sports."
ANGEL GARCIA, Danny's Father & Trainer
"Porter really isn't worried about Danny's power, but he should be. I'm not mad about it, he just better have no excuses in that ring. Because Danny's not about excuses.
"We're working hard and we're going to be ready for anything Shawn Porter thinks he has up his sleeve. If he comes rushing in, he's playing right into Danny's hands.
"Danny is a star and he's going to show it again in this fight. He always puts on a star performance and this going to be another stage for him to shine."
Olympian Clayton Laurent Jr. (1-0, 1 KO) will make his highly anticipated stateside debut facing Sherman Artis Jr. (3-2) in a four-round heavyweight clash on Saturday, September 8, at Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.
Laurent vs. Artis will be one of the featured bouts on the off-TV undercard portion of the three-fight SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, SHOWTIME) headlined by the Danny Garcia vs. Shawn Porter welterweight world championship bout. Laurent's fight will take place just days after the popular New York Caribbean Carnival and Parade celebrated over Labor Day Weekend.
After representing the U.S. Virgin Islands at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, Laurent turned professional under the guidance of his legendary step father, former junior middleweight and middleweight world champion Julian Jackson. His step brothers John and Julius Jackson are also highly accomplished professional fighters.
Laurent was victorious in the first round of the Olympics before losing to eventual gold medalist Tony Yoka.
"I'm thrilled to bring Clayton to Barclays Center on this tremendous card," said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. "With his amateur career and family ties, Clayton has great potential to become a world champion and I look forward to watching the pride of the U.S. Virgin Islands, on September 8, as we embark on this journey together."
Laurent signed with DiBella Entertainment last month. In his professional debut, Laurent knocked out Wayman Carter in the second round on August 19, 2017, in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Fighting out of Severn, MD, Artis will look to bounce back in the win column following a hard-fought four-round decision loss to top heavyweight prospect Iegor Plevako on November 18, 2017, in Queens, NY.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, in association with DSG Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.
Brooklyn's Chris Colbert returns to the ring in his hometown to take on once-beaten Sulaiman Segawa in an eight-round featherweight match as he looks to continue his rise up the ladder in the talent-laden 126-pound division. The loaded card is presented by Premier Boxing Champions on Saturday, September 8 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.
Undercard attractions are part of a show that is headlined by elite welterweight stars Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter battling for the WBC title in the main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT). The telecast also features a welterweight title eliminator between Yordenis Ugas and Cesar Barrionuevo and heavyweight action that pits unbeaten Polish slugger Adam Kownacki against former heavyweight champion Charles Martin.
Streaming coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN as five-division world champion Amanda Serrano attempts to win a world title in her record sixth weight class when she faces Yamila Esther Reynoso for the WBO 140-pound title.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, in association with DSG Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.
Colbert (8-0, 3 KOs) is coming off a stoppage victory over previously unbeaten Austin Dulay in April and will fight at Barclays Center for the third time on September 8. The 21-year-old southpaw from Brooklyn is one of the most decorated amateurs to come out of New York in recent years and he has gained esteem by showing off his incredible speed and technique so far in his pro career. In his last fight at Barclays Center, Colbert scored a unanimous decision over then undefeated Titus Williams last November, in addition to making his pro debut at the arena in 2015. He will be opposed by Segawa (11-1, 4 KOs), who fights out of Silver Spring, Maryland by way of Uganda. The 27-year-old most recently stopped previously unbeaten Hector Lopez in May.
In other undercard action two of Mayweather Promotions' hot unbeaten prospects do battle in separate attractions as Brooklyn's Richardson Hitchins (5-0, 3 KOs) meets Mexico's Cesar Valenzuela (7-2, 2 KOs) in an eight-round super lightweight match and Dylan Price (6-0, 5 KOs) takes on Rwanda's Mulapi Enjani (3-5-2, 1 KOs) in a six-round flyweight bout. Marsellos Wilder (1-0, 1 KO), the brother of WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, will battle Ryan Williams (0-1) in a four-round cruiserweight match, Brandon Quarles (19-4-1, 10 KOs) battles Marcus Willis (18-5-2, 5 KOs) in an eight-round junior middleweight matchup and Brooklyn super welterweight prospect Chordale Booker (10-0, 5 KOs) puts his unbeaten record on the line against hard-hitting Minneapolis-native Ve Shawn Owens (9-1, 9 KOs) in an eight-round match.
Plus, undefeated lightweight prospect from Philadelphia Jeffrey Torres (4-0, 2 KOs) clashes with Mexico's Emmanuel Valadez (5-5, 4 KOs) in a six-round bout, Ricky Lopez (19-4, 6 KOs) takes on Ramsey Luna (14-5, 6 KOs) in an eight round featherweight fight, and Clayton Laurent, Jr. (1-0, 1 KO), a 2016 Olympian from the U.S. Virgin Islands and the stepson of former junior middleweight and middleweight world champion Julian Jackson, takes on Sherman Artis, Jr. (3-2) in a four-round heavyweight attraction.
Season One stars Mairis Briedis and Yunier Dorticos are joined by top challengers in the quest for the Muhammad Ali Trophy in the upcoming 200 lb edition of the World Boxing Super Series.
The inaugural season of WBSS’s Cruiserweight tournament was concluded last month in the most epic fashion when Ukrainian Aleksandr Usyk beat Russian Murat Gassiev before a capacity crowd of 24,000 at the Olimpiysky Arena in Moscow.
“We have an amazing line-up with eight worthy challengers that rival last season’s sensational quality,” said Kalle Sauerland.
“Cruiserweight is one of the most exciting divisions, just look at last season’s unbelievable match-ups. So we are looking forward to a new season.”
The eight cruiserweights competing for the Muhammad Ali Trophy, the single-elimination tournament from October 2018 to summer 2019 are matched as follows in the quarter-finals.
No 1 seed Mairis Briedis (24-1,18 KOs), Latvia vs. Noel Mikaelian (23-1, 10 KOs), Germany
No 2 seed Yunier ‘The KO Doctor’ Dorticos (22-1, 21 KOs), Cuba vs. Mateusz ‘Master’ Masternak (41-4, 28 KOs), Poland
No 3 seed Krzysztof ‘Glowka‘ Glowacki (30-1, 19 KOs), Poland vs. Maksim ‘The Kill’ Vlasov (42-2, 25 KOs), Russia
No 4 seed Ruslan Fayfer (23-0, 16 KOs), Russia vs. Andrew ‘The Beast’ Tabiti (16-0, 13 KOs), United States
Mairis Briedis
Mairis Briedis, 33, from Riga, Latvia is back in the WBSS.
The national hero is the first Latvian ever to win a boxing world title, having held the WBC cruiserweight title from April 2017 to January 2018.
He is undoubtedly among the best cruiserweights in the world and one of the favourites to take home the grand prize.
In last season he came close: He won his quarter-final convincingly by unanimous decision against Mike Perez and continued to face top-seed Aleksandr Usyk. In a fight-of-the-year contender, Briedis was defeated via majority decision in a close and thrilling contest and gave what Usyk called; ‘the toughest fight of my career.’
Noel Mikaelian
Formerly known as Noel Gevor, Mikaelian, 27, is a German of Armenian birth who lives in Hamburg, Germany.
Mikaelian is a former WBO Youth champion and current WBO International Cruiserweight champion and only a split decision, in an IBF eliminator against Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, prevented him from participating in last season’s Ali Trophy Cruiserweight tournament.
Mikaelian is training under renowned Cuban coach Pedro Diaz and has been predicted a big future in the cruiserweight division; he is known for his boxing brain, speed, footwork and the ability to finish a fight with a single punch.
Yunier ‘The KO Doctor’ Dorticos
Yunier Dorticos, 32, originally from Havana, Cuba was one of the most exciting participants of the inaugural season of the World Boxing Super Series, a spectacular power puncher with an iron chin. The Miami based KO artist stunned his quarter-final opponent Dmitri Kudryashov, with a devastating third-round knockout victory, but in the semi-final, the former WBA World Champion was stopped in the twelfth-round round by Russian Murat Gassiev.
Mateusz ‘Master’ Masternak
Mateusz Masternak, 31, from Wroclaw, Poland is a former EBU (European) Cruiserweight champion. His dangerous right hand and accurate hooks are respected by everyone in the division. In 2014 he fought for the interim WBA World Cruiserweight Championship in 2014 but lost via split decision to Youri Kayembre Kalenga.
Krzysztof ‘Glowka‘ Glowacki
Krzysztof Glowacki, 31, held the WBO World Cruiserweight title from 2015 to 2016. The exciting Polish southpaw from Walcz, Poland lost to Aleksandr Usyk in 2016 (at that time the only fighter to go the full distance with Usyk), losing the WBO belt, which he won in 2015 via knockout against Marco Huck. That fight was labeled a 2015 fight-of-the-year contender.
Maksim ‘The Kill’ Vlasov
Maksim Vlasov, 31, from Samana, Russia has won 12 straight fights since moving up in weight following a loss to Gilberto Ramirez in 2015 and he is currently holding the WBC Silver Title. He has competed at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and is now a red hot addition to the cruiserweight division.
Ruslan Fayfer, Russia
Ruslan Fayfer, 27, from Dzhubga, Russia currently holds IBF’s version of the International title and has paved his way to the top ranks with impressive stoppage power. The talented Russian has looked good so far in moving up the ranks but is facing the toughest challenge of his career after entering the 200 lb edition of the WBSS.
Andrew ‘The Beast’ Tabiti
Andrew Tabiti, 28, trains out of the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas and is a promising unbeaten contender known for his outstanding hand speed. His boxing inspirations are the likes of James Toney, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones and Floyd Mayweather, but ´The Beast’ has the chance to make a name for himself competing for the Muhammad Ali Trophy.
World-rated Russian super middleweight prospect Aslambek “The Hulk” Idigov will return to action on Wednesday, September 5, in his hometown of Grozny, Russia, against former African champion Daniel Wanyonyi for the WBA Asian Championship.
Idigov (13-0, 5 KOs), rated #14 by the WBO, will face the experienced Kenyan Wanyonyi (27-12-2, 22 KOs) at the five-star Grozny City Hotel in Grozny, and televised live in Russia on Match TV.
In his 11-year career, Wanyonyi has held the Kenyan Middleweight, interim East & Central African Professional Boxing Federation Middleweight, and African Boxing Union Light Heavyweight Championships.
Undefeated Idigov, who trains in Detroit with Javan SugarHill Steward and co-trainer Rick Phillips, at Kronk Gym, was last seen winning an impressive unanimous 10-round decision over once-beaten Detroiter James Ballard. He won the IBO Youth Super Middleweight Championship in December 2016 with a unanimous decision over countryman Igor Selivanov.
The 22-year-old says he’s closing in on his dream of a world championship.
“I am in great condition for this fight, training at the Kronk Gym in Detroit has done wonders for me,” he said. “I am very excited about my next fight in September, climbing up the ranks and challenging for the world title some time next year.”
Idigov’s promoter, Dmitriy Salita, says that the Idigov’s remarkable strength and power make him a serious force at 168 lbs.
“Aslambek is truly “The Hulk,” said Salita. “His physical strength and size at super middleweight are remarkable. He is only 22 years old and is steadily improving with each camp. I believe he will have an impressive performance September 5 and big opportunities are in his near future. He is a prospect boxing fans should mark as one to watch.”
Celebrating its 15-Year Anniversary, the acclaimed Broadway Boxing series hits the historic Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, NY, on Saturday, September 29, showcasing the area's top young fighters. In the spirit of collaboration, with the shared goal of keeping local grassroots boxing alive in New York City, DiBella Entertainment, Uprising Promotions and The Real Deal Boxing have teamed up to stage this incredible show.
Among the exciting local prospects and contenders appearing on the Broadway Boxing card are undefeated junior lightweight Jude "King Zar" Franklin (8-0, 7 KOs), female star junior lightweight Melissa "Little Miss Tyson" St. Vil (10-3-4, 1 KO), top heavyweight newcomer Bakhodir Jalolov (1-0, 1 KO) and unbeaten featherweight Khalid Twaiti (3-0, 2 KOs).
Also featured on the card will be undefeated super middleweight knockout artist Edgar Berlanga (8-0, 8 KOs), junior welterweight Josue "The Prodigy" Vargas (11-1, 7 KOs), undefeated junior middleweight Mathew "Lefty Gunz" Gonzalez (6-0, 4 KOs) and undefeated junior middleweight Justin "The Brooklyn Torch" Biggs (4-0, 4 KOs).
Presented by DiBella Entertainment and Uprising Promotions in association with The Real Deal Boxing, tickets prices at $150, $125, $100, $60 and $35 are ON SALE NOW and can be purchased in person at Kings Theatre or online HERE. The Kings Theatre is located at 1027 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11226. Doors will open on the night of the event at 6:00pm. More information can be found on their website, www.KingsTheatre.com
"It is a pleasure working with Uprising Promotions and The Real Deal Boxing on what will be an exciting event on September 29," said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. "I'm thrilled to debut the Broadway Boxing series at such as a historic venue as Kings Theatre in Brooklyn. With prospects like Jude Franklin, Khalid Twaiti, Justin Biggs and Edgar Berlanga, and former world title challenger Melissa St. Vil, Kings County will be well represented on this card. Local boxing fans will also get to see Uzbekistan Olympian and rising heavyweight star Bakhodir Jalolov in action."
"Uprising Promotions is excited to be working with DiBella Entertainment, The Real Deal Boxing, and Kings Theatre to promote this great event," said Ronson Frank, of Uprising Promotions. "Local fighters need the opportunity to fight at home and we're proud to be a partner with such great companies to make a difference and improve the sport; hopefully we can make this the first of many."
"Since we started this company, we've tried to be progressive and fix issues within the sport of boxing. From fighter safety to poor judging to transparency, The Real Deal Boxing has made great strides," explains Eric Bentley, COO of The Real Deal Boxing.
"This partnership with DiBella Entertainment and Uprising Promotions for a joint show in Brooklyn is another step in that direction. Three competing promoters actually working together to rejuvenate the grassroots boxing scene in New York City is great for the fighters, the community and the sport. We're very grateful to Lou DiBella and Ronson Frank for seeing the big picture and believing it is better to work with each other rather than against each other. Hopefully this can lead to a longstanding series at Kings Theatre that benefits all three companies, our collective fighters and New York City, home of the greatest boxing fans in the world."
Trained by Elmo Serrano out of Gleason's Gym, Brooklyn-based 23-year-old Jude Franklin looks to build on his reputation as one of the area's finest prospects on September 29 in the third bout of his 2018 campaign. On February 7, Franklin knocked out Floriano Pagliara in the second round at the Broadway Boxing event in New York City. In his most recent action, Franklin stopped Angel Jimenez on June 21, in Queens, NY.
A native of Haiti, the Brooklyn-based Melissa St. Vil will be making her borough debut on September 29. Most recently, she challenged for the WBC Super Featherweight World Title, losing a very close, hard fought majority decision to Eva Wahlstrom in Helsinki, Finland, on April 6. St. Vil won the WBC Silver super featherweight title in April 2016. Having traveled all over the world for fights, this will be St. Vil's first bout in the New York City area since May 2014.
Promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Fight Promotions Inc., 2016 Olympian Heavyweight Bakhodir Jalolov, of Uzbekistan, is currently training with the renowned Pedro Diaz and Ravshan Khodjaev in Miami, FL. At the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, Jalolov was the flag bearer for his country at the Opening Ceremonies, one of his native country's highest honors. He advanced to the second round losing to eventual silver medalist Joe Joyce. While compiling an 84-13 record as an amateur, Jalolov also became a four-time National champion. In his professional debut, Jalolov knocked out Hugo Trujillo in the third round on May 5.
Fighting for the first time at Kings Theatre, the 22-year-old Khalid Twaiti returns to the ring following a third-round knockout of Joseph Cole on May 5 at Foxwoods Resort Casino. Trained by Don Saxby out of Gleason's Gym, the all-action Twaiti continues to build his resume as a professional, which has earned rave reviews since his pro debut in February 2017. As an amateur, Twaiti compiled an impressive 74-15 record.
The 21-year-old Edgar Berlanga has quickly turned heads in the professional ranks with his show-stopping knockouts, all of which have come in the first round. He returns to action at Kings Theatre following his stoppage of Aaron Garcia on June 9, in the first stanza. Prior to that, Berlanga knocked out Jaime Barboza in the opening round on January 26 in Philadelphia.
Just 20 years old, Josue Vargas, of The Bronx, NY, has become a fan favorite among the Puerto Rican community and will be looking to build on his five-bout winning streak. Vargas kicked off his 2018 campaign with a fifth-round knockout of Zack Ramsey on March 10. Following up on that thrilling performance, Vargas made a quick return with a seventh-round stoppage of Victor Vasquez on April 21.
Fighting out of Ridgewood, NY, Mathew Gonzalez continues to stay busy since turning professional last year. The 23-year-old will be making his fifth start of 2018 on September 29 with his last three victories coming at Kings Theatre.
Justin Biggs continues to show promise as a professional after an outstanding amateur career that included winning multiple New York Golden Gloves titles. Fighting twice at Kings Theatre in 2018, Biggs most recently stopped Dominik Karoly in the fourth round on April 21. Prior to that, on March 18, he knocked out Joseph Elmore in the third stanza.
More information on this terrific evening of professional boxing will be announced shortly.
“Fire & Fury” will collide, as IBF #2-rated heavyweight contender Kubrat “The Cobra” Pulev will face Britain’s IBF #5-rated Hughie Fury in a 12-round elimination bout at the Arena Armeec in Pulev’s hometown of Sofia, Bulgaria.
Pulev (25-1, 13 KOs) and Fury (21-1, 11 KOs) will be competing for the right to face the winner of the September 22 showdown between champion Anthony Joshua and challenger Alexander Povetkin.
The event, entitled “Fire & Fury” will be presented by Ivaylo Gotzev and John Wirt’s Epic Sports and Entertainment, together with Fury’s promoter, Hennessey Sports, and will be broadcast live in the UK on Channel 5.
One of the most popular athletes in all of Bulgaria, 37-year-old Pulev is on a five-fight winning streak, including a TKO 3 over former heavyweight champion Samuel Peter. Among his many distinctions, Pulev is a former two-time European and IBF International Heavyweight Champion. He stands 6’ 4 ½” and weighs in around 240 lbs. Pulev’s only career loss came in a challenge for the undisputed heavyweight championship against Wladimir Klitschko in 2014. Fury is the fourth opponent scheduled to face Pulev, as Britain’s Dillian Whyte and Americans Jarell Miller and Dominic Breazeale all declined the fight.
Pulev, who will be having his first bout since partnering with Epic Sports and Entertainment, says Fury better not be looking past him while preparing for this fight.
“The fact that Hughie Fury is coming to Bulgaria when many others ran away speaks volumes,” said Pulev. “I understand that he is very motivated because this is an eliminator fight for a chance at the world title. I suggest he stops thinking about the world title for a moment and come prepared for a real battle. I am already in beast mode and I’m hungry for my return in the ring!”
Fury hails from Manchester and is the current BBBofC British Heavyweight Champion and is trained by his father, Peter Fury. The 23-year-old stands 6’ 6” tall and also weighs in around 240 lbs. In September of 2017, Fury suffered his only career loss, a controversial majority decision to Joseph Parker for Parker’s WBO Heavyweight Championship.
“It’s taken a lot of time to make this fight happen and I want to thank all of those involved,” said Hughie Fury. “I want to fight for world titles and to do that I need to beat the guys at the top of the division. Kubrat Pulev is a serious fight for the mandatory position and I know I’ve got to be the real deal to beat him. I believe I'm going to do that in his back yard where others trembled at the thought of it."
“We want to be involved in these big fight nights and to go up against the big names that lead the division,” added father and trainer Peter Fury. “To become a world heavyweight champion, you’ve got to overcome every challenge that’s put in front of you. And for Hughie that starts in Bulgaria in October.”
“In this day and age, when some promoters and their fighters opt for the safest bets, Hughie Fury has done the opposite,” said Ivaylo Gotzev of Fury, who has faced his own share of delays and disappointments on his way to this eliminator bout. “Fury has decided to step into the Lion’s Den, and fight Kubrat in his home town of Sofia. This matchup is intriguing, as two of the best in the division step up and face one another. We expect a great heavyweight battle – one that will decide one man’s destiny to fight for the most coveted title in the world – the Heavyweight Championship. To all of Team Fury – you are welcome in Bulgaria!”
Hennessy Sports CEO Mick Hennessy, promoter of Fury, said: “First and foremost I’d like to heap praise on my young fighter Hughie Fury. There’s no pantomime and no theatrics. He’s just a young man, full of respect for everyone he faces, and who believes in giving the fans proper fights and value for money. At just 23 years of age Hughie is a massive talent. He’s not perhaps got the plaudits he deserves, so this is his moment to make the boxing world really sit up and take notice of what he’s capable of.”
“I’d also like to thank my counterparts at Epic Sports & Entertainment for making this fight happen. It’s taken a lot to get to this point, but we were determined to give the fans a fight that they deserve. Both teams are excited about this one.”
The stacked International undercard, along with ticket details, will be revealed shortly.
Based on his performance this past weekend, it would be understandable for most of the world’s 122-lb fighters to want to avoid UK-based WBO Super Bantamweight Champion Isaac Dogboe… Not Arnold Khegai.
Khegai, the ethnic Korean, Ukrainian-born #12-rated WBO contender, is calling out Dogboe.
“I feel I am the best super bantamweight in the world!” said the confident Khegai. “I want to prove my point by fighting the most avoided fighters in the division. Bring on Dogboe!”
Last Saturday night at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, California, the undefeated Dogboe (20-0, 14 KOs) scored an eye-opening TKO 1 over challenger Hidenori Otake of Japan. Dogboe looked to be a serious force while dominating his foe and dropping him twice with relative ease.
Khegai (13-0-1, 9 KOs) also wowed the boxing world in May of this year, with a dominant unanimous decision over well-respected contender Adam Lopez, live on Showtime.
“I know Isaac had an impressive victory and I commend him for that,” continued Khegai. “But I will gladly fight him. I know I can’t be beat at this weight and I’ll fight anyone to prove it.”
“Arnold is a blue-chip contender on his way to becoming a dominant name in the super bantamweight division,” said his promoter, Dmitriy Salita. “Not only does he have the skills and power, but most importantly, he has the desire to fight the best. That is a complete package.”
Ruben Villa (13-0, 5 KOs) continued his trend of routing opponents on the scorecards by thoroughly outpointing Jose Santos Gonzalez (23-7, 13 KOs) in Friday night's "Locked n' Loaded" main event.
Villa used his signature quickness to batter Gonzalez throughout the 8-round fight.
"I was able to find the range from the outside and also get inside a little bit," said Villa after the fight. "He was a little bit awkward, but I still found ways to land combinations."
The southpaw from Salinas, Calif. hammered Gonzalez with accurate jabs and punishing left hands. In nearly every round, Villa, 21, rocked Gonzalez on his heels with a variety of punches from all sorts of angles.
Gonzalez, despite his experience in high profile fights, was unable to muster any kind of attack. He nearly went down in the fifth when Villa cracked him with a body shot. Scores: 80-72, 79-73 twice. Villa is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions.
Budding bantamweight talent Saul Sanchez (10-0, 6 KOs) of Pacoima, Calif. showed off his superior finishing ability with an explosive fourth round knockout of veteran Ernesto Guerrero (28-23, 18 KOs) of Mexico.
The "Locked n' Loaded" co-feature was scheduled for 8-rounds, but Sanchez only needed half that time to look the part of an elite prospect.
The payoff punch was a right hook to the body that sent Guerrero through the ropes. He was able to hold onto the bottom rope, otherwise he would have taken a nasty tumble outside the ring.
Sanchez worked the body with both hands in the previous rounds and also landed plenty of left hooks upstairs. He jabbed to the body well and threw uppercuts to stop any kind of attack from the outmatched Guerrero.
Sanchez essentially broke him down round by round until the final punch.
"I knew I was going to knock him out," said Sanchez, who is trained by Joel Diaz and managed by Steve Martini. "In the first round I landed a lot of good combinations so I knew I was going to land consistently. It was only a matter of time before he went down."
UNDERCARD
Welterweight Luis Lopez (4-0, 3 KOs) of Corona, Calif. added another stoppage victory to his record by dispatching the overwhelmed Edgar Garcia (7-18-1, 2 KOs) of Mexico in the fourth round (:39).
Lopez, who is trained by Henry Ramirez, jumped on Garcia early and often. He mainly relied on his power punching to back up the smaller Garcia. Lopez's favorite combination was a lead left hook followed by a straight right. Once Lopez closed the gap, he would unload a series of punches that made Garcia cover up and throw defensive shots that rarely found their mark.
Bantamweights Daniel Guzman (2-1-1, 1 KO) of Los Angeles and Luis Montellano (0-3-2) of Tijuana, Mex. fought to a split-decision draw, as neither boxer was able to put their stamp on the fight.
The bout, which was tough to score due to the activity levels of both fighters, resulted in one judge scoring the four rounder for Montellano (39-37), another had it for Guzman (39-37), while the third was deadlocked at 38-38.
Heavyweight Elvis Garcia (6-2, 5 KOs) of San Diego dominated Mexico's Oswaldo Ortega (3-9, 1 KO) to the tune of a unanimous decision sweep (40-36 x3). Garcia wasted no time trying to feel out Ortega. He came forward throughout the four round fight and landed quality shots in every round.
Lightweights Carlos Velazquez (1-0) and Keith Carson (0-1) made their professional debuts on the "Locked n' Loaded" show opener.
Velazquez, who lives in Phoenix but trains with Joel Diaz in Indio, Calif., took the four rounder by unanimous decision. Velazquez's most impressive punch was a left hook that Carson repeatedly walked into. The fight featured some sloppy displays, but overall, Velazquez proved to be the more well-rounded prospect. Scores: 40-36 twice, 39-37.
"Locked n' Loaded" was presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Everlast.
Boston Boxing Promotions has announced that North Andover, Massachusetts welterweight "Irish" Tommy O'Connell will return to The Castleton Banquet and Conference Center in Windham, New Hampshire for his third pro fight as he takes on Bennington, Vermont's Andre "The Finisher" Belcarris at the Thanksgiving Eve Boxing Spectacular, Wednesday, November 21, 2018.
O'Connell, with a pro record of 1-0-1 since turning pro in January, returns to The Castleton after defeating Schenectady, New York veteran Bryan "The Brick" Abraham in his pro debut via unanimous decision and fighting to a draw with fellow undefeated welterweight Bruce "Pretty Boy" Boyington in his most recent outing.
"I've been the distance twice in two fights so far in my boxing career," said O'Connell, "but I'm not punching a clock and getting paid by the hour to box. I want to knock Andre Belcarris out, and I'm telling my fans to make sure they are there because I most certainly will."
Belcarris is an MMA-fighter-turned-boxer who made his pro boxing debut last fall on a mere two days notice, taking on the heavily-favored Nicky Dequattro at Foxwoods Casino. While losing a close decision, Belcarris earned the love and respect of the crowd that night with his relentless come-forward style, showmanship inside the ropes, and penchant for backing up his opponent with big overhand right hands with a lot of leverage.
"I'm excited to fight again," said Belcarris. "I'm excited to show some new wrinkles in my game. This is a fight you don't want to miss!"
Tickets for the November 21, 2018 Thanksgiving Eve boxing event in Windham, NH are on sale now at www.BoxingNH.com.
After being stepped over as Joe Joyce’s next opponent, Philadelphia fan favorite Joey Dawejko is calling out the highly touted UK-based heavyweight for taking the easy road.
Since turning professional, Joyce, the outspoken 2016 Olympic Super-Heavyweight Silver Medal Winner and now Commonwealth (British Empire) Heavyweight Champion, has made a habit of publicly calling out the division’s top contenders and champions.
But Dawejko says Joyce’s antics may be just for show, and in reality, his representatives are very protective of their charge.
Dawejko (19-5-4, 11 KOs) says he was offered and accepted the opportunity to face Joyce (5-0, 5 KOs) on the undercard of former welterweight champions Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter’s Saturday, September 8, showdown at the Barclays Center – only to find out Joyce had instead chosen to face Ohio’s Devin Vargas.
Dawejko has spent his professional career as a respected gatekeeper in the division. The 28-year-old has had competitive battles with several of the division’s best and even gave top contender Jarrell Miller the only blot on his undefeated record when he held him to a draw in 2013.
Vargas was a successful amateur boxer, but the former Olympian has sputtered as a professional. He has lost five of his last eight fights and is coming off a first-round knockout loss.
“I got the call the other day from my manager saying we had an offer to fight him and we accepted,” explained Dawejko, “then I found out he took an easier fight. I’m kind of pissed off about it because it was a good opportunity for me. They chose the safe route because they’re definitely protecting him. They talk a good game, but at the end of the day they just want easy fights.”
Dawejko says exposing Joyce would have given him the chance to finally break through to the upper echelon.
“They’re building this guy like he’s something special and he’s not. I see nothing special about him. He has size, but that doesn’t matter. I don’t think he’s as good as people are making him out to be. I could definitely beat him. He’s big and slow and gets hit a lot and his defense isn’t there. I know I could beat him.”
Not giving up, Dawejko wants Joyce to know he’d be happy to face him in his next fight… if Joyce isn’t too timid.
“If he really wants to challenge himself, step up and fight me. I‘m ready to go at any time. I’ll fight him any day of the week.”
Unbeaten featherweight standout Ruben Villa (12-0, 5 KOs) weighed in successfully at Thursday's weigh in coming in at 125.8 lbs., while challenger Jose Santos Gonzalez (23-6, 13 KOs) weighed 125.9 lbs.
Villa vs. Gonzalez comprises the 8-round "Locked n' Loaded" main event originating from Omega Products International in Corona, Calif. this Friday night.
Villa, 21, faces an experienced opponent that has seen action against current bantamweight world champion Zolani Tete.
"We'll be careful not to fall into any traps," said Villa during Thursday's weigh in. "I think he'll want to fight one specific way and we'll show him multiple looks to get him off balance."
Villa is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions.
WEIGHTS
Ruben Villa, 125.8 lbs. vs. Jose Santos Gonzalez, 125.9 lbs. (8-rounds)
Saul Sanchez, 120 lbs. vs. Ernesto Guerrero, 121 lbs. (8-rounds)
Luis Lopez, 147.4 lbs. vs. Edgar Ivan Garcia, 147.7 lbs. (4-rounds)
Daniel Guzman, 119.8 lbs. vs. Luis Montellano, 119.8 lbs. (4-rounds)
Elvis Garcia, 245 lbs. vs. Oswaldo Ortega, 228 lbs. (4-rounds)
Carlos Velazquez, 133.7 lbs. vs. Keith Carson, 135.1 lbs. (4-rounds)
TICKETS
Tickets for "Locked n' Loaded" are priced at $40, $60, & $100, and are available for purchase on Friday starting at 5:30 p.m. local time from the Omega Products International will call booth in Corona, Calif.
LIVESTREAM
All fights will be live streamed on TB Presents: Locked n' Loaded via our Thompson Boxing Facebook page and website at ThompsonBoxing.com.
The livestream starts at 8:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET with Beto Duran as the blow-by-blow announcer and Steve Kim providing expert, color commentary.
EVENT INFO
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. local time with the first bout at approximately 8:00 p.m. The Omega Products International is located at 1681 California Ave., Corona, CA 92881 and can be reached at 951-737-7447.
"Locked n' Loaded" is presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Everlast.
After successfully holding the first legal, regulated and sanctioned bare knuckle event in the United States since 1889 in June, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) returns this Saturday, August 25 with "BKFC 2: A New Era" from the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi and live on pay-per-view.
Fighters entering the ring for Saturday's event spoke to media Thursday at Harrah's Gulf Coast in Biloxi to talk about BKFC, their respective showdowns and more two days before the monumental fight night.
Saturday matchups will feature "Queen of Bare Knuckle" Bec Rawlings and pro boxer Britain Hart, who meet in a 125-pound clash, "Ultimate Fighter" season three winner Kendall Grove and Bruce Abramski, who compete in a 185-pound bout and pro MMA and boxing veteran Chris Lytle and Drew Lipton, who will square-off in a 175-pound fight.
BKFC 2 will also see the semi-finals of the BKFC heavyweight tournament featuring Sam Shewmaker taking on Maurice Jackson and Arnold Adams facing Joey Beltran. In addition, fans will be treated to local attraction and Gulfport Police Officer Harris Stephenson, who battles Jorge Gonzalez in a 170-pound match.
Tickets are available now exclusively at www.bareknuckle.tv ranging from $35 to $250. "BKFC 2: A New Era" will be broadcast across the United States and Canada, exclusively on pay-per-view through MultiVision Media, Inc., on all major television and streaming distribution outlets for $29.95.
Here are what press conference participants had to say Thursday:
BEC RAWLINGS
"Training in California was great to just get acclimated to the time change and the weather, because it's winter in Australia. We went back to my old gym, Alliance MMA, and just finished off camp there. It was a really good finish to the camp. We had time to not feel rushed and get into fight mode.
"My opponent is very confident, just from what I've seen of her today she's very confident in her skill set. But, I feel like confidence sometimes is the downfall of people. I don't think she realizes this is bare knuckle boxing. This is not professional boxing, we don't have gloves on and you can't get away with the stuff that you can get away with in normal boxing. I think it's going to take me punching her in the face to realize that.
"I definitely feel like I have the edge, I have the experience not only in MMA with the small gloves but experience with having my debut on BKFC 1. I don't think it'll make it past the third round.
"Having the bare knuckle experience is a huge advantage. I went into that last fight with a lot of unknown. I had so much fun out there and saw how my style really suits this sport. I'm taking that into this fight. I'm relaxed, I'm ready to go and I'm excited to get in there.
"I think she fancies herself a boxer, so I think she might stick behind her jab, stick and move that kind of thing. I'm ready for either style. I thought that my last opponent was going to do that but she came out swinging. I'm ready either way. You're always guaranteed fireworks when I'm fighting. It doesn't matter who I'm put in front of, you know it has to be a fight, and that's what you can expect Saturday night.
"It's been really awesome to be a trailblazer for BKFC. I knew I would get some news and some press and that people would like what I'm doing. The support has really been amazing. I've gotten so many fans and so much new respect from other fighters as well. It's definitely taking off, and it's really cool to be at the forefront of the whole thing."
KENDALL GROVE
"I don't really know what to expect. I'm a fighter and I'm of course coming to fight. But we'll see if I'm going to be a smart fighter like I said I'd be. I could jab and pick my spots and put him away. But then again brawling has got me to where I am and got me a lot of notoriety. So why can't I do both? Of course, once you get hit, everything goes out the window. Ego gets involved and sometimes you just go for it.
"There might be some more stinging and burning than I usually feel in a gloved fight. I sparred without gloves a while ago because I was curious and I felt some of that. My hands felt alright but there is that slightly different sensation from the bone on bone contact.
"This is going to be a real fight. I respect my opponent and I know he's coming to give me his best. He's going to come for me. But I'm going to do me and figure out how to get the win.
"I'm very excited to be a part of BKFC. This is a great organization and I'm going to try to make a great impression on everyone.
"It's definitely been an interesting 48-hours trying to get here from Hawaii. Luckily I was able to take care of everything at home and make sure my family is prepared for the hurricane. Now I'm here and ready to go."
CHRIS LYTLE
"I think no matter what you're going to see two people who are trying to knock each other out. I don't believe in decisions. If you got two really tough guys and they land a lot of punches and nobody goes down, you're going to have a great fight and people are going to like it.
"My goal is to go out there and hit him as hard as I can and I think he's going to have the same strategy against me. So I anticipate a really exciting fight. You're not going to be bored during our fight.
"Here's the thing, I've had a lot of fights, probably 100 of one form of combat sports or another, so I know what I'm getting in to. I fought many times. There's going to be a little bit of moving around and me trying to be a little bit smarter. With bare knuckles you can't do the same things as with gloves on.
"This is so cool for me. I always get people talking to me saying: 'Why don't you come back for one more fight?' 'I want to see you fight.' It seems to be the first point of conversation always. So just being able to do this again, I'm very excited. I've talked to a lot of people who are very excited for me to come back and do something. I look forward for them being able to watch on the pay-per-view level.
"I'm really looking forward to being out there and getting the feel of being in the ring again. I've had a lot of boxing matches, but I haven't been able to box in an awful long time, as I was mainly doing UFC. So to be back in the boxing ring is going to make me very happy.
"We're both going to throw hard punches. I think somebody's going to land a better one and I think somebody's going to get hurt."
SAM SHEWMAKER
"It was an honor to be a part of the first event. It's history in the making. It's also a humbling experience and a lot of fun. The fans, the promotional team, and everyone that put it all together just made it a great time.
"To be able to have a victory like that, a highlight-reel finish, was amazing. I had never fought on a stage that big and it was just awesome to have the exposure and to be able to put on a good show for the fans.
"There's going to be fireworks Saturday night. It might not be as quick of a finish, but I can tell you it's not going to be a decision. Somebody is going down I can promise you that.
"This is going to be a brawl. He wants to stay on the outside, he's going to want to use his jab and his straight right to keep me to the outside. I want to get chest to chest with this guy and just bang him up on the inside. So I'm expecting it to be a dog fight and I'm predicting a first-round knockout."
HARRIS STEPHENSON
"I just want to say that I'm happy to be here and I can't tell you how special this promotion has been. I'm so thrilled that my home has accepted BKFC with open arms and I hope we can have several more events here.
"Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum is a huge venue and I think we're going to pack it. I'm happy that I'm going to be fighting early on the card, because I want to see these fights myself. These are action-packed bouts and I assure you that you don't want to miss it."
DAVID FELDMAN, Founder and President of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship
"It's my great pleasure to be here in the great state of Mississippi, which is officially the second state to allow bare knuckle fighting in the history of the United States. I'm very excited about the response we've gotten from the fans here and I know the fighters can't wait to put on a show for them.
"It gives me chills to say that we're here for Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 2. The first BKFC show was titled 'The Beginning', because it was truly the beginning of something special. Now we've named this show 'A New Era', because we really are officially ushering in a new era in combat sports.
"We have some of the best fighters in the world and fighters who have fought on really big stages. They're all excited to be a part of this growing sport. We have fighters from all around the world stepping into the ring for a slew of sensational matchups."
Expect fireworks when former welterweight champion "Vicious'' Victor Ortiz meets hard-hitting former title challenger John Molina Jr. on Sunday, September 30 in the 12-round main event of Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 and FOX Deportes live from Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California.
Televised coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will feature a stacked lineup of undercard attractions leading up to the action-packed main event.
Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Ringstar Sports, go on sale tomorrow, August 24 at 12 p.m. PT and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com.
Ortiz (32-6-3, 25 KOs) is an all-action boxer-puncher who comes to fight and is always in exciting battles. The 31-year-old southpaw has one of the best resumes of anyone in the welterweight division having been in against Floyd Mayweather, Andre Berto twice, Lamont Peterson, Luis Collazo and Marcos Maidana. Ortiz, who was born in Garden City, Kansas and now lives in Ventura, California, is coming off a majority draw against Devon Alexander in February.
"We've known each other a long time and we're both always in exciting battles, so fans should expect nothing less on September 30," said Ortiz. "I had a broken eye socket from an injury in the second round of the Alexander fight, but I'm feeling 100 percent now. I'm ready to take what is rightfully mine, and that's another world title down the road. It's going to be a way from round one and I can't wait."
Molina (30-7, 24 KOs) has never backed down from a challenge and has been in the ring with some of the best boxers from lightweight to welterweight during his career. The 35-year-old from Covina, California beat a fierce Ruslan Provodnikov by unanimous decision in 2016. Another standout battle from Molina's career saw him drop former welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse twice before losing on an 11th round knockout. In his last fight he scored a fourth round TKO victory over Ivan Redkach in a back-and-forth bout from December on FS1.
"I respect Victor and everything he's accomplished in this game, but I know that I have the tools to overcome everything he does," said Molina. "Everyone knows that I'm in it to win it. We're both going to be ready to mix it up and throw bombs. There is no way that I see this fight going the distance. It's going to come down to heart and I'm going to be there until final bell."
"Victor Ortiz vs. John Molina Jr. has war written all over it and should be another in a long line of memorable battles featuring these Southern California fan-favorites," said Richard Schaefer, Chairman and CEO of Ringstar Sports. "These two men are known for leaving it all in the ring and giving the fans incredible action from the opening bell. I have no doubt that this will be another outstanding showdown, with the winner setting themselves up for even bigger things in the star-studded welterweight division. We're excited to bring this matchup, plus a jam-packed undercard, to the fans in Ontario and watching live on FS1 and FOX Deportes."
"This is a true crossroads battle between two hardnosed veterans who have fought almost every welterweight of note in the last decade,'' said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. "The one thing you can be certain of when you get Victor Ortiz and John Molina Jr. in the ring is that a fight will break out. This match should be highly entertaining for the fans at Citizens Business Bank Arena and those who tune in on FS1 and FOX Deportes on September 30.''
There is no looking ahead to future fights for top 147-pound contenders Yordenis Ugas of Cuba and Cesar Barrionuevo of Argentina as the two sluggers prepare for their WBC title eliminator matchup in SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING action on Saturday, September 8 live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™ and presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
The SHOWTIME main event will pit two of the division's biggest names against each other as former 147-pound champions Danny "Swift" Garcia and "Showtime" Shawn Porter square off for the vacant WBC Welterweight World Championship. The winner of Ugas vs. Barrionuevo earns the WBC's second mandatory position to the winner of Garcia vs. Porter.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, in association with DSG Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.
Ugas, (22-3, 11 KOs), returns to the SHOWTIME stage for the second time. In February, he handed Ray Robinson his first defeat since a 2010 decision to Shawn Porter. Barrionuevo, (34-3-2, 24 KOs), making his U.S. debut, has won 10 fights in a row and has only lost once since 2010 as he looks to follow in the footsteps of Marcos Maidana and Lucas Matthysse, elite welterweights from Argentina.
Here is what the 32-year-old Ugas and 29-year-old Barrionuevo had to say from their respective camps about their September 8 matchup:
YORDENIS UGAS
Overall, how is your training going in Las Vegas and who have you sparred with?
"We have been training at Fernando Vargas' gym, the Feroz Fight Factory gym. We've been sparring with Jose Benavidez Jr. and Diego Magdaleno, and a few other locals. Nothing is really different with this camp compared to others. I'm 100 percent committed to training for this fight."
What are the advantages of training in Las Vegas?
"I've been in Las Vegas for the past two and a half years. This place has changed my life. I came out here and started training with Ismael Salas, who has trained many of the best Cuban boxers. There is such good sparring out here, and there's also mountains. I love running up Mount Charleston. This is just a perfect place for a fighter to train."
How are you preparing to face a southpaw like Cesar Barrionuevo?
"We are sparring with lefties and trying to mirror exactly what we think we'll see. The Argentine fighters always come to fight and are well prepared. They always go to war. Luckily I like to go to war too. So I think we have good styles that will give the fans a great fight."
What else do you know about your opponent?
"I've seen some footage and that's it. It's not really about what he does or brings, it's all about staying focused on what I do best. I don't take much time off so I'm always in the gym training. I did go down to Miami a few weeks ago and actually trained in Barrionuevo's gym and met some guys he works with, but we never crossed paths."
You are returning to fight on SHOWTIME for a second time. Does that give you an advantage?
"Everyone who knows boxing knows I'm the more experienced fighter. This is one of his first times he's fighting outside Argentina. I know he's a big deal there, but he's never seen a stage like this, with all the bright lights. I'm going to be prepared for the best Argentine fighter that shows up that night."
What is your prediction of the Garcia-Porter fight?
"I think they are two great fighters and whoever is the most prepared on that night will win the fight. Because this is a WBC eliminator, I know there's a chance I could fight one of them if I win my fight. I would love to fight either of them."
CESAR BARRIONUEVO
How is your training camp going in Miami and who have you sparred with?
"Technically, everything is strong and with my coaches Carlos [Morgan] and Pablo [Martinez] we feel good about where we are and what we're doing. I want to be 100 percent ready on September 8 for the fight of my life. I feel like I will be and am so grateful for the support of my team and everyone here at Caicedo Sports' gym. I have been sparring with a bunch of local prospects, young guys with undefeated records and guys that are in the same boat as I am looking to become a world champion."
How are you preparing for an aggressive fighter like Ugas?
"I'm formulating my plan and intensifying my training so I'm 100 percent ready. I'm focusing on my cardio and increasing my strength. That's why I'm here in the U.S., because the level of competition is better than back home. I feel that everything I'm doing is a step up. I'm having the best training camp of my life. I'm not worrying about my opponents' style."
What do you know about your opponent?
"We have watched some film, but that doesn't always help you. Split-second adjustments will be made if needed. I'm a fighter at the end of the day, and will be ready for whatever he puts in front of me. I have never met him, but I know he came and worked out at my gym. I don't know him, but maybe after the fight we can be friends. Right now it's kill or be killed."
What are your thoughts about fighting on the big stage at Barclays Center?
"I know I have a huge fan base in Argentina and can't wait to go back there and celebrate a win with them. I'm so proud of all the past world champions that have come from my country, but I'm not coming to Brooklyn as a tourist. I'm coming to fight and get the victory in spectacular fashion and to put Argentina back on the map in the sport of boxing. The objective is to look good and win and to leave a good impression fighting on SHOWTIME and for everyone watching."
What is your prediction of the Garcia-Porter fight?
"It's a tough fight. Maybe 50-50, but I'm leaning toward Danny Garcia. I think his experience as a world champion will show."
Is it hard not to look ahead to a possible future fight with one of those guys?
"I haven't thought about it for even one second. I'm focused on my next task, and that's Ugas. I'm coming to do what needs to be done to get the win. And I'll get that win with blood, sweat and tears. I'll focus on Danny Garcia or Shawn Porter when the time comes."
Kris Lawrence’s Heavyweight Factory Promotions is proud to announce the signing of undefeated welterweight power puncher Derrieck Cuevas (17-0-1, 14 KOs) to a promotional contract.
Cuevas, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, started boxing at the age of 10, after getting into frequent fights in the schoolyard. He went on to fight internationally and won the Puerto Rican National Amateur Championship at 132 lbs., ending his unpaid career with a final record of 123-14.
Turning professional in 2014, the 23-year-old won the World Boxing Association Fedecentro Welterweight Championship in 2016 with a unanimous decision over Daniel Sostre.
“I am very excited to have signed with Kris Lawrence and the Heavyweight Factory,” said Cuevas. “To reach my dreams, I will give all of me in the ring. I plan on becoming a world champion and making my beloved Puerto Rico proud.”
Cuevas has a strong team behind him, including manager Alex Troya, who facilitated the signing with Heavyweight Factory Director of Boxing Operations, Henry Rivalta.
“I put this deal together with my dear friend Henry Rivalta,” said Troya. “I have known Henry for 15 years now and I’m happy to do business with him again. Derrieck and I believe Kris Lawrence and Henry will guide Cuevas’ career in the right direction. There’s a lot of experience here and we feel very comfortable around our new team. Kris has worked with many champions and Derrick will be next. Thanks for believing in us and we will not disappoint.”
“We are glad to have Derrieck join our family here at THF,” said Kris Lawrence. “I feel he has great power and potential in the welterweight division. We have big plans for him and are happy to have added our first Puerto Rican to our stable since Daniel Santos. I wish him the best of luck and he will have our full support and backing.”
“Derrick is a rough kid said,” Henry Rivalta. “He’s has no neck and giant hands and he’s very strong! In the ring, he walks guys down with serious power. He is in a money division and can be a threat to all at 147 lbs., in the near future. He wants to be a champion and bring a belt back to the island of Puerto Rico. We welcome Derrieck and Alex Troya to our team.
For the third time in his young career, featherweight Ruben Villa (12-0, 5 KOs) faces a well experienced veteran looking to upend his hot start.
Villa, who turned 21 in April, headlines Thompson Boxing's "Locked n' Loaded" event against Jose Santos Gonzalez (23-6, 13 KOs) of Mexico this Friday night from Omega Products International in Corona, Calif.
Gonzalez is no stranger to big fights, having suffered defeats against current bantamweight world champion Zolani Tete, and unbeaten contender Duke Micah. The southpaw Villa, despite his young age, is more than ready to face this challenge.
"Even though I'm young, I saw a lot of styles in the amateurs and even now as a professional I spar with a lot of top quality boxers," said Villa, who is a former back-to-back National Golden Gloves champion. "Gonzalez might have the big fight experience working for him, but I know how to beat him in a convincing way."
Villa has certainly gotten off to an impressive start since hitting the paid ranks two years ago. In his seven fights that have gone the distance, Villa has lost only one round on a single scorecard. He boasts an excellent combination of size and speed, plus a defensive acumen far ahead of most prospects his age.
"I feel like my development as a complete boxer has taken a big jump this year," said Villa, who is managed by Danny Zamora and co-promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions. "I'm able to see things a lot faster and that opens up different angles and combinations."
Villa, who resides in Salinas, Calif. and is trained by Max Garcia, will fight for the fourth time this year after earning six wins last year. He credits the consistent activity for his fast rising development.
"It's real important for young fighters like myself to stay as active as possible in the early years," Villa said. "High level sparring is great, but it doesn't replicate the real thing. We have all this protective gear and we wear big gloves. It just feels different. That's why I'm extremely thankful to my promoters for keeping me as active as I've been."
Tickets for "Locked n' Loaded" are priced at $40, $60, & $100, and are available for purchase by calling 714-935-0900, or online at ThompsonBoxing.com.
All fights will be live streamed on TB Presents: Locked n' Loaded via our Facebook page and ThompsonBoxing.com.
The livestream starts at 8:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET with Beto Duran as the blow-by-blow announcer and Steve Kim providing expert, color commentary.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. local time with the first bout at approximately 8:00 p.m. The Omega Products International is located at 1681 California Ave., Corona, CA 92881 and can be reached at 951-737-7447.
"Locked n' Loaded" is presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Everlast.
Welterweight star Shawn Porter will auction off a series of items including two tickets to his welterweight world title showdown against Danny Garcia Saturday, September 8 live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™ and presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
The auction will benefit Gleason's Give a Kid a Dream Foundation and see Porter auction off a pair of signed, used for sparring hand wraps, a pair of signed boxing shoes, "Team Porter" t-shirts and a meet and greet at the weigh-in, in addition to the tickets for fight night.
Fans can bid Bidding Owl until Saturday, September 1 for the chance to meet Porter and be in the arena for the Garcia vs. Porter fight night, while also supporting a great cause that uses boxing to help at-risk youth turn their lives around.
"This was something that I really wanted to do so that I could give back and continue to show all of the good that boxing can do for people," said Porter, who donated the items to Gleason's Gym while training there earlier this month. "I'm so happy to give my time to something that will help people who grew up just like me and use this sport to better themselves and the lives of others."
"We truly appreciate Shawn's contribution to our Give a Kid a Dream foundation and we're excited to team up with him," said Bruce Silverglade, Owner of Gleason's Gym. "It's always great when fighters lend a hand toward our goal of helping the kids in our community through the sport of boxing."
Please share this information with your followers and encourage them to bid and support this worthy endeavor.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features a welterweight title eliminator between Yordenis Ugas and Cesar Barrionuevo and heavyweight action that pits unbeaten Polish slugger Adam Kownacki against former heavyweight champion Charles Martin.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, in association with DSG Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.
Boston Boxing Promotions has announced its first featured fight for the Thanksgiving Eve boxing spectacular to be held Wednesday, November 21st at The Castleton Banquet and Conference Center in Windham, New Hampshire.
In his pro debut, Brockton, Massachusetts' Edet Mkpanam will take on Maine's Justin Rolfe (1-0, 1 KO) in a four-round heavyweight bout that pits southern New England vs. northern New England.
"It's time," Mkpanam said in regards to turning pro, "I'm expecting a ton of fans to come out. I will continue to train hard and be ready to put on a great performance. Just be ready for a good fight."
Mkpanam, sharing the same hometown as former heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano and middleweight champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler, finished his amateur career with a record of 8-3 before deciding to turn pro. His amateur career culminated with a title win at the Marciano Tournament in 2017 and the Southern New England Golden Gloves in 2018.
Justin Rolfe turned pro earlier this year scoring two knockdowns en route to forcing his opponent, Mike Hansen, to retire on his stool after just one round in April. As an amateur, he was a New England Heavyweight Golden Gloves Champion.
"I don't underestimate anyone, and I will treat this fight like I treat every fight by being prepared and ready," said Rolfe.
"I've been training very hard and am ready to go the distance if it comes to that. I am confident I will win and will have my hand raised when it's all said and done. He should be prepared for a grueling fight and the fans should be prepared to see the best fight of the night."
Undefeated junior welterweight slugger Shohjahon “Shoh” Ergashev notched another dominating victory on Sunday night, in front of a packed house at the Korston Club Hotel Moscow, in Moscow, Russia, as he demolished opponent Juma Waswa in four one-sided rounds.
Fighting in the 10-round main event, Uzbekistan-born southpaw Ergashev (now 13-0, 12 KOs) was even able to drop Uganda’s Waswa for the first and second times ever, before stopping him the first time in his career.
Ergashev showed his versatility, as he dug a lot of punches to the body to lower the defense of his opponent, who was fighting out of a high-hand-raised peekaboo stance. Throughout the fight, Waswa (now 10-3-1, 4 KOs) didn't manage to land even one clean punch.
Afterwards, the confident Ergashev called for a high-profile opponent to face him.
“I am happy I got to get in some rounds and the fight concluded as I wished with a stoppage,” said Ergashev, “but now I am ready to come back to the US and get some big names under my belt. How about Brandon Rios? I would break him in half.”
25-year-old Ergashev, a national hero in Uzbekistan, trains at the Kronk Boxing Gym in Detroit under the watchful eyes of Javan SugarHill Steward and co-trainer Rick Phillips.
“Shoh is one of the most exciting and hardest punchers in boxing,” said Ergashev’s promoter, Dmitriy Salita. “I feel very confident that he can beat all the champions in the division and he is still getting better in every fight. With his power, the sky is the limit.”
Ethnic Korean, Ukrainian-born junior featherweight slugger Arnold Khegai stayed undefeated on Sunday, August 19, with an impressive two-round stoppage over Uganda’s Mudde Robinson Ntambi at the Korston Club Hotel Moscow, in Moscow, Russia.
The IBF #13-rated Khegai (13-0-1, 9 KOs) utilized his monstrous strength and power to score two knockdowns in the second round, sending Ntambi (23-6-1, 7 KOs) through the ropes and forcing the referee to stop the fight.
The 26-year-old Khegai says he was pleased with his performance and fees ready to climb another run of the ladder to a world championship.
“All my preparations paid off and I am happy with my victory,” said Khegai. “Now I want to come to the United States and fight the champions to show that I am the best 122-lb fighter in the world.”
Showing excellent hand speed and the strength of a middleweight, Khegai set the boxing world abuzz in May of this year, with a dominant unanimous decision over well-respected contender Adam Lopez. The brutal beating of Ntambi only bolsters his case for a chance to prove himself in a high-profile showdown.
“Arnold’s power and variety of punches were very impressive in this fight,” said his promoter, Dmitriy Salita. “I believe he has the skills to be a world champion and the personality to be a star in the sport.“
Comosa AG is delighted to announce that Season II of the World Boxing Super Series and the quest for the Muhammad Ali Trophy will feature the fiercely-competitive cruiserweight division as the third and final weight class.
“Season I paved the way for Aleksandr Usyk to write history and take home the first-ever Muhammad Ali Trophy,” said Comosa’s Chief Boxing Officer, Kalle Sauerland.
“The cruiserweight edition of the Ali Trophy gave the world spectacular match-ups in the quarter-finals, fight of the year contenders in the semi-finals and we witnessed Usyk as a pound-for-pound best with his amazing performance in the final. We are really looking forward to continuing the success of this exciting weight class in Season II.”
The eight confirmed cruiserweight will be announced over the next days.
“People can expect a very strong line-up,” said Sauerland.
“There will be some remarkable names from Season I, the highest ranked challengers and as always in the World Boxing Super Series a huge geographic spread. We now have all three weight classes in place and we cannot wait to share the Ali Trophy action with the whole world!”
A 90-minute prelims telecast has been added to an already stacked three-hour Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) show live on FS1 and FOX Deportes on Friday, August 24 from the Armory in Minneapolis.
Unbeaten rising super welterweight Sebastian Fundora will take on Michigan's Antonio Urista in a 10-round showdown that headlines the live prelims telecast.
Coverage of prelims begins at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT and will also feature the pro debut of former amateur standout Omar Juarez,as he steps into the ring in a four-round lightweight bout and undefeated bantamweight prospect Antonio Russell takes on Nick Otieno of Kenyain an eight-round bout.
Prelims precede a three-hour telecast of PBC on FS1 and FOX Deportes action beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT and headlined by welterweight contender Jamal James returning to action in his hometown as he takes on Mexico's Mahonry Montes.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Warriors Boxing, are on sale now and are available by visiting www.ArmoryMN.com or Ticketmaster.com.
Standing an astounding 6-foot-6, Fundora (9-0, 5 KOs)continued his ascent with a fifth-round stoppage of previously unbeaten Veshawn Owens in April on FS1 at the Armory. Born in West Palm Beach but now fighting out of California, the 20-year-old has fought in Mexico, Argentina and Uruguay since turning pro in 2016 at age 19. He will take on the 31-year-old Urista (10-2, 2 KOs) of Lansing, Michigan, who enters this matchup on a three-fight winning streak.
After a stellar amateur career, the 19-year-old Juarez will step into the ring for the first time as a pro on August 24. He fights out of the Brownsville-area of Texas and is a motivational speaker for kids in the area while also attending the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley.
The 25-year-old Russell (11-0, 9 KOs), brother of featherweight champion Gary and unbeaten Gary Antuanne, has stayed unbeaten since turning pro in 2015, most recently knocking out Jonathan Ramos in May. Russell is trained alongside his brothers by their father, Gary Russell Sr., and will look to continue his rise toward another world champion to the Russell lineage on August 24.
On Wednesday, September 5, fearless Russian light heavyweight contender Umar Salamov (21-1, 16 KOs) will risk his IBF #11 and WBO #15 rankings when he takes on treacherous KO puncher Denis Liebau (23-2, 21 KOs) of Frankfurt Germany, for the WBO International Light Heavyweight Championship.
The explosive 10-round showdown will be held in the Amphitheater at the five-star Grozny City Hotel in Salamov’s hometown of Grozny, Russia, and televised live in Russia on Match TV.
Eager for a shot at the world championship, Salamov has lately been honing his craft at the world-famous Kronk Gym in Detroit, while issuing public challenges to dangerous world champions Eleider Alvarez (WBO) and Dmitry Bivol (WBA). He was last seen in the ring in June, winning the IBF North American Championship by scoring an impressive ninth-round knockout over Brian Howard, live on Showtime.
“I love training in Detroit,” said Salamov. “I am excited to be back in the ring fighting for the prestigious WBO International belt. I’ve already held this title and I feel it belongs to me. I am the best light heavyweight in the world and look forward to proving that point in an impressive way on September 5, in front of my hometown fans.
Already known for going right at every hard-punching opponent he faces, Salamov says he’s going to be even more relentless against Liebau.
“I will be looking for another knockout,” he said. “Working with Head Trainer Javan “Sugar” Hill Stewart and my co-trainer Rick Philips has taught me so many new things. I am in incredible shape and I feel like it is impossible to beat me right now.”
“Umar’s world-class experience, skills and now a world class training regimen make him one of the best light heavyweights in the world,” said Salamov’s co-promoter, Dmitriy Salita (along with Kazbek Aslambekov of KA-Promotions). “Umar is facing a real experienced challenger in Denis Liebau, but I know he is poised for an impressive victory. He wants to make a statement and put the names in the division on notice. I know that he will put his skill set on display and will be impressive September 5.”
On the eve of Thanksgiving, Wednesday, November 21, 2018, Boston Boxing Promotions will return to The Castleton Banquet and Conference Center in Windham, New Hampshire for the final time this year for an evening of high-quality professional boxing.
"Windham, New Hampshire has been our home all year and is the perfect place for us to cap off our 2018 lineup of fights," said Boston Boxing Promotions' president Peter Czymbor.
"The night before Thanksgiving is a great time for friends to get together and catch up for a night out. Almost everyone has the next day off, and we intend on showing them a good time with an action packed night of boxing."
In January, Boston Boxing Promotions made its debut at The Castleton before a packed house highlighted by the respective pro debuts of North Andover's "Irish" Tommy O'Connell and Springfield, Massachusetts' Anthony Velazquez. The excitement continued in April with another event at The Castleton that featured former world title challenger Ashley Theophane, a frequent sparring partner of Floyd Mayweather, in action, and a New England "fight of the year" candidate between Boston's Julio Perez Campusano and New York's Eric Abraham that saw both fighters hit the canvas a combined three times in four rounds.
Fights for this event will be announced in the coming days.
The "Queen of Bare Knuckle" Bec Rawlings met with media in Los Angeles on Thursday to discuss her return to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) and offer an inside look into the bare knuckle discipline.
Rawlings will be stepping into the ring at "BKFC 2: A New Era" on Saturday, August 25 from the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi and broadcast live across the United States and Canada on pay-per-view in state-of-the-art 4K.
Tickets are available now exclusively at www.bareknuckle.tv ranging from $35 to $250. "BKFC 2: A New Era" will be broadcast across the United States and Canada, exclusively on pay-per-view through MultiVision Media, Inc. on all major television and streaming distribution outlets for $29.95.
Rawlings scored a thrilling victory in the inaugural BKFC event and will return to BKFC 2 to take on professional boxer Britain Hart. Rawlings was joined by BKFC pay-per-view analyst Benny Ricardo, as well as her coach John Bastable, to go over the technical points of bare knuckle fighting, including the unique hand-wrapping technique.
Here is what Rawlings, Ricardo and Bastable had to say Thursday from City of Angels Boxing Gym in Los Angeles:
BEC RAWLINGS, Former UFC Fighter; Defeated Alma Garcia at BKFC 1
On Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship...
"It took a lot of time and effort to really get MMA respected and looked at like a proper sport, and I think it's going to take that with bare knuckle. But from the last event and how smoothly that ran, how professional it was, the fights were great. We all looked like seasoned fighters out there, which we were, and I think that's what we definitely need to keep doing and it will progress from there.
"I think the U.S. and even Australia one day will open up to doing bare knuckle as well, because it's such a great event. It's a great fighting sport, and it wasn't any crazier than MMA and boxing, as you saw from the last event.
"BKFC is doing it right, they're doing it very professionally. They're bringing in all the right people and all the right fighters. As long as it keeps going that way, I think the sport is going to take off.
"A lot of boxing fans are coming over to bare knuckle because they love the stand-up aspect of boxing and this is just a new cool, fun twist. It's taking it back old-school.
"Even just around the local scene in Australia, I was with the UFC fighting and winning with the UFC and I could walk around a boxing promotion and no one would bat an eyelash at me. They would acknowledge me, but they weren't interested in what I was doing. But as soon as I signed to fight bare knuckle I had so many people talking to me and offering really encouraging messages.
"So, it kind of evoked all the boxing fans to really get behind it and excited for it. It's been pretty cool."
On fighting at BKFC 1...
"I finally settled in when I landed a really clean uppercut. To be hit, it didn't feel any different than MMA at all. It's more like a sting than a thud for a boxing glove.
"The only difference I found was punching her, if you didn't select where you were going to punch you felt it a little bit in your knuckles, but nothing crazy. The swelling was quite bad, but I swell and bruise really easily. It wasn't too far different from MMA.
"After BKFC 1, I had multiple messages from fighters in Australia, the U.S., even people with the UFC, asking me how I was treated, if it was fun, if I would do it again and how they could get involved.
"It was just a whole bunch of different emotions, but a lot of interest in it. And I've got a lot of Australians wanting to get involved. Australians love to fight. I don't think you've ever come across an Australian boxer that doesn't go in there and leave it all in that ring. It's ingrained in us. This sport is definitely built for an Australian."
On her upcoming bout at BKFC 2...
"Nothing has really changed on our side of it. My coach is a kung fu and open hand combat expert, so everything he has known for years we have just translated into the boxing aspect of it.
"I guess we now know what to expect fight week, what it's going to be like in there. That was kind of the unknown back (in June). But I had so much fun last time, and I'm excited to get back in there and do it all again.
"Bare knuckle was meant for me. I can't wait to face off against Britain Hart on August 25th. This sport is all about precision and I know she's going to come to fight and try to take this momentum from me. I'm not going to let that happen."
BENNY RICARDO, BKFC Pay-Per-View Analyst
"BKFC 1 in Cheyenne (Wyoming) was the first time in 130 years that a bare knuckle fight was sanctioned in the United States. So, it is a long time coming.
"With bare knuckle fighting you need to be very precise. You have to punch through your index finger and middle finger and transfer that through the forearm where it cushions the blow. Outside of that you are going to break your hand.
"A fight has five two-minute rounds. There's not much of a feeling out period.
"When I saw Joey Beltran was going to fight Tony Lopez I knew it was the fight of the night, and sure enough it was. That was a lesson in managing the time. At the beginning, Tony was feeling him out and by the third round he got into his rhythm, but it was too late.
"For the men, it has always been three-minute rounds. So, they have to find a way to manage the two-minute rounds in BKFC.
"The rules of (BKFC) are similar to boxing rules, which is David Feldman's way of convincing the states. MMA fighters use Knees, shins and elbows.
"Sam Shewmaker had the shot of the night. He fought a special forces guy who was chiseled and 305 pounds. I didn't think he had a chance. Then you see him in the fight and land that overhand right. It was over.
"What you can enjoy with bare knuckle fighting, that you can't with boxing now, is the best fighting the best.
"On the television side, MultiVision is sparing nothing to do this. BKFC 1 and BKFC 2 both being produced in 4K is tremendous, and you can see the action with extreme clarity."
JOHN BASTABLE, Rawlings' Coach
"They supplied wraps, bandages and tape, so that is what we used. For myself, it was the first time we wrapped like this because we had never competed in bare knuckle before.
"It was the first time for all of us. The basis of the wrap is that the four knuckles of the hand are fully exposed.
"The thumb and the wrist are stabilized, but besides that it is bare knuckle.
"After the fight, (Bec) had no damage to the wrist at all and no breaks in the hand at all, so the support worked. There was swelling and bruising, but the tape did the job."
Former welterweight world champion "Showtime" Shawn Porter hosted a media workout at the Porter Hy-Performance Center in Las Vegas Wednesday as he prepares to take on Danny "Swift" Garcia for the vacant WBC Welterweight World Championship on Saturday, September 8 live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features a welterweight title eliminator between Yordenis Ugas and Cesar Barrionuevo and heavyweight action that pits unbeaten Polish slugger Adam Kownacki against former heavyweight champion Charles Martin.
Undercard streaming coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN as five-division world champion Amanda Serrano attempts to win a world title in her record sixth weight class when she faces Yamila Esther Reynoso for the WBO 140-pound title.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, in association with DSG Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.
Porter was joined by his father and trainer, Ken Porter, as the two discussed the highly-anticipated welterweight showdown presented by Premier Boxing Champions. Here is what the Porters had to say Wednesday:
SHAWN PORTER
"I love being in training camp and grinding every day. We're just 100 percent focused on what we have to do. I'm seasoned enough where I know how to excel through these stages of camp. I feel great.
"We always work on the jab to start our training session. Everyone knows that everything I do comes off of my jab. It's all about the fundamentals. My dad is smart and knows my athletic potential is there. He's focused on all the technical and strategic parts of the game.
"Whether we look to box or not will be a game-time decision. We'll have to read the fight. I think we're going to start trying to mix it up and then take it from there. It's up to me to see the adjustments and make them. Whatever it takes to win this fight, I am prepared to do it.
"Danny's counter-punching I think plays into my hands. I'm a combination puncher. There's more than one coming. If there is only one coming, you don't know where it's coming from. I think it's going to take care of Danny's strength, but I don't take it lightly. I know that he's a strong fighter and that's what I expect in the ring.
"I don't believe that he's going to stand toe-to-toe with me, but I do believe that's where he thinks he can win the fight. The point is to hit and not get hit, so we'll try to keep it as clean as possible. It gets rough in there sometimes, but if you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen.
"Once upon a time I probably would have that thought that I could just beat Danny with activity. But I know that I have to be sharp, precise and land most of my punches. I want to throw 60 a round and land 40 percent.
"I'm going go out there and be aggressive, be sharp, be quick and let the rest take care of itself. This is a humungous fight that I've been looking forward to for a long time."
KEN PORTER, Shawn's Father & Trainer
"Any fight that Shawn is in, you're going to have action. If Shawn went in there and laid back, I doubt that Danny would go after him. I just don't think Danny is going to go forward like that.
"We have to continue to do what we've done to get this far. But we're not going to go after him the way he expects us to.
"Danny is trying to pump himself up like he's some kind of one-punch knockout artist. But I'm a one-punch artist if it's against someone who can't box anymore or who's coming way up in weight. If you hit Shawn Porter with one of those punches, he's going to hit right back, and with Shawn, it's going to be more than one.
"My focus is on making sure that Shawn is prepared to do the things I need him to do. I have to get him where I need before I focus too much on what Danny is going to bring. We're making sure Shawn is 100 percent first."
Greg Cohen of Greg Cohen Promotions proudly announces the signing of Canadian Heavyweight Champion Mladen “Monster” Miljas to a promotional contract.
Undefeated Miljas, a perfect 8-0, 8 KOs, stands an impressive 6’ 6” and weighs in around 240 lbs. The 25-year-old Mississauga, Ontario, native won the Canadian title last December with an upset two-round stoppage of long-time champion Dillon Carman.
Cohen, a well-established promoter in the sport, has worked with several world champions and gained a reputation for finding hidden gems like Miljas in boxing’s less-travelled areas.
“It feels great to sign with a real promoter,” said Miljas. “For a long time, I didn’t have anyone arranging my fights, so it feels really good having someone on my team now. I’d like to be active and fight every month if I can.”
Having had just 20 amateur fights (17-3) and eight pro fights, Miljas is still a work in progress, despite being national champion in a country that has produced several world champions including Matthew Hilton, Donny Lalonde and George Chuvalo. Canada is also where several other champions learned to box, including Arturo Gatti and Lennox Lewis.
“I did martial arts, starting when I was four and got in a lot of fights as a kid, so it comes naturally,” he explained. “I’ve always been a hard puncher. I was that kid nobody wanted to play sports with because I played too rough. I don’t have too much in-ring experience, so I’m still learning in every fight. I get better and better, so I want to learn as much as I can in the ring and get in with a good variety of opponents.”
Cohen says he’s impressed by Miljas’ accomplishment already and sees tremendous potential in a fighter that big who can punch.
“Mladen is working hard every day to reach his full potential,” said Greg Cohen. “He’s a giant with unbelievable power and a natural gift for fighting. For a fighter with less than 30 fights in his life to take out the Canadian champ of the last four years in under two rounds, that is an amazing achievement. We are going to keep him fighting as regularly as possible and help him develop into a new force in the division. Mladen has all the gifts you need.”
“It felt amazing,” said Miljas of winning the championship. “It shows you I’m on the right track so far. I like to put myself in the underdog position. It’s good when you can overcome adversity. I like proving people wrong. Everyone expects you to lose and you go out there and win it anyway. I want to win bigger and better titles now. I want world titles now!”
DiBella Entertainment will showcase three of their top contenders in televised or streamed action this Saturday, August 18, including undefeated heavyweight Oleksandr Teslenko, super middleweight Demond Nicholson and welterweight Ivan Golub.
A native of Chernivtsi, Ukraine, now fighting out of Toronto, Canada, the 26-year-old Teslenko (13-0, 11 KOs) will face Los Angeles, CA-based veteran Avery Gibson (9-6-4, 3 KOs) in a scheduled eight-round clash from Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City, NJ. The bout will be streamed live on ESPN+ as part of an eight-bout card beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT.
The heavy-handed Teslenko will be making his third start of 2018, scoring two previous second-round knockouts against Terrance Marbra and Keenan Hickmon earlier this year. Gibson will be looking to stay in the win column following a stoppage of Enrique Gastelum in the second stanza on November 18, 2017, in Lancaster, CA.
Additionally, on Saturday night in Hanover, MD, Nicholson and Golub will be featured in separate 10-round WBC USNBC title bouts from Maryland Live Casino. Both bouts will be telecast live on CBS Sports Net beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
Also originally from Ukraine and now fighting out of Brooklyn, NY, the 29-year-old Golub,(14-1, 12 KOs) faces battled-tested veteran Lanardo Tyner (34-12-2, 21 KOs), of Houston, TX. Co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Fight Promotions Inc. and managed by David McWater's Split-T Management, Golub is returning to the ring following a third-round knockout of Fidel Monterrosa Munoz on January 20, in front of his legion of local fans at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Tyner has won both of his fights this year; a fifth-round stoppage of Gundrick King and an eight-round decision versus Andre Byrd.
In the main event on the CBS Sports Net telecast, the 25-year-old Nicholson (18-3-1, 17 KOs), of Laurel, MD, clashes with Brazil's Isaac Rodrigues (25-2, 20 KOs). Nicholson will look to return to the win column following a hard-fought loss to top-rated contender Jesse Hart on April 28, in Philadelphia. Unbeaten in his last eight fights, Rodrigues heads back to the ring following a fourth-round stoppage of Frankie Fillippone on June 8, in Verona, NY.
Unbeaten talents Ruben Villa (12-0, 5 KOs) and Saul Sanchez (9-0, 5 KOs), two highly polished prospects in the featherweight and bantamweight divisions, are featured on Friday, Aug. 24 from Omega Products International in Corona, Calif.
Villa, a southpaw from Salinas, Calif. headlines the "Locked n' Loaded" event, while the Los Angeles based Sanchez highlights the co-feature.
To access the promotional video, please click here, or on the graphic above.
Villa defends his undefeated record against dangerous veteran Jose Santos Gonzalez (23-6, 13 KOs) of Mexico in the 8-round main event.
In the 8-round co-feature, Sanchez faces volume puncher Christian Ayala (12-2, 4 KOs).
Tickets for "Locked n' Loaded" are priced at $40, $60, & $100, and are available for purchase by calling 714-935-0900, or online at ThompsonBoxing.com.
Villa is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions.
All fights will be live streamed on TB Presents: Locked n' Loaded via our Facebook page and ThompsonBoxing.com.
The livestream starts at 8:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET with Beto Duran as the blow-by-blow announcer and Steve Kim providing expert, color commentary.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. local time with the first bout at approximately 8:00 p.m. The Omega Products International is located at 1681 California Ave., Corona, CA 92881 and can be reached at 951-737-7447.
"Locked n' Loaded" is presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Everlast.
Ruben Villa (12-0, 5 KOs), one of the rising talents in the featherweight division, takes to the ring for the fourth time this year on Friday, Aug. 24 from Omega Products International in Corona, Calif.
The southpaw from Salinas, Calif. battles well tested veteran Jose Santos Gonzalez (23-6, 13 KOs) of Mexico in the "Locked n' Loaded" 8-round main event.
Villa, 21, has fought veterans before, specifically Ernesto Guerrero and German Meraz. The seasoned Gonzalez poses a threat in the sense that he's been in the ring against current bantamweight title holder Zolani Tete, and unbeaten contender Duke Micah.
"These are the types of fights that help you grow into a better fighter," said Villa, who is managed by Danny Zamora. "We have a smart game plan in place. I'm naturally bigger than him so we'll use that to our advantage."
Villa, a two-time national Golden Gloves champion, is coming off an impressive sixth round knockout of Ricardo Lopez in June. The talented featherweight showed off his finishing ability by out boxing Lopez until the knockout moment presented itself.
"I was landing solid punches in every round," remarked Villa after the fight. "I knew I would be able to take him out. I wore him down and in the sixth, I just let me hands go and I caught him with a lot of heavy punches."
Villa is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions.
Tickets for "Locked n' Loaded" are priced at $40, $60, & $100, and are available for purchase by calling 714-935-0900, or online at ThompsonBoxing.com.
The "Locked n' Loaded" 8-round co-feature showcases an intriguing match-up between unbeaten bantamweight standout Saul Sanchez (9-0, 5 KOs) and volume puncher Christian Ayala (12-2, 4 KOs).
Sanchez, 21, will face his toughest challenge to date against the aggressive style of Ayala.
"It was the right time to test my ability against higher quality opposition," remarked Sanchez, who is trained by Joel Diaz. "I'm looking forward to it. I know I'm ready for this."
UNDERCARD
Local welterweight prospect Loui Lopez (3-0, 2 KOs) of Corona aims to stay unbeaten against an opponent to be named later (4-rounds).
One of two heavyweight fights on "Locked n' Loaded" features Elvis Garcia (5-2, 5 KOs) of San Diego, Calif. and Oswaldo Ortega (3-8, 1 KO) of Mexico (4-rounds).
Bantamweight prospect Daniel Guzman (2-1, 1 KO) of Los Angeles will fight an opponent to be named later (4-rounds).
Also on the undercard, lightweights Carlos Velazquez and Keith Carson will make their professional debuts in a 4-round fight. Velazquez fights out of Indio, Calif., while Carson represents Riverside, Calif.
Opening the "Locked n' Loaded" show are heavyweights Andrey Fedosov (30-3, 25 KOs) of Russia and Miguel Cubos (11-18, 8 KOs) of Mexico (8-rounds).
After winning a pair of minor heavyweight titles in 2015 and 2016, Fedosov was absent from competition last year and has one knockout win this year.
Fedosov will fight in a familiar venue, having won the WBO Intercontinental Title at Omega Products by knocking out Donovan Dennis in May 2015.
All fights will be live streamed on TB Presents: Locked n' Loaded via our Facebook page and ThompsonBoxing.com.
The livestream starts at 8:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET with Beto Duran as the blow-by-blow announcer and Steve Kim providing expert, color commentary.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. local time with the first bout at approximately 8:00 p.m. The Doubletree Hotel is located at 222 N. Vineyard Ave. in Ontario, CA 91764 and can be reached at 909-937-0900.
"Locked n' Loaded" is presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Everlast.
A jam-packed lineup featuring 14 fights will give fans a full night of explosive action as"BKFC 2: A New Era" invades the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi on Saturday, August 25 and live across the United States and Canada on pay-per-view.
The second edition of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is headlined by UFC-veteran Kendall Grove making his BKFC debut against Bruce Abramski in a 185-pound showdown. In addition to Grove's debut, the show will feature the return of the "Queen of Bare Knuckle" Bec Rawlings, the heavyweight tournament semi-finals, and fights featuring UFC veteran Chris Lytle, Pride veterans Charles Bennett and Tony Lopez in his second BKFC fight.
"It's great to be able to bring this kind of exciting event and our world-class talent to the Gulf Coast," said BKFC founder and president David Feldman. "Everyone has been very receptive so far, and we expect more of the same fireworks on August 25!"
Stepping into the ring on August 25 will be Biloxi-native and 26-fight professional boxing veteran Michael Bissett in a heavyweight match against Robert Morrow, who enters the ring with 43 professional MMA fights under his belt. Unbeaten MMA fighter and former Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Marcel Stamps will face Louisiana's Brandon Martin in a 185-pound clash, while former Bellator fighters Diego Garijo and Tom Shoaff square off for a 165-pound showdown.
After Rawlings won the first female bare knuckle fight in history, an additional women's matchup has been added to this card as former Invicta fighter Christine Ferea steps into a 125-pound showdown against Maria Andaverde, who has fought professionally in MMA and boxing.
The action continues with unbeaten MMA fighter Jamie Campbell meeting Arizona's Dale Sopi in a heavyweight fight and Harris Stephenson facing Mexico's Jorge Gonzales in a 165-pound bout.
Rounding out the night of fights are professional MMA and boxing veterans Reggie Barnett and James Clayton Burn sbattling in a 135-pound attraction.
Tickets are available now exclusively at www.bareknuckle.tv ranging from $35 to $250.
"BKFC 2: A New Era" will be broadcast in state-of-the-art 4K across the United States and Canada, exclusively on pay-per-view through MultiVision Media, Inc. on all major television and streaming distribution outlets for $29.95.
Amanda Serrano will fight for a world title in a sixth weight division on Saturday, September 8 at Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™. Brooklyn's Serrano will face Yamila Esther Reynoso for the vacant WBO Junior Welterweight World Championship. If successful, Serrano will set a women's boxing record as a six-division world champion, joining Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya as the only boxers, male or female, to reach the mark.
SHOWTIME Sports will live-stream Serrano vs. Reynoso as part of undercard coverage on the network's social media platforms. SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN begins live at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page. The live stream precedes a three-fight SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, SHOWTIME) headlined by Danny Garcia vs. Shawn Porter for the welterweight world championship.
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING COUNTDOWN, the network's seventh social media offering of live boxing in 2018, is available to all domestic users with internet access. The livestream is hosted by Ray Flores with Chris Mannix serving as analyst.
Serrano (34-1-1, 26 KOs), who is already the only woman to win titles in five weight classes, is looking to best her personal record. Born in Carolina, Puerto Rico and representing her hometown of Brooklyn, Serrano has won titles from 118 to 135 pounds, earning her the No. 2 ranking on the BWAA's inaugural women's pound-for-pound list. The 29-year-old is also the only Puerto Rican - male or female - to capture world titles in five different weight classes and will look to build on that record against Reynoso. She fights for the fifth time in her career at Barclays Center on September 8 with a chance to once again make history again in front of the passionate fan base of Puerto Rican boxing fans in New York.
"I'm super excited to be fighting for a world title in my sixth weight class," said Serrano. "My opponent is really a welterweight, having defended her Argentinean 147-pound title by knockout in her last fight, and is dropping down one division to face me. I am coming up four divisions for this shot. I'm sure Reynoso will rehydrate back up to her natural weight after the weigh-in, but this is a risk worth taking. She's never been stopped either, so I know she's durable. This is a tremendous card to be a part of with Garcia vs. Porter as the main event. My promoter, Lou DiBella, has big things lined up for me, and I am eager to take on all challenges."
Reynoso (11-4-3, 8 KOs), of Buenos Aires, Argentina, has challenged for world titles at 140 pounds and 154 pounds. The 22-year-old has most recently campaigned at welterweight, where she held the Argentina 147-pound title, and will be moving back down in weight for her third shot at a world title. Reynoso, who will make her U.S. debut on September 8, has recorded all eight of her knockouts inside of five rounds.
"I'm very happy to be training for such a great opportunity for this WBO world title against a terrific champion in Amanda Serrano," said Reynoso. "I am coming ready to give Serrano a real fight, and I look forward to capturing the title belt."
"Amanda Serrano is one of the best pound-for-pound female boxers and one of the best boxers in the world, period," said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. "She is also now a two-sport athlete, embarking on her MMA career earlier this year. In the boxing ring, Serrano is a record-breaker, becoming the only female boxer to win world titles in five weight classes, and on September 8, she will attempt to break her own record, vying for a sixth division championship. I'm thrilled that the world will get to see Serrano make history once again with the bout being a part of the SHOWTIME live stream online."
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, in association with DSG Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.
With its 25th anniversary in the books, CES Boxing is on the fast track to securing another quarter century of success with a handful of new signings and reacquisitions to beef up its already-loaded roster.
The list includes a mix of new faces and current fan-favorites, perhaps none bigger (literally) than 6-foot-9, 248-pound Nigerian heavyweight Raphael Akpejiori of Miami. Trainer by former two-time world champion Glen Johnson, Akpejiori transitions from the hardwood to the boxing ring this fall when he makes his professional debut on CES Boxing's Sept. 14th event at Twin River Casino.
The heavy-handed slugger, nicknamed "The Nigerian Hurricane," played college basketball and football at the University of Miami, where he shot 42 percent from the field for the Hurricanes from 2010 through 2014. As a graduate student at Miami, he joined the school's football team as a tight end despite having never played football in high school. Akpejiori debuts in a four-round clash against Texas' Omar Acosta on Sept. 14th.
"I signed with CES and Jimmy Burchfield because of their shared & purposeful vision for me in achieving my goal of becoming an undisputed heavyweight champion of the world," Akpejiori said. "I am excited to make my professional debut in September, as this will be the first step in reaching this set goal."
The heavyweight division is as hot it's been in decades and CES Boxing is looking to stake its claim with Akpejiori joining stablemates Juiseppe Cusumano (16-2) of Sicily and Philadelphia native Paul Koon (3-0), another recent acquisition.
"This is an amazing time to be a boxing fan," CES Boxing president Jimmy Burchfield Sr. said. "Our roster gets stronger and stronger each day and we're confident as a team that we have some future world champions joining the family. We look forward to standing alongside them as they continue to develop and grow."
A longtime advocate for women's combat sports, both in boxing and mixed martial arts, Burchfield also signed female lightweight sensation Shayna Foppiano (1-0, 1 KO) of Everett, Mass., who makes her CES Boxing debut Sept. 14th.
Foppiano joins a long list of female fighters who rose to fame under the guidance of CES Boxing, including former three-time world champion Jamie Clampitt, former lightweight title-holder Elizabeth Mueller, two-time world champion Missy Fiorentino, former WBC middleweight world champion Kali Reis, world-title challenger Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes and two-time champion Shelly Vincent.
"From the first CES fight that I attended as a spectator, I felt much more than just a team feel, but more of a family feel," Foppiano said. "Mr. Burchfield has a way of making you feel like this is exactly where you belong. Observing each bout, Mr. B would walk out with each of his fighters and not leave their side, always showing that he has their back, and I knew that was something I wanted to be a part of.
"Stepping forward into my career I knew that CES was the team I wanted standing next to me while I accomplished my goals and dreams. With my CES debut September 14th at Twin River Casino approaching, I feel more confident than ever that CES will help lead me toward a magnificent victory over my opponent."
CES Boxing is also proud to announce the re-signings of regional standouts Nick DeLomba (13-2, 3 KOs) of Cranston, R.I., Elvin Ayala (29-10-1, 13 KOs) of New Haven, Conn., welterweight Marqus Bates (4-2, 3 KOs) of Taunton, Mass., and unbeaten Pawtucket, R.I., super featherweight Ricky Delossantos (5-0, 1 KO), plus the addition of Colorado super middleweight Marvin Cordova (22-2-1, 11 KOs), a 25-fight vet, all of whom will return to the ring in 2018.
A former world-title challenger, Ayala returns to his roots in New England, where he rose to prominence under the guidance of CES Boxing. Born in Reading, Pa., Ayala won his first 16 fights beginning in 2004 and challenged reigning title-holder Arthur Abraham for the IBF World Middleweight Championship in 2008.
Following a devastating loss to David Lemieux two years later, the then 29-year-old Ayala returned to CES Boxing and won his next six fights, including a victory over Derrick Findley in 2011 for the WBC USNBC middleweight title. Ayala's lengthy resume also includes wins over previously unbeaten middleweight prospect Ronald Gavril, plus victories against veteran Aaron Mitchell and Marcos Reyes to regain the WBC USNBC title.
DeLomba debuted with CES Boxing in 2013, kicking off his pro career in a six-round bout against Jimmy Smith of Maine. His impressive early resume included a narrow win over Connecticut rival Edwin Soto in 2014, plus a knockout win over Juan Rodriguez Jr. a year later at Twin River after getting knocked down in the opening round. In 2011, DeLomba upended previously unbeaten regional rival Freddy Sanchez and later defeated Connecticut's Oscar Bonilla to capture the vacant New England Super Lightweight Title.
The slick, 28-year-old right-hander has won three of his last four, including victories over southpaw Amos Cowart in 2016 and a win over Louis Cruz in December to earn the UBF All-America Super Lightweight Title. DeLomba will keep busy in 2018; he recently won his first fight of the year July 18th in New Hampshire and returns Sept. 14th at Twin River to face unbeaten Irish junior welterweight Ray Moylette.
Bates and Delossantos are two of the newest additions to the CES Boxing roster, both fighting their entire career under the company's guidance before signing long-term deals in 2018.
The 32-year-old Bates has won four of his last five after suffering a loss to Miguel Ortiz in his professional debut. The brother of former University of Maine and New England Patriots linebacker Trevor Bates, the elder Bates flattened Arturo Lopes and Aaron Moniz via first-round knockout and then pieced together his most complete performance May 11th at Twin River with a dominant win over in-state rival Mohammad Allam, ending the fight via third-round knockout. Bates makes his Foxwoods Resort Casino debut Oct. 20thagainst Connecticut's Carlos Hernandez.
Delossantos, also a late-bloomer in the sport after making his professional debut at the age of 27, recently earned his first-career knockout win February 23rd against Efren Nunez and followed that up May 11th by winning all four rounds in an unanimous decision win over Washington, D.C., native James Early. He has dominated the regional scene in the 126-pound weight class with victories over Massachusetts natives Philip Davis and Jonathan Perez. Delossantos returns Sept. 14th to face Jersey City vet Jose Ortiz.
Cordova joins the CES Boxing family after ending a seven-year layoff in December with a win over Eduardo Flores in Colorado. The 33-year-old righthander also faced former WBC world welterweight champion Victor Ortiz in 2007 after winning each of his first 12 fights and later that year went on to win the WBC Youth World Super Lightweight Title by defeating Javier Carmona via eighth-round knockout. A year later, Cordova captured the NABA 140-pound title with a win over Derrick Samuels in Las Vegas. He also faced former WBC Silver Welterweight Champion Josesito Lopez in 2010, his final fight before launching his comeback in December.
Fellow newcomer and former Southern New England Golden Gloves champion Victor Reynoso of Providence also joins the CES Boxing roster after signing a promotional agreement earlier this year and will make his professional debut Sept. 14th fresh off his trip to the 2018 Junior National Championships in Aurora, Ill. Joining him will be another new stablemate, Nicholas Briggs of Worcester, Mass., a former Ringside Tournament Champion and decorated amateur who finished with a 50-17 record. Briggs faces Jacob Wright of Alabama in his professional debut Sept. 14th while Reynoso battles Ecuadorian Maurilio Alava.
"The faces you see this summer and in the fall are going to become household names in no time," Burchfield Sr. said. "Nobody builds champions like we do and no one works harder for and on behalf of their fighters. This is historic. Never in our 26-year history has our roster been loaded with such diverse talent. From bantamweight to heavyweight, we've got championship potential in every division and we're excited to see what's in store for these promising up-and-comers."
Undefeated junior featherweight Arnold Khegai (12-0-1, 8 KOs), the ethnic Korean, Ukrainian-born strongman, will return to action on Sunday, August 19, at the Korston Club Hotel Moscow, in Moscow, Russia in a 10-round showdown with Uganda’s Remmy Igga (12-5, 6 KOs).
The IBF #15-rated Khegai wowed the boxing world in May of this year, with a dominant unanimous decision over well-respected contender Adam Lopez, live on Showtime. With excellent hand speed and the strength of a middleweight, Khegai is poised to make his presence felt on the world stage in a championship fight.
“I am excited about getting back in the ring and making another statement,” said the 26-year-old Khegai. “I am ready to challenge the best in the world and my opponent is in my way to the big fights I want, so he must go.”
Khegai’s promoter, Dmitriy Salita of Salita Promotions, says Khegai is rounding into top form for an upcoming title shot.
“Arnold Khegai is an elite boxer and the best young face in the talent-packed super bantamweight division. August 19, he will take another step towards a world title shot, which will happen in the near future.”
"The Biggest YouTube Event in Internet History", headlined by the showdown between YouTube stars KSI and Logan Paul, may actually end up producing one potential world champion.
KSI's head coach and UK amateur boxing standout Viddal Riley will turn pro as a cruiserweight after a 49-fight amateur career that included numerous regional titles and a silver medal at the Junior European Championships. Riley will move to the professional ranks with Jeff Mayweather as his trainer and be managed by Amer Abdallah, who most notably works with two-division world champion Badou Jack.
"I am looking forward to taking advantage of this great opportunity to turn pro and start this journey under the tutelage of Jeff Mayweather," said Riley. "Having Amer Abdallah on-board fills me with confidence that we can take over the cruiserweight division and make history."
Riley recently visited Las Vegas along with KSI back in March where he met Mayweather at the Mayweather Boxing Club. While his primary focus was preparing his fighter for his highly-anticipated fight against Logan Paul, Riley took advantage of the opportunity by sparring with several local cruiserweights, including unbeaten contender Andrew "The Beast" Tabiti.
"Sparring Viddal was like looking in the mirror," said Tabiti. "He's very smart and I was impressed with his speed and power. I'm very interested to see him grow as a pro fighter."
Mayweather was immediately impressed by the skillset he saw from Riley, "I think he has the potential to become world champion in a very short time frame. He has extremely fast hands and explosive power, but his continued thirst for knowledge impressed me the most."
"Viddal has the potential to make a long-lasting impact on this sport," Said Abdallah. "He possesses both the skills to make significant noise in boxing along with the social media reach to connect with millions. It's a promoter's dream."
The winner of WBC Interim World Champion Regis Prograis vs top challenger Juan Jose Velasco on July 14 will enter the 140lb edition of the second season of the World Boxing Super Series.
29-year-old Prograis (21-0, 18 KOs), the Houston resident who relocated from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, won the WBC Interim 140-pound World Championship in March after a sensational second round TKO-victory over former titleholder Julius Indongo from Namibia.
“My biggest asset is my hunger to be the best. I have a chip on my shoulder and I want to prove to everybody I am the best at 140 lbs,” said Prograis.
The undefeated southpaw, known for his fan-friendly style inspired by idols such as Roberto Duran and Pernell Whitaker, is confident that he will enter the tournament.
“I’m definitely excited to enter into the tournament. This is great for boxing. The best fighting the best.”
31-year-old Velasco (20-0, 12 KOs), from Buenos Aires, Argentina, will challenge the Interim WBC World Super Lightweight Champion in Prograis' birthplace of New Orleans, Louisiana on July 14. Velasco already sees himself as an Ali Trophy participant:
“It’s a great honour and I look forward to competing for the Muhammad Ali Trophy and winning the whole thing. I think the format is set up well,” said Velasco, also known as ‘El Pitbull’. “The best fight the best in the World Boxing Super Series to determine one champ. Great!”
Said Kalle Sauerland, Comosa’s Chief Boxing Officer: “Prograis is an exciting athlete capable of catapulting his status to new heights of sporting glory in the Ali Trophy tournament. He is facing Velasco, a tough challenger. We are sure of one thing: another belt will enter the Ali Trophy tournament!”
Three weight classes will feature in Season II of the World Boxing Super Series with two categories, Bantamweight and Super Lightweight, already announced.
Undefeated WBC Super-Lightweight Mandatory Josh ‘The Tartan Tornado’ Taylor from Edinburgh, Scotland is ready for the 140lb edition of the World Boxing Super Series.
“I am delighted to have had to the opportunity to join the competition,” said Taylor. “It’s a great chance for me to become world champion with multiple organisations. It is also a great honour to fight for the Ali trophy. In honour of the greatest boxer of all times.”
Known as the ‘The Tartan Tornado’ for his all-action style 27-year-old Taylor (13-0, 11 KOs) turned professional in 2015 after a successful amateur career culminating with the gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the light welterweight division.
In June 2018, Taylor fought former WBC Super-Lightweight World Champion, Viktor Postol of Ukraine and scored a dominant unanimous decision win, meaning that he was placed in the mandatory spot for the WBC World Title.
Three weight classes will feature in Season II of the World Boxing Super Series with two categories, Bantamweight and Super Lightweight, already announced.
Fighters announced:
Bantamweight:
Ryan Burnett, WBA Super World Bantamweight Champion
Emmanuel Rodriguez, IBF World Bantamweight Champion
Zolani Tete, WBO World Bantamweight Champion
Super-Lightweight:
Kiryl Relikh, WBA World Super Lightweight Champion
Anthony Yigit, European Champion and IBF Mandatory
Ivan Baranchyk, IBF Mandatory
Josh Taylor, WBC Mandatory
With June 30th rapidly approaching, the hype for STAR BOXING'S "SLUGFEST at the SUN" continues to build as two of the premier fighters on the card will be making their New England homecoming. In the co-feature bout, KALI "KO MEQUINONOAG" REIS (13-7-1 4KO's) of Providence, Rhode Island will be making her third appearance at Mohegan Sun against PATY "LA ELEGANTE" RAMIREZ (11-5 5KO's). Adding to the excitement, Connecticut's own "ACTION" ANTHONY LAUREANO (7-0 3KO's) of East Hartford is set to make his return home at Mohegan Sun in his bout against JUAN de la CRUZ RODRIGUEZ (8-9-1 6KO's).
Rhode Island's Native Warrior, Kali Reis, is no stranger to bright lights and pressure. Coming off an impressive performance on HBO against undisputed champion and #1 pound-for-pound female fighter in the world, Cecilia Braekhus, Reis looks to return home, back to New England and put her full warrior spirit out on display at the Mohegan Sun.
When commenting on her upcoming fight, Reis had this to say, "Fans can expect to see an even more determined, skilled, hungry, evolving WARRIOR in there! The fight on HBO with Braekhus was such a learning experience and I am grateful for making history in not only women's boxing but my own personal journey as well."
The last time Reis fought at Mohegan Sun was in November of last year. She is thrilled to be making this homecoming.
"I am excited to be back 'home' at Mohegan Sun June 30th," said the Rhode Island native. "Star Boxing always has action packed fights lighting up this beautiful area. My fans love coming to Mohegan Sun. There isn't a bad seat in the house and their hospitality is fantastic. Joe DeGuardia is keeping me very productive since we signed with him back in November. I am so pleased with the decision myself and manager Brian made to sign with them."
Another local warrior on the card to watch is Anthony Laureano. Laureano earned the nickname "Action" for his relentless, coming-forward fight style. If the East Hartford native is in the ring, fans can always expect an exciting show from start to finish. Star Boxing's "Slugfest at the Sun" always brings fireworks to Connecticut, and Laureano looks to continue the tradition with his homecoming at Mohegan Sun.
Laureano was asked what he will provide the fans at Mohegan Sun, and his response was simply, "The same thing they always see, action. Action, that's it. The people are coming to pay money and they are going to get what they paid for. Even in my last fight, people got what they paid for. They came to see action and to see somebody come forward. They don't want to see nobody dancing around. I'm not saying that style is bad, I can do it too, but people like two guys who come forward and want to fight. I'm that fighter. I'm that fighter that always wants to fight."
This bout against Rodriguez will mark the third time in his career that Laureano is fighting at Mohegan Sun.
When asked about the venue, this is what Laureano had to say, "I love Mohegan...Mohegan is my home. There is no place like it. I love the ring, everything is just so beautiful. The atmosphere, the crowd, my hometown crowd is there, and when they're there it's loud...Mohegan is my home, no doubt. The casino treats me good, and when I go there I feel this is where I belong. I've never felt that anywhere else.
In the main event of "SLUGFEST at the SUN" on June 30th, JOE SMITH JR. will make his long anticipated return to the ring against tough Kentuckian, MELVIN RUSSELL. After eleven months out of the ring due to a broken jaw, the "Common Man", Union Local 66 laborer, Joe Smith Jr. returns at the beautiful Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. After coming off a stellar KO win on NBC against Andrzej Fonfara, and knocking out the legend, Bernard Hopkins, clear out of the ring, on HBO, Smith Jr. has his eyes set on winning a world title. Smith Jr. is currently rated #3 (WBC) and #7 (WBA) in the world.
WBA Champion Danny Roman (25-2-1. 9 KOs) is just days removed from his second successful title defense, yet he is already looking ahead to his next fight and he would like it to be against one of the other belt holders.
"I think a unification fight is in everyone's best interest," Roman said. "I'll face any of the other champions. Bring them on. I just want to fight the best that this division has to offer."
Roman's options include Rey Vargas (WBC), Ryosuke Iwasa (IBF), and Isaac Dogboe (WBO).
Roman's fight on Saturday, a dominating points win against mandatory challenger and previously unbeaten Moises Flores (25-1, 17 KOs), has cleared the decks for the Los Angeles native. With the mandatory behind him, Roman has the flexibility to make a unification fight happen.
"We're definitely going to push to fight one of the other three champions," said Alex Camponovo, matchmaker and general manager for Thompson Boxing. "It's the logical choice moving forward. There are some scheduling hurdles to overcome, but I think it gets done at some point this year and we'll have a huge fight to look forward to."
Thompson Boxing Promotions returns this Friday night with a seven fight card featuring familiar faces within the Southern California boxing scene, and five undefeated prospects eager to make their mark in the sport.
Super bantamweight Isaac Zarate (14-3-3, 2 KOs) of the Los Angeles port city of San Pedro headlines the "New Blood" show against fellow lefty Ramiro Robles (15-7-1, 8 KOs) of Mexico this Friday, June 22, from the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Calif. (8-rounds).
Zarate, who holds a unanimous decision win over former world title challenger Carlos Carlson, is coming off an entertaining points win over Christian Ayala in February. Robles has also seen top rate competition having faced current WBA champion Danny Roman while Roman was a highly ranked challenger, and top talents Oscar Negrete and Diego De La Hoya.
"Robles has fought a lot of quality boxers, but so have I," Zarate said. "I spar with world champion Danny Roman all the time so I'm confident going in against Robles. Without question, I know I can beat him."
Tickets for "New Blood" are priced at $40, $75, & $100, and are available for purchase by calling 714-935-0900, or online at ThompsonBoxing.com.
In the 8-round co-feature, lightweight Manuel Mendez (15-2-3, 11 KOs) of Indio, Calif. looks to rebound from a draw and knockout loss in his previous two outings when he faces unbeaten prospect Gilberto Espinoza (9-0, 5 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico.
Mendez appeared to be making a name for himself in the lightweight division until a knockout loss to Mohamed Rodriguez and a majority draw to Abraham Cordero last year dropped him from the conversation.
Now, in his first start of the year, Mendez meets an undefeated fighter searching for that first big win of his career.
"Espinoza is coming to fight," Mendez said. "I've been ready for months and can't wait to start another winning streak."
The "New Blood" undercard features five undefeated prospects in bantamweight Saul Sanchez (8-0, 4 KOs), super bantamweight Brandon Valdez (10-0, 6 KOs), lightweight George Acosta (5-0, 1 KO), featherweight Anthony Chavez (5-0, 1 KOs), and lightweight Luis Zarazua (8-0-1, 4 KOs).
Sanchez, fighting out of Pacoima, Calif., will put his unbeaten record to the test against Leonardo Torres (4-11, 1 KO) of Mexico in a 6-round bout. Sanchez, 20, is among the finest prospects in the lower weight classes. Torres will need to adjust to a shifty defense and aggressive offense in order to pull out the upset.
The Colombian-born Valdez will be making his U.S. debut against Mexico's Jose Fabian Naranjo (3-8-2, 1 KO) in a match set for 6-rounds. Prior to this fight, Valdez fought in Colombia and Mexico. The 19-year-old is loaded with talent and is far more developed than most prospects at this stage of their careers.
Acosta, representing Whittier, Calif., takes on Alberto Castillo (1-0, 1 KO) of Mexico (4-rounds). The 21-year-old Acosta is coming off a knockout win of Bryan Tovar in April.
Chavez, who fights out of Redlands, Calif., faces Josafath Vazquez (5-3, 3 KOs) of Mexico in a battle set for 4-rounds.
Opening the "New Blood" show will be the aforementioned Zarazua fighting an opponent to be named later (6-rounds).
All fights will be live streamed on TB Presents: New Blood via our Facebook page and ThompsonBoxing.com.
The livestream starts at 8:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET with Beto Duran as the blow-by-blow announcer and Steve Kim providing expert, color commentary.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. local time with the first bout at approximately 8:00 p.m. The Doubletree Hotel is located at 222 N. Vineyard Ave. in Ontario, CA 91764 and can be reached at 909-937-0900.
"New Blood" is presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Everlast.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based boxing manager Henry Rivalta proudly announces the signing of 19-year-old featherweight prospect Luis “El Chucho” Melendez to a promotional contract.
A stand-out amateur in Florida and his native Puerto Rico, Melendez will be making his professional debut under the guidance of Rivalta in July.
Born and raised in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Melendez started boxing at age 11. He went on to have 124 amateur fights, winning a number of Puerto Rican and international titles including the Junior Olympics, Olympic Cup, and the Puerto Rican Nationals from 101 lbs. to 132 lbs.
Melendez says the managerial deal is the culmination of a long association the pair have held. “When I was about 15, I went to spar at the Mike Tyson Gym in West Palm Beach and I was sparring a pro and Henry saw me. He told me he likes what he sees and since then he’s had his eye on me. Now that I’m reaching my dream of going pro, Henry is the right person to help guide my career.”
A throwback fighter with a style more suited for the professional ranks, Melendez calls his style ‘smart aggressive.’
I have a very pro style. I sit down on my punches. I like to throw combinations a lot. I like to break my opponents down. I like to go to the body. Or, depending on the opponent, I can box you. I can also hit and not get hit when I need to.”
Melendez says training at KO Fitness in Hialeah, Florida, with trainer Michael Robles is going well and he’s excited to get started on his professional career. “I feel great. This is my dream. I have always loved the pros. I used to watch and say ‘man I will be there one day.’ I’ve always had that style. I want to win titles in six divisions. I want to be the best pound for pound. I want to be the next face of Puerto Rico.”
“Luis has all the talent to become a world champion,” said Henry Rivalta. “He’s been a stand-out since he was a kid and he’s developed into a very good fighter. I’m happy to finally be working with him in the professionals. I look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with this next great fighter from Puerto Rico.
The buzz is growing for STAR BOXING'S "SLUGFEST at the SUN" as it features the much anticipated return of the Long Island Union Laborer, the "Common Man," light heavyweight, JOE SMITH JR. (23-2 19KO's). The co-feature bout highlights former WBC Women's World Champion, KALI "KO MEQUINONOAG" REIS (13-7-1 4KO's).
Adding to this buzz, STAR BOXING is pleased to announce East Hartford, Connecticut native "ACTION" ANTHONY LAUREANO (7-0 3KO's) will return home to the Mohegan Sun, and fight on the undercard of the already stacked, "SLUGFEST at the SUN" card on JUNE 30th.
Laureano is looking for his third victory at Mohegan Sun, having previously defeated Sidney MaCcow and John Hernandez at Mohegan Sun. Most recently, Laureano traveled to Massachusetts, where he took a tough fight against TOBIAS GREEN of Florida, earning the decision victory.
Fighting five-times in 2017, Laureano continued to tune his skills each and every round. Showing a relentless will to dig deep in the late rounds of fights, Laureano finished 2017 with two TKO wins, two decision victories, and flashed signs of growing power, visible in his vicious knockout of JAMES LESTOR at "Rockin' Fights."
ANTHONY LAUREANO had these comments about returning to Mohegan Sun, "I'm humbled and very grateful to be back in Mohegan Sun. I thank God for letting me come back in the ring once again where my favorite fighters Mickey Ward and [Arturo] Gatti fought their war. I'm ready to give a great performance for my hometown supporters. I am Ready to give the crowd what they paid for, an action packed fight."
Manager and trainer of Laureano, NATE TORRES had these comments about June 30th, "I expect Anthony to put on a show in front of his home crowd! This should be his best performance to date. We are looking for him to display his boxing ability while, maintaining his signature relentless pressure to close the show! "Action" Anthony Laureano never disappoints; he comes to fight!"
JOE DEGUARDIA, CEO of Star Boxing said this about Laureano, "I have seen Anthony grow as fighter over his past six fights, and we are very pleased with his progress. Anthony's come forward, constant pressure style is the kind that fans want to see. In front of his hometown fans on June 30th, he will prove once again why he embodies the nickname "Action."'
The main event on June 30th features, JOE SMITH JR. who burst onto the boxing scene in 2016 when he defeated, top rated light heavyweight, ANDRZEJ FONFARA on NBC in Chicago, and again later that year, when he knocked the legend BERNARD HOPKINS clear out of the ring, becoming the first person to ever KO the former multi-division world champion. The co-feature bout highlights New England native, KALI "KO MEQUINONOAG" REIS who is coming off her sensational power punching performance against undisputed women's champion CECILIA BRAEKHUS in the first female bout ever featured on HBO. Kali thrilled fans around the world in that fight, and promises the same action at Mohegan Sun on June 30th.
Undefeated Interim WBC Super Lightweight Champion Regis "Rougarou" Prograis swung open the doors to his last workout in Los Angeles to the Southern California media earlier this week at the Wild Card West Boxing Gym in Santa Monica, CA.
On Saturday, July 14, Prograis (21-0, 18 KOs), of New Orleans, LA, will battle Juan Jose Velasco (20-0, 12 KOs), of Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the WBC Diamond Super Lightweight Title at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, LA. Prograis vs. Velasco and Teofimo Lopez vs. William Silva will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 7 p.m. ET, while the undercard, including Charles Conwell vs. Travis Scott, will be broadcast on ESPN+ beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Below are quotes from Prograis, who spoke to the media following his training session:
"I know that Velasco is a very tough, undefeated veteran who is coming to fight and I'm training hard for victory and to put on a show on July 14."
"I've been waiting to fight at home for a long time. This fight will measure how many more big fights we can bring to New Orleans, not just me."
"I definitely want to fight all the big names at 140 pounds, first on my mind is Velasco on July 14 and then any of the big names next."
"I was in New York City at the Jose Ramirez-Amir Imam fight. After the fight, Top Rank wanted me to fight on Ramirez' undercard in Fresno and I said that was not going to happen. I was a mandatory to fight Ramirez and that's who I wanted to fight."
"There's no reason to build up a Ramirez fight. His name is not bigger than mine, so fighting on his undercard wouldn't have made any difference in how big the fight became."
"Ramirez has his route and I've got mine. I would have fought him anywhere neutral, New York City or Los Angeles would have been perfect."
"This is my last day in Los Angeles, I love it here, but I'll move my camp to Houston for the rest of my training."
Tickets, priced at $200 (ringside), $125 (floor), $75 and $40, can be purchased in advance at the Lakefront Arena box office, Ticketmaster.com and charge by phone at 800-745-3000. Discounts for military, students and the New Orleans Police Department members - $75 tickets for $50 and $40 seats for $25 - are available when presenting valid ID at the UNO box office.
DiBella Entertainment has announced a sensational fight card for the next Broadway Boxing event on Thursday, June 21, at the beautiful Melrose Ballroom in Astoria, Queens, NY.
Tickets for the first Broadway Boxing event at Melrose Ballroom, starting at $50, may be purchased online at www.MelroseBallroomNYC.com or by clicking HERE. Melrose Ballroom is located at 36-08 33rd Street, Astoria, NY 11106. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with the first bell at 7:00 p.m. Broadway Boxing is presented by Nissan of Queens, Azad Watches, OPTYX, Christos Steak House and Gagliardi Insurance.
Boxing fans worldwide can also catch all the nonstop action on the new DiBella Entertainment streaming home, LIVE.DBE1.com, at a cost of $6.95.
In the 10-round welterweight main event, undefeated Brooklyn fan favorite Mikkel LesPierre (19-0-1, 8 KOs) takes on Argentina's Gustavo Vittori (20-3-1, 11 KOs). In his last outing, LesPierre won the WBC USNBC Super Lightweight belt in a brilliant performance earning a 10-round unanimous decision against Noel Murphy on February 7, in New York City. Winner of seven of his last nine bouts, including one draw, the 28-year-old upset-minded Vittori will look to bounce back into the win column following a clash with world ranked Alex Saucedo on November 11, 2017.
Making her highly anticipated return to action is newly crowned WBA World Female Super Middleweight Champion Alicia "The Empress" Napoleon (9-1, 5 KOs), in an eight-round fight against former world title challenger Vashon "Lady V" Living (6-3, 1 KO), of Houston, TX. Making her first start since winning the world title, Napoleon, the highly popular Lindenhurst, NY resident took the belt home on March 3, with a 10-round unanimous decision versus then-undefeated Femke Hermans (who now holds the WBO 168lb. strap) at Barclays Center. Living has faced world class opposition throughout her career with hard-fought 10-round decision losses to world champions Christina Hammer and Tori Nelson. Most recently, Living won a six-round decision against Latashia Burton.
Former WBC Lightweight World Champion "Dynamite" Dejan Zlaticanin (23-1, 16 KOs), of Podgorica, Montenegro, will continue on his path toward regaining the world title with a scheduled 10-round bout against heavy-handed Mexican veteran Roberto "The Rifle" Ramirez (17-2-1, 12 KOs), of Tijuana. Zlaticanin is coming off his show-stopping New York City debut as the hard-hitting southpaw stunned fans with a first-round knockout of Hevinson Herrera on December 14, 2017. The 25-year-old Ramirez is riding a four-bout winning streak and will be fighting for the first time in New York City. Two of his most recent victories were by knockout.
Undefeated junior lightweight prospect Jude "King Zar" Franklin (7-0, 6 KOs) will return to the ring in a scheduled six-round bout against Enrique "Maikol" Aguilar (8-14, 1 KO), of Mexico City, Mexico. The all-action Franklin is coming off his career-best victory; a second-round knockout of Floriano Pagliara on February 7, in New York City. Aguilar's last three fights took place in the Los Angeles area in hotly contested distance bouts against highly regarded and undefeated prospects. Despite his losses, Aguilar has never been knocked out.
In a six-round women's bout, undefeated middleweight prospect Raquel Miller (5-0, 3 KOs), of San Francisco, CA, will make her DBE and New York City debut in a clash against Hungarian veteran Szilvia Szabados (17-11, 8 KOs). Since turning professional two years ago, Miller has built a legion of fans in the Northern California area, with two of her wins coming by first-round knockout. Szabados has battled numerous world class fighters, including Claressa Shields, Mikaela Lauren, Alicia Napoleon and Aleksandra Lopes.
Junior middleweights will see action as all-action Puerto Rican native Jose "Cheito" Roman (5-0, 3 KOs) makes his New York City debut in a scheduled six-rounder against Marcus Beckford (5-8-3, 1 KO), of Patchogue, NY. The 24-year-old Roman hits the ring following a six-round decision versus Jonathan Garcia on March 3, in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Also 24 years old, Beckford has won his last two fights, including a six-round decision against previously undefeated prospect Yurik Mamedov.
Competing in the junior lightweight division and making his long-awaited professional debut will be Elnur Abduraimov in a four-rounder. A native of Chirchiq, Uzbekistan, the 24-year-old Abduraimov had an extraordinary amateur career compiling a record of 195-20. A five-time National champion, Abduraimov was a gold medalist at the 2017 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships and a bronze medalist at the 2015 World Championships. Abduraimov is co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Fight Promotions Inc.
WBA Super Bantamweight champion Danny Roman (24-2-1. 9 KOs) arrived in Dallas, Texas on Wednesday in advance of his showdown against unbeaten and No. 1 challenger Moises Flores (25-0, 17 KOs) set for this Saturday, June 16.
The 12-round world championship fight originates from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Tex., and will be televised on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
"I'm ready for battle," said Roman, who's youthful appearance earned him the nickname "Baby Faced Assassin." "I know what I need to do against Flores. I'll be going back home to Los Angeles with my WBA belt."
Roman, 28, will defend his world title for the second time. He won the championship in knockout fashion over Shun Kubo last September. He followed that performance with a resounding decision win over Ryo Matsumoto in February. Both those fights took place in Japan.
"I'm glad I'm back in the U.S. fighting in familiar territory," said Roman, who is trained and managed by Eddie Gonzalez. "The three-hour flight from L.A. to Dallas was a breeze. I can't wait to give the fans in attendance and those watching on Showtime a tremendous show."
Unbeaten welterweight world champion Errol Spence Jr. spent time giving back in his hometown Wednesday, as he handed out meals at the Salvation Army in Dallas ahead of his homecoming world title defense live on SHOWTIME this Saturday, June 16 from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
"I'm excited to be back at Salvation Army again," said Spence, who has spent time at the charity ahead of previous fights and during the holidays. "We've done events like these before and it's always one of my favorite ways to give back. I'm glad to be able to come back and do something a little extra for my hometown fans that support me during this fight week."
Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions in association with Man Down Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased at www.SeatGeek.com.
"I can't wait to step into that ring and feel the love from the people in my city," said Spence. "The least I could do was give something back this week. On Saturday night, I'm giving everyone in the city a great show and a memorable night of action."
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features super bantamweight world champion Daniel Roman defending his belt against unbeaten Moises "Chucky'' Flores and former world champion Javier Fortuna clashing with Adrian Granados in a 10-round 140-pound special attraction.
United States Olympian and undefeated middleweight prospect Charles Conwell (7-0, 5 KOs), of Cleveland, will face popular Baton Rouge, Louisiana, veteran Travis Scott (19-3, 5 KOs) in an eight-round clash on Saturday, July 14 at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans.
Presented by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment, Conwell vs. Scott will be a featured undercard fight to the highly anticipated main event between Regis "Rougarou" Prograis, of New Orleans, and undefeated challenger Juan Jose Velasco, of Argentina, with the WBC Diamond super lightweight championship at stake. Prograis vs. Velasco and Teofimo Lopez vs. William Silva will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 7 p.m. ET, while the undercard, including Conwell vs. Scott, will be broadcast on ESPN+ beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.
"A local Louisiana boxer will get a chance to test himself against a US Olympian when the popular Travis Scott, of Baton Rouge, takes on Cleveland's Charles Conwell, as part of the excellent undercard to Prograis-Velasco at Lakefront Arena, in New Orleans, on July 14," said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. "Fans from Baton Rouge have even more of a reason to join us in New Orleans for a great night of world championship boxing."
Tickets, priced at $200 (ringside), $125 (floor), $75 and $40, can be purchased at the Lakefront Arena box office, Ticketmaster.com and charge by phone at 800-745-3000. Discounts for military, students and the New Orleans Police Department members - $75 tickets for $50 and $40 seats for $25 - are available when presenting valid ID at the UNO box office.
Following an outstanding amateur career, the 20-year-old Conwell has quickly impressed boxing fans across the country with his world-class skills matched by his concussive power in both hands. On November 10, 2017, he made his triumphant professional return to Cleveland with a sensational performance, winning a nationally televised six-round unanimous decision against Roque Zapata, dropping the valiant Panamanian four times.
Most recently, Conwell stayed busy with a six-round unanimous decision versus Juan Jesus Rivera on March 9, 2018, in Deadwood, South Dakota.
Born and raised in Baton Rouge, the upset-minded Scott looks to jump back into the win column following a hard-fought clash with Mark DeLuca on March 18, 2017, in Boston.
Scott began his boxing career in the amateur ranks under the renowned Frank James and Frankie Caruso. While competing in over 100 amateur bouts, Scott won the Southern Boxing Association's "Boxer of the Year" award in 1995 and 1996. During his tenure in the United States Marine Corps, Scott became a member of the All-Marine Boxing Team. Scott is well known in Baton Rouge boxing circles for his contributions as a pioneer to the local boxing scene and is a staple in reviving the sport in his hometown.
The un-televised undercard of the “Shields vs. Gabriels” event on Friday, June 22, at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, is stacked with great fights between local and international prospects.
Salita Promotions has put together several strong match-ups in addition to the nationally televised SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION (10 p.m. ET/PT) portion of the show, which features two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and current Unified Women’s Super-Middleweight Champion Claressa Shields (5-0, 2 KOs) taking on unified 154-pound champion Hanna Gabriels for the vacant IBF and WBA Women’s Middleweight World Championships.
Topping the off-TV action will be worldwide fan favorite Bakhtiyar “Bakha Bullet” Eyubov (13-0, 11 KOs) of Aktjubinsk, Kazakhstan, taking on Nicholas “King Beamen” Givhan (21-1-1, 11 KOs) of nearby Kalamazoo, Michigan, in a 10-rounder for the USBA Great Lakes Region Welterweight Championship
The action will further heat up with a 10-round light heavyweight showdown between Grozny, Russia’s Aslambek Idigov (12-0, 5 KOs) and Detroit’s own James “The Equalizer” Ballard (10-1, 3 KOs).
Detroit bantamweight favorite Ja’Rico “Great Lakes King” O’Quinn (8-0-1, 5 KOs) will bring his monstrous legion of fans in to watch him go eight rounds for the first time while taking on West Bloomfield, Michigan, veteran Yaqub Kareem (14-9-1, 8 KOs).
The sensational Franchon Crews Dezurn (3-1, 1 KO) of Baltimore will put on a six-round showcase against Ohio’s Crystal Byers; and in an eight-round heavyweight match-up, Kurchaloi, Russia’s Apti Davtaev (14-0-1, 13 KOs) will attempt to continue his tear through the big man’s division against Catlettsburg, Kentucky, veteran Cory Phelps (16-10-1, 8 KOs).
Appearing in match-ups that are still being made, “Lethal” Leon Lawson (6-0, 4 KOs) of Flint will fight in a super welterweight six-rounder and Detroit’s undefeated Joseph Bonas (3-0, 3 KOs) will go four welterweight rounds. Both opponents are currently TBD.
Also on Showtime, Unified Women’s Middleweight Champion Christina Hammer (22-0, 10 KOs) of Germany defends her WBC & WBO Titles in her U.S. debut against former world champion Tori Nelson (17-1-3, 2 KOs) and in the 10-round opener, Russia’s Umar Salamov (20-1, 15 KOs) will face Georgia’s Brian Howard (13-1, 10 KOs) for the IBF North American Light Heavyweight Championship.
Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Salita Promotions, are available at Ticketmaster.com or at the Masonic Temple Box Office at (313) 832-7100. VIP tickets are priced at $300, ringside tickets at $125, and remaining tickets at $75, $50 and $35.
Travis Kauffman (32-2, 23 KOs) took home a majority decision victory over Scott Alexander (14-3, 8 KOs) in a 10-round heavyweight matchup Sunday night on Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 and FOX Deportes from Pioneer Event Center in Lancaster, California.
In a wild first round, it was Kauffman who struck first, landing an overhand right while Alexander was pinned against the ropes that sent his opponent to the canvas in the final minute of the round. As Kauffman sought the finishing blow, Alexander landed a perfect counter left hook in the final seconds of the round that sent Kauffman sprawled out on the canvas before he narrowly beat the count and returned to his corner to continue the fight.
After the first round, Kauffman and Alexander exchanged combinations across the remainder of the fight, with both men switching often and effectively to counter and land on each other. Alexander's speed and athleticism helped him control portions of the fight while Kauffman continued to press forward for 10 rounds attacking the body and looking to fight on the inside.
In the end, Kauffman narrowly took home the majority decision by scores of 95-95 and 96-94 twice.
Additional heavyweight action saw former title challenger Gerald Washington (19-2-1, 12 KOs) out box Wes Nofire (20-2, 6 KOs) on his way to a unanimous decision victory in their 10-round battle of towering heavyweights.
Washington rode a strong jab and straight right hands to keep Nofire at bay in a fight that saw the two men regularly tie up on the inside while trying to initiate their offense. The action inside eventually resulted in Nofire being deducted a point by the referee in the seventh round for excessive holding.
The persistent jab from Washington broke Nofire's nose in the middle rounds and aided in wearing Nofire down on the way to a unanimous by scores of 98-91 and 97-92 twice for Washington.
In the opening bout of the telecast, once-beaten Michael Hunter (14-1, 9 KOs) walked down and eventually stopped Iago Kiladze (26-3, 18 KOs) in the fifth round of their heavyweight showdown.
Hunter worked off his jab and had big moments in the second and fourth rounds, stunning Kiladze with power punches with both hands. In the fifth round, Hunter connected with a straight right hand midway through the round that put Kiladze on the canvas.
Kiladze rose to his feet, but Hunter stayed composed and waited for his moment to strike late in the round, landing a crushing straight right hand that put Kiladze out on his feet and forced the referee to halt the bout at 2:52 of the fifth round.
Another exciting battle between well-regarded prospects has been added to the un-televised undercard of Salita Promotions’ “Shields vs. Gabriels” event on Friday, June 22, at the Masonic Temple in Detroit.
In a classic “bull vs. matador” match-up, Kalamazoo, Michigan’s Nicholas “King Beamen” Givhan (21-1-1, 11 KOs) will face undefeated Bakhtiyar “Bakha Bullet” Eyubov (13-0, 11 KOs), from Aktjubinsk, Kazakhstan, over 10 exciting super-lightweight rounds.
A six-year pro, Nicholas Givhan has had mixed results, thus far, against stronger opposition. He fought to a draw with France’s 8-1 Freddy Durand in August 2015 and suffered his lone setback against undefeated top contender Ivan Baranchyk in March 2016. Givhan has won five straight fights since then and was last seen scoring a unanimous decision over rugged veteran Agustin Cicero last February. Givhan is a smooth boxer with good instincts in the ring. The 32-year-old stands 5’ 9” and has a 68” reach.
“Training is going great. I’m putting the work in and prepping for the big fight,” said Givhan. “I’m a very good boxer and I’m looking forward to showing off my craft with no mistakes.”
Givhan says he respects Eyubov, but is confident of coming out on top.
“I would say he’s the toughest opponent I’ve faced so far. He comes and keeps coming and coming. He’s a very in-tight fighter and has nice power. It’s hard to say how the fight will go. Real fighters adapt to any style, so I can’t say if his style is made for mine. I just know that whatever he brings, I’ll be able to adapt.”
A six-year pro, Brooklyn-based Eyubov is originally from Aktjubinsk, Kazakhstan. A charismatic showman, Eyubov is a fast-rising prospect who has appeared twice on ShoBox: The New Generation. He stopped then 16-2-1 Jared Robinson in three rounds in January 2016 and took an exciting 10-round split decision from veteran Karim Mayfield in August of the same year. He was last seen in January, when an accidental headbutt forced opponent Maurice Chalmers to quit in round one. The fight was ruled a No Contest. The 31-year-old stands 5’ 6” and has a 65.5” reach.
“I look forward to a great fight on June 22. I am the best junior welterweight in the world – a point I will prove it in this fight,” said Eyubov. “I will show my improved skills, strength and power in the ring. I had a great training camp in Brooklyn, New York, with my trainers Nirmal Lorick and Keith Hewitt. This is a very important fight for me I plan on making a statement and showing the world that I am the best and hardest punching man in the division.”
Eyubov says he’ll be looking for another knockout on June 22.
“I know Givhan is a strong fighter and is in great shape and coming to win. The fight is in his hometown but that’s no problem. My plan is not to leave it to the judges June 22nd can’t come soon enough!”
“This is a significant crossroads fight with each fighter understanding the upside of victory and the doom of defeat,” said event promoter Dmitriy Salita. I know Bakha is hungrier than ever to win this fight and make a statement to the junior welterweight division that he is ready for the best. This match has all the ingredients of a great fight.”
“Shields vs. Gabriels” will feature two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and current Unified Women’s Super Middleweight Champion Claressa Shields attempting to become a two-division world champion against unified 154-pound champion Hanna Gabriels for the vacant IBF and WBA Women’s Middleweight World Championships.
The main event will be televised live on SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION (10 p.m. ET/PT) and will also feature highlights of Unified Women’s Middleweight Champion Christina Hammer as she defends her WBC & WBO Titles in her U.S. debut against former world champion Tori Nelson.
Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Salita Promotions, are available at Ticketmaster.com or at the Masonic Temple Box Office at (313) 832-7100. VIP tickets are priced at $300, ringside tickets at $125, and remaining tickets at $75, $50 and $35.
Austin Trout (31-4, 17 KOs), the former super welterweight world champion, is headed to Los Angeles today to meet current WBC Super Welterweight world champion Jermell Charlo inside the ring this Saturday, June 9 live on SHOWTIME from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins at 10 p.m. ET/PT and is headlined by the featherweight world championship rematch between Leo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares.
In Trout's words, this fight is finishing the mission. Spiritually centered and in his prime physical condition, it is, in his own words, his time.
"People are underestimating me and overlooking me," said Trout. "I earned and continue to earn respect in this sport and my competition can choose to ignore it or acknowledge it. I've beaten champions and taken titles. I've lost in controversial decisions to champions like Canelo. This is my time. Don't underestimate the power I bring to boxing as well as the international competitors I've already stepped into the ring against and beaten."
After his October fight against Jarrett Hurd and February's unanimous decision victory over Juan De Angel, this WBC title bout, in Trout's words, is the fight that no one saw coming.
"The Hurd fight was the danger fight," he said of his October 2017 match. "It was part of the process of knocking out the ring rust, and De Angel was part of that as well. Everything I do or don't do is circumstantial. Because of the layoffs, it's been challenging; now I'm back on track timing wise and I plan on changing boxing's plans for me. I'm not sitting back and waiting.
"I started boxing as a kid to stand up for people that were being disrespected, and as an adult I continue to do that in the ring."
A long time top ten and former #2 in the 154-pound division by Ring magazine, Trout will be once against be working with D.C. based world champion trainer Barry Hunter, to whom his longtime cornerman, Louie Burke, worked as an assistant.
"We are calling this fight 'finishing the mission.' I'm squarely in a dangerous division that's full of talent. It's one of the top divisions in my opinion. Everyone's a killer including myself. It has the perfect balance of speed and power. This is where I excel, plus I have the brain."
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Ringstar Sports and TGB Promotions, begin at $50, plus applicable fees, and are on sale now.
2016 Olympic bronze medalist Nico Hernandez will be fighting for his first professional title on Saturday, December 2, when he takes on Hungarian invader Jozsef "Little Red" Ajtai in the eight-round main event for the vacant International Boxing Association (IBA) Flyweight Championship, headlining "KO Night Boxing: Gold & Glory" at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas.
"KO Night Boxing: Gold & Glory" is a presentation of KO Night Boxing LLC., in association with Hartman Arena, and sponsored in part by Twister City Harley-Davidson Metro PCS, Mort's Cigar Bar and Jimmy Egg.
The action will be taped live for future airing on CBS Sports Network.
The 21-year-old Hernandez (3-0, 2 KOs), fighting out of Wichita, will be fighting in a scheduled eight-round bout for the first time. His three pro fights to date were all scheduled for six rounds and each was held in Kansas, the last two in his second home, Hartman Arena.
In his last fight this past September 23rd, Hernandez was forced to fight late replacement Kendrick "Uprising" Latchman who outweighed the celebrated American Olympian by more than 10 pounds. Hernandez won a six-round unanimous decision by scores of 60-54 and 59-55 twice.
Despite being younger than Hernandez by almost a year to the day, Ajtai (19-9, 12 KOs) has already had 28 pro fights, including a full 10-round distance loss by decision last year to two-time Olympic gold medalist Shiming Zou, the former World Boxing Organization (WBO) flyweight world champion.
"By far, Nico is fighting the toughest opponent of his pro career," Hernandez' promoter John Andersen ("KO Night Boxing LLC) said. "Ajtai has much more experience as a pro than Nico, plus he went the distance against a two-time Olympic gold medalist, Zou. Ajtai is a busy fighter with a good knockout ratio (63%). This fight is going to tell us a lot about Nico, especially his power at 112 pounds.
"Nico fighting for a title in only his fourth pro fight proves that all our hard efforts of KO Night Boxing and Team Nico has paid off quickly and we're grateful that the IBA has given him this great opportunity. I didn't realize the high quality of champions the IBA has had in the past and we're proud that Nico can someday join this group. In the flyweight division, Nico may enter world title fight shot discussions earlier than I had originally thought, which was in his third year as a pro.
An impressive performance against Ajtai could position him for a world title fight next year with less than 10 fights under his belt."
"We're excited to have an American Olympian fighting for our first Americas title," IBA President J.C. Courreges added. "Nico Hernandez is an Olympic bronze medalist and we're hopeful that he will develop into an IBA world champion in the not too distant future. His amateur pedigree speaks for itself and we're very happy to have this young man fighting for the IBA Americas title."
IBA world champions during the past quarter-century include Hall-of-Famers Oscar de la Hoya, George Foreman, Roberto Duran and Arturo Gatti, as well as stars such as Roy Jones, Jr., Bernard Hopkins, Shane Mosely, James Toney, Mikkel Kessler, Eric Morales, Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo, Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver.
Other fights on the "Gold & Glory" card will soon be announced. All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Tuesday, Oct. 24 @ 12 p.m. CT) at the Hartman Arena box office and http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/50551?Brand=Hartman. Prices are $115.00 (VIP), $75.00, $50.00, $35.00, $25.00 and $20.00 (prices do not include service fees) .
This is an all-ages show. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. CT with the opening bout scheduled at 6:00 p.m. CT.
The young career of heavyweight contender Hasim Rahman Jr. took an unexpected turn last week, as his scheduled opponent, Joseph Coats, decided not to fight, while in the ring during the introductions and literally left the ring and returned to the locker room.
The four-round Rahman vs. Coats bout was supposed to happen at The Durham Armory in Downtown Durham, North Carolina, last Thursday, October 19. However, the debuting Coats, trained by reputable trainer Don Turner, initially refused to come out of the locker room. Forty minutes later, Coats finally agreed to get on with the fight only to leave Rahman waiting in the ring for nearly 10 minutes while chickening out for a second time.
He now faces suspension.
Event promoter Michelle Rosado (Raging Babe Events) and matchmaker J Russell Peltz (Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc.) were as perplexed as Rahman's promoter, Greg Cohen, by Coats' sudden departure.
"Russell told me in his 48 years in the sport, he NEVER saw anything like this," said Cohen. "A fighter in the ring rethinks his choice and leaves. I'm told he was out of the building before the announcer finished explaining to the crowd what happened."
Cohen says he already has the next fight scheduled for the promising slugger Rahman Jr., November 4 in Springfield, Virginia, in a co-promotion with Shabazz Brotherz Boxing Promotions.
"Junior showed class and poise in the way he handled this and he's to be commended. Sometimes in boxing, strange things happen and this is one of those times."
Former world champion Ishe Smith battles top 154-pound contender Julian "J-Rock'' Williams in a 10-round super welterweight clash that headlines Premier Boxing Champions on Bounce live from The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Saturday, November 18.
In the co-feature, Lionell Thompson clashes with unbeaten prospect Earl Newman in a 10-round light heavyweight bout. Televised coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with unbeaten prospects Tugstsogt Nyambayar and Xavier Martinez going head-to-head in a 10-round featherweight fight.
"This card is going to bring it," said Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe. "The fans will be presented with variety; veterans and prospects going head-to-head and tough fighting styles meshing come fight night. The main event between Ishe Smith and Julian Williams is going to be an exciting battle! I think Ishe and Julian are going to put on a great show. Both fighters are very tough competitors and fight with everything they have. We also have a great undercard line-up. This is going to be an all-around exciting night of boxing for the fans."
"This is the kind of show that presents something for every boxing fan,'' said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. "Ishe Smith is a former champion who still has title aspirations. He's going up against a young hungry contender on the comeback trail in Julian Williams. Earl Newman will be taking a major step up when he takes on Lionell Thompson in the co-feature and both Tugstsogt Nyambayar and Xavier Martinez will be looking to keep their undefeated records intact. It all adds up to a fun night for boxing fans.''
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and TGB Promotions, are priced at $29, $39, $59, $69, $89 and $149 and are on sale now. Tickets are available at www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com or through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 andwww.ticketmaster.com.
The 39-year-old Smith (29-8, 12 KOs) won his world championship with a majority decision over Cornelius Bundrage on Feb. 23, 2013 to become the first Las Vegas-native to win a world title. He has also challenged top fighters such as Erislandy Lara and Daniel Jacobs and most recently defeated Tommy Rainone and Frank Galarza in his last two bouts.
"I took this fight just like I've taken every tough fight over the years," said Smith. "I constantly challenge myself to the best and I believe Julian Williams is one of the best in the division. If you look at my resume, all I've done is fight the best guys, in their prime, so this is nothing new to me. I've reached the point where I've seen it all. This fight will get me exactly where I need to be, closer to a world title shot."
Williams (23-1-1, 15 KOs), one of the top young contenders in the 154-pound division, is working his way back into title contention by taking on a tough former world champion in Smith. The 27-year-old Williams of Philadelphia suffered a KO loss to Jermall Charlo in his first title shot in 2016 and returned to the ring with a TKO victory over Joshua Conley in his last fight on June 30.
"We've been working hard for months and I'm ready to get back in the ring," said Williams. "I could fight tomorrow. I know this is an important fight for my career. Ishe is a veteran and he is going to bring his 'A' game to try to prove he's still got it. I'm not going to give him that opportunity. I will be victorious and show that I'm ready to fight the best in the world."
Lionell Thompson (18-4, 11 KOs) is on the trail of a 175-pound world championship and he hasn't taken the easy road, having challenge the likes of Sergey Kovalev and Radivoje Kalajdzic in his pro career. The 32-year-old out of Buffalo, N.Y. is coming off a knockout victory over Steve Lovett in his last fight on Feb. 24. The last time he fought at the Cosmopolitan, he defeated Donovan George by unanimous decision on Sept. 16, 2016.
Unbeaten prospect Earl Newman (10-0-1, 7 KOs) will be taking a big step forward in taking on his toughest competition to date in Thompson. The 26-year-old Brooklyn-native is coming off a split draw against Paul Parker on Sept. 19 after winning his first 10 pro fights.
A 2012 Olympic Silver medalist from Mongoloa, Tugstsogt Nyambayar (8-0, 8 KOs) now fights out of Carson, California. The 25-year-old turned pro in March of 2015 with a first round knockout of Gabriel Braxton. Since then, Nyambayar has stopped every opponent in his path, including most recently scoring a 10th round TKO over Jhon Gemino in February.
The unbeaten 19-year-old prospect Xavier Martinez (9-0, 5 KOs) will face his toughest test as a pro when he enters the ring on November 18. Representing Sacramento, Martinez has scored two victories in 2017 having stopped Jesus Aguinaga in September after earning a decision over then unbeaten Prince Smalls in June.
The "Path to Glory" main event was over before it had a chance to begin. In the second round, an accidental clash of heads between super bantamweights Isaac Zarate (13-3-3, 2 KOs) and Christian Esquivel (29-12-1, 22 KOs) played the part of spoiler.
Zarate, a southpaw, bumped heads with Esquivel more than half way through the second round and created a nasty gash above Esquivel's right eye. The ringside physician ruled him unable to continue, officially declaring the bout a technical draw at the 2:18 mark.
It was an unfortunate turn of events, as both boxers prior to the stoppage engaged in a thrilling back and forth display that had the crowd amped.
"We were going after it just before it happened," Zarate said. "The fans were going to get a great fight. The crowd understood what happened though. They weren't too upset about it."
In the co-feature, junior welterweight Mohammed Rodgriguez (11-4, 4 KOs) of Mexico survived an eighth round knockdown to win by split decision against Colombian Cesar Villarraga (9-4-1, 4 KOs).
Rodriguez, who had a distinct size and reach advantage, appeared to control the early rounds with Villarraga coming on strong down the stretch. Indeed, the routine action produced a fan friendly fight, but one that was difficult to score.
Rodriguez excelled with his right hand, while Villarraga scored with his counter punching ability. In the eighth round, Villarraga landed a counter left uppercut that downed Rodriguez. In the end, it was too little too late as Rodriguez earned the win with scores 76-75 twice, while one judge had it for Villarraga, 78-73.
Bantamweight Saul Sanchez (6-0, 4 KOs) of Indio, Calif., looked every bit like a top prospect after his brutal, one-punch knockout of Nestor Ramos (7-7-1, 3 KOs) of Mexico.
Sanchez, trained by Joel Diaz, landed a crushing left hook to the midsection that left Ramos rolling on the canvas in agony. Referee Jerry Cantu waived off the fight at the 2:06 mark of the opening round.
Bantamweight Daniel Guzman (2-1, 1 KO) of Los Angeles overwhelmed Mexico's Jose Mora (1-5) to win by second round knockout. Guzman came out hungry from the outset, landing strong body shots and showcasing excellent side-to-side movement.
A left hook to the body dropped Mora halfway through the second round and an equally punishing left ended his night at the 2:32 mark.
Napa's Brandon Trejo (3-0, 1 KO) notched his first knockout victory over the still winless Carlos Apodaca (0-6-1) in the "Path to Glory" show opener. Trejo, a lightweight, advanced on Apodaca behind an accurate left jab and timely body punching.
By the third round, Trejo had Apodaca worn out and quickly closed the deal with his steady attack at the 1:21 mark.
Thompson Boxing Promotions returns for its final show of the year from the Doubletree Ontario on Friday, Nov. 17. Full details will be announced at a later date.
"Path to Glory" was presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Lucas Oil, in association with Everlast.
Swedish middleweight Oliver Flodin (1-0) will face Pavel Hryshkavets (3-2, 2 KOs) in his second professional test on October 27 in Schwerin, Germany.
The 21 year-old started his paid career in style with a unanimous points victory over Hungary’s Richard Hegyi on September 30 at the Solnahallen in Stockholm.
The former amateur star will be hoping to improve to 2-0 when he fights on the undercard of the World Boxing Super Series quarter-final contest between Juergen Braehmer and Rob Brant at Schwerin’s Sport and Congress Center.
“I felt very please with my professional debut,’’ said the boxer from Jonkoping. “I had a good feeling in the ring and the plan we set before the fight worked out really well. The atmosphere in the Solnahallen was really good too.
“I’m looking forward to fighting in Germany on a World Boxing Super Series show. My training has been good and I’m in great shape. It’s going to be an amazing experience and I want to give the audience an exciting show.”
Said promoter Nisse Sauerland: “This is a great opportunity for Oliver to showcase his skills on the big stage. He impressed on his professional debut and we’re expecting an even better performance on October 27 in Schwerin.”
Tickets for the World Boxing Super Series quarter-final contest between Juergen Braehmer and Rob Brant are available online via www.eventim.de.
2 time Jr. Middleweight World Champion Demetrius "Boo Boo" Andrade weighed in for his first ever Middleweight bout at a ready 160 lbs, while opponent Alantez "Slyaza" Fox came in at a 159.5 lbs.
The 12-round Middleweight co-feature battle will take place from Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York on tomorrow's HBO "Boxing After Dark" starting at 10:05 p.m. ET/PT featuring main event Jezereel Corrales vs. Alberto Machado in a 12 round WBA Jr. Lightweight title bout.
The Andrade-Fox bout is being co-promoted by Joe Deguardia's Star Boxing®, Banner Promotions, A Team Promotions in association with Dibella
Rob Brant (22-0, 15 KOs) is confident he will beat Juergen Braehmer (48-3, 35 KOs) in their Ali Trophy quarter-final clash on October 27 in Schwerin, Germany. In fact Brant is confident he will win the whole tournament.
27-year-old Brant was born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota, but is now living and fighting out of Dallas, Texas. In this interview he take us back to where it all started and reveals his ambition to win the super middleweight division of the World Boxing Super Series.
“I found boxing when I was fifteen, and I started going to the gym every once in a while. I thought my father would be upset because my father played football, my brother played football and basketball so I went a bit off the beaten path when I discovered boxing. But my father was completely cool with it. He wanted me to stay focused at something other than sitting at the house. From that point I started focusing on boxing.
I got my competitive edge from my brother who is 18 months older than me. He beat me in everything growing up. I wanted to play basketball and he was really good at that so it always got to a point where I got mad and kicked the ball and went back to the house. In football he was a quarterback, I was a running back. He had pinpoint accuracy; I couldn’t catch to save my life.
I had hands of stone. It sounds good in boxing to have hands of stone, but in football it means you can’t catch anything. I was really good in own mind when it came to football, but the running joke was that my position was ‘ass back’. I would say to the coach: “Put me in the game!” And he would say: “Get your ass back!”
My father is very proud of where I am today. He is proud that I found something that I decided, that I would stick to, run with and now maybe become one of the best in the world at what I do. I get a lot of happiness out of knowing that he is so proud.
I am a very simple person. I feel that I have much more that I could ask for in life. My dream is to accomplish the things I want to accomplish. I want to be the best in the world and make the maximum amount of money, but I box because I love to box.
I hope the best for everyone in boxing, for everyone fighting to win the Muhammad Ali Trophy in the World Boxing Super Series, because I know they are going through the same things as me, the same struggles as me. I wish them the top amount of success, just not when they are facing me. I want succes for myself more than anything and that is just the competitive nature in me.
Juergen Braehmer is a veteran. He is a very good fighter. He has been in the game for so long. I am not going to be able to do anything in there that he has not seen before. This guy will not take 15-20 nervous pisses before going to the fight. He has done everything before and that has to be respected, but let us see if I can put some doubt in him. I want to beat him in every round. I want to treat every round as a fight in itself. I just have to be better and more than prepared than Braehmer.
I feel I am an underdog to win this tournament, but for every fight my odds will get better. After I beat Braehmer - and I am very confident I will beat Braehmer - I will move on to the next level. I am confident that I will win the entire tournament.
I always told myself when I started boxing: “At 27 I want to fight for a title, but I want to take my time and learn to be a pro.” I was a phenomenal point system fighter, and I have a decent amount of professional experience that will carry me in to these big fights with these gentlemen. I don’t care who they fought. They never fought me.”
Tickets for Braehmer vs. Brant are available at the Sport-und-Kongresshalle in Schwerin are available at www.eventim.de.
Featherweight Ruben Villa (8-0, 4 KOs) and junior lightweight Michael Dutchover (6-0, 4 KOs) will return to action this Saturday night on the non-televised portion of an HBO Boxing After Dark® card at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.
Villa of Salinas, California will take on 103 fight veteran German Meraz in a featherweight bout, while Dutchover of Santa Fe Springs, California via Midland, Texas, will fight Anthony De Jesus Ruiz in a junior lightweight contest.
Villa and Dutchover are co-promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions.
Both are training in Santa Fe Springs, California and are ready for their second appearances on the East Coast.
Each fighter chimed in with thoughts on their respective battles.
"Everything has gone good in training camp. I just fought four weeks ago, but I stay ready and that is the case now. I am ready for Saturday night," said Villa.
Meraz is by far the most veteran opponent that Villa has faced. He has been in the ring with 25 undefeated opponents and 9 world champions.
"I just need to be patient against him. He has over 100 fights and knows his way around the ring. If a knockout presents itself then I have to take it, but I want to display my skills."
Being on a big card has the 20-year-old Villa excited, and he is looking to endear himself to the New York fight crowd.
"I am excited to be fighting on a bigger show. It motivates me to do better and get on the broadcast someday soon. It is very exciting to be on these types of events."
This will be the ninth bout for Villa in just fifteen months.
"When I signed the plan was to be active, and that has been the case. I would like to get one more fight in this year. But first I am very excited to put on a great performance on Saturday night."
Dutchover has moved his camp from Texas to California, and the results have been very good as he heads into his bout on Saturday.
"Everything is going great. I just fought last month, and I felt good. I am ready to go back to the east coast, and put on a great show."
Like Villa, Dutchover was very impressive in his east coast debut on April 14th, and he is looking to cement himself as one of the top prospects in the junior lightweight division.
"This is nothing new. I have fought on big shows before in the amateurs. The ring is my home. As long as I am in the ring, I will do my thing and put on an impressive performance."
Even though Dutchover has very little to go on when it comes to scouting Ruiz, Dutchover is already a young veteran and is leaving no stone unturned.
"I do not know much about him, but I am prepared for anything he will bring, and then I will adjust. I have had many different sparring partners with diverse styles, so that gets me ready for any opponent."
"I planned for this, and I train hard. I am always ready when I get the call for a fight. I am glad that I have been busy, and I have been improving with each fight, and next year should be a good year in my career. I have a mentality that if I train hard, the fight is easy. When I get in the ring, I just like to have fun."
The next chapter of former UFC heavyweight title challenger Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga starts October 28th when he makes his professional boxing debut fighting on the "New England Future 4" card, the fourth and final 2017 installment of the popular professional boxing series, "New England's Future", to be held at the DCU Center (Exhibition Hall) in Worcester, Massachusetts.
"New England's Future 4" is presented by Rivera Promotions Entertainment (RPE), which is owned and operated by retired three-time, two division world champion Jose Antonio Rivera and his son, Anthonee (A.J.) Rivera.
The 38-year-old Gonzaga teaches Brazilian Ju-Jitsu (BJJ) in Worcester and lives nearby in Ludlow (MA). An imposing physical fighter, the 6' 2", 260-pound Gonzaga (17-11-0, 7 KOs, 9 SUBs, 1 DEC), holds 4th degree black belt in BJJ. The highlight of his MMA career was at the 2007 UFC 70, held in Manchester, United Kingdom, in which he knocked out K-1, Pride and Rizen champion Mirko Cro Cop with a head kick in the opening round, positioning Gonzaga for his unsuccessful challenge of UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture in his next fight.
Gonzaga, who retired from MMA 1 ½ years ago, also defeated Ben Rothwell, Shawn Jordan and Chris Tuchscherer, among the more notable UFC fighters he faced in the Octagon.
Gonzago has a new opponent for his four-round bout, Tampa's pro-debuting Alejandro Esquilin Santiago, who also has a pro MMA background.
"I like challenges in my life," Gonzaga explained why he's making his pro debut. "I set new goals because I like to be competitive in sports. I have a good boxing coach who told me I should try. I was a BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) world champion and UFC title contender. I have good boxing skills and plan to put on a good show. I do have one-punch power and hit hard.
"I started boxing in 2001 and worked at it every day for two years to learn, but then I was competing in MMA. Now, I'm focused on boxing. I think boxing is the hardest part of MMA. I know you can't make mistakes in boxing and there's no time to relax. In MMA, I could relax a little at times in clinches, but the referee won't allow that in boxing. I'll probably fight more than once but not too many because of my age and I'm not really at the high-level of boxing like I was in MMA."
Gonzaga's head boxing trainer, Rocky Gonzalez, has been working with several MMA fighters, including Gonzaga, for more than a decade to help them improve their striking skills. Gonzalez freely admits that Gonzaga knew how to box before he started working with him, crediting Gonzaga's Muay Thai coach, and that boxing came naturally to the big Brazilian who has made an easy adjustment from the Octagon to the ring. Gonzalez also feels that leg positioning differences for MMA fighters switching to boxing, in terms of throwing proper punches, is somewhat overrated.
"In boxing," Gonzalez said, "fighters need their hands like their legs and elbows in MMA. Distance and timing is more important than where their legs and feet are positioned. Gabriel doesn't like sparring with headgear, so, his sparring is more like real fighting. He's been hot with some real shots but he's responded well. He's always going to have a puncher's chance and he's deceptive because he doesn't look as fast as he is.
"We didn't really plan anything but he got this good opportunity. He's always wanted to turn pro as a boxer and go from there. Gabriel is a good listener who keeps working hard to get better. When he first brought up boxing, he was contracted by the UFC, but we started talking about him boxing after the UFC released him. He knew Jose from him teaching boxing. Gabriel isn't doing this for the money. He's a competitive guy who wanted to try boxing."
Former WBU Americans and IBU North American cruiserweight champion, Vinnie "American Nightmare" Carita (16-1-1, 15 KOs), fighting out of Pembroke (MA), will take on Bolivian heavyweight champion Saul "El Fenjx Asesino" Faraff (64-23-3, 56 KOs) in the eight-round main event.
Hartford's (CT) popular Richard "Popeye The Sailor Man" Rivera (3-0, 2 KOs) meets Hansen Castillo (0-2) in the four-round, co-featured event to be contested at a 180-pound catchweight.
Many of New England's best and most popular N.E. fighters will be in action, including 2014 N.E. Golden Gloves champion Adrian "Tonka" Sosa (4-0, 3 KOs), fighting out of nearby Lawrence (MA), vs. veteran Norwalk (CT) welterweight Shakha Moore (12-23-3, 2 KOs) in a six-round match.
Also fighting on the undercard in four-round fights include 2016 N.E. Golden Gloves champio, Anthony Laureano (5-0, 3 KOs), of East Hartford (CT) vs. Bruno Dias (0-3), of Woburn (MA), New Haven (CT) Edwin Soto (10-2-2, 4 KOs) vs. Anthony Everett (1-6). of Lawrence, at a 150-pound catchweight, three-time USA Boxing Nationals champion Elvis Figueroa (2-0, 1 KO), of New Haven (CT), vs. pro-debuting Brazilian native Rene Nazare, Southbridge (MA) junior welterweight Wilfredo "El Sucaro" Pagan (2-0) vs. Patrick Leal (0-3), of Woburn (MA), at a 150-pound catchweight, Danbury (CT) junior welterweight Omar Bordoy, Jr. (2-0) vs. Schenectady (NY) veteran Bryan "The Brick" Abraham (6-30, 6 KOs), and Timmy Ramos (4-0-1, 4 KOs), of Framingham (MA) vs. Seth Basler (0-2), of Illinois.
All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets, priced at $75.00 (ringside) and $45.00 (general admission), are on sale and available to purchase at the DCU Center box office, www.dcu.centerworcester.com, by contacting Jose Rivera (elgallojar@gmail.com/508.864.6954), AJ Rivera (anthoneerivera@gmail.com/774.272.2269) or any of the fighters
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., first bout 7:00 p.m. ET.
Super bantamweight Isaac Zarate (13-3-2, 2 KOs), fresh off routine sparring sessions with WBA world champion Danny Roman, looks to capitalize on his latest win against recent world title contender Carlos Carlson when he headlines the latest edition of "Path to Glory" this Friday, Oct. 20, from the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Calif.
Zarate faces Christian Esquivel (29-12, 22 KOs) in the 8-round main event.
Zarate, fighting out of the Los Angeles port city of San Pedro, Calif., is going up against a big puncher in Esquivel.
"I'm not worried about his power," said Zarate, who turned 26 in September. "I'm a pressure fighter so I won't give him the chance to throw anything big."
The southpaw is only now entering his prime and is peaking at just the right time. His convincing win in July against Carlson and his frequent sparring with top-flight talent such as Roman has him feeling supremely confident heading into Friday night.
"It's the perfect time to start another winning streak," said Zarate, who is trained and managed by Eddie Gonzalez. "I've had some recent setbacks, but I feel as though I've elevated my game in the last five months. I'm ready to put on a show."
To access the "Path to Glory" promotional video, please click here, or on the graphic above.
In the co-feature, junior welterweight Mohammed Rodriguez (10-4, 4 KOs) of Mexico makes his second appearance on a Thompson Boxing card when he fights Colombian Cesar Villarraga (9-3-1, 4 KOs) in a bout set for 8-rounds.
Tickets for "Path to Glory" are priced at $40, $60, & $100 and are available for purchase by calling 714-935-0900, or visiting ThompsonBoxing.com.
All six fights will be live streamed on TB Presents: Path to Glory via our Facebook page and ThompsonBoxing.com.
The livestream starts at 8:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET with Beto Duran as the blow-by-blow announcer and Steve Kim providing expert color commentary.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. local time with the first bout at approximately 8:00 p.m. The Doubletree Hotel is located at 222 N. Vineyard Ave. in Ontario, CA 91764 and can be reached at 909-937-0900.
Studying will be replaced by punching on Saturday night (7 p.m. ET start), November 11, when the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA), in association with USA Boxing, presents "Collegiate Fight Night" at Maurer Auditorium (town hall on Mt. Vernon St.) in Winchester, Massachusetts.
An entertaining evening of 10 amateur bouts are scheduled as the Cadets of the United States Military Academy at West Point take on a New England all-star caliber team comprised of boxers from the Coast Guard Academy (New London, CT), University of Massachusetts, University of Connecticut, Trinity College and Harvard University.
"College boxing is not just a sport but also a high-impact leadership development activity," NCBA president Eric Buller said. "Come out and support these young men and women who face the highest levels of rigor in the classroom and the boxing gym. They will ultimately be the future leaders of our companies, communities and our nation. Each has worked hard to earn membership in the "Six-Minute Fraternity".
Two West Points Cadets from Winchester, Luca LoConte Bota and Jack Ward, will headline the event in the homecoming.
Former professional world champions "Irish" Micky Ward (Lowell) and Jose Antonio "El Gallo" Rivera (Worcester) will be special guests at "Collegiate Fight Night".
Seacoast Ticket Agency is the exclusive online (www.seacoastticket.com) and phone (1.800.382.5242) ordering ticket service for "Collegiate Fight Night". Tickets plus ($2.50 service fee) are priced at $20.00 for general admission and limited $40.00 ringside reserved. Limited $500 VIP packages are also available and include four ringside reserved tickets, including a pre-event reception at Lucias Ristorante in Winchester (cash bar), company name recognition in the event program, post and pre-event Meet & Greet with special guest boxers at Lucias. Tickets may be available to purchase fight night at the door, however, this event is expected to sell-out in advance.
The World Boxing Super Series Cruiserweight Final will be held in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia in May 2018 following an agreement signed in London between World Boxing Super Series organiser and owner Comosa AG and The General Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia. The date and venue for the Final will be announced in due time.
The Muhammad Ali trophy will be awarded to the winner of the contest in the final stage of the inaugural season of the World Boxing Super Series, which has seen growing worldwide attention and broadcast coverage across more the 60 countries since its launch and Gala Draw in Monaco back in July.
Turki Al-Alsheikh, President of The General Sports Authority: “This agreement is part of our broader commitment and work to develop the sport of boxing in Saudi Arabia. Having the first final of such a high profile and groundbreaking tournament take place in Saudi Arabia is a key milestone for us, and will be one of many major sports events to take place in the Kingdom next year.”
"The interest in boxing amongst the young generation is there and growing rapidly, which is why the GSA is also working to form a grassroots partnership with one of the largest international boxing federations to promote the sport. Our involvement in the Muhammad Ali trophy is the perfect way to step up our engagement in boxing, given how popular and well respected this great sporting athlete has always been.”
Roberto Dalmiglio, CEO of Comosa: “This is fantastic news, not just for World Boxing Super Series but for boxing and for the sport in Saudi Arabia. We have seen huge and growing interest in the World Boxing Super Series from fight fans, broadcasters, commercial partners and venue owners from the major boxing markets around the world. The competition to host the cruiserweight final has been fierce, and we are delighted to be able to announce the winner."
"I am sure that Saudi Arabia will lay on a fitting finale to the first year of the WBSS and first award of the Muhammad Ali trophy! We are proud to be working with the Saudi General Sports Authority on what will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the 2018 sporting calendar in Jeddah.”
Kalle Sauerland, Comosa’s Chief Boxing Officer: “The Muhammad Ali trophy is going from strength to strength and, with the cruiserweight division featuring all four federation world champions, the undisputed champion will be crowned next May. We will also feature local fighters on the undercard to help promote the sport locally.“
“The Muhammad Ali name and legacy is so revered in Saudi Arabia, and Ali himself fought his greatest battles (‘The Thriller in Manila’ and ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’) in locations not normally associated with boxing, so it is fitting to bring big-time boxing to Jeddah in the name of the Greatest of All Time.”
The first fights of the World Boxing Super Series took place in September and three of the four quarterfinals in the Cruiserweight division has already taken place. 2012 Olympic Gold Medallist and current WBO World Champion Aleksandr Usyk kicked off the cruiserweight tournament by spectacularly stopping Marco Huck, a former record-breaking World Champion himself, in the 10th round in Berlin.
WBA World Champion Yunier Dorticos defeated number one ranked Dmitry Kudryashov with a sensational second-round knockout in San Antonio. Finally, hometown hero Mairis Briedis outpointed Cuba’s Mike Perez in Riga to retain his WBC world title belt and set up a semi-final clash with Aleksandr Usyk.
Next up is Russia’s IBF World Champion Murat Gassiev against Poland’s former world champion Krzysztof Wlodarczyk in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday, with the winner to face Yunier Dorticos. The venues of both semi-finals, which are expected to take place in the second half of January next year, will be announced in due course.
Team Sauerland and Sport1 GmbH have signed a ground-breaking three-year-deal to lift boxing to the next level in Germany. From 2018 onwards, Team Sauerland will exclusively deliver boxing content to SPORT1, Germany`s leading 360° sports platform, which each year will broadcast at least 20 events with German participation and a total of roundly 100 fights live and exclusive on free-TV and its digital platforms.
“Team Sauerland has been continuously on Free to Air Television in Germany since 1992. We are delighted to continue that tradition and provide the sport with a huge free-to-air presence over the next three years,” said promoter Kalle Sauerland. “With a total of at least 60 free-to-air events with German participation until 2020 we now have a perfect platform for our current stars and the next generation of boxing heroes.”
Olaf Schröder, CEO of Constantin Medien and Chairman of the Management of Sport1 GmbH: “Thanks to this extensive and exclusive partnership with Team Sauerland, SPORT1 is set to become the new home for all boxing fans in the German-speaking countries. Together with Team Sauerland, we are opening the next chapter for boxing in Germany. As the leading sports dedicated platform, we will showcase this popular sport with its present and future stars, not only with extensive live broadcasts on free-TV but also on all digital platforms, giving it even more of the spotlight.”
The deal will also change the way boxing is viewed in Germany. SPORT1 will exclusively broadcast “Team Sauerland Championship Boxing” as well as “Next Generation Boxing” and “International Boxing Nights.” Prior to all big fights, there will be exclusive countdown programming – all available on free-TV. On top of that, SPORT1.de, Germany’s leading sports platform, will sync its boxing channel with Team Sauerland´s webpage, boxen.com, to expand the digital boxing coverage in the Online, Mobile and Social Media sector.
Said promoter Nisse Sauerland: “This 360-degree approach on free-to-air television will help boxing win many new fans and make sure it stays where it belongs: among the top three TV sports in Germany. Team Sauerland’s young talent pool has never been so strong. This historic deal with SPORT1 will give our fighters never-seen-before exposure and the unique chance to fight their way to the top and win the hearts of the public.”
Mikaela Laurén (29-4, 13 KOs) believes her power could prove too much for Cecilia Brækhus (31-0, 8 KOs) when she challenges for the WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO World Welterweight titles on Saturday at the Oslofjord Convention Center in Stokke, Norway.
The Scandinavian rivals meet in a repeat of their 2010 World title contest, and Laurén, the former WBC Super Welterweight Champion, is confident she can hurt the female pound-for-pound number one and put an end to her 31-fight unbeaten streak.
“Cecilia is a very arrogant person but when she feels my power she won’t be so cocky. She might be confident now, but once I hit her, it’s going to wake her up. It’s going to scare her and then I’m going to get her respect,” said Laurén.
“She’s been in the ring with some strong fighters before like Anne Sophie Mathis and Oxandia Castillo, and in those fights you can see she’s not comfortable when she gets caught with heavy punches. I’ve got heavy punches but I’ve also got better technique than both those girls. I’m going to be cleverer in the ring.
“Cecilia has never been down before but if anyone can do it, it’s me. Klara Svensson shook her in their fight, and Klara’s not even a big puncher. She landed the heaviest punch of the fight and you could tell Cecilia was hurt.
“I’ve spoken to Klara and she’s given me some advice. She’s on my side and she thinks I can beat Cecilia. I won’t mention everything she told me but she did say that Cecilia doesn’t really punch hard, and that shows on her record. She has hardly any knockouts.
“I think she is underestimating me. Maybe she thinks I’m still the same fighter I was seven years ago, but I wouldn’t even call myself a boxer back then. I was a novice. I’ve developed so much since our first fight. I’m a completely different fighter now and she is going to see just how much I’ve improved on Saturday.
“I know it will be tough but I’m used to doing it the hard way. Cecilia has had it much easier than me. She’s had a silver spoon in her mouth. She had a big promoter behind her from her first fight. I didn’t get a promoter until after my thirtieth. I’ve had to do everything on my own, and that’s made me hungrier and even more determined to win.
“She's said I talked myself into this fight but I deserve it, and she knows it. I’ve been waiting a long time for this opportunity. This is my Olympics, and I will do everything I can to win. No one is unbeatable. Look what happened to Klitschko who she has been working with. Anyone can fall from the throne.”
Cecilia Brækhus vs. Mikaela Laurén is available to watch live and exclusive on Viaplay Pay-Per-View. For more information please visit: https://viaplay.se/ppv
Mikkel Kessler has been forced to delay his comeback after contracting Lyme Borreliosis - a bacterial infection spread to humans by infected ticks.
The former five-time World Champion had announced his plans to come out of retirement earlier this year and was expected to make his long awaited return to the ring in November.
However, the Danish boxing icon was struck down by a mystery illness whilst in training camp, and was later admitted to hospital where following multiple tests it was revealed that he had Lyme Borreliosis.
Kessler has since been released from hospital and is currently completing a course of antibiotics. The 38 year-old is close to making a full recovery, but still suffering from symptoms including fatigue, he is yet to resume training.
“I started to feel ill around 4 weeks ago. I was tired, my muscles were aching and I was unable to train,” reveals Kessler. “At that point, I still had no idea what was causing it. I had blood tests, which showed nothing, and it wasn’t until I had a spinal fluid test that the doctors were able to identify the problem.
“I’m not sure exactly when or where I was bitten by the tick, but I’m just thankful the bacteria was caught early and hopefully there will be no long lasting effects.
“Obviously, I’m disappointed to have to delay my comeback. I want to thank my fans for their support and patience. I hope to be ready to return to the ring early next year, and I promise to repay their support with a great victory!”
“I’ve had fighters suffering from many different injuries and illnesses in the past but this is a first for me,” said promoter Kalle Sauerland.
“I know Mikkel is bitterly disappointed, but his health must come first. We are now set for March and will announce venue and opponent in the coming weeks. It will take more than a tick to stop The Viking Warrior!”
WBA super champion George Groves defeated fellow countryman Jamie Cox in the Ali Trophy quarter-final with a fourth-round knockout and paved the way for a British superfight semi-final with Chris Eubank Jr.
"We have an opportunity to put on a mega fight. I can’t wait, it’s going to be epic!” said Eubank Jr. after facing off with Groves.
Groves ended Cox's unbeaten record Saturday night as he delivered a stunning right hook body shot to floor Cox.
"I was landing big body shots on Jamie, in the end it was a right hook to the body, it's a crippling shot - I don't blame him for not getting up,” said Groves now looking forward to fighting Eubank Jr.
"It’s going to be a great fight. Eubank has always been all-action. He has improved over the years but he hasn't boxed anyone on my level. I know if I boxed like I did tonight, he doesn't stand a chance."
Cox worked furiously and fought with intensity from the first bell, but in the end he could not handle Groves’ greater power.
“He placed the shot greatly and he’s a very good champion. He prepared well, I made a mistake and he made me pay. It was a great fight until then,” said Cox.
"It was an honour being a part of this great tournament."
In the biggest fight of his career, Danny Roman (23-2-1, 9 KOs) delivered a masterful performance by knocking out WBA champion Shun Kubo (12-1, 9 KOs) in the ninth round to become the newest world champion at 122-pounds.
Roman traveled to Kubo's home country of Japan to battle the newly minted Kubo. Roman, who lives and trains in Los Angeles, made good on his prefight promise to win by knockout.
"I said before the fight that I didn't intend for this to go to the judges," Roman said. "The plan was to knock him out and take the WBA title in dominating fashion."
Roman, indeed, dominated the fight from start to finish. He won every round on every scorecard with the exception of the first round on one score sheet. He battered Kubo on multiple occasions, dropping him in the seventh and eighth rounds before finishing him off in the ninth.
"Words can't describe what I'm feeling right now," Roman said after the fight. "It's a dream come true."
"We're incredibly proud of Danny Roman," said Ken Thompson, president of Thompson Boxing Promotions. "In our eyes, Danny is the ultimate champion. He never backs down from a challenge and tonight he showed that he belongs among the best in the 122-pound division."
"We never had any doubt that Danny would win the WBA title," said Alex Camponovo, matchmaker and general manager at Thompson Boxing Promotions. "He looked unbelievable against Kubo. We believe his best years are still ahead of him. That's a scary thought for the rest of the champions in this division."
The 12-round WBA championship fight took place at the Shimazu Arena in Kyoto, Japan. Roman is trained and managed by Eddie Gonzalez and exclusively promoted by Thompson Boxing Promotions.
The World Boxing Super Series is delighted to confirm the first two reserves for the Muhammad Ali Trophy. Former WBO Cruiserweight World Champion Krzysztof Glowacki (27-1, 17 KOs) and up-and-coming German youngster Vincent Feigenbutz (26-2, 23 KOs) are on stand-by to join the tournament if one of the original 16 participants is unable to continue. “The World Boxing Super Series will follow a strict schedule,” said Roberto Dalmiglio, Comosa`s Head of Management Board. “The Muhammad Ali Trophy has been designed to crown the undisputed number one in less than 10 months and we will not accept any postponements or delays. If a fighter is unavailable to box on the proposed date, he will be replaced by a world-class reserve who has been in full training. In a physical sport like boxing, there is always the chance of an injury, so we need to be prepared. We are glad to announce the first two reserves, who are both exciting fighters, today.”
Said Glowacki: “I am ready to come into the tournament and prove the world that I am the best cruiserweight. I will be training very hard and be in perfect shape once my name is called.”
Said Feigenbutz: “The Muhammad Ali Trophy is the Greatest Prize in Boxing. I feel honored to be considered. I will train extremely hard to be ready should the opportunity present itself.”
Tomorrow night in Monaco, the Draft Gala will be held at the famed Grimaldi Forum. The live TV show (23:00 local, 5 PM ET) will be broadcasted in multiple territories and also be streamed live on www.WorldBoxingSuperSeries.com. The top four seeds, which will be set by the Comosa Board once the line-up has been completed, will select their opponents from the unseeded boxers.
In the World Boxing Super Series, 16 elite fighters – eight super-middleweights and eight cruiserweights – will battle it out in a bracket-style elimination tournament. In both divisions, there will be four quarter-finals (September / October 2017), two semi-finals (early 2018) and one final (May 2018), making for a total of 14 high-class fights.
The World Boxing Super Series is proud to announce that the winner of the IBO World Championship between Chris Eubank Jnr. and Arthur Abraham will enter the competition for the inaugural Ali Trophy. The two stars collide at Wembley Arena in London on July 15, with the final spot in the revolutionary bracket-style elimination tournament up for grabs. The winner will enter a star-studded super-middleweight competition that already features WBA Super Champion George Groves, Callum Smith, who will fight for the WBC Diamond Championship, former world champion Juergen Braehmer as well as undefeated challengers Erik Skoglund, Jamie Cox, Avni Yildirim and Rob Brant.
"I look forward to testing myself against the best fighters out there,” said Eubank (24-1, 19 KOs). “The Muhammad Ali Trophy is a great idea and I am thrilled to participate. It would be great to fight George Groves and to take his title away from him but let´s see what the draw in Monaco brings. I am taking one step at a time and right now all my focus is on the fight with Arthur Abraham. With just one win between me and the World Boxing Super Series, I am extremely motivated."
Abraham (46-5, 30 KOs) has also firmly set his sights on the Muhammad Ali Trophy. “All my focus is on the difficult and spectacular fight next week at Wembley,” he said. I have to and I will defeat Eubank in a big fight. Then things will take off with the World Boxing Super Series, which really is amazing. There are so many great fights in such a short period of time, like blow-by-blow. The boxing fans will really love it. I have been dreaming of having a tournament with the world´s best boxers. I will become the world´s best super-middleweight. This really is the Champions League of Boxing and I am really looking forward to it.”
Roberto Dalmiglio, Comosa´s Head of Management Board, believes that the winner of the hotly-anticipated clash will be a worthy addition to the Muhammad Ali Trophy. “This is great news for the World Boxing Super Series,” he said. “The tournament either gets a multiple world champion who has been a top super-middleweight for many years or an up-and-coming youngster who has the potential to dominate the division for years to come. The fans will get their worth either way. May the best man win. With nine undefeated fighters, seven belts, five world champions and three former champions the Muhammad Ali Trophy has delivered on the promise to pit the best against the best.”
Said Kalle Sauerland, Comosa´s Chief Boxing Officer: “Eubank versus Abraham is a big fight that just got bigger. With the winner going into the tournament, the stakes could not be any higher.”
On Saturday, all participants of the World Boxing Super Series will come face-to-face in Monaco to determine the quarter-final match-ups in a Live Draft Gala, which will be broadcasted in multiple territories and also be streamed live on www.WorldBoxingSuperSeries.com. During the live TV show, the top four seeds will select their opponents from the unseeded boxers. The seeding, which will be set by the Comosa Board, will be announced later today.
As the IBO Champion, Eubank Jnr. has been granted the right to represent this pairing in Monaco. “With just one week between the Draft Gala and their fight, Chris Eubank Jnr. could not come down personally but will be represented by his father Chris Eubank Senior, who would be ready select an opponent for the winner of the Abraham-Eubank fight if they make it into the top four seeds,” Dalmiglio added.
In the World Boxing Super Series, 16 elite fighters – eight super-middleweights and eight cruiserweights – will battle it out in a bracket-style elimination tournament. In both divisions, there will be four quarter-finals (September / October 2017), two semi-finals (early 2018) and one final (May 2018), making for a total of 14 high-class fights.
Following his recent knockout of boxing legend BERNARD HOPKINS, Long Island fan favorite JOE SMITH JR. moved right into the mix in the light heavyweight division, boxing's deepest and most exciting.
Working full-time as a union laborer in the New York City area, Smith (23-1-0, 19 KO's) will take a short break from wielding the sledgehammer as he finalizes training for his upcoming 10-round showdown with fellow highly ranked contender SULLIVAN BARRERA, (19-1-0, 14 KO's), on Saturday, July 15 from The Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles and telecast live on HBO's Boxing After Dark (9:50 p.m. ET/PT).
Most recently a new #1 Pound-for-Pound in boxing from the light heavyweight division was heralded as ANDRE WARD defeated SERGEY KOVALEV for the second time on June 17, defending the WBA/IBF/WBO Light Heavyweight Titles. On June 3, longtime WBC Light Heavyweight Champion ADONIS STEVENSON stopped highly ranked contender ANDRZEJ FONFARA.
In addition to those two champions the division is filled with world class fighters and highly regarded contenders including ARTUR BETERBIEV, DMITRY BIVOL, OLEKSANDR GVOZDYK and ELEIDER ALVAREZ .
"It's true the division is truly heating up and I'm honored to be a part of it," said the 27-year-old Smith Jr. "The winner of my upcoming fight moves right into the top of the mix in the division."
"With my last two knockouts I have the full confidence that the sky is the limit for me in this division, I want to achieve my dream of becoming a world champion."
Smith Jr. is promoted by JOE DEGUARDIA'S STAR BOXING who has developed the heavy handed Long Island native over the last few years into a world ranked contender and holder of the WBC International Light Heavyweight Title.
"Timing is always very important when bringing along a fighter to a higher level," said DeGuardia. "We started working together a few years ago and our plan was to continue developing Joe's talents and present him with the right opportunities for success. This is a formula we've used many times in the past in building fighters the right way."
"When the opportunity came to fight Andrzej Fonfara we believed as a team that Joe was ready and he was spectacular in the first round knockout victory. The same with fighting Bernard Hopkins, it was a great opportunity and Joe put on another star making performance."
"With the Sullivan Barrera fight the stakes are even higher but we feel this is another great opportunity for Joe, back on HBO which has built many stars over the last forty years."
Known as "The Common Man", Irish-American Joe Smith Jr. burst onto the international boxing scene last June, knocking out the highly favored, former world title challenger Andrzej Fonfara in the first round of a nationally televised contest (NBC) from the Pole's hometown of Chicago.
Six months later Smith challenged future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins at the Fabulous Forum and live on HBO. Dominating the legend on December 17 through the first seven rounds, the construction union laborer Smith drilled Hopkins to the canvas and out of the ring earning the knockout in the eighth round.
Sullivan Barrera is riding a two-bout knockout streak with victories over Paul Parker on April 15 and Vyacheslav Shabaranskyy on December 16, 2016. His only loss was to light heavyweight champion Andre Ward by unanimous decision in March 2016, and Barrera is considered one of the top fighters in the stacked division.
Smith vs. Barrera is presented by Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing and Main Events. This fight is part of a sensational triple header featuring Miguel Berchelt vs. Takashi Miura, a 12-round fight for the WBC Super Featherweight World Championship and the WBA Super Featherweight World Championship with Jezreel "El Invisible" Corrales defending his title against Robinson "Robin Hood" Castellanos. Berchelt-Miura is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Zanfer Promotions and Teiken Promotions.
Tickets are priced at $25, $50, $75 and $125, not including applicable service charges and taxes, with a total ticket limit of 12 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or the Forum Box Office (Monday through Friday 11:00 a.m. PST to 7:00 p.m. PST) at (310) 330-7300. Tickets will also be available for purchase at www.fabulousforum.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
The World Boxing Super Series is delighted to present the seventh of eight participants in the cruiserweight division. Dmitry Kudryashov has joined a star-studded tournament line-up that features the four reigning world champions Oleksandr Usyk (WBO), Mairis Briedis (WBC), Murat Gassiev (IBF) and Yunier Dorticos (WBO) as well as former champions Marco Huck and Krzysztof Wlodarczyk. The Russian Hammer (21-1, 21 KOs) enters the Muhammad Ali Trophy with a fearsome KO ratio of 94 %, with all of his 21 victories coming by the way of knockout.
“I am the Russian Hammer and I will hammer my way to four titles and the Muhammad Ali Trophy,” Kudryashov said. “The tournament is loaded with champions and former champions but nobody has a better KO ratio than me. I have a lot of respect for my fellow participants but whoever gets in my way will be knocked out.”
Roberto Dalmiglio, Comosa´s Head of Management Board, believes the stage is set for a great tournament. “Four undefeated world champions, two former champions and a KO king battling it out in a bracket-style elimination tournament – it hardly gets any better than this,” he said. “The World Boxing Super Series will set new standards in terms of quality and entertainment.”
With the addition of Kudryashov, the combined KO ratio of all participants in the cruiserweight division has gone up to 74 percent. “A KO tournament for the KO machines – this is what fans have been dreaming of for a long time,” said Richard Schaefer, Comosa`s Chairman of the Americas. “You wouldn´t want to miss a single second of the tournament, not just because of the fighters` overall quality but especially because of their punching power. With a line-up like this, any fight can be over at any second. The fans will love the Muhammad Ali Trophy.”
In what will be a historic moment, all participants will come face-to-face during the Draft Gala in Monaco on Saturday. The top four seeds will hand-pick their opponents from the unseeded boxers. “The drama begins live on stage at the famed Grimaldi Forum when these warriors will see eye-to-eye with their biggest rivals and try to select the easiest opponent,” said Kalle Sauerland, Comosa`s Chief Boxing Officer. “However, between four world champs, two former champs, a KO king and another high-profile challenger to be announced shortly, there will be no easy opponents. It´s intriguing to debate about who will pick whom. We can´t wait for Saturday.”
Once the quarter-final match-ups have been set, the dates and venues will be announced.
WORLD BOXING SUPER SERIES AT A GLANCE
Participants confirmed: 11 of 16
Number of world champions: 5
Number of former world champions: 3
Number of undefeated fighters: 6
Combined Record of participants: 316 wins, 14 losses, 229 KOs
Confirmed Cruiserweights (7 of 8)
Oleksandr Usyk (12-0, 10 KOs), WBO World Champion
Yunier Dorticos (21-0, 20 KOs), WBA World Champion
Murat Gassiev (24-0, 17 KOs), IBF World Champion
Mairis Briedis (22-0, 18 KOs), WBC World Champion
Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (53-3-1, 37 KOs), former IBF / WBC World Champion & IBF top-ranked challenger
Marco Huck (40-4-1, 27 KOs), former WBO World Champion
Dmitry Kudryashov, (21-1, 21 KOs)
Confirmed Super-Middleweights (4 of 8)
George Groves (26-3, 19 KOs), WBA Super Champion
Juergen Braehmer (48-3, 35 KOs), former WBA & WBO Champion
Erik Skoglund (26-0, 12 KOs)
Jamie Cox (23-0, 13 KOs)
Star Boxing announced the main event for "Rockin Fights 27", Friday, July 28th, at The Paramount in Huntington, NY. Fast rising Jr. Welterweight prospect and New York State Champion Anthony "Showtime" Karperis, 14-2 5KO'S Hicksville, NY will take on former NY Golden Glove champion Louis Cruz, 11-3 5KO'S Bronx, NY, in a 10 round Jr. Welterweight match up.
Karperis is coming off a career best effort in his last fight stopping fellow prospect Scott Burrell on March 24th at the Paramount. Karperis has won 10 of his last 11 bouts, all at the Paramount and is following in the footsteps of Star Boxing's Chris Algieri, Joe Smith, and Cletus Seldin, becoming the next big attraction developed at the Paramount. The Hicksville native has a huge fan base supporting him each fight and has steadily shown improvement from fight to fight. On July 28th Karperis will be taking on his most dangerous opponent to date in Louis Cruz.
Cruz, a former NY Golden Glove champion, a Bronx native, has never shied away from a challenge as he has taken on solid opposition throughout his career and knows he will have to be at his best when he takes on the exciting Karperis on July 28th.
Promoter Joe DeGuardia had this to say about the July 28th main event "This is what New York boxing used to be like and is supposed to be like. Two young kids, one from Long Island, one from the Bronx, putting it on the line to try and further their careers. This is a good match-up and I expect another sellout at the Paramount-- so get your tickets early".
Tickets are $50 and up and are available now at Star Boxing 718 823-2000 or by going to www.starboxing.com, the Paramount Box Office 631 673-7300, or through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1 (800) 745-3000.
"Rockin Fights" are sponsored by Legacy Advisors, Montauk Iced Tea, Modell's Sporting Goods stores, The Inn at Fox Hollow and Camelot Limousine.
Tyron Zeuge (20-0-1, 11 KOs) says Paul Smith (38-6, 22 KOs) will not take his title when they meet for the WBA World Super Middleweight Championship on Saturday, June 17 at the Rittal Arena in Wetzlar, Germany.
Zeuge captured the WBA strap with an impressive knockout victory over Giovanni De Carolis on November 5, 2016 at the MBS Arena in Potsdam. Having fought to a stalemate four months earlier, Zeuge claimed the title in style, stopping the Italian champion with just 19 seconds remaining in the final round.
The Berlin boxer then retained his belt with a technical decision against Nigeria’s Isaac Ekpo. He was ahead on points when the referee stopped the fight in the fifth round due to a cut above his right eye following an accidental clash of heads.
The 25 year-old is now set for a second defence against former British Champion Smith, who returns to Germany for a third attempt at World honours following back-to-back defeats to Arthur Abraham in September 2014 and February 2015.
‘’Paul Smith is a good opponent with a lot of experience. I’ve watched both his fights with Arthur Abraham, and I know he will be coming to win,’’ said Zeuge. ‘’However, I believe his style is well suited to mine, and I’m confident I can beat him. I’m expecting a tough fight, but I guarantee Smith will not take my title!
‘’I’ve been training hard with my coaches Juergen Braehmer and Michael Timm. We’ve prepared a good game plan, and I feel fit and strong. It gives me a lot of confidence to have so much experience in my corner. Juergen has been in my position many times before, and he knows what I to do and what advice to give.
‘’I’m excited to be defending my title. I‘ve worked really hard to get to where I am today and I will not give it up easily. I’m the last World Champion left in Germany, and while I don’t allow myself to feel any additional pressure, I know this is an important fight, not just for me, but for my countrymen too.
‘’Germany and England have always had a big sporting rivalry. I hope we can give both sets of fans an exciting fight with lots of action. Smith has tried and failed to win a World title here twice before, and on Saturday, it will be 3-0 to Germany.‘’
The WBA World Super Middleweight Championship clash between Tyron Zeuge and Paul Smith will be shown live and exclusive on SAT.1 and ran.de in Germany, and Sky Sports in the UK. Limited tickets are still available online via www.eventim.de or by calling the ticket hotline on +49 (0) 1806-570044.
Swedish light heavyweight Erik Skoglund (26-0, 12 KOs) is targeting the division's top names as he makes the move down to super middleweight.
Skoglund is currently ranked with all the major governing bodies at 175lbs (IBF #4, WBO #5, WBC #10 and WBA #11), but frustrated by a lack of opportunities, and following talks with his promoter Nisse Sauerland, the 26 year-old has decided to drop down to 168lbs.
At super middleweight, Skoglund is eager to prove himself at the highest level, and has already set his sights on the division's champions George Groves (WBA Super), James De Gale (IBF) and Tyron Zeuge (WBA Regular), plus a Scandinavian showdown with Danish boxing legend Mikkel Kessler, who has recently announced his comeback.
‘’It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while,’’ says Skoglund. ‘’I’ve always made light heavyweight comfortably. I don't have to drain fluids before a weigh-in, and I like to stay fit between fights, so I don't see any problems making super middleweight.
‘’I’ve been waiting a long time for a chance to prove myself at light heavyweight, and it’s been difficult. A lot of the belts are tied up. I’ve not been getting the opportunities I need to reach the next stage of my career, and that’s why I’ve decided to move down.
''There are more opportunities available for me at super middleweight. I’m tired of waiting for my shot at light heavyweight. I want something big now. I want the chance to prove myself against the best fighters in the division, and the chance to fulfil my potential.
‘’I know I can mix it with the top guys at super middleweight. I’ve sparred a lot of them in the past, and I’ve always been comfortable handling the situation. I’ve improved a lot since then. I've had surgery to fix a herniated disc in my back, and I feel stronger than ever.
‘’There are a lot of big fights out there for me at super middleweight. George Groves, Mikkel Kessler and Tyron Zeuge all have the same promoter as me. They are three of the top names in the division, and these are fights that should be easy to make.
‘’I'd like to fight James De Gale fight as well. I wasn’t impressed with his last performance against Badou Jack. He started well but looked tired and like he lacked power in the later rounds. I think I could do well against a guy like De Gale.
‘’I also think I would have a good chance against Groves. I’ve sparred him twice before. Once in Copenhagen before Mikkel Kessler’s rematch with Carl Froch in 2013, and then again a year later in London before his rematch his with Froch.
‘’The Kessler fight would obviously be a massive one. A big Scandinavian derby! He’s a boxing legend, and someone I’ve looked up to him since I started my career. It would be an honour to fight him, and I think it would be an interesting match-up.’’
Although there is currently no date set for his super middleweight debut, Skoglund says he can be ready in a matter of months. ''Nothing has been decided yet,’’ he said. ‘’I'm looking at a lot of different options with my promoter at the moment, but I will be ready to fight from the middle to the end of the summer.''
Skoglund's promoter Nisse Sauerland sees no issues with his fighter making the lower weight, and has tipped the Swedish star to have a big impact at super middleweight.
‘’This is an exciting development in Erik’s career. It's something we've talked about before, and now, the time is right for him to launch his attack on the super middleweight division.
''He's always been a consummate professional. He eats clean and lives right, so I have no doubt he can make the weight. I’m looking forward to sitting down with him and planning the next stage of his journey. There are a lot of big fights out there for him at super middleweight, and I believe he can become a major player in the division,'' said Sauerland.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa "T-Rex" Shields announced today that she has signed a promotional agreement with promoter Dmitriy Salita and Salita Promotions.
Already a national sports figure and role model for women everywhere, the Flint, Michigan native is in position to realize her dreams as a professional boxer.
On Friday, June 16, Shields will fight at Detroit's Masonic Temple, in her home state of Michigan, as part of Salita's Detroit Brawl series.
Shields (2-0, 1 KO), of Flint, Michigan, is the only American boxer, male or female, to ever win back-to-back Olympic boxing gold medals (2012 and 2016). In only her second bout as a professional, Shields won the NABF Middleweight Championship on Showtime's ShoBox: The New Generation in the first-ever women's bout to headline a premium cable telecast. The event, held at MGM Grand Detroit, was presented by Salita Promotions.
"I thank Salita Promotions for the commitment they have shown to me," said Claressa Shields. "I promise all boxing fans that I will dedicate myself to being not only the world's #1 female boxer and #1 pound-for-pound, but also a torch-bearer for boxing and women the world over. I can't wait to get in the ring on June 16 to continue the journey."
"Salita Promotions is to be commended for their commitment to Claressa Shields," said Mark Taffet, Shields' co-manager. "Dmitriy's knowledge and expertise in Claressa's home-base market of Detroit provides the perfect complements to Claressa's once-in-a-century talent and determination to advance women's boxing and change the sport of boxing forever."
"Claressa is an outstanding world-class athlete, who has the ability to transcend sports like Michael Jordan and Serena Williams," said Dmitriy Salita. "She also has the charisma to appeal to a broad new generation of fans, who will tune in to watch her fights and will want to come to arenas to experience her performance live. Every one of her fights is a unique experience that is memorable and transcends boxing. Claressa is a rare combination of the great fighter and a sports icon that come along in every generation. The state of Michigan has been home to many, like Joe Louis, Tommy Hearns, Floyd Mayweather and now Claressa Shields. I look forward to working with Claressa on her already historic career. At only 22 years old I believe Claressa will continue to break records, set new limits and break boundaries in and out the ring."
Tickets for "Detroit Brawl" are priced at VIP $200, Box Seats are $100 and $55, Seating is $40, and are available at all Ticketmaster outlets and Ticketmaster.com.
Paul Smith (38-6, 22 KOs) is aiming to make it third time lucky when he returns to Germany to challenge Tyron Zeuge (20-0-1, 11 KOs) for the WBA World Super Middleweight title on Saturday, June 17 at the Rittal Arena in Wetzlar.
The 34 year-old had back-to-back World title bouts with Arthur Abraham in September 2014 and February 2015. Dropping a somewhat contentious points decision to the German veteran in their first fight in Kiel, followed by a more comprehensive defeat five months later at the O2 World in Berlin.
With this experience behind him, Smith believes he is now ready claim World honours as he returns to familiar territory for his third attempt against the undefeated 25 year-old Zeuge, Germany’s only current World Champion.
‘’It’s always been my dream to become World Champion,’’ said Smith. ‘’It’s what I wanted since I was a kid, and I came so close in the first fight with Arthur Abraham. The second fight, I admit I lost fair and square, but I still believe I won that first fight, and I should have already been a World Champion.
‘’But boxing is a funny game, and now, I’ve got another chance, I see no reason why I can’t win. The timing is right for me. I’ve got more experience now. I’ve been there and done it. I’ve fought at World level and I know what to expect.
‘’Zeuge is a decent fighter. Technically he is very good. He’s strong. He throws good straight shots, and stylistically he’s not too dissimilar to me, but I’ve seen some weaknesses I can expose, and with my experience, I’m confident I can win.
‘’I know this is my last chance and I’ve got to make it count. If I had won the first fight with Abraham, I would have probably retired by now, but instead, I’m going back to Germany for another shot, and this time, I’ll be taking the title home!’’
The WBA World Super Middleweight Championship clash between Tyron Zeuge and Paul Smith will be shown live and exclusive on SAT.1 in Germany and Sky Sports in the UK. Tickets are available online via www.eventim.de or by calling +49 (0) 1806-570044.
The first three star names have signed up for the inaugural season of the World Boxing Super Series. IBF Cruiserweight World Champion Murat Gassiev (24-0, 17 KOs), WBC World Champion Mairis Briedis (22-0, 18 KOs) as well as former IBF / WBC champion & IBF top-ranked challenger Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (53-3-1, 37 KOs) will all participate in the revolutionary global knock-out tournament, with five more elite fighters to be confirmed shortly. The winner will receive the GREATEST prize in boxing, the Muhammad Ali Trophy.
Boasting a combined record of 99 wins and 3 losses along with 72 KOs, Gassiev, Briedis and Wlodarczyk can´t wait to get in on and write history.
“It is an honor to be in the World Boxing Super Series,“ said Gassiev, who holds the IBF title. “This is the best fighting the best. I have never lost a fight, I am the IBF champion and I look forward to winning the other belts as well to cement my position as the best fighter in the division!“
WBC Champion Briedis is also thrilled to participate. “This is the Champions League of boxing and I am going to prove that I am the world´s best cruiserweight,” he said. “The competition will be tough, but to be the best, you have to beat the best.”
Wlodarczyk, the former IBF & WBC Champion who now occupies the number one spot in the IBF rankings, is equally confident of success. “I will stamp my authority on the division by beating the best cruiserweights out there and winning the World Boxing Super Series,” he stated. “There is a reason the winner gets the Muhammad Ali Trophy. He was the Greatest of all time, and the winner of this tournament has the right to call himself the greatest cruiserweight of our time.”
Saturday will mark the first anniversary of Muhammad Ali´s death. Roberto Dalmiglio, Comosa´s Head of Management Board, paid tribute to the GREATEST of all time. “Nobody will ever forget what Ali has achieved,” he said. “He was the GREATEST of all time because he defeated the best opponents out there. The World Boxing Super Series is all about the best fighting the best, and that is why we named the trophy after him.”
With three high-profile signings confirmed and many more to come, the stage is set for an exciting tournament. “The quest for the Muhammad Ali Trophy has officially begun and we are thrilled to welcome two unbeaten world champions and a top-ranked challenger, who is a former champion, to the World Boxing Super Series,” Dalmiglio said. “They have accepted the ultimate challenge to determine the best cruiserweight in the world.”
Season 1 of the World Boxing Super Series will feature the cruiserweights and super-middleweight divisions. In each weight class, eight top fighters will battle out a bracket-style elimination tournament. There will be four quarter-finals (September / October 2017), two semi-finals (early 2018) and one final (May 2018), which makes for a total of 14 high-class fights. “We have received a massive amount of applications for both divisions,” said Kalle Sauerland, Comosa`s Chief Boxing Officer. “The best fighters are lining up to be in the tournament. Just like the fans, they love the format and the fact that there will only be one man standing at the end.”
Richard Schaefer, Comosa`s Chairman of the Americas, added: “We promised you the biggest names and champions in the divisions and here we are delivering. More names will follow shortly. We simply can’t wait to get the action started!”
The quarter-final pairings will be determined during the Draft Gala in Monaco in early July. In each weight class, the four top-seeded boxers (which will be determined by the Comosa Board) will select their quarter-final opponents from the four unseeded boxers. Once the pairings are set, the exact fight dates and venues will be announced. Details about the participants in the super-middleweight division will be revealed shortly.
While the main event championship showdown between reigning title-holder Greg Vendetti and challenger Khiary Gray next week at Twin River Casino promises to deliver fireworks in the junior middleweight division, the undercard of CES Boxing's Friday, June 9th, 2017Pay Per View showcase could steal the spotlight.
Next Friday's 10-fight card, promoted in association with Boston-based promotion Murphys Boxing, features three of the region's busiest, most successful fighters facing their toughest test to date in front of an expected worldwide PPV audience on FITE TV.
Tickets are priced at $47.00, $102.00, $127.00 (VIP) and $152.00 (VIP) and can be purchased online at www.cesboxing.com, www.twinriver.com, www.murphysboxing.com or www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 401-724-2253/2254 or at the Twin River Casino Players Club. All fights and fighters are subject to change. The entire event also airs live in its entirety on FITE TV for $14.99 beginning at a new start time of 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT.
Among the most noteworthy preliminary bouts is a six-round junior middleweight rematch between battle-tested New Bedford, Mass., vet Ray Oliveira Jr. (7-1, 1 KO) and the dangerous Jose Rivera (3-1, 3 KOs) of Hartford, Conn., who face one another for the second time just four months following their epic duel in February.
Oliveira, then 6-0, won by majority decision with judges Glenn Feldman and Don Trella scoring the bout in favor of Oliveira. Clark Sammartino had it a draw, 57-57.
The hard-hitting Rivera, who dabbled in mixed martial arts as an amateur before making the full-time switch to boxing, credit Oliveira for his durability, but felt he should've gotten the nod the first time around.
"I was the one landing all the punches," Rivera said. "I felt like I outboxed him, I connected the most punches and most of the punches I landed were big, clean punches.
"He just managed to take the power."
While Oliveira lost his last bout, another majority decision, this time to Maine's Casey Kramlich, Rivera enters next Friday fresh off an exciting knockout win over New Yorker Marcus Beckford, courtesy of a thunderous, right uppercut in the fourth round that caught Beckford square on the chin and sent the 12-fight vet crashing to the canvas.
Next week's rematch with Oliveira, like most of Oliveira's fights, promises toe-to-toe action with both sides likely grabbing the momentum from one another at various points throughout the night.
"I made him miss a lot the first time and the punches he hit me with were mostly to my arms as I blocked 80 percent of them," Rivera said. "Don't get me wrong, he's a good, aggressive fighter and he sure as hell comes to fight just like I do. At the end of the day, it was an awesome fight and I learned a lot from it. The rematch will be a must-watch fight."
Staying true to his word, Oliveira continues to move forward, even on the heels of a tough loss in April. The son of New Bedford legend "Sucra" Ray Oliveira, the 26-year-old junior middleweight prospect has carved his own path as one of the tougher challengers in his weight class; next Friday will be his fifth fight in the last 11 months against opponents with a combined record of 16-2-1. He expects more of the same June 9th.
"As I've told people before, I'm not a big fan of rematches. It isn't in my best interest to fight the same people over and over, but, once again, he called me out," Oliveira said. "He wanted the first fight and now he wants the rematch.
"He feels the decision was unjust, but I completely won that fight. Last time, I was a little impatient. I really wanted the knockout. I was a little mad I got called out by someone with a lesser record, so I wanted to knock him out and prove a point. It didn't happen. I was going for it too much. That's why it didn't come.
"This time, I'll relax more and take my time. If I'm a little more patient and put my punched together, I can probably get the knockout. I like Jose. We talked afer the first fight. He's a hard-working kid, but this is business. Next Friday, I'm going to take care of business. This is nothing I haven't seen before."
Perhaps the only fighter in New England busier than Oliveira, middleweight Kendrick Ball Jr. (6-0-2, 5 KOs) of Worcester, Mass., returns next Friday for the third time in 2017 and the ninth time since turning pro 13 months ago in a six-round showdown against fellow undefeated middleweight and Bloomfield, N.J., policeman Godson Noel (6-0-1, 4 KOs).
Eight weeks ago, Ball earned his second consecutive win and fifth career knockout when he stopped the game Zachary Christy, a decorated U.S. Air Force vet and Rhode Island native, in the fifth round of a scheduled six-round fight.
Despite Ball's eight-inch height advantage, the fight was still up for grabs down the stretch; the shorter Christy closed the gap by fighting effectively on the inside and led on one scorecard entering the fifth, but Ball -- a notorious slow starter -- turned up the intensity following a pep talk from his father, Kendrick Ball, between rounds and finished Christy with a trio of left hooks upstairs, scoring the knockout at the 1:19 mark.
The 24-year-old Ball faces an undefeated opponent for the fourth time next week with Noel looking to rebound from the only blemish on his record, a draw against 43-fight vet Antonio Fernandes in May of 2016.
Also making his climb as one of New England's most watched fighters of 2017, Providence, R.I., lightweight Anthony Marsella Jr. (4-0, 2 KOs) returns to action next Friday in the first six-round fight of his promising career when he faces Dallas vet Abraham Torres (3-1, 1 KO).
Marsella fights for the first time since February when he scored a dominant, unanimous decision win over 16-fight vet Francisco Medel. The resilient Torres has rebounded nicely from a loss in his pro debut with three consecutive wins, including victories over the unbeaten Antonio Castillo in February of 2016. He returned a year later, battling to a draw with undefeated Edward Vasquez in Dallas, a fight he nearly ended in the opening round courtesy of a staggering right hand, but the outcome was later changed to a no contest, keeping Torres' win streak alive.
"Stepping into my first six-round fight," Marsella said, "my opponent is on a win streak that I'm putting to an end June 9th."
Torres' team remains confident; the popular, 28-year-old lightweight has a strong following in his hometown and a reputation as a hard-working, come-forward fighter. Torres' trainer and manager, Julio DeLeon, warned the Marsella camp, "They picked the wrong fight."
Stacking the deck even further, CES Boxing and Murphys Boxing teamed to bring Twin River fight fans a dynamic main event and co-feature for next Friday's PPV extravaganza. Gray (14-2, 11 KOs), promoted by CES, and Vendetti (14-2-1, 10 KOs), promoted by Murphys founder Ken Casey, the founder of Celtic punk band the Dropkick Murphys, have been on one another's radar for the past year and a half, a rivalry that intensified when Vendetti captured the vacant New England Junior Middleweight Title in May of 2016.
Eleven months later, the two 154-pound contenders face one another in next week's eight-round main event with both Vendetti's title and 10-fight win streak on the line.
Rounding out the June 9th doubleheader, Murphys prospect Mark DeLuca (18-0, 12 KOs) of Whitman, Mass., puts his unbeaten record on the line against the dangerous Chris Chatman (14-6-1, 5 KOs) of Chicago in the eight-round co-feature. Chatman has become a New England fan-favorite in recent years with wins over regional standouts Thomas Falowo and Vladine Biosse and makes his ninth Twin River Casino appearance next Friday and fifth in a row since April of 2015.
In another hotly-contested regional showdown, New London, Conn., junior welterweight Cristobal Marrero (4-0, 2 KOs) faces fellow unbeaten Miguel Ortiz (2-0, 2 KOs) of Springfield, Mass., in a four-round bout. Both fought in April with Marrero edging Sidney Maccow by majority decision and Ortiz upending previously unbeaten prospect Jonathan Figueroa on the scorecards by unanimous decision.
The June 9th card also features the Rhode Island and Twin River debut of CES' newest protégé, 6-foot-5 Italian heavyweight Juiseppe Cusumano (10-1, 8 KOs) of Norfolk, Va. The 29-year-old Cusumano will face Wilmington, Del., native Dan Biddle (9-6, 5 KOs) in a six-round bout. Providence, R.I., super featherweight Michael Valentin makes his professional debut in a separate four-round bout against Kevin De Freitas of Somerville, Mass., who also makes his debut.
Salem, Mass., junior welterweight Matt Doherty (6-3-1, 4 KOs), fresh off a big knockout win over Julio Perez in February, faces Providence's Cido Hoff (1-1-1) in a four-round bout, and Pawtucket, R.I, featherweight Ricky Delossantos (1-0) battles Orange, N.J., native Malcolm Simms (0-0-1), also in a four-round bout.
Fight fans can stream the event live on their television by downloading the FITE app free from iTunes or Google Play and using the instant stream-to-TV function for full-screen viewing, or watch online from any device at www.fite.tv. The FITE app also works with any Wi-Fi connected TV, iOS and Android devices, as well as streaming devices such as Roku, Chromecast and more. Replays will be available for those unable to watch live.
Popular heavyweight Sonya "The Scholar" Lamonakis takes on Laura "Lady Ram" Ramsey for the vacant Universal Boxing Federation (UBF) World title, on Saturday night, June 10, in the eight-round "New England's Future 3" co-feature at the DCU Center (Exhibition Hall) in Worcester, Massachusetts.
"New England's Future 3" is presented by Rivera Promotions Entertainment (RPE), which is owned and operated by retired three-time, two division world champion Jose Antonio Rivera and his son, Anthonee (A.J.) Rivera.
Undefeated prospect Irvin Gonzalez (6-0, 6 KOs), 21, headlines at home in his first scheduled eight-round bout, versus Raul Lopez (10-2-1, 5 KOs), of Bronx (NY), for the vacant UBF All-American super featherweight championship.
"I am excited to be able to have our first world championship boxing match on our 'New England's 3' boxing event," promoter Jose Rivera commented. "It's special because it's a women's World Heavyweight title fight with veterans like Sonya and Laura, who also have some hostilities towards one another. They've both earned this opportunity to fight for the UBF Women's World Heavyweight Championship. I expect fireworks and know fans will be in for a treat."
Pro boxing returns to the DCU Center for the first time in 11 years, when promoter Jose Antonio Rivera defeated Alejandro Garcia, by way of a 12-round unanimous decision, for the World Boxing Association (WBA) World super welterweight title.
Born in Greece, Lamonakis (10-2-2, 1 KO), who grew-up in Turners Falls (MA), is a teacher in New York City. She is a Springfield College graduate and has two Master's Degrees. "I'm honored to be fighting in the first world title fight in Worcester since Jose Rivera," Lamonakis said. "I'm from Massachusetts and I fought twice at Mechanics Hall (in Worcester, including her pro debut in 2010). I heard Jose was promoting shows in Worcester, so I called to say I'd like to fight for a world title on one of his cards. I think he saw me fight before and he quickly agreed.
"This is still a make-dominates sport. I tell young girls to box as a side job. I have two Master's Degrees and I'm a full-time teacher in New York. Boxing is my hobby. Very few women can make enough money boxing to make a good living. I don't know if it's because I was born in Greece and boxing is in my blood, but I love this sport and that's what keeps me going. I guess I was born to fight. I enjoy getting in the ring. I've gotten a lot from boxing and now I'm giving back to amateurs in New York City as president of a youth organization."
Lamonakis; is a former International Boxing Organization World and New York State female heavyweight champion. Her opponent, Ramsey (10-7, KOs), as a two-time world title challenger is hoping the third time is the charm for her. They have history together and this fight nearly happened a few years ago.
"I beat her daughter (Alysia Williams-Stevenson) in my second pro fight," Lamonakis explained. "She said she's see me and now, seven years later, we're fighting. She's a little older than me and I needed more fights before I fought her. We were supposed to fight a few years ago in Aruba but a hurricane cancelled the show."
In an eight-round Special Cruiserweight Attraction, Pembroke (MA) fan favorite Vinnie "American Nightmare" Carita (16-1-1, 15 KOs) meets Brazilian knockout specialist Marcelo Leonardo "Queizada" Da Silva (22-4, 17 KOs).
Fighting on the undercard, all in four-round bouts, are Worcester welterweight Andy Gonzalez (6-1, 5 KOs) vs. TBA, Lawrence (MA) junior welterweight Adrian "Tonka" Sosa (2-0, 2 KOs) vs. Buffalo's Jack Grady (0-5-1), Worcester featherweight Ranse Andino (1-0) vs. Woburn (MA) Gilvan Santos (0-3), Springfield (MA) junior middleweight Derrick "Double Impact" Whitley (1-0) vs. Norwalk (CT) veteran Shaka Moore (12-22-3, 2 KOs), Worcester's pro-debuting Bobby Harris III vs. Woburn (MA) super middleweight Rodrigo Almeida (1-6), Southbridge (MA) junior welterweight Wilfredo "El Sucaro" Pagan (1-0) vs. Lawrence's Anthony Everett (1-5), Worcester's Bryan Daniels (4-0, 2 KOs) vs. Florida's Christopher "The Archbishop" Boykins (1-8) at a 205-pound catchweight, Hartford's (CT) Richie "Popeye The Sailor Man" Rivera (1-0, 1 KO) vs. Brazilian Nathan Schulte (0-2) at a 180-pound catchweight, and Worcester's pro-debuting Neal Sullivan vs. Framingham (MA) super middleweight Saul Almeida (0-8).
All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets, priced at $75.00 (ringside) and $45.00 (general admission), are on sale and available to purchase at the DCU Center box office, www.dcu.centerworcester.com, by contacting Jose Rivera (elgallojar@gmail.com/508.864.6954), AJ Rivera(anthoneerivera@gmail.com/774.272.2269) or any of the fighters
Doors open at 6 p.m., first bout 7 p.m. ET.
LEADING super-middleweight contenders Darryl Williams and Mark Heffron have begun training under British boxing legend Ricky Hatton at his gym in Hyde, Greater Manchester.
The unbeaten pair both have fights on the horizon and believe The Hitman is the right trainer to take them to the next level.
Londoner Williams, 15-0 (6 KOs), is preparing to defend his English title in a rematch with Jahmaine Smyle at the Copper Box Arena on July 8, while Heffron, 15-0 (13 KOs) will square off with Bartlomiej Grafka at Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse three weeks earlier on June 17.
“I’m over the moon that two of the best super-middles have chosen to join my gym and I think it says a lot about the work myself, Mike Jackson and Blain Younis have been doing with our lads over the past couple of years,” Hatton said.
“Darryl is a really exciting boxer and his first fight with Smyle is probably the British fight of the year so far. Everyone knows how much I liked a tear up during my career, but I’ll be aiming to add a few more subtleties to his game.
“As for Mark, what more do you need to say about him than ‘pure power’. He’s had a bit of a stop-start career, but he’s really on it now and anyone who can put away 13 of 15 opponents has to set pulses racing.
“I also train Jake Haigh and Chris Blaney so the gym is brimming with talent at middleweight and super-middleweight and I think the sparring sessions alone are going to be something else.”
The undercard has been announced for promoter Dmitriy Salita blockbuster "Detroit Brawl" on Friday, June 16, 2017, at the Masonic Temple in Detroit and it features an impressive mix of local and international prospects in high-stakes match-ups.
Thus far, five exciting bouts are scheduled in support of the eight-round main event featuring two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa "T-Rex" Shields (2-0, 1 KO) of Flint, Michigan, taking on Mery Rancier (7-8-3, 5 KOs) of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, for the WBC Silver Super Middleweight Championship and the 10-round co-main event between undefeated Detroit cruiserweight Demetrius Banks (9-0, 4 KOs) and Detroit via Russia's Alexey Zubov (14-1, 9 KOs).
Tickets for "Detroit Brawl" are priced at VIP $200, Box Seats $100, Floor Seating $100 & $55, and balcony seating $40, and are available at all Ticketmaster outlets and Ticketmaster.com.
In the night's main supporting bout, undefeated welterweight pulverizer Bakhtiyar Eyubov (12-0, 10 KOs) of Aktjubinsk, Kazakhstan, will look to stay busy waiting for his next high-profile step, as he attempts to inflict his crowd-pleasing style on always-tough Cesar Soriano (27-35-1, 16 KOs) Iztacalco, Mexico, over six rounds.
In another of the chief supporting bouts, Detroit's rising talent and "Great Lakes King" Ja'Rico O'Quinn (6-0, 5 KOs) returns to action in a six-round bantamweight brawl against David Martino (2-2, 2 KOs) of San Felipe, Mexico.
Also scheduled is an all-action six-round super welterweight battle between Antonio Urista (7-2, 2 KOs) of Lansing, Michigan, and highly decorated former amateur star Serdar Hudayberdiyev (3-0, 2 KOs) of Turkmenabat, Turkey.
Opening the night will be a six-round super lightweight tilt between Staten Island, New York via Kazakhstan's Dimash Niyazov (10-0-3, 4 KOs) and Grand Rapids, Michigan, veteran Ramon Guevara (10-24-2, 6 KOs); as well as a four-round welterweight bout between undefeated Jacob Bonas (2-0-1, 1 KO) of Bellville, Michigan, and Clinton Township, Michigan's Tony Brooks (1-1).
"This is an exciting show from top to bottom," said promoter Dmitriy Salita. "Every fight has been chosen for its excitement level. I am proud to be presenting it to the boxing savvy fans of Detroit, America's comeback city and home for world-class boxing."
More fights, opponents and rounds will be announced shortly. On fight night, doors open at 7:00 pm and the fights begin at 8:00 pm.
Charles Conwell, a 2016 United States Olympian, will fight as a professional for the second time on May 18 as part of the special One-Night-Only return of DiBella Entertainment's Broadway Boxing to New York from the Paramount Theater on the campus of LIU-Brooklyn.
Conwell (1-0, 1 KO) will take on Daniel Szoros (2-1, 2 KOs), of Hungary, in the co-feature. In the main event, local favorite Heather "The Heat" Hardy (19-0, 4 KOs) fights Hungary's Edina Kiss (14-3, 8 KOs) in a rematch of their March 4 battle.
Fans can receive a 10% discount on tickets now through May 12 or until supplies last by visiting dbe1.com and using promo code USA at checkout.
It is a quick turnaround for Conwell, 19, who knocked out Jeremiah Page (3-4, 2 KOs) in 41 seconds in his professional debut on April 21, at Buffalo Run Resort and Casino in Miami, Oklahoma. Conwell is co-promoted by Tony Holden's Holden Productions and managed by David McWater's Split-T Management.
"I am so excited to fight in New York City," said Conwell. "I will always represent Cleveland and I love the fans in Oklahoma, but New York is a city where stars are born. New York will become a second home for me on way to a world championship."
"Charles Cowell will be one of the most active prospects in boxing. Tony Holden and I have plans to fight Charles all over this country, but I can't wait to watch him make a splash in New York on Broadway Boxing," said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. "This is a United States Olympian and I hope the local fans and boxing media respond accordingly."
Broadway Boxing returns to New York for the first time since June 2016, on a One-Night-Only basis due to the insurance requirements imposed on boxing promoters by the New York legislature in August of last year.
"The insurance requirements in New York have kept DiBella Entertainment's flagship series and almost all club shows out of New York for the past year because they just aren't financially viable," said DiBella. "But the public clamoring has been too great to ignore; we are going to plant our flag for one night and we hope boxing fans come out and support live boxing featuring homegrown and world class talent."
Tickets for Broadway Boxing at Paramount Theater at LIU-Brooklyn, promoted by DiBella Entertainment and presented by Nissan of Queens, Azad Watches, OPTYX, and Christos Steak House, are priced at $150 ringside, $85 floor seats and $45 general admission. Tickets can be purchased through Complete Ticket Solutions at 888-612-4191, or by visiting www.dbe1.com or https://tickets.completeticketsolutions.com/DEI/Online/default.asp. Doors open at 7:00pm, with the first bout scheduled for 7:30pm.
The Swedish ‘Golden Boy’ Oscar Ahlin (13-2, 11 KOs) will face Ermin Avdic (10-2, 7 KOs) in a six-round contest at the Sporthallen in Sundsvall on April 22.
Ahlin makes his comeback after almost a year out of the ring following his defeat to British boxer Patrick Mendy, and subsequent foot injury. The 27-year old, now back to full fitness, says he is happy to be facing another tough test on his return.
“Most guys would chose to have very easy fights after being out of the ring for so long, but not me,’’ says Ahlin. ‘’This guy I‘m fighting has a good record and he’ll be coming to fight and to win, but of course, it will be me getting the victory on fight night!
“It’s been a frustrating 12 months for me, and it’s been way too long since my last fight. I just cannot wait to get back in there and remind everybody of what I can do.’’
Said promoter Nisse Sauerland: ‘’It’s great to have Oscar back in action. He has huge potential and the ability to go a long way in this sport. He’s had some setbacks on the way but we believe his journey is only just beginning. However, he will need to be at his best to get the decision against Avdic.’’
Ahlin meets Avdic on the undercard of Otto Wallin’s WBA Continental Heavyweight title clash with Gianluca Mandras, which also features an action-packed undercard with fights for Swedish stars Mikaela Laurén, Rocco Wadell, Hampus Henriksson, Kennedy Katende and Patricia Berghult, plus Icelandic heavyweight Gunnar Kolbeinn Kristinsson.
Tickets for the Nordic Fight Night are available online via www.biljettforum.se or by calling the ticket hotline on 0771-130 150. All the action will be shown live and exclusive across Scandinavia on Viaplay Fighting. For more information, please visit www.viaplay.se/fighting
Coach Joey Gamache says Otto Wallin (17-0, 11 KO) is “one of the best boxers he has ever trained” and insists he is ready to capture his first title when he takes on Italian Champion Gianluca Mandras at the Sporthallen in Sundsvall on April 22.
In the first professional boxing event to ever take place in Sundsvall, hometown hero, Wallin, is looking to claim the WBA Continental Heavyweight title; and Gamache believes the 26 year-old has the necessary tools to secure victory.
“Otto is so ready for this fight,’’ said Gamache. ‘’He’s an absolute animal in the gym. His work ethic is incredible and he’s been training so hard. He’s so multi-talented. He’s got a great jab, he’s a great body puncher, and he’s a great student of the game.’’
Gamache, a former two-time World Champion, goes on to compare Wallin to two of boxing’s all-time greats, Willie Pep, who boasts a record of 229 career wins, and fellow southpaw Pernell Whitaker, a former four-weight World champion.
“Otto’s skills remind me of some of great fighters like Willie Pep and Pernell Whitaker. He’s got absolutely everything, all the tools you could ask for,’’ he says.
“Without doubt, he is one of the best I have ever trained.”
When asked for his thoughts on Wallin’s opponent, Gamache says he expects Mandras to provide a tough test for the Swedish heavyweight, and that they have prepared for an aggressive approach from the Italian boxer.
“There’s not much film on this guy, I’ve only seen three of his fights, but I do know that he’s hungry and he comes to fight,’’ he said.
“I’ve also heard he’s coming over here to look for the KO, and that’s great news for us. It means Otto is facing a good test against a hungry opponent, which is just what he needs. It will also create opportunities and openings for Otto. This will play right into our hands and will bring the best out of Otto.
“With that said, Otto will need to stay calm, relaxed, stick to the game plan and stick to his boxing. He can’t go out there looking for the KO just to try and impress his hometown fans. The KO is more likely to come if he sticks to the plan and takes the opportunities when they come.”
Otto Wallin headlines his hometown arena with a WBA Continental title fight against Italian Champion Gianluca Mandras, while Swedish stars Mikaela Laurén, Oscar Ahlin, Hampus Henriksson, Kennedy Katende, Rocco Wadell and Patricia Berghult fight on the undercard, alongside Icelandic heavyweight Gunnar Kolbeinn Kristinsson.
Tickets for the Nordic Fight Night are available online via www.biljettforum.se or by calling the ticket hotline on 0771-130 150. All the action will be shown live and exclusive across Scandinavia on Viaplay Fighting. For more information, please visit www.viaplay.se/fighting
Former two-time Olympian Kennedy Katende (1-0) is enjoying World-class sparring ahead of his upcoming fight on April 22 at the Sporthallen in Sundsvall.
The 32 year-old, who is currently based in New York, has been gaining valuable rounds in the gym with top American pros Joe Smith Jr, the current WBC International Light Heavyweight Champion, who defeated living legend Bernard Hopkins in his last bout, and fellow World ranked light heavyweight contender Sean Monaghan, who is undefeated in his twenty-eight professional fights.
‘’It’s been great to have the opportunity to spar with Sean and Joe,’’ said Katende. ‘’They both liked the work when I first sparred them, so they keep inviting me back. I was Joe’s sparring partner for eight weeks before his fight with Hopkins.’’
Katende, who returns to his hometown of Sundsvall for his second professional bout, believes this experience will prove vital to his development, as he looks fast track his career and secure a title shot within the next 12 months.
“This experience has been great for me. Joe and Sean have both been very supportive and praised me a lot for my speed and footwork. Their coaches say it's going to be fantastic to follow my career, and within a year, I would expect to be up there with these guys. I can already go toe-to-toe with them for 10 rounds!
“I’ve improved so much as a result of good quality sparring. I’m feeling better and better every time I spar with these guys,’’ he says.
“I want to be fighting for titles myself within 12 months, and this experience has given me the confidence to go out and achieve that!”
Katende boxes as part of an action-packed show in Sundsvall, which is headlined by hometown hero Otto Wallin, who challenges Italian Champion Gianluca Mandras for the WBA Continental Heavyweight title clash, and features fights for Swedish stars Mikaela Laurén, Oscar Ahlin, Hampus Henriksson, Rocco Wadell and Patricia Berghult, plus Icelandic heavyweight Gunnar Kolbeinn Kristinsson.
Tickets for the Nordic Fight Night are available online via www.biljettforum.se or by calling the ticket hotline on 0771-130 150. All the action will be shown live and exclusive across Scandinavia on Viaplay Fighting. For more information, please visit www.viaplay.se/fighting
Norwegian cruiserweight Kai Robin Havnaa (9-0, 8 KO) will box on the undercard of Kubrat Pulev’s WBA Intercontinental Heavyweight title fight with Kevin Johnson on Friday, April 28 in Arena Armeec in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Havnaa is back in action following an impressive fourth round stoppage victory over Lars Buchholz at the Oslo Spectrum on February 24, and the 28 year-old, who will fighting an eight-round contest, says he is looking forward to showcasing his skills in front of a new audience in Sofia.
‘’I cannot wait to fight in Bulgaria,’’ says Havnaa, who has previously boxed in Denmark, Germany and Norway. ‘’This will be the fourth country I have fought in as a professional. It’s giving me great experience and helping me to improve.’’
Having won all of his last eight fights inside the distance, Havnaa, the son of former WBO World Champion Magne Havnaa, reveals he will be looking for a ninth knockout win.
‘’I want to get my ninth stoppage and extend my KO streak,’’ he says. ‘’The Bulgarian fans can expect to see a top trained and hungry Norwegian who is coming for the victory.’’
Kubrat Pulev returns to Sofia following a hugely successful homecoming show against Samuel Peter on December 3, and will defend his WBA Intercontinental Championship against former World title challenger Kevin Johnson.
Tickets for the WBA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship clash between Kubrat Pulev and Kevin Johnson on April 28 in Sofia are available online via www.eventim.bg.
Mikaela Laurén’s (28-4, 13 KOs) World title opponent Ewa Piatkowska (10-1, 4 KOs) has been ruled out of their scheduled contest on April 22 in Sundsvall with a back injury.
Laurén was due to challenge Piatkowska for the WBC Female World Super Welterweight Championship at the Sporthallen, with the Stockholm fighter eager to regain the title she was forced to vacate when moving down in weight to face domestic rival Klara Svensson.
Piatkowska had won the vacant belt with a unanimous points victory over Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes, and was to set to travel to Sundsvall to make her first defence against Laurén, when her management contacted Team Sauerland to inform them of the injury.
‘’We are of course bitterly disappointed for Mikaela,’’ said promoter Nisse Sauerland. ‘’She had been training hard for this fight and was ready to reclaim her title. Unfortunately, she will have to wait a little longer before she can get her hands on Piatkowska. However, she will still fight on April 22 in Sundsvall. We’re currently looking at a few different options and will make an announcement on a new opponent as soon as possible.’’
Laurén took to social media to express her disappointment with Piatkowska's withdrawal. ‘’You can run Ewa Piatkowska but you can't hide,’’ she said. ‘’A true champion doesn't run and definitely doesn't come up with bullshit excuses.’’
Further information regarding a replacement opponent for Laurén will be communicated shortly. Heavyweight hope Otto Wallin headlines the show with a WBA Continental title fight against Gianluca Mandras, while Swedish stars Oscar Ahlin, Kennedy Katende, Rocco Wadell, Hampus Henriksson and Patricia Berghult return to action.
Tickets for the Nordic Fight Night are available online via www.biljettforum.se or by calling the ticket hotline on 0771-130 150. All the action will be shown live and exclusive across Scandinavia on Viaplay Fighting. For more information, please visit www.viaplay.se/fighting
SAM EVANS will return to a venue that feels “like home” when he appears on Black Country Boxing’s ‘Next Chapter’ bill on Friday May 5.
The Ricky Hatton-trained prospect stormed to his ninth victory with a one round blow out of Sylwester Walczak in February.
And he’s keen to continue where he left off at Walsall FC’s Banks’s Stadium, the place where he started his journey in the paid ranks just 18 months ago.
Evans, 21, had three of his first professional outings at the venue and has even been introduced to fans on the pitch during a Walsall game.
“I’m looking forward to going back to Walsall’s football ground because I haven’t fought there for a year and it’s like a second home to me,” he said.
“I’ve had a couple of fights in Stoke shown on BoxNation, which is great, but there’s nothing like fighting at home in front of your own fans.
“I don’t have any idea who I’ll be against yet, but I’m sure Ricky and the team will find me the best opponent to bring me on and take me up a level.
“While I’m still young and learning, I’m keen to start boxing for titles in the next year so I can’t slip up now. I’ll be ready for whoever is available on May 5.”
Ricky Hatton added: “We call Sam ‘The Quiet Man’ because you barely hear a peep out of him most of the time.
“He just comes to the gym every day, takes on board what we tell him, and gets on with putting it into practice, but believe you me people will be hearing from him soon when he starts knocking on the door for titles.
“At this stage it’s all about development. He’s still only 21. When the time is right I’ll let him off the leash.”
Walsall duo, super lightweight, Luke Paddock, and bantamweight debutant, Humza Ali, are joined by Stoke cruiserweight, Luke Caci, Swadlincote super lightweight, Connor Parker, Wolverhampton bantamweight, Kyle Williams, and West Bromwich welterweight, Tommy Loach.
Standard tickets priced at £30, are available by calling 07585 906792. £60 VIP tickets for tables of ten, with two-course meal, are available by calling Walsall FC Box Office on 01922 651 414/416.
The weigh-in and aftershow take place at Grosvenor Casino Walsall, Bentley Mill Way, Walsall WS2 0LE (just off junction 10 of the M6). Grosvenor Casino Walsall will have a presence at the football club on the evening and have linked up with local taxi firm, Yellow Taxis, to supply a number of free taxis to take guests from the Banks’s Stadium to the casino post-fight.
Like most boxers, Ray Oliveira Jr. has one eye on his upcoming Friday night with the other focused firmly on the more important battles he'll face in the real world outside of the ring.
The 26-year-old New Bedford, Mass., junior middleweight has successfully created his own legacy in the sport out from underneath the shadow of his legendary father, "Sucra" Ray Oliveira, developing into one of the region's most respected fighters in his weight class for taking on any and all comers.
Now Oliveira Jr. (7-0, 1 KO) is in the biggest fight of his life, balancing boxing with classwork as he aims for his master's degree while continuously climbing the ladder among the elite in the 154-pound division.
Oliveira Jr. faces another test -- this time, out of the classroom -- Friday night at Twin River Casino when he battles fellow undefeated junior middleweight Casey Kramlich (6-0-1, 3 KOs) of Portland, Maine, in what figures to be the toughest match of his career in the six-round co-feature of CES Boxing's Nick DeLomba-Jimmy Williams World Boxing Council championship showdown.
After handing Andy Gonzalez and Jose Rivera their first career losses, Oliveira Jr. hopes to do the same to Kramlich, who has knocked out three of his last four opponents.
"I love the tough fights. That's what I'm all about," Oliveira Jr. said. "People always ask, 'When are you going to knock some guys out?' I don't care. I want to fight. If we're fighting it out, that's what I love. It's in my blood.
"I work so hard, train, sacrifice food and family time, so I want to make it worth it. I spend two friggin' months in the gym. I don't want to spend two minutes in the ring. Some people are different. They want to get in there, get out, get their money and get their record up. I want my rounds. I want guys who can fight. I want to challenge myself, too."
Kramlich promises to bring the action. Oliveira Jr. remembers his opponent from his amateur days in Maine fighting out of the Portland Boxing Club. He describes Kramlich is a "dedicated, hard worker," who's "coming to handle his business."
"I'm training to kick his ass," Oliveira Jr. said, "and I know he's training to do the same."
"It's going to be a great fight April 7th," Kramlich said. "Two young, hungry undefeated fighters battling it out to see who's the best. That's what the sport is all about. I've had a great training camp and I'm sure Ray has as well, but come fight night I'll be ready to display my skills and put on the best fight of my pro career so far and come out on top with the victory."
Outside of the ring, Oliveira Jr. is working equally hard to ensure a future beyond his fighting days for himself and his 7-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter. He's studying for his master's degree in sports facility management and hopes to one day open his own learning center in New Bedford for athletes -- a "university," as he describes it -- similar to a resort where clients can live and focus solely on their training, diet and other important details intertwined with being an elite, world-class athlete. He's actually started scouting warehouses and possible locations.
"I want it to be in my city. I want to help my city," said Oiveira Jr., who recalls not being able to afford gym memberships as a kid or having someone willing to train with him.
"I know there are kids with tons of talent all over my city who don't get recognized. No one is in a rush to go to New Bedford to see what's out there. I want to give people an opportunity to make something of themselves and not have to shop around the world to find it."
The idea isn't new; Oliveira Jr. says he's thought about it for "years," but felt he needed to back to school in order to complete his education, not only to fulfill his own dream, but to set a better example for his kids, too.
"I myself got halfway through ninth grade and then they sent me to night school for 10th grade because I used to get in trouble," he recalls. "I was intelligent, but I never finished.
"I'd tell my kids all the time how important school is and yet time would go by and I wouldn't do anything. I told myself this year I have to bust my ass and take it all on before it's gone.
"I thought I'd fail. I thought I wouldn't be able to handle it. Turns out I love school."
The greater challenge outside of the classroom is balancing school with boxing and handling the demands of his father, who's back in his corner as his head trainer following a brief hiatus. While it's a delicate balancing act, the one thing the Oliveiras know how to do better than anyone else - aside from winning - is handle each other.
"He knows me. He knows how I fight. I've had others who've worked my corner, but it's just not the same," Oliveira Jr. said. "They can give me direction, but they don't know how to apply it to me. Despite not being around each other while I was growing up, he knows how to reach me in certain ways.
"Sometimes he's just tough. I'm juggling a lot of things, and if I miss a day, he lets me know. I get frustrated because I'm the one dealing with it, but I know he's right. You can't allow any excuses. If you have a trainer who accepts excuses, you need a new trainer. I get pissed, but I'm glad he does it. I don't want to slack and I know he won't allow it."
While it's a grind now, Oliveira Jr. is confident the hard work will pay dividends down the road when he finishes school and accomplishes his goals in and out of the ring.
"I want to be a champion, but I want to do something with my life. I want to show my kids you don't just have to be great at one thing," he said. "My son has eight different things he wants to be when he grows up. My daughter loves soccer and wants to be the fastest girl in the world. That's what she told me. I told my kids to do it all, otherwise you'll spend 10 years thinking about what you want to do instead of doing it."
First thing's first, Oliveira Jr. must now focus on Friday night and what figures to be another back-and-forth war with Kramlich, similar to his entertaining, edge-of-your-seat fights against Rivera and Matt Probin in December. The challenge is what motivates him to continue fighting, whether it's in the ring or in the classroom.
"I love when they say, 'This is going to be a tough fight,' because I don't want an easy fight," Oliveira Jr. said. "I want guys who will challenge me and make me better and, most of all, prepare me for that title fight when I fight one of those big dogs.
"I don't want to question whether I'm ready. I don't just want to be a world champion. I want to be pound-for-pound the best and if I'm going to do that, I've got to fight the ones who can fight it out with me."
Tickets for April 7th are priced at $47.00, $102.00, $127.00 (VIP) and $152.00 (VIP) and can be purchased online at www.cesboxing.com, www.twinriver.com or www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 401-724-2253/2254 or at the Twin River Casino Players Club. All fights and fighters are subject to change.
The event also airs live in its entirety on FITE TV Pay Per View for $14.99 beginning at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. Fight fans can stream the event live on their television by downloading the FITE app free from iTunes or Google Play and using the instant stream-to-TV function for full-screen viewing, or watch online from any device at www.fite.tv. The FITE app also works with any Wi-Fi connected TV, iOS and Android devices, as well as streaming devices such as Roku, Chromecast and more. Replays will be available for those unable to watch live.
In addition to the highly-anticipated championship main event, April 7th features an eight-round female welterweight showdown between Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes (16-4-2, 1 KO) of Marshfield, Mass., and Mexican challenger Paty Ramirez (11-3, 5 KOs), plus a New England Lightweight Title bout between Springfield, Mass., vet Zack Ramsey (7-1, 3 KOs) and unbeaten Augusta, Ga., native Divante Jones (9-0, 6 KOs).
Joining Aleksandra Lopes on April 7th is her stepson, Arturo Lopes (1-0), who ends an eight-year layoff in his return bout against Taunton, Mass., welterweight Marqus Bates (1-1, 1 KO). The Lopeses fight April 7th in honor of the late Manny Lopes, a former CES standout who passed away in December and will be inducted into the CES Ring of Honor.
Worcester, Mass., lightweight Jamaine Ortiz (3-0, 2 KOs), fresh off a hard-fought win over unbeaten Canton Miller in February, faces another undefeated challenger in a four-round bout against Glenn Mitchell (2-0, 2 KOs) of Steubenville, Ohio, and Lynn, Mass., welterweight Khiry Todd (2-0, 2 KOs) battles Philadelphia's Vincent Floyd (2-2-1) in a four-round bout.
Junior welterweight Jonathan Figueroa (2-0, 1 KO) of Hartford, Conn., returns to Twin River to face Springfield's Miguel Ortiz (1-0, 1 KO) in a four-round showdown between two rising New England prospects and amateur standouts Ricky Delossantos of Providence, R.I., and Philip Davis of Worcester make their professional debuts against one another in a four-round super featherweight bout.
Junior welterweight Cristobal Marrero (3-0, 2 KOs) of New London, Conn., by way of Worcester, returns for the first time since December in a four-round bout against New York's Sidney Maccow (4-4, 3 KOs).
NATHAN GORMAN bolstered his experience and passed his toughest test to date with a comprehensive ten round points victory over Dominic Akinlade on Saturday night.
Gorman, boxing in his ninth professional contest at the tender age of 20, took charge of the contest early with clever use of the jab on the backfoot.
Akinlade pressed forward through each of the ten sessions and was always dangerous with single right hooks, but Gorman’s cleaner counters were the order of the day for referee Jeff Hinds, who scored the fight 100-92.
The victory earned Gorman the right to contest both the English and IBO International heavyweight crowns while also giving him his first taste of boxing beyond five rounds.
With wins over the likes of Adam Machaj and Tom Little, Londoner Akinlade is a sizable scalp for any boxer and Gorman’s trainer Ricky Hatton believes the bout will prove to be a crucial step in his charge’s education.
“I’m very proud of the way Nathan performed,” Hatton said. “He boxed coolly throughout, listened to what I told him in the corner and completed ten rounds for the first time.
“I think some fans were expecting to see Nathan blast Dominic out early like he has with a couple of his recent opponents, but we knew it was always going to be a long fight and those rounds will stand him in good stead for the future.
“People forget he’s only 20 and he’s still very much a work in progress. Wins like this provide the building blocks for him to get where I expect him to and that’s the very top.”
Gorman will now some time away from the gym as his wife Natalie is expecting their first child in the next few weeks.
An announcement on his next fight will be made later in the spring.
Popular Massachusetts heavyweight Vinnie "American Nightmare" Carita was too much for former South American champion Gilberto Matheus "El Magico" Domingos in last night's "New England's Future 2" main event at Worcester Palladium. A capacity crowd of 1,700 rocked the vintage venue from start to finish.
"New England's Future 2" was presented by Rivera Promotions Entertainment (RPE), which is owned and operated by retired three-time, two division world champion Jose Antonio Rivera and his son, matchmaker Anthonee (A.J.) Rivera. Rivera announced that "New England's Future 3" will be held June 10th at DCU Center, Exhibition Hall, in Worcester.
Carita (16-1-1, 15 KOs), fighting out of Pembroke (MA), unleashed a relentless body attack on his Brazilian foe, Domingos (22-7, 20 KOs), who was unable to answer the bell for the second round due to damaged ribs.
"I was hoping to get in more rounds but unfortunately I didn't get 'em tonight," Carita (pictured to the right) commented. "Based on his record, I thought he'd be more competitive, but that fell short. I keep stepping up (quality of his opponents) but they haven't lasted with me."
The feel-good story of the evening was the long awaited return of Manchester (CT) lightweight Matt "Sharp Shooter" Remillard (24-1, 13 KOs), who was incarcerated five years and hadn't fought in six. Remillard pounded his opponent, Augustine "Ruthless" Mauras (6-2-3 3 KOs), whose toughness showed throughout the contest as Remillard pounded his Lawrence (MA) opponent to the body and head en route to a eight-round unanimous decision (80-71, 79-72, 78-73) in the co-feature. Mauras was deducted a point in the fourth round for headbutting.
"I was a little rusty but I got better as the fight went on," Remillard said. "He's a tough kid who was slippery inside. If the fight went a little longer, I think I would have gotten him out of there."
Worcester heavyweight Bryan Daniels (4-0, 2 KOs) remained undefeated, dropping "Money" Mike Sawyer (7-8, 5 KOs) four times in the opening round, the last coming on the end of a vicious left-hook, resulting in referee Mike Ryan immediatelty stopped the contest without counting.
Dorchester (MA) heavyweight Donnie "Big Nasty" Palmer (9-1-1, 8 KOs) outclassed Bobby Favors (1-4, 1 KO), of Cleveland, on his way to a first-round technical knockout win. Palmer has comeback from being shot in the stomach last summer by his sister's abusive boyfriend. He recently served as a sparring partner for Wladimir Klitschko.
Hartford junior welterweight Anthony Laureano (3-0, 2 KOs), a 2016 New England Golden Gloves champion, continued to impress with a third-round technical knockout victory over battled-tested upstate New Yorker Bryan "The Brick" Abraham (6-25-1, 6 KOs).
Hot junior welterweight prospect "Marvelous" Mykquan Williams (6-0, 4 KOs), the 18-year-old high school senior from Manchester (CT), lived up to his nickname with an explosive first-round knockout of Mexican veteran fighter Israel "Tigre" Rojas (10-16, 3 KOs).
Three-time USA Boxing Nationals champion Elvis Figueroa (1-0, 1 KO), from New Haven (CT), turned in a strong professional debut, stopping Brazilian super middleweight Devision Ribiero (0-4), who was unable to continue after two rounds.
Worcester welterweight Andy Gonzalez (6-1, 5 KOs) cruised to a four-round unanimous decision over a game Antonio Chavez Fernandes (7-30-4, 2 KOs), of Brockton (MA).
Lawrence (MA) featherweight prospect Adrian "Tonka" Sosa (2-0, 2 KOs), thre 2015 New... England Golden Gloves champion, knocked out Oscar Diaz (0-11), of Hartford, midway through the opening round.
Pro-debuting Luis "Pancho" Santiago (0-0-1), fighting out of Springfield (MA), and Alex Montes (1-2-1), of Lawrence (MA), fought to a hard-fought four-round draw.
Springfield junior middleweight Derrick "Double Impact" jjjas (10-16, 3 Whitley (1-0) won his pro debut in an entertaining opener with a four-round unanimous decision over Anthony Everett (1-5), of Lawrence.
Danish boxing legend Mikkel Kessler (46-3, 35 KOs) announced his plans to return to the ring at a press conference today at the Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers Hotel.
The former five-time World Champion, who retired following his May 2013 rematch with Carl Froch at the O2 in London, will make a sensational comeback later this year with a date and opponent to be confirmed.
‘’I want to prove that I can become the best again. The goal is to become World Champion for the sixth time,'' said 'The Viking Warrior'.
‘’I’ve always said that if I wake up one day and the motivation is there, I’ll take the chance, and now, the timing is right. I still have a great team around me with a chef, physical trainer, therapist and boxing coach. The desire is still there, and I’m ready to make it happen.
‘’I’m older, and so is my body, but I’ve kept in shape, and I’m still in weight. I’m 100 per cent motivated to do this. I’ve missed the training camps, and I’ve missed the focus you get from boxing - to have one goal, and to do your best to achieve it.
‘’It’s not about the money; it’s about doing what my heart tells me to do. I’ve always love big challenges, and this is a chance to really test myself.
‘’We’ve not decided on a date or an opponent yet. I’m just looking forward to fighting in front of my fans again. For me, it has always been about the fans, and I promise to do everything I can to ensure they get to see entertaining fights.’’
The 38 year-old was joined at today’s press conference by promoter Kalle Sauerland.
‘’For Mikkel it has always been about honour and not money when he steps into the ring,'' said Sauerland. ''He has beaten the best, and we believe he can come back to a level where he is ready to conquer the World again.’’
Now that sanction has officially been granted, the next fight for red-hot undefeated super middleweight David "El Bandera Roja" Benavidez will be an eliminator for the #2 mandatory challenger spot in the WBC's world rankings against highly regarded contender Rogelio "Porky" Medina, of Sonora, Mexico.
WBC #1-rated Callum Smith and WBC #2-rated Anthony Dirrell will fight for the vacant 168 WBC Championship (tentatively scheduled for May), the winner of that fight must then face undefeated WBC #3 contender, Avni Yildirim, from Turkey. The champion at the end of those two fights will be mandated to face the winner of the Benavidez vs. Medina eliminator.
For Benavidez (17-0, 16 KOs), who served as chief sparring partner for middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin's recent preparations to face Danny Jacobs, news of the fight with Medina is a welcome development.
"This is the biggest opportunity of my life and I'm not going to let it go to waste," said Benavidez. "I'm going to destroy this guy like I do everybody else. I have never trained this hard for a fight and I feel that, come fight time, I'll be extremely strong and do it up."
Considered a boxing prodigy by many, the 20-year-old Benavidez, who turned professional at age 16, is the brother of former interim WBA World Super Lightweight Jose Benavidez, and has been trained since age two by his father Jose Benavidez Sr.
Father/trainer Jose says everyone on Team Benavidez is aware of what's at stake against the formidable Medina, who lost a controversial decision to IBF World Champion James DeGale's last year, in a fight that many felt Medina won.
"We are excited and working really hard," he said. "This is the toughest fight of his career, so we're taking it super serious. This is a big opportunity for us to shine and look good and go to the next level. We were training with Golovkin here in Big Bear (California) and we've decided to stay here and keep training until the fight."
"I know he's a tough fighter and he's been in a lot of wars, and he has a lot of experience, but I'm very motivated for this fight," continued David. "We have a month and a half in training with Golovkin in camp already. Camp with him is hard work and training here in Big Bear gets you to the next level. The hard work I'm doing here will definitely get me this win."
Promoter Lewkowicz says any remaining questions about young Benavidez will be answered in this fight.
"This is the final test for David Benavidez," said Lewkowicz. "If he does to this guy what he did to so man other fighters, it will be time for the world to acknowledge that David is going to be a star in boxing. This test will show everyone that he is truly everything we've been saying he is since he was a teenager. I am proud of the hard work he is doing and look forward to this great victory."
Date and site for the fight are being negotiated. More details to follow.
Anyone who knows boxing understands the history and prestige of the famed green belt, the coveted prize for winning a World Boxing Council (WBC) championship.
Established in 1963, the WBC has reigned supreme as one of boxing's elite sanctioning bodies, representing 164 countries and sanctioning more than 2,000 world championship bouts, many under the guidance of former late president Jose Sulaiman.
The WBC also pioneered rule changes to further ensure the safety of fighters, among them the reduction of world championship bouts from 15 rounds to 12 in the early 1980s.
On Thursday night, Nick DeLomba and Jimmy Williams shared a rare opportunity to embrace the WBC's history, which becomes a part of their future Friday, April 7th, 2017 when they face off for the WBC's USNBC Welterweight Title at Twin River Casino.
CES Boxing president Jimmy Burchfield Sr., a longtime ally of the WBC who promoted its first USNBC championship 12 years ago, presented both fighters with a lavish, black suitcase emblazoned with the WBC logo Thursday at Lock 50 in Worcester, Mass., the first leg of CES' multi-city press tour to promote the upcoming DeLomba-Williams showdown.
Upon Burchfield's encouragement, they popped the gold brass locks on top and flipped the lid to reveal the distinguished WBC championship belt, complete with a stunning gold centerpiece featuring the sanctioning body's logo adorned with flags of all 164 member countries.
"Lift that belt up," Burchfield said as DeLomba (11-1, 2 KOs) and Williams (12-0-1, 5 KOs) reached into the suitcase. "That's the green belt. This is the real thing.
"Not only is this about what it means to win that belt, it's where it takes you."
The history of the USNBC championship is undeniable; nine current or former title-holders have gone on to win world titles and twenty-eight others have gone on to fight for a major world championship. Likewise, each of the five current USNBC title-holders are ranked among the top 40 in the world in their respective weight class.
The USNBC championship is an important first step, but, as Burchfield noted, it's up to the winner to carve his own path. The 10-round DeLomba-Williams championship bout headlines a star-studded 11-fight card April 7th, CES Boxing's second show of 2017 in its year-long 25th anniversary celebration.
Tickets for April 7th are priced at $47.00, $102.00, $127.00 (VIP) and $152.00 (VIP) and can be purchased online at www.cesboxing.com, www.twinriver.com or www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 401-724-2253/2254 or at the Twin River Casino Players Club. All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Robert Helenius (24-1, 15 KOs) and Dereck Chisora (26-7, 18 KOs) are set for a huge heavyweight rematch on May 27 at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland.
There is a lot of the line for both men, in what promises to be the biggest fight on Finnish soil in recent history, with both the WBC Silver World Heavyweight title and a shot at the current WBC World Champion Deontay Wilder up for grabs.
Helenius holds a controversial split decision win over Chisora from their all action showdown in December 2011, which many believed the British boxer did enough to win. However, the Finnish fighter says this time the decision will be left in no doubt.
‘’Chisora is a good fighter and I’m expecting a tough fight, but I’m very confident I will win,’’ said the 33 year-old. ‘’Before our first match, I injured my right shoulder and had to fight for twelve-rounds with just one arm. If I was able to beat him with one arm, I don’t see any problems beating him when I have two.
‘’I am in great shape now, and I feel stronger than ever. It’s been a long road back since my shoulder operation, and I’ve been waiting a long time for an opportunity like this. I believe I am ready, and after I beat Chisora, I will be in a good position to challenge for the World title.’’
‘’I’m looking forward to going back to Helsinki and putting on another great show for the fans,’’ said Chisora. ‘’It’s a beautiful city with a lot of beautiful people. We had a lot of fun last time, and everyone knows who really won that fight. He can make all the excuses he wants, but that won’t help him on May 27.
‘’I feel like this is my time, I’m in my prime, and I can’t wait. I might be relaxed now, but when I leave London, I’m going to war. When I get on that flight I become a different person. Mr. Nice Guy is gone. It brings the vicious side out in me, and he’d better be ready!’’
‘’We’re delighted to be bringing this huge heavyweight attraction to Helsinki,’’ said promoter Nisse Sauerland. ‘’The first fight between Robert and Dereck was something special, and this promises to be even better. They’ve got unfinished business, and on May 27, they’ve finally got the chance to settle the score.’’
Tickets for the WBC Silver World Heavyweight Championship clash between Robert Helenius and Dereck Chisora will go on sale Monday, March 27 at 9.00 (EET) and are available online via www.ticketmaster.fi or by calling the ticket hotline on 0600 10 800.