Station Casinos Sports Books Post Odds on CKP´s "Fistfull of Dollars" - Thompson Favorite

28.11 - Race and sports books at Station Casinos properties in Nevada have established lanky southpaw Anthony Thompson as a 2-to-1 favorite to win Cedric Kushner Promotions’ $100,000, winner-take-all “Fistful of Dollars” heavyweight tournament, which will be televised live on pay-per-view this Saturday, Nov. 30, from Atlantic City, N.J.

Also on this special edition “Thunderbox” card is world-ranked David Tua, perhaps the most feared and exciting heavyweight in the world, against Russell Chasteen in a 10-round bout.

The 6-foot-6-inch Thompson, who has a record of 17-1 with nine knockouts, is one of eight heavyweights in this unique, single-elimination tournament, which features three-round bouts.

Other boxer odds are Maurice Harris (19-12-2, 10 KOs) at 5-to-2, Ray Austin (17-3-1, 13 KOs) at 3-to-1, Gerald Nobles (20-1, 16 KOs) at 4-to-1, former two-time world champion Tim Witherspoon (55-12-1, 38 KOs) and Derek Jefferson (26-3-1, 20 KOs) at 5-to-1, 2000 Sydney Olympics bronze medalist Paolo Vidoz (11-1, 7 KOs) at 7-to-1 and Jeremy Williams (39-4, 35 KOs) at 8-to-1.

“This tournament is a great concept,” says Art Manteris, vice president race and sports book operations Station Casinos.

“This should be a very interesting and exciting tournament,” said Manteris. “The bouts are very competitive. “Someone will come out of this tournament as a top contender.”

Thompson of Silver Spring, Md., meets Williams of North Hills, Calif., in the initial round. Other first-round bouts are Austin of Cleveland facing Jefferson of Detroit; Witherspoon of Philadelphia taking on Vidoz; and Harris of Newark, N.J., going against Nobles of Philadelphia.

The four winners compete in two more three-round bouts. Those victors meet in the final bout in which the winner receives the $100,000 Tua, ranked No. 3 by the International Boxing Federation, No. 4 by the World Boxing Association and No.5 by the World Boxing Council, has a record of 41-3 with 36 knockouts while Chasteen has a mark of 19-5 with 13 knockouts.

“Fistful of Dollars” takes place at Trump Taj Mahal in the Mark G. Etess Arena.

Tickets for “Fistful of Dollars” are priced at $25, $50 and $100 and are available at the Trump Taj Mahal box office (609-449-1000) and through TicketMaster (800-736-1420).

The “Fistful of Dollars” pay-per-view telecast, priced at $19.95, is available through local cable operators and all PPV systems, including In Demand, Direct TV, Echostar and Cablevision.

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Derrick Jefferson (26-1, 20 KOs) of Detroit, MI, the 2-1 second choice on the line, squares off against Ray Austin of Cleveland, OH (17-2-1, 13 KOs) in the first round pairing. Austin is a 4-1 co-third choice.

Maurice Harris (19-12-2, 10 KOs) of Newark, NJ, also listed at 4-1, fights Gerald Nobles (20-16 KOs) of Philadelphia in another first round pairing. Nobles is 12-1. Two-time heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon (51-11-1, 32 KOs), another Philadelphia product, is tabbed at 8-1, taking on Italian bronze-medallist Paolo Vidoz (11-1, 7 KOs) of Gorizia, Italy, in the fourth pairing. Vidoz is the longest shot on the board at 15-1.

The field in the event of a substitution is 6-1.

The unique format tournament, presented by Cedric Kushner Promotions, will be on the air in a special edition of the Thunderbox series from Trump's Mark G. Etess Arena. The action will be televised live on pay-per-view beginning at 9:00 PM/ET with Westwood One's Larry Michael, heavyweight Shannon Briggs and WFAN Radio personality Sid Rosenberg providing the commentary.

In a special added heavyweight attraction, David Tua (41-3, 36 KOs) of New Zealand, ranked third by the IBF, will battle Russell Chasteen ( 19-5, 13 KOs, Louisville, KY) in a 10-round bout.

Combining fisticuffs and entertainment, the heavyweights will be joined by hip hop stars Xzibit, Eve and Krumb Snatcha, who are among the artists scheduled to perform. The event will be available on all pay-per-view systems including In Demand, Direct TV, Echostar, and Cablevision. Call you local cable or satellite service provider to order. The P-P-V is priced at $19.99.

The single-elimination tourney will be divided into three explosive periods: four quarter-final matches with the winners returning for two semi-finals, and finally the championship main event. Each will consist of three-round bouts. The fighters have a combined total of 148 knockout victories

"We have selected aggressive, hard-charging heavyweights," said Cedric Kushner. "This will be one of the most unique and exciting events in boxing history. Everyone loves the heavyweights, and this format is sure to please the viewers and live crowd alike."

"I would like to be involved with the stars that emerge from this tournament," continued Kushner. "There will be a great opportunity for one, two or three of them to fight on HBO and Showtime."

Gerald Nobles said: "Go ahead and put the check into my name right now because I'm running through it, I'm ready, make sure everyone else is.

But Jeremy Williams told Nobles: "I've knocked out more people than you've ever fought in your life…This tournament is a mere way for me to buy Christmas presents for my kids."

"To get a spark into the sport of boxing, you have to do things like this. There are other fighters besides Lennox Lewis and Oscar De La Hoya," added Williams.

Tickets are priced at $100, $50 and $25, and are on sale at the Trump Taj Mahal box office (609) 449-1000 or by calling TicketMaster at 800-736-1420.