New promoter Hank Tuohy’s first show a KO

23.07 - SANDWICH, Mass. – All things considered, Hank Tuohy’s first pro boxing promotion last Friday night at the Melody Tent in Hyannis (MA) was an overwhelming success, thanks in large part to a little help from his friends.

“Battle Zone at The Tent,” promoted by Tuohy’s Old Colony Sports, was broadcast live on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights. In the main event, one that was nearly cancelled due to litigation threats involving Julian Letterlough’s managers, light heavyweight Richard “The Destroyer” Hall (26-4, 25 KOs) got up off the mat in the opening round to drop “Mr. KO” Letterlough (19-4-2, 18 KOs) a minute later. Referee Dick Flaherty stopped the fight 47-seconds into the second round, awarding the TKO win to Hall, who had been pounding Letterlough in the corner. The 10-round co-feature between world welterweight contender, “Sucra” Ray Oliveira (45-9-2, 21 KOs), and Canadian middleweight champion Bryon Mackie (21-9, 5 KOs) was a toe-to-toe, action packed fight that had people standing from start to finish. Oliveira won a majority decision (97-93, 98-92, 95-95).

“We had some great fights, 1507 fans went home happy, our friend Kippy Diggs was officially retired, and 275 people were served through Outback Steakhouse at our VIP cookout,” Tuohy said. “It had been three years since the last ESPN2 show here and now we’ve re-established pro boxing as an annual summer event at the Melody Tent. I’m looking forward to doing ESPN2 fights in the Greater Boston area in December or January, as well as one in either Myrtle Beach or Florida in the spring. Next summer we’ll be right back here at the Melody Tent.

“It’s impossible to put on a show like this without the support of all our sponsors, especially Mohegan Sun and Outback. I’d like to thank all of the fighters, their managers and cornermen for their professionalism, especially those who called me over the weekend to thank me. Those calls made it all worth while.”

Tuohy learned a lot about professional boxing in his promotional debut, including what goes on behind the scenes, while his cross-promotional and event marketing philosophy caught the attention of other boxing promoters that called inquiring about it.

“My company, Old Colony Sports, specializes in event marketing and we proved that it works in pro boxing,” Hank noted. “On a personal note, I’d really like to thank my friend and co-promoter, Jimmy Burchfield, and Team CES (Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc.) for providing me with their expertise – they went to the wall for me -- and Lou and Dino Duva for their friendship and support. Most of all, though, I have to thank ESPN and Bob Yalen for this tremendous opportunity, in addition to its production staff and my friend, attorney Tony Cardinale, for their roles in keeping the main event on the show. I’m also grateful to the Massachusetts Boxing Commission for the support it gave me right from the start.”

It was knockout of a debut for Tuohy and Old Colony Sports.